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The challenges in exploring deep coalbed methane in Ordos have been overcome by PetroChina.

2026-02-02

The challenges in exploring deep coalbed methane in Ordos have been overcome by PetroChina.

ECF International Shale Gas Forum: Recently, Daqing Drilling has been operating in the Ordos Basin. Hao 20 Well During the pressure-retaining core sampling operation, we achieved remarkable success, setting four new records in one fell swoop for the Han Cheng block of PetroChina Coalbed Methane Company: the highest cumulative core length per well, the highest core recovery rate, the largest number of core barrels retrieved, and the most comprehensive coverage of core sampling intervals. This breakthrough has solved the longstanding challenges in core sampling from coal and rock formations in this region, providing a powerful new tool for unconventional oil and gas exploration.

 

R&D tools overcome challenges.

Well Hao 20 is a vertical appraisal well deployed by PetroChina Coalbed Methane Company in the eastern part of the Yishan Slope within the Ordos Basin. The designed well depth is 2,506 meters, with a pressurized core sampling interval of 95.77 meters. It is tasked with evaluating 5... #The critical role of the #Coal Seam and #8 Coal Seam reservoirs and their gas-bearing conditions

This well needs to obtain various reservoir parameters of the deep coal seams, and also to explore the shale reservoirs and gas-bearing conditions of the Shanxi Formation and Benxi Formation in the Daning-Jixian block. At the same time, it is necessary to conduct further exploration. Taiyuan Formation Limestone and carbonate reservoirs of the Majiagou Formation, as well as their gas-bearing properties. However, the coalbed methane reservoirs in the Hancheng block exhibit complex characteristics, including intricate coalbed methane strata and a tendency for gas to easily escape. Consequently, conventional core-taking techniques struggle to preserve the original state of the formation. If the retrieved cores are not “true to the original,” this will directly affect the accuracy of reservoir evaluation and gas-content testing, thereby impacting exploration decisions for the entire region.

In response to the complex geological conditions of Well Hao 20, the core-taking team from the Engineering Technology Transformation and Promotion Branch of the Daqing Drilling Engineering Technology Research Institute has adopted the self-developed DQBYM194-80 model. Pressure-retaining core sampling The tool has undergone targeted upgrades. They have refined the tool’s self-locking ball valve sealing structure, effectively addressing the challenge of sealing in high-pressure formations.

Jointly Tackling Core Exploration

The core sampling operation at Well Hao 20 would not have been possible without the close collaboration between the Shaanxi-Shanxi Project Department of Western Drilling Company and the Daqing Drilling Core Sampling Team. They have clearly defined their respective roles and worked closely together, creating a collaborative model characterized by "well-drilling support that is fully in place and robust technical backing."

The Daqing Drilling Core-取 Team has developed a construction plan featuring “precise layer identification + dynamic pressure control + full-process monitoring.” This plan enables real-time tracking and storage of downhole temperature and pressure conditions, as well as fine-tuned control of key parameters such as drilling weight and rotational speed, ensuring that the core-taking process is precisely matched to the geological characteristics of the formation.

The Drilling Team 30607 of the Shanxi-Shaanxi Project Department, responsible for drilling operations, has focused on auxiliary support services. They proactively optimized wellbore trajectories and fine-tuned drill string assemblies in advance. By precisely controlling parameters such as bit weight and rotational speed, they have created a stable downhole environment conducive to core sampling operations. The team leader stated: “We identified potential construction challenges ahead of time and developed targeted measures to prevent and seal leaks as well as to control wellbore deviation. Our leak-sealing success rate reached 100%, and the maximum wellbore deviation was kept within 1.42 degrees—thus enhancing both wellbore safety and ensuring high-quality well integrity.”

During the construction process, the joint team adhered to the principle that “every meter of core sample is critical to exploration accuracy” and rigorously followed standardized procedures. From tool deployment and core sampling to surface desorption, every step was seamlessly integrated and meticulously controlled. Jiang Manjiang, chief engineer of the Shaanxi-Shanxi Project Department, explained that technical personnel were stationed at the wellsite around the clock, providing on-site guidance and continuously monitoring equipment operating conditions to precisely address pressure-control challenges encountered during core retrieval. Faced with sudden fluctuations in formation pressure, the technical team responded swiftly and took prompt corrective actions, successfully preventing risks of core contamination and tool damage.

Core-taking technology proves its worth.

The successful application at Well Hao 20 marks that Daqing Drilling’s specialized core-sampling technology has reached an industry-leading level. During the operation, the team developed a mature operational model—“customized tools + refined procedures + full-process monitoring”—which not only ensured the smooth completion of the core-sampling task but also demonstrated its technological prowess through two key performance indicators: a cumulative total of 94.22 meters of high-quality, pressurized cores were obtained, and the coal-seam core recovery rate reached 98.38% (an impressive 18.38 percentage points higher than the design target). More importantly, the domestically developed pressurized core-sampling tool achieved the critical goal of “sealing the core barrel immediately upon deployment and maintaining pressure even after the core is retrieved,” thereby maximizing the preservation of the reservoir’s in-situ conditions and establishing a more precise and reliable geological model for the main production strata in the Hanqu District.

This technological breakthrough not only provides crucial evidence for coalbed methane exploration in the Ordos Basin but also highlights the tremendous application potential of Daqing Drilling in the field of unconventional oil and gas exploration. The core-logging team at Daqing Drilling has long been deeply engaged in various specialized core-logging technologies. Their self-developed core-logging tools have undergone nearly a thousand well tests across multiple key basins nationwide, including Songliao, Hailar, Shaanxi-Shanxi, Sichuan-Chongqing, and Xinjiang, with an average recovery rate consistently stable at 98%.

“As China’s unconventional oil and gas exploration expands into deeper and more complex reservoirs, higher demands are being placed on the precision and reliability of pressurized core sampling technology. The successful implementation at Well Hao 20 demonstrates that Daqing Drilling’s technological system is capable of effectively addressing the challenges posed by complex geological formations, opening up new technical possibilities for the accurate evaluation of unconventional reservoirs,” said Zhao Xianwei, Project Manager of the Shaanxi-Shanxi Project Department.