Tech breakthroughs bring record high shale oil production in China

China Petrochemical Corporation (Sinopec Group), the country's largest oil refiner, has announced that its Shengli Oilfield, driven by technology breakthroughs, has set a new record for single-well daily shale oil production in China.

A total of 94 horizontal shale oil wells have been built in the 7,300-square-km Jiyang shale oil national demonstration zone owned by the Shengli Oilfield in east China's Shandong Province since it was established two years ago, among which 36 wells have achieved peak daily oil production exceeding 100 tonnes, with a maximum of 262.8 tonnes for a single well, the Science and Technology Daily reported on Sunday.

The achievements were made with the driving force of technology innovations, according to the Sinopec Shengli Oilfield.

Shale oil mainly refers to liquid hydrocarbons trapped in formations of shale rock that can be extracted for refining. It is often found in organic-rich shale and thin interlayers of carbonate rocks, sandstones, and siltstones.

China has abundant shale oil resources, but they are mainly continental shale oil, making exploration and production difficult.

Compared with the shale oil reserves in North America, those in Jiyang are buried deeper, somewhere between 3,000 and 5,500 meters, and have lower maturity, posing a series of challenges to exploration and development.

The technology innovation team of the Shengli Oilfield overcame difficulties in exploration such as high temperature, high pressure, and simultaneous seepage in shale oil reservoirs.

They have developed a fast drilling technology centered on synthetic-based drilling fluid systems, enabling efficient drilling of horizontal wells with depths exceeding 3,300 meters and horizontal sections longer than 2,000 meters, thus reducing the drilling cycle from 133 days to 29.5 days.

"We have successively deployed a number of systematic coring wells. Based on the study of core shale samples buried tens of thousands of meters deep, we have conducted 150,000 indoor experiments, and made breakthroughs in more than 40 national and provincial-level research projects, uncovering the enrichment mechanisms of Jiyang shale oil and initially clarifying the patterns of shale oil accumulation and high production in Jiyang," said Jiao Hongyan, manager of the Shale Oil Project Department at Sinopec Shengli Oilfield.

It is estimated that the shale oil resources in Jiyang amount to 10.5 billion tonnes. The Jiyang demonstration zone, the third of its kind in China following the ones in northwest China's Xinjiang and Daqing in the northeast, has reported a daily oil production of 1,600 tonnes and a cumulative oil production surpassing 800,000 tonnes.

Tech breakthroughs bring record high shale oil production in China

The Sudanese Armed Forces on Saturday announced their control over the Lamab area in the southern part of Sudan's capital Khartoum, as the deadly conflict between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces raged on in the capital and other parts across the country.

The armored troops of the Sudanese Armed Forces launched attacks from its headquarters in southern Khartoum, and defeated the Rapid Support Forces, seizing a large number of weapons and ammunition and establishing full control over the Lamab area, which sits near the base, the Sudanese Armed Forces said.

Currently, the Sudanese Armed Forces are searching the area and will advance further towards central and northern Khartoum.

Since starting their largest operation in Khartoum on September 26, the Sudanese Armed Forces have secured control over three crucial bridges in Khartoum, as well as areas of Alhalfaia and Alkadrou in northern Khartoum, and the Almogran region.

The conflict has inflicted severe hardships on residents around the capital. Those living in the Tuti Island, which is situated at the confluence of the Blue and the White Nile and is controlled by the Rapid Support Forces after the outbreak of the conflict, are grappling with numerous challenges including power outages, gas shortages, and scarcities of food and medical supplies.

Several humanitarian agencies called on the international community to exert pressure on the warring parties, urging them to facilitate the safe evacuation of stranded civilians.

Furthermore, the Sudanese Armed Forces have deployed a significant number of fighter jets for extensive airstrikes targeting the Rapid Support Forces in Darfur and Gezira states. In response, the Rapid Support Forces have shelled Alfashir, the capital of Darfur.

The deadly conflict between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces since April 15, 2023 has caused more than 24,000 deaths and the displacement of millions.

The Sudanese government on Saturday said it has agreed to open four additional airports for humanitarian agencies to deliver aid to the war-torn country, according to Sudan's Transitional Sovereign Council.

The airports to be opened are in the cities of Kassala, Dongola, El Obeid, and Kadugli, said the sovereign council in a statement.

Along with the previously-opened Port Sudan Airport and the Merowe Airport, there are now six airports and seven land crossings available to international organizations, the statement said.

Sudanese Armed Forces gain control over another area amid deadly conflict