Kunlun Lubricants has developed and applied lubricating oil for equipment used in Asia’s deepest horizontal well.

On March 10, China Central Television reported the completion of the 9,396-meter horizontal well at the Tarim Fuman Oilfield, the deepest horizontal well in Asia. It is understood that the horizontal well was completed by the BHZ90005 drilling team of China National Petroleum Corporation Bohai Drilling Company’s Tarim Operations Area at Well Guole 3C, located in the hinterland of the Taklimakan Desert. With a well depth of 9,396 meters, it broke the record for the deepest horizontal well in Asia, marking that China National Petroleum Corporation is equipped to advance into depths of 10,000 meters.
It is worth mentioning that all the lubricating oil used for the overall equipment of the Gole 3C drilling rig comes from Kunlun Lubrication, which also means that the quality of Kunlun Lubrication’s oil products meets the equipment lubrication requirements for advancing into the 10,000-meter-deep earth.
As one of the important means of entering the Earth, ultra-deep drilling is known as a “telescope” for looking deep inside the Earth. High temperature and high pressure are unavoidable common challenges during ultra-deep well drilling. The Guole 3C drilling rig needs to operate under the harsh conditions of an ultra-high temperature of 160℃ and an ultra-high pressure of 130MPa. The slightest mistake could cause the entire drilling rig to collapse underground. This tests components such as the drill bit, drawworks, and mud pump, and places even greater demands on the lubrication of drilling rig components. The gear oil used in the gearboxes of the drawworks and mud pump must meet the requirements of extreme-pressure, heavy-load, and high-torque operating conditions; the hydraulic oil used in the hydraulic system must meet the requirements of temperature fluctuation conditions; and the grease used in the shale shaker must meet the requirements of continuous operation at temperatures above 100℃. In particular, when the drilling depth exceeds 6,000 meters, the top drive equipment, a core component of the drilling rig, must withstand a pressure load of over 2000MPa transmitted from the hardness of the rock formations at the bottom, making the extreme-pressure requirements for top-drive oil even more stringent.
Since 2022, Kunlun Lubrication has focused on CNPC’s domestic ultra-deep well development strategy, closely tracking the development of ultra-deep well oilfields represented by the Fuman Oilfield, and carrying out the localization of lubricants for ultra-deep well drilling and production equipment. In response to the harsh operating conditions of ultra-deep well drilling and production, Kunlun Lubrication adopted a technical service model involving dual validation of equipment condition and lubricant performance, and provided multiple feasibility demonstrations and other technical services to organizations such as the Tarim Operation Area of Bohai Drilling Engineering Co., Ltd., which was carrying out operations at the Fuman Oilfield, regarding the application of Kunlun lubricants in ultra-deep well drilling equipment. For lubricants used to lubricate core drilling rig components such as top drives, product reliability was demonstrated through lubrication condition analysis and lubricant performance evaluation, combined with lubricant application cases. For drilling rig components such as drawworks and mud pumps, both parties carried out lubricant applications based on the principle that equipment lubricants should “first use products that meet application requirements, and then improve the quality of the products used.” Through precise technical services for the lubrication of ultra-deep well drilling and production equipment, Kunlun Lubrication ultimately won the customer’s recognition of its products, achieving the overall use of Kunlun lubricants on the drilling rig at the Guole 3C Well. On March 9, 2023, the Guole 3C Well was successfully completed, and the quality of Kunlun Lubrication’s products was also recognized by personnel on site.
Going forward, Kunlun Lubricants will continue to focus on the exploration and development of CNPC’s ultra-deep oilfields, shale gas and other projects, target the demand for lubricants used in 10,000-meter-deep well operations in China, contribute lubricating strength to the continuous enhancement of CNPC’s brand influence, and safeguard more “Made in China” equipment.