Experiment of air drilling in Dibei-1 well and its result

Due to the poor drillability, low rate of penetration (ROP), long drilling cycle of the Lower Carboniferous formation, the natural gas exploration and development is seriously restricted in Ludong area of the Junggar Basin. So how to increase the drilling rate is a key problem facing the drilling of the area. During the drilling of the Dibei-1 well, in order to the ROP of the spud section, the exploration in the area is accelerated. Air drilling is implemented in the spud section, with the interval ranging from 3365 m to 3924.56 m, the footage of 559.56 m, and the average ROP of 5.26 m/h. The ROP is 5 times higher than the conventional ROP, as well as the drilling cycle is shortened by 25 d. The successful air drilling in the well enables the ROP to be increased, the drilling cycle to be shortened, and the drilling cost to be saved a lot. Meanwhile, the process to speed up the drilling in the deep Carboniferous is developed. All provides good experience for applying air drilling techniques to Xinjiang Oilfield.