Ultra Deep Geothermal Drilling Rig 3780 m: CMD180T in Xiong'an New Area, China

Executive Summary

Xiong'an New Area — China's national-level new city planned around a low-carbon, "coal-free" energy model — needed a super-deep geothermal well to prove its deep geothermal resource and supply clean heating. Designed to 3,780 m final depth, the target well penetrated thick sedimentary sequences with frequent soft–hard interbeds, hard abrasive rocks at depth and widely developed fault zones. The contractor, No. 9 Geological Brigade of the Hebei Bureau of Geology and Mineral Exploration, deployed the CORTECH® CMD180T fully hydraulic modular energy rig, running high-strength dedicated drillstring, a mud purification system and real-time deviation monitoring under a mud rotary (cone) drilling process. Drilling opened at Φ406 mm and stepped down in diameter to the Φ152 mm final hole, completing the well in 230 days with excellent verticality, gauge and cementing quality — a benchmark for deep geothermal supply in a strategic green-energy city.

Project Background & Challenge

As a national new area built explicitly around green, low-carbon energy, Xiong'an faces an urgent decarbonization mandate: replace coal-fired district heating with clean, renewable geothermal energy. Deep geothermal resource lies several thousand meters down, so the city's heating plan depends on proving and producing that reservoir through ultra-deep wells.

The well's geology set a high technical bar:

• Sedimentary profile with frequent interbeds: soft and hard layers alternate continuously, putting heavy cyclic loads on the drillstring and derrick.
• Hard, abrasive deep section: at depth the rock becomes harder and more abrasive, driving up torque demand and wear on bits and rods.
• Fault zones widely developed: fractured intervals raise the risk of lost circulation, borehole breakouts and deviation.
• Long campaign, high risk: a 3,780 m program means months of continuous operation; torque, hoisting capacity, full-machine stability and deep-hole performance all had to meet industry-leading requirements.

Our Solution

Jinneng Drilling selected the CMD180T fully hydraulic modular energy rig — the 180 t-pullback member of the CORTECH® large-diameter modular rig family — because its hoisting power, hydraulic control and modular layout matched the demands of a long, deviated-risk deep hole in a sensitive new-city site.

Key solution elements:

• High hoisting and pulldown envelope: the rig's 180 t-class pullback and 30 t pulldown reserve the structural headroom needed to run heavy casing strings and weighted drillpipe through 3,780 m of abrasive sediment.
• Real-time deviation monitoring: a dedicated downhole deviation monitoring system tracked inclination continuously, so crews could correct trajectory before the well drifted off target — critical when later casing and cementing depend on straightness.
• Mud purification system: on-board solids control cleaned the circulating fluid, maintaining hole stability across fractured fault-zone intervals and reducing stuck-pipe risk.
• High-strength dedicated drill tools: specially engineered drillstring and bits handled the hard, abrasive deep section and frequent interbed transitions.
• Mud rotary (cone) drilling process: opening at Φ406 mm and reducing diameter in controlled steps to the Φ152 mm final hole, with strict verticality control to prevent deep-section deviation and collapse.

The No. 9 Geological Brigade managed the full construction cycle, and the well was finished in 230 days.

Key Results

For the full technical specifications of the CORTECH® CMD180T, see the CMD180T product page.

Customer Value & ROI

• De-risked strategic energy supply: a single proven 3,780 m well delivered the geological data needed to underpin Xiong'an's deep geothermal heating plan — the foundation for a coal-free city.
• Quality you can case and cement on: excellent verticality, gauge and cementing quality meant the well could be completed and put into production without remedial work, protecting the project schedule.
• Months of trouble-free operation: 230 days of continuous drilling in abrasive, fractured sediment proved the rig's torque, hoisting and stability in a long-campaign deep-hole environment.
• Modular site logistics: the pin-together skid design suits a planned, ecologically sensitive new-area site where heavy single-piece mobilization is restricted.

FAQ

Why does Xiong'an New Area need ultra-deep geothermal drilling?

Xiong'an is a national-level new city built around green, low-carbon development. Replacing coal heating with clean geothermal energy is central to its "coal-free city" plan, and the usable geothermal reservoir lies at ultra depth — here a designed 3,780 m well — so ultra-deep drilling is the enabling step.

What formations were drilled in the 3,780 m Xiong'an geothermal well?

The profile was mainly sedimentary rock, with frequent soft–hard interbeds, harder and more abrasive rock toward depth, and widely developed fault zones — a combination that demands high torque, strong hoisting and close deviation control.

How long did a 3,780 m geothermal well take to drill?

The CMD180T rig, operated by No. 9 Geological Brigade of the Hebei Bureau of Geology and Mineral Exploration, completed the 3,780 m well in 230 days, opening at Φ406 mm and reducing stepwise to a Φ152 mm final hole.

How is borehole deviation controlled in 3,000 m-class geothermal wells?

The package used a real-time deviation monitoring system, strict trajectory management, a mud purification system for hole stability, and high-strength dedicated drill tools — achieving excellent verticality and gauge that passed cementing quality inspection.

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