Analysis on the Adaptability of Oil and Gas Drilling Technologies in Development for Hot Dry Rocks

There is a great potential for resource development in hot dry rocks. At this point, its development technologies mainly copy the oil and gas engineering technologies. However, hot dry rock resources possess their own unique characteristics which are different from regular temperature conditions of oil and gas reserovirs, and it is necessary to analyze the adaptability of oil and gas drilling engineering technologies in the development of hot dry rock resources. Thus, one can make appropriate improvements and realize faster, better and more economical development. By analyzing the stratigraphic distribution characteristics of hot dry rock geothermal resources and their similarities/differences with the conventional oil and gas resources, the technical demands of hot dry rock geothermal resources development on drilling engineering were summarized. Considering technical features of current oil and gas resources development, such as safe and efficient drilling, high temperature-resistance/high-efficiency rock breaking, high-precision characterization, low-cost development, the adaptability of conventional oil and gas drilling engineering technologies in the development of hot dry rock resources was analyzed, and the oil/gasdrilling new technologies that could be adopted for hot dry rock resources development were clarified. Moreover, this paper proposes new areas of emphasis in the development of high temperature-resistance downhole tools and working fluids. The research showed that some oil/gas drilling technologies could be successfully applied in the development of hot dry rock resources. However, further scientific and technological research is required in view of the unique demands of hot dry rock resources on drilling engineering technologies.