Repost | The “Jingdi Expressway” has opened to traffic, marking a major breakthrough in the development of the Institute of Engineering’s real-time high-speed drilling transmission system.

Recently, our institute has achieved a major breakthrough in the field of high-speed downhole data transmission technology. During the pilot application in well TH103111X, the high-speed downhole data transmission system developed by our institute successfully achieved stable high-speed data transmission at a rate of 12 bits per second from a depth of 5,025 meters. This milestone marks a new step forward in Sinopec’s technological capabilities in the field of downhole data transmission.

Relying on Sinopec’s “Challenge-Based Recruitment and Leadership” project, our institute has joined forces with numerous organizations and universities to establish a collaborative R&D team integrating industry, academia, research, and application. With a focus on agile innovation, we have successively tackled and developed key core technologies such as high-dynamic-response pulse generators, high-performance servo drive control systems, and high-power power supply systems. As a result, we have overcome the critical technological bottleneck of high-speed data transmission during drilling in intelligent drilling operations.

Our institute has long been committed to the research and development of logging-while-drilling (LWD) measurement technologies. Since its establishment, we have built a comprehensive LWD data transmission technology system. Tailored to meet the diverse needs of various drilling application scenarios, we have developed a range of LWD transmission equipment, including conventional LWD measurement and transmission systems, LWD electromagnetic wave measurement and transmission systems, LWD micro-memory devices for downhole release and transmission, LWD fiber-optic measurement and transmission systems, continuous-wave high-speed LWD transmission systems, and ultra-high-temperature LWD measurement and transmission systems capable of operating at 200°C. Currently, our institute has fully mastered high-temperature and high-speed downhole data transmission technologies that are adaptable to a wide variety of operational conditions and application requirements, making us the most comprehensive R&D institution in China specializing in LWD downhole data transmission methods.

2026 marks the inaugural year of the 15th Five-Year Plan. The initial phase sets the tone for the entire plan, and the starting steps determine the trajectory for the later stages. We will continue to stay firmly committed to our development goals, maintain unwavering confidence, and seize every opportunity to steadily advance the iterative upgrades of drilling-while-measuring and control technologies and equipment. We will also intensify the field application and promotion of our existing technologies and instruments, and persistently explore new drilling-while-measuring downhole transmission methods, such as quantum measurement. In doing so, we will contribute to safeguarding national energy security and promoting high-quality development in the oil and gas sector.

High-speed pulse generator

Ground decoding platform software interface

Photos and text | Zhao Chenxi, Zheng Junhua

Editor-in-charge: Su Fangru

Editor-in-Chief | Sun Jian