China's first independently developed intelligent drilling system, the "Changlong", has been officially put into operation, marking a significant milestone in advancing the digital and intelligent transformation in the country's energy sector, according to China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC) on Wednesday.
The "Changlong" intelligent drilling system integrates intelligent drilling rigs, intelligent well sites, and intelligent decision-making platform into one unified system, capable of providing intelligent engineering support for oil and gas exploration at depths of nearly 10,000 meters underground.
The intelligent system enables real-time data exchange between downhole sensor networks and intelligent platform on the ground, automatically executing critical operations including collecting geological parameter, optimizing drilling trajectory, and monitoring equipment status, significantly enhancing both drilling efficiency and operational safety.
"The 'Changlong' intelligent drilling system has achieved drilling operations for the first time in the country, realizing full-process automation control in 'measurement-analysis-decision-execution,' which has replaced manual operations and decision-making with intelligent technology," said Chi Lijun, deputy manager of PetroChina Great Wall Drilling Company.
The system has not only achieved full-process digitalization of drilling operations, but also established internationally advanced oil and gas exploration and development solutions. "The 'Changlong' intelligent drilling system has achieved multiple technological breakthroughs, offering oil and gas exploration and development solutions at an internationally advanced level. It has laid a solid foundation for further exploration of intelligent drilling in the future and provided strong support for the efficient development of inner-earth resources and better safeguarding national energy security," said Yin Jiafeng, general manager assistant of PetroChina Great Wall Drilling Company.
China's first independently developed intelligent drilling system put into operation
With the Pinglu Canal in the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region officially open to shipping, Yangpu Port in south China's Hainan Province will fully leverage the policy and geographical advantages of the Hainan Free Trade Port (FTP) to accelerate its development into an international shipping hub, further connecting the New International Land-Sea Trade Corridor with global markets.
The canal stretches along the New International Land-Sea Trade Corridor, a strategic trade route connecting China's inland regions with ASEAN and other global markets. It is the first river-to-sea canal project planned and coordinated at the national level since the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949.
Located in the northwest of the island province, Yangpu Port is the deep-water port closest to the main international shipping routes in the Beibu Gulf, and is also one of the maritime outlets of the New International Land-Sea Trade Corridor.
The opening of the Pinglu Canal to navigation has opened up a new sea-river intermodal transport corridor for goods entering and leaving the southwestern region, and has also brought new opportunities to some enterprises.
At a petrochemical enterprise in Danzhou City, robotic arms are bagging and packaging chemical products on a conveyor belt, and these goods will be shipped to southwest China's Guizhou Province and other places.
Most of this enterprise's customers in the Chinese mainland are concentrated in the southwestern Chinese provinces of Yunnan, Sichuan and Guizhou. At present, the enterprise is adjusting its future shipping plans in response to the logistics changes brought by the opening of the Pinglu Canal to navigation.
"We plan to shift about 70 percent of our goods to this new sea-river intermodal transport corridor, and overall logistics costs are expected to drop by 30 to 40 percent. Next year we also plan to build another plant in Hainan, which will allow us to take advantage of the free trade port's policies, import raw materials from places like Indonesia, and after processing, sell the products to the southwestern region or re-export them. This is expected to add about 200,000 tons of production capacity," said Wei Jianqiang, head of Hainan Oxiranchem Co., Ltd.
Behind the enterprises' expansion of production and the busier flow of goods, there is also the upgraded service support made possible by the opening of the Pinglu Canal to navigation. In this regard, the relevant authorities have also made full preparations.
"After the Pinglu Canal opens to navigation, we will strengthen safeguard measures in areas such as facilitating the entry and exit of container ships on fixed routes, credit-based regulation, and cross-regional coordination," said Jiang Yufeng, head of the Xiaochantan Maritime Patrol and Law Enforcement Brigade, Yangpu Maritime Safety Administration.
Pinglu Canal underscores growing role of Yangpu Port as int'l shipping hub
