Preliminary thoughts on implementation of the ocean drilling project in China

Abstract:

The ocean which occupies 71% of the entire area of the earth contains huge amounts of information such as geology, biology, climate and rich resources. In the national science and technology innovation program of China’s “13th fiveyear plan”, “deep sea, deep earth, deep space and deep blue scientific research” were listed as strategic and forwardlooking major scientific challenges, and the Integrated Ocean Drilling Program (IODP) was selected as one of the five international major scientific programs and projects. However, in deepsea drilling, the operating environments and conditions are more complex than those on land, which is a severe test for drilling vessels, drilling technology, environmental protection measures, and construction organization and management. This paper first summarizes the significance and achievements of ocean scientific drilling, reviews the evolution history and engineering implementation of ocean scientific drilling in the world, and introduces the situation of China’s participation in ocean scientific drilling. Then, this paper discusses the key technical issues in ocean scientific drilling, such as the ocean scientific drilling coring technology, the reentry drilling technology in ultra deep water conditions, the casing while drilling technology, mud circulation in ultra deepwater conditions. A tentative plan for the implementation of the ocean scientific drilling project in China is put forward.