Since the beginning of this year, the Exploration and Development Institute of Yanchang Oilfield’s Wuqi Oil Production Plant has focused on technological innovation and the empowerment of science and technology. By implementing a series of coordinated technical measures, the team has provided strong technical support for achieving the production target of “hard halfway completion.”

“A prime example is Well Wuping-4, where daily oil output surged from 1.7 tons to 11.7 tons following the application of a refined fracturing process involving 'old-fracture re-fracturing + inter-hole densification + dual-packer single-zone treatment'. This has set a benchmark for horizontal well reconditioning,” explained Liang Feng, head of the inefficient horizontal well recovery team. The successful refracturing transformation of Wuping-4 was led by this team.

In the domain of technological innovation, the technical team has built a differentiated refracturing parameter system tailored to varying strata. For instance, the use of old fracture zones and densification re-fracturing in Wuping-4 enabled a daily production increase of 10 tons in the initial week and a cumulative output increase of 130 tons. Similar projects, such as the densification-based re-fracturing of Wuping-40 and old-fracture re-fracturing of Wuping-1, are also progressing steadily. These ongoing practices have significantly enriched the refracturing parameters system, contributing to improved recovery rates and enhanced oilfield efficiency.

The plant has also revived many inactive wells through comprehensive remediation. For example, following systematic treatment, Tuoping-23 achieved a daily oil increase of 3 tons and cumulative gain of 350.8 tons. Xinzhai-Ping-2 was brought back online with a daily output rise of 1.5 tons and a 40% reduction in water cut, accumulating 55 tons of oil. Wuping-31 also saw a daily gain of 2 tons and a cumulative increase of 121.5 tons. These outcomes provide solid assurance for old well reactivation and crude oil output enhancement.

To date, the team has issued designs for 20 wells, conducted downhole treatment on 7 wells, performed water plugging on 1 well, and completed refracturing operations on 3 wells. These efforts have led to a daily production increase of 31 tons and a cumulative increase of 1,800 tons of oil.

Looking ahead, Li Jiangshan, Chief Geologist of Wuqi Oil Production Plant, stated: “We will focus closely on safety, output, and cost — the three key priorities. With a firm eye on production goals and a problem- and results-oriented approach, we will deepen technological innovation, reverse-schedule tasks, race against time, and strive to meet all technical targets to ensure the plant’s successful achievement of ‘hard halfway’.”