On August 14, according to the news office of Sinopec, another major breakthrough was achieved in the “Deep Earth Engineering · Sichuan-Chongqing Natural Gas Base” project. The Southwest Petroleum Bureau of Sinopec submitted the Yongchuan Shale Gas Field’s newly verified proven geological reserves of 124.588 billion cubic meters, which were officially approved by an expert panel from the Ministry of Natural Resources. This marks the birth of another large-scale, deep-layer, and integrated shale gas field in China with reserves exceeding 100 billion cubic meters, providing strong support for the Sichuan-Chongqing 100-billion-cubic-meter production capacity base. It will also contribute to the supply of clean energy for the development of the Yangtze River Economic Belt.
The Yongchuan Shale Gas Field, classified as a deep shale gas reservoir, is located in Yongchuan District, Chongqing, within the structurally complex southern Sichuan Basin. The main gas-bearing formations lie at depths exceeding 3,500 meters.
In 2016, a major exploration breakthrough was achieved when Well Yongye 1HF, the first appraisal well deployed by Sinopec Southwest Petroleum Bureau in the region, successfully discovered the Yongchuan Shale Gas Field. By 2019, an additional 23.453 billion cubic meters of proven geological reserves were certified by an expert panel from the Ministry of Natural Resources.
Subsequently, Sinopec intensified exploration efforts in the more challenging central-northern Yongchuan area, overcoming significant technical hurdles. This culminated in the full-scale certification of the Yongchuan Shale Gas Field, with total proven geological reserves reaching 148.041 billion cubic meters.
Innovative Technologies Make Deep Shale Gas “Visible” and “Accessible”
The research team collected a large volume of high-precision 3D seismic data on deep shale gas and conducted multiple rounds of integrated geological-geophysical-engineering studies. They developed advanced technologies, including new structural mapping methods and high-resolution imaging techniques, effectively addressing challenges such as “poor visibility” and “inaccurate characterization” of deep shale gas reservoirs.
Additionally, the team pioneered a differentiated stimulation approach for deep shale gas, innovating a high-conductivity volumetric fracturing technique. This breakthrough creates a network of interconnected pathways underground, enabling shale gas to flow efficiently to the surface. As a result, development efficiency has significantly improved, with a notable increase in the economically recoverable reserves per well.
The shale gas resources in the structurally complex southern Sichuan Basin are widely distributed and abundant, demonstrating tremendous exploration and development potential. Located in the core area for shale gas reserve growth and production increase in southern Sichuan, the Yongchuan Shale Gas Field’s comprehensive certification holds significant importance for ensuring national energy security.
Moving forward, we will steadily advance shale gas development in the southern Sichuan region by implementing our strategy of “developing proven blocks, evaluating potential blocks, and tackling challenging blocks” simultaneously. This approach will continuously improve both reserve utilization efficiency and gas field recovery rates.
Sinopec has been continuously advancing the exploration and development of deep natural gas resources in the Sichuan Basin. The Sichuan Basin boasts abundant deep oil and gas resources with tremendous exploration potential, making the “Deep Earth Engineering · Sichuan-Chongqing Natural Gas Base” a crucial component of Sinopec’s “Deep Earth Engineering” initiative.
Over the years, Sinopec has made significant progress in deep oil and gas exploration in the Sichuan Basin. In the field of deep conventional natural gas, the company has successively discovered the Puguang Gas Field, Yuanba Gas Field, and Western Sichuan Gas Field. In deep shale gas exploration, Sinopec has certified four major shale gas fields each with reserves exceeding 100 billion cubic meters: the Weirong Gas Field, Qijiang Gas Field, Yongchuan Gas Field, and Hongxing Gas Field. These achievements provide valuable insights for fully unlocking China’s shale resources and production capacity while making important contributions to green and low-carbon development.
Shale gas production requires essential sand removal equipment like desanders.
Shale gas desanding refers to the process of removing solid impurities such as sand grains, fracturing sand (proppant), and rock cuttings from shale gas streams (with entrained water) through physical or mechanical methods during shale gas extraction and production.
As shale gas is primarily obtained through hydraulic fracturing technology (fracturing extraction), the returned fluid often contains large amounts of sand grains from the formation and residual solid ceramic particles from fracturing operations. If these solid particles are not completely separated early in the process flow, they can cause severe wear to pipelines, valves, compressors and other equipment, or lead to pipeline blockages in low-lying sections, clogging of instrument pressure guide pipes, or trigger production safety incidents.
SJPEE’s shale gas desander delivers exceptional performance with its precision separation capability (98% removal rate for 10-micron particles), authoritative certifications (DNV/GL-issued ISO certification and NACE anti-corrosion compliance), and long-lasting durability (featuring wear-resistant ceramic internals with anti-clogging design). Engineered for effortless efficiency, it offers easy installation, simple operation and maintenance, along with extended service life – making it the optimal solution for reliable shale gas production.
Our company is continuously committed to developing more efficient, compact, and cost-effective desander while also focusing on environmentally friendly innovations.
Our desanders come in a wide variety of types and have extensive applications. In addition to shale gas desanders,such as High-efficiency Cyclone Desander, Wellhead Desander, Cyclonic Well stream crude Desander With Ceramic Liners, Water injection Desander，Natural Gas Desander, etc.
SJPEE’s desanders have been used on wellhead platforms and production platforms in gas and oil fields such as CNOOC, PetroChina, Malaysia Petronas，Indonesia， the Gulf of Thailand,and others. They are used to remove solids in gas or well fluid or produced water, as well as seawater solidification removal or production recovery. Water injection and water flooding to increase production and other occasions.
This premier platform has positioned SJPEE as a globally recognized solution provider in solid control & management technology. We always prioritize our customers’ interests and pursue mutual development with them.
Post time: Aug-28-2025