How Smart Drilling and Production Equipment Is Transforming Oilfield Operations

In the past, oil drilling workers were often associated with "dirty, exhausting, and dangerous" conditions—wielding large tongs and pushing drill pipes under the scorching sun, covered in oil and dust. Today, with the rapid adoption of smart drilling and production equipment, that traditional image is being fundamentally rewritten.

1. From "Brawn" to "Brainpower": A Fundamental Shift in Operational Models

The most profound change brought by smart drilling and production equipment is the shift from experience-driven to data-driven drilling operations.

In May 2025, CNPC Greatwall Drilling’s independently developed "Changlong" Smart Drilling System 1.0 was officially put into operation at a shale oil site in Liaohe Oilfield. This is China’s first smart drilling system with wholly independent intellectual property rights. Integrating smart rigs, smart well sites, and an intelligent decision-making platform, the system achieves for the first time in China closed-loop automatic control over the entire drilling process. Through real-time data exchange between downhole sensor networks and surface intelligent platforms, the system automatically performs key operations such as geological parameter acquisition, drilling trajectory optimization, and equipment status monitoring.

The system’s data capability is striking—it automatically collects 150 sets of downhole and surface working condition data per second and iteratively optimizes drilling parameters every 5 seconds. The three major operating areas—the rig floor, the fingerboard, and the staging area—can all be operated unmanned. As one driller put it: "Our industry has finally shed the old label of being 'dirty, exhausting, and dangerous.' We’ve truly moved from using brawn to using brainpower."

In July 2026, CNPC Chuanqing Drilling’s "Qineng·IDOS" smart drilling system was successfully deployed in Sichuan. It is China’s first fully self-controllable smart drilling system. Through a "brain replacement" upgrade, the system retrofitted 12 conventional rigs. The driller now only needs to tap the screen, and the rig automatically carries out drilling operations—a process that used to take tens of minutes of trial-and-error to find optimal parameters now takes just five or six minutes, with drilling speed improved by up to 20%.

2. From "Manual Labor" to "One-Click Operation": Exponential Efficiency Gains

The most visible change from smart drilling and production equipment is the dramatic increase in operational efficiency.

Take the core operation of tripping in/out as an example. In conventional operations, tripping requires intensive, high-strength teamwork from multiple workers and is time-consuming. The "one-click tripping" function of smart systems has completely transformed this. The "Changlong" system improves the efficiency of tripping drill pipes inside casing by 66% and reduces heavy physical labor by 95%. The "Qineng·IDOS" system increases the average number of stands tripped per run from 15-18 to 19-21, improving overall efficiency by 20%, with test wells setting new records for the shortest operation cycle in their blocks.

Baoshi Machinery’s independently developed iROS rig intelligent control system has also delivered impressive results. At the LK5 platform in northern Shaanxi, Changqing Oilfield, the intelligently upgraded rig achieved one-click, unattended pipe running—at the moment the command was issued, the manipulator precisely grabbed the drill pipe, the iron roughneck automatically made up the connection, and the traveling block accurately and smoothly lowered. A complete set of high-intensity tasks that used to require full-time, intense manual attention was completed autonomously in a closed loop with zero human intervention. Simultaneously, tripping-in efficiency increased by more than 10%.

In the ultra-deep field, smart equipment has also excelled. The world’s first 12,000-meter ultra-deep automated drilling rig, supported by an AI-assisted control system, helped the Shendi Take-1 well to successfully complete drilling at 10,910 meters, making it the deepest vertical well in Asia. AI algorithms analyzed torque, rotation speed, geological bedding, and other parameters in real time, dynamically adjusting the bit’s trajectory through a 3D geological model, improving drilling efficiency by 30% and controlling wellbore trajectory error to within 5 centimeters.

3. From "High-Risk Exposure" to "Remote Monitoring": A Comprehensive Upgrade in Safety

Safety is an eternal priority in oilfield operations, and smart drilling and production equipment is building a new line of defense.

In traditional drilling, workers are exposed to high-risk environments for long periods. The application of smart systems reduces personnel exposure in high-risk areas by 95%. The driller no longer needs to operate directly on the rig floor; instead, they simply tap the screen in the control room to complete pipe handling and connection operations. Drilling workers have evolved from "operators" to "supervisors."

The safety and risk-control capabilities of smart systems are equally impressive. The "Qineng·IDOS" system features an intelligent reaming function—as soon as the bit approaches a potential sticking zone, the system automatically adjusts torque and friction within milliseconds, steadily controlling the risk. The "one-click well shut-in" button on the driller’s panel, once triggered, provides second-level warning and automatically executes the shut-in procedure.

China’s first unattended intelligent drilling rig operated in complex formations in the Weidong block, accumulating nearly 934 hours of intelligent drilling, with a total footage of over 7,633 meters and an intelligent drilling utilization rate of up to 96%. Facing formations prone to collapse and difficult wellbore trajectory control, the rig successfully avoided sticking risks by precisely controlling torque and parameters and automatically correcting the trajectory. The rig also completed 13 one-click shut-in operations covering four types of operating conditions.

Yu Jiansheng, General Manager of the Science and Technology Information Department at Chuanqing Drilling, likened the smart drilling system to "L2 to L3 autonomous driving for automobiles"—routine operations run automatically, while abnormal conditions require manual intervention, freeing up productivity while maintaining safety.

4. From "Blue-Collar" to "White-Collar": Structural Optimization of Human Resources

Smart drilling and production equipment has not only changed operational methods but has also profoundly reshaped the working conditions and professional outlook of drilling personnel.

At the digital-intelligent command center for drilling and completion sites of Chuanqing Drilling, operator Xu Bowen monitors the circulating tank liquid level on screen. "In the past, I had to sit at the tank—sweating all over in summer, freezing in winter. Now I work remotely with just a mouse click, and my clothes stay clean all week." From harsh outdoor conditions to comfortable indoor environments, the "blue-collar" rig workers have truly become "white-collar" professionals.

Through role integration enabled by smart systems, positions such as mud engineers, economic administrators, and logistics staff have been retrained and reassigned to new roles like equipment patrol and remote monitoring. Chuanqing Drilling’s "332 Project" explicitly sets targets of "30% fewer personnel per well site and 20% faster per-well drilling."

Drilling workers have transitioned from "physical labor" to "technical expertise." As driller Wang Zhiqiang put it: "Smart drilling truly allows machines to do the work while people supervise. I just need to monitor the screens and observe equipment conditions—no more strenuous manual operations. The work pressure is much lower, and the operations are more standardized and stable."

5. From "New Replacements" to "Existing Fleet Upgrades": Making Intelligence Accessible

The transformation driven by smart drilling and production equipment is not limited to brand-new rigs; it also benefits a large number of existing older rigs.

Baoshi Machinery designed tailored intelligent retrofitting solutions for four older rigs at Changqing Oilfield, equipping them with the fully self-developed iROS rig intelligent control system. This domestically produced intelligent "brain" integrates core functions such as autonomous status recognition, one-click tripping, and driller-supervised control, successfully breaking the long-standing foreign technology monopoly.

This "existing fleet upgrade" model is highly significant—it not only revitalizes the existing rig resources in oilfields and efficiently solves frontline production challenges, but also substantially lowers the cost barrier for intelligent transformation. According to plans, from 2026 to 2027 alone, Chuanqing Drilling will complete smart upgrades on 30 rigs, gradually realizing full-chain intelligence.

From 10,000-meter ultra-deep wells to offshore oilfields, from polar regions to desert hinterlands, smart drilling and production equipment is reshaping every facet of oilfield operations at an unprecedented pace. As industry experts have noted, AI technology can reduce oil and gas production costs by approximately 30% and increase recovery rates by 10 to 20 percentage points. Digitalization and intelligent transformation have become the core drivers for upgrading oil and gas equipment technology. For procurement professionals of petroleum equipment and tools, keeping a close eye on the development trends of smart drilling and production equipment is not only critical for making informed purchasing decisions but also essential for enhancing future operational efficiency and competitiveness.

Ritorno alla lista