en.Wedoany.com Reported - A pair of deep geothermal wells in Henan Province, China, have been successfully connected at a depth exceeding 3,500 meters, forming a closed-loop geothermal system. The project was designed and constructed by Wanjiang New Energy, with investment from Xinxiang Innovation Investment Co. Ltd.
The system consists of two deep geothermal wells. The first well was drilled vertically to a depth of over 3,500 meters. The second well, located only 35 meters away on the surface, was directionally drilled with a gradually increasing inclination until the bottom section became horizontal. Data shows that the two wells intersected at a depth of 3,515 meters, with an angle of nearly 90 degrees. The bottom hole temperature at the intersection point reached 117.52 degrees Celsius.
To achieve high-precision drilling, the project team employed a navigation system combining pulse telemetry and magnetic guidance. Real-time downhole attitude data was transmitted via measurement-while-drilling (MWD) technology, and centimeter-level magnetic guidance was activated for precise correction when approaching the connection point, enabling high-accuracy targeting at depths of several kilometers.
Tests indicate that the heat extraction capacity of this closed-loop system is five times that of a coaxial well at the same depth. According to the Central Plains Agricultural Valley Clean Energy Centralized Heating Project plan, seven sets of closed-loop geothermal wells will be drilled to serve two heating centers, expected to meet the heating needs of approximately 2.76 million square meters of buildings. Academician Wang Jiyang of the Chinese Academy of Sciences commented on the project.
Based on the system description, the closed-loop structure implemented in Henan is technically reminiscent of the closed-loop geothermal technology designed and built by Eavor Technologies in Geretsried, Germany. ThinkGeoEnergy has extensively covered this project previously and recently shared more technical details of Eavor's pilot commercial project in an exclusive interview.
