THERMAL SCIENCE
International Scientific Journal
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DRILLABILITY EVALUATION AND SPATIAL DISTRIBUTION CHARACTERISTICS OF FENGCHENG FORMATION SHALE IN MAHU SAG
ABSTRACT
This study investigates rock drillability characteristics and spatial distribution patterns to optimize drilling efficiency. Laboratory testing of core samples from six wells provided comprehensive mechanical data, including uniaxial compressive strength (147.81-306.82 MPa), triaxial compressive strength (310.56-785.00 MPa), and drillability indices (6.86-10.46). Multiple linear regression models correlating rock properties with well log parameters achieved high predictive accuracy (R² = 0.886-0.994). Spatial interpolation using kriging and radial basis function methods revealed that 75% of samples classify as difficult-to-drill formations. Kriging demonstrated superior performance with >90% prediction accuracy and significantly lower errors for triaxial strength prediction (5.6% vs. 19.2% mean absolute error). Strong correlations between rock strength and drillability (r > 0.8) confirm mechanical strength as the primary controlling factor. This methodology successfully characterizes three-dimensional drillability distribution, providing quantitative foundations for drilling optimization in complex continental shale systems.
KEYWORDS
PAPER SUBMITTED: 2025-07-20
PAPER REVISED: 2025-10-11
PAPER ACCEPTED: 2025-11-06
PUBLISHED ONLINE: 2026-07-25
DOI REFERENCE: https://doi.org/10.2298/TSCI250720136S
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© 2026 Society of Thermal Engineers of Serbia. Published by the Vinča Institute of Nuclear Sciences, National Institute of the Republic of Serbia, Belgrade, Serbia. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International licence


