Zhai Guangming: A brave heart

China's 9.6 million square kilometers of territory contains rich oil and gas resources. However, due to the extremely complex geological structure, exploration has become a major challenge. The West even declared that China was a country of "no oil" or "poor oil".

After the founding of the People's Republic of China, the successive discovery of the Daqing and Shengli oil fields ended China's reputation for having no oil resources. Upon discovering oil and gas resources in the central and western regions and the Bohai Bay Basin, China saw a great increase in oil and gas production. In New China's oil and gas exploration history, one name shines bright: Zhai Guangming.

Oil exploration requires a brave heart

Speaking of oil exploration, Zhai, an 85-year-old elder, looks energetic. He devoted 60 years to his lifelong career in oil exploration. After graduating from the department of geology at Peking University in 1950, he went to the Northwest to attend New China's first petroleum geological survey.

He is one of the heroes who discovered the Daqing oilfield. During China's strategic eastward campaign of oil exploration, he participated in the exploration, deployment, and implementation of the Daqing, Shengli, Dagang, North China, Liaohe, and Sichuan oilfields, attending ten "oil battles". His innovative theories promoted the exploration and exploitation of oil and gas resources in the Bohai Bay Basin and the Ordos Basin.

People often wonder if such a successful person in the oil exploration industry ever faced failure. "I've experienced many failures myself," Zhai recalled, sharing a story from half a century ago. "At the beginning of 1964, the first oil well in Shengli village spewed 600 cubic meters of oil. So, a large number of people from Daqing Oilfield rushed to the village to prepare for a vigorous battle."

Zhai continued, "However, I didn't expect that the four follow-up wells we drilled in succession wouldn't spew any oil. Many exploration workers became anxious, and so did I. The situation tormented me so much that I couldn't sleep well all night. Then, everyone calmed down and analyzed together, identifying seven differences between oil wells and empty ones. Finally, the fifth well spewed oil."

"By the Spring Festival that year, the 80-meter-thick oil reservoir of Shengli Oilfield was opened, creating China's highest-yielding well in the sandstone oil layer. This shows that failure is not terrible, but pessimism is," Zhai emphasized.

Oil exploration requires a brave heart, perseverance and commitment regardless of setbacks. This is the "tenet" drawn by Zhai from hundreds of failures throughout his 60-year career. Such bravery and perseverance are inseparable from the tempering of hardships in his youth.

Young workers should practice among the grassroots

"Young workers need to work in difficult environments. Although the conditions are poor, such experience will benefit them for life," Zhai said, recalling his seven-year service in the Northwest when he was young.

In 1950, at the age of 24, Zhai arrived in the Northwest for the field geological survey of Laojunmiao Oilfield. Two years later, he was transferred to the Silangmiao Exploration Brigade in northern Shaanxi. He lived in a wooden barrack on the well site, half of which was used for geological logging and the other half for well-drilling experiments.

Life was quite hard at that time. Even daily rations were not guaranteed. Corn and sweet potatoes would be considered delicacies. Even today, Zhai has a preference for these two foods.

"Back then, the well workers had never met a college student before. When I was reading or experimenting, they watched me curiously and even teased me occasionally," continued Zhai. "But whenever they got any food, the workers would keep some for me."

At that time, there was no literature on the principles of petroleum technology in China. The old geologist Chen Ben gave Zhai the books he brought back from the United States. It was in that small barrack that Zhai systematically learned basic petroleum knowledge. Supplemented by daily work practice, Zhai laid a solid foundation for his future scientific research career.

"Hardships in grassroots work benefit young people rather than hurt them," Zhai noted.

Innovation: A science-based adventure

Throughout his 60-year oil exploration career, Zhai has summarized and discovered many laws and theories, which are still used in China's oil exploration. Zhai attaches great importance to the role of innovation in his theories and practices. China has great potential in terms of oil and gas resources, but its total oil resource quantity is limited, and it is impossible to develop oil and gas endlessly. To fully explore oil resources, Zhai is committed to using new methods to spot oil in old oilfields.

Not long ago, the gray-haired scientist organized and completed the research on Ten Breakthroughs in the Exploration of China's New Oil and Gas Areas. "The breakthroughs are aimed at the places where wells were drilled years ago. In the past, due to technical limitations, many oil reservoirs were difficult to spot. But with the advancement of technology, they can now be discovered. What I'm thinking about is how to spot oil in places forgotten or neglected in previous explorations," Zhai explained. "For example, we started oil and gas exploration in Ordos, China's second-largest basin, very early, but there have been no major breakthroughs. After industrious exploration and changes in thinking by several generations of petroleum geologists, Ordos has turned into the region with the greatest oil and gas increment potential in the country.”

In recent years, China's proven oil reserves have been growing at a high rate. But, even so, it still can't keep up with the country's huge oil consumption. Zhai said worriedly, "As an oil explorer, it's my duty to spot the limited resource. But on the other hand, China's oil consumption growth is rather rapid." He has consistently called for oil conservation.

In the eyes of ordinary people, this senior academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering is a kind, ordinary elder. Wearing a baseball cap, the man with a fair complexion looks gentle and modest.

Perhaps the only thing that makes Zhai distinct is the brave and persistent heart in his chest for the cause of oil exploration.