Limit of crustal drilling depth

Deep drilling is becoming the direct and the most efficient means in exploiting deep mineral resources, facilitating to understanding the earthquake mechanism and performing other scientific researches on the Earth's crust. In order to understand the limit of drilling depth in the Earth's crust, we first conducted tests on granite samples with respect to the borehole deformation and stability under high temperature and high pressure using the triaxial servo-controlled rock testing system. Then the critical temperature-pressure coupling conditions that result in borehole instability are derived. Finally, based on the testing results obtained and the requirements for the threshold values of borehole deformations during deep drilling, the limit of drilling depth in the Earth's crust is formulated with ground temperature.