I can upgrade the shelter

Drilling seems to be a highly technical task, and indeed it is.

Flame Country has a long-standing tradition of drilling, known in ancient times as well-digging, which included not only common water wells but also salt wells, mines, and even natural gas wells.

In ancient times, digging a well was no easy feat, relying entirely on human effort to dig down to the well bottom, making the task of digging a deep well extremely time-consuming and labor-intensive.

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Therefore, before digging a well, one must first choose the right location, and only then can the well-digging commence.

Nowadays, although drilling is aided by machinery, making it easier than ancient methods, the technical demands have not diminished in the slightest.

Ordinary water wells, a few dozen meters deep, are manageable. With modern drilling rigs capable of drilling anywhere from tens to hundreds of meters deep, drilling a well a few dozen meters deep can be completed in a few hours, provided the geological conditions aren’t too complex.

However, locating water veins, determining drill sites, and analyzing geological structures is not as simple as randomly picking a place to dig downwards.

Drilling a deep well is even more complicated; it requires professional engineering personnel and geological experts to analyze the local geological environment to ensure drilling won’t cause geological damage, and only then can a suitable location for drilling be selected.

During drilling, one must also handle the three major challenges from the geological formation itself: high temperature, high pressure, and high tectonic stress.

These are the three main challenges that constrain the depth of drilling and are a major test of drilling technology.

"Here is my drill rig, just an ordinary one. Though it can drill to a depth of seven hundred meters, with imported drill bits specifically designed for high temperature and pressure, it’s still impossible for this equipment to drill deep wells of several thousand meters you mentioned. You would need a large-scale oil drilling rig for that," Cao Daren accompanied Chen Xin and Qin Lan while introducing the drill rig he had in his warehouse.

Chen Xin had already learned the situation from Cao Daren earlier, so he had no doubts about what was said. After carefully examining the drill rig in front of him, he said to him, "I can modify your drill rig to reach the required depth."

"Modify the drill rig? Do you have the skills for that?" Cao Daren raised an eyebrow in surprise, but seeing Chen Xin in his power armor, he nodded somewhat in disbelief but still cautioned, "The drill rig is just a tool; the main issue is solving any problems that might arise during drilling. I have never done this kind of work, and if I have to figure everything out from scratch, it will take at least half a year to complete, and even then, there’s no guarantee of success."

In matters like this, Cao Daren had sufficient authority to speak. Although his statement about not guaranteeing success carried some modesty, he indeed was not confident.

"Would having high-performance drilling equipment increase the chances of success?" Chen Xin, somewhat uncertain, asked Cao Daren. With the system’s capabilities, even using laser drills to bore into the moon was not out of the question. If experience cannot ensure success, then equipment and technology must fill the gap.

Cao Daren didn’t question this, considering for a moment before saying, "If we have a good drill, the chances of success are certainly higher. Professional drilling machines find it as easy as pie to drill one or two thousand meters deep. But this also depends on the geological layer; drilling into granite or such would be much more troublesome. Soil layers are much quicker."

"Alright, let’s just do that for now. I’ll first find a way to enhance your drill rig so it can become a large rig capable of drilling that deep. Then, we’ll prepare for the drilling operation," Chen Xin felt relieved hearing Cao Daren’s words.

However, Cao Daren suddenly asked out of curiosity, "Why are you drilling such a deep well for? A water well is done at fifty meters, and even a deep one is just three to five hundred meters. You’ve already hit a hot spring at such depths!"

Lin City’s geothermal resources are fairly rich, though there aren’t any surface geothermal springs, geothermal zones do exist underground. Cao Daren himself discovered a hot spring after drilling over a hundred meters down.

"I’m developing deep geothermal energy, so I need to drill that deep," Chen Xin explained the reason for the three thousand-meter deep well, though he clarified to Cao Daren that it’s not necessary to do it all at once: "Deep hot dry rock geothermal resources are located at depths of three to six thousand meters. Only by drilling a sufficiently deep well can they be mined. But if you, ’Daren,’ find deep-well drilling difficult, we can first drill a few hundred meters and utilize the underground hot spring."

Xiang Province is rich in geothermal resources, with much of the province having abundant shallow geothermal energy and hydrothermal geothermal resources. Deep hot dry rock resources are also widely distributed. Lin City is within the district rich in hydrothermal geothermal resources, i.e., hot springs, though the water temperature is not high.

So whether Chen Xin plans to drill a deep or shallow well, geothermal resources can be exploited. However, deep well-extracted geothermal resources are richer, possess higher temperatures, and better meet Chen Xin’s needs.

Upon hearing Chen Xin say to initially drill a few hundred meters to test the waters, the previously worried expression on Cao Daren’s face disappeared, he even seemed relieved as he smiled and said to Chen Xin, "If that’s the case, then it’s incredibly simple. I can’t guarantee elsewhere, but within Lin City, if I drill a well, there’s an 80% chance it’ll hit warm water even if not 100% hot water!"

"Really? In that case, I need to drill a well at the Lin City Railway Station to introduce the geothermal energy and evaporate the station’s snow accumulation," Chen Xin was a bit taken aback by Cao Daren’s confident demeanor but since he seemed so confident, Chen Xin decided to humor him and have him drill a test well.

Upon hearing Chen Xin’s words, Cao Daren was almost shocked to his core, his eyes nearly popping out. He skeptically asked Chen Xin, "Using geothermal to evaporate the railway station’s snow? This... can it actually be done?"

"According to physics, it’s possible, but first, you need to help me drill the well and ensure we hit a hot spring," Chen Xin tasked Cao Daren.

This time, Cao Daren felt less assured, but after hesitating briefly, he nodded, "If you can improve the drill rig so it can reach a thousand meters, I can guarantee to bring out a hot spring for you!"

"Really? Then I’ll be looking forward to it," Chen Xin finally smiled when seeing Cao Daren agree.