WorldWide Drilling Resource

China with a Dash of Salt Compiled by Caleb Whitaker, Associate Editor WorldWide Drilling Resource ® The Zigong Salt Industry Historical Museum i s l oca t ed i n Z i gong Ci t y, Sichuan Province, China. The museum was established in 1959, and is housed in a guild hall which was originally built in 1736 by salt merchants. The museum's mission is to collect, study, preserve, and display artifacts related to salt mining. Deep drilling for brine has been practiced in the area for centuries since Zigong has depended heavily on its salt industry for some time. Exploitation of brine for salt began as early as the Han Dynasty (25-220). By the time of the Song Dynasty (960- 1279), Chinese craftsmen had invented special tools for digging small-mouth-diam- eter wells. Sometimes the mouth of these wells were only the size of a small bowl, but they were constructed straight down into the earth. The tools allowing for this well tunneling method are recorded in the “Dongpo Forest of Stelae” exhibit at the Museum. Today, towering timber derricks for some salt wells drilled during the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) can still be seen near the city from the expressway. During the Qing Dynasty, a deep drilling and drawing technique was developed in the area and technology involving percussion drilling accompanied it. Exhibitions at the museum begin with illustrations on a Han Dynasty brick, which was excavated in Sichuan. The illustrations depict the salt industry of the Han period with a lively and realistic depiction of the stages of salt production. Wide-mouthed shallow wells were used for early production, and a two-story building, along with four men on the rock, shows how briny water was brought by conduits to heating units which cooked out the water, resulting in pure salt. The museum has over 1300 different artifacts. One significant display is a unique and treasured collection of over 130 different types of ancient Chinese drilling tools, with more than 500 individual pieces. The tools were designed with different sizes, weights, and shapes, which aided salt miners in a variety of ways depending on the complicated situations encountered during salt mining. The display of the Well-Salt Production Technological Development further showcases the evolution and develop- ment of well-salt production technologies in well drilling, salt collection, and natural gas exploitation. The exhibit demon- strates the innovation of the ancient production techniques and drilling technology, which helped prosper the city of Zigong through the centuries. The museum also houses rebuilt models of the wooden derricks used in different dynasties. Most of the items displayed are exceptionally advanced for their time, exemplifying the wisdom and engineering skills of the indigenous Chinese people. Visitors are permitted to operate many of the salt mining devices. Outside the museum, there is the restored Xiaoqiao well drilled in 1772. There is also another notable well in Zigong many people visit - the Shenhai salt well. To this day, salt is extracted from the well by the old method, just as in past centuries. In 1835, the Shenhai salt well became the first ever shaft to reach the considerable depth of more than 3280 feet. Atlantis Vault • Self-Contained • Simple installation • Trouble-free operation For more information call: (270) 786-3010 or visit us online: www.geothermalsupply.com 40 SEPTEMBER 2018 WorldWide Drilling Resource ® The Zigong Salt Industry Historical Museum. A well tower and tools used for drilling wells in Zigong, courtesy of ChinaMuseums. MIN