The development of low‐permeability reservoirs in the South China Sea X Oilfield is frequently hindered by severe compaction damage zones induced by conventional shaped charge perforation, which significantly impair well productivity. To mitigate these adverse effects, novel self‐cleaning and aftereffect perforation technologies have been proposed; however, their quantitative efficacy under coupled downhole conditions remains insufficiently validated. This study presents a systematic comparative evaluation of these technologies against conventional perforation, utilizing both surface single‐target red sandstone experiments and full‐scale annular concrete target simulations under high‐temperature (147°C) and high‐pressure (35 MPa) conditions. The results demonstrate a distinct trade‐off between penetration depth and tunnel geometry. While self‐cleaning and aftereffect charges resulted in penetration depths 22.9%–25.5% and 1.27%–14.74% shallower than conventional charges, they achieved significantly larger tunnel diameters, increasing by 27.8%–44.4% and 11.6%–21.8%, respectively. This morphological shift led to a net increase in effective perforation cavity volume of 9.7%–12.5%. Crucially, gas permeability tests revealed that self‐cleaning and aftereffect technologies retained 65.8% and 38.6% of the original formation permeability, respectively—drastically outperforming the 17.4% retention of conventional perforation. These enhancements are attributed to the secondary high‐pressure gas scouring mechanism in self‐cleaning charges and the localized shock wave expansion in aftereffect charges. Consequently, this study recommends self‐cleaning perforation for deep (>3000 m) tight sandstone reservoirs and aftereffect perforation for shallower (1000–3000 m) loose formations, providing a physics‐based strategy for optimizing offshore field development.
Bi et al. (2026) studied this question.