BARITE PREVENTS BLOWOUTS, ABSORBS NUCLEAR EMISSION.

BARITE PREVENTS BLOWOUTS, ABSORBS NUCLEAR EMISSION.  

By: Jum’an

Bentonite clay as I wrote in my previous blog, has various uses and applications due to its unique swelling ability, colloidal size particles and thyxotrophic properties. Every mineral have their own specifics that renders their own field of applications. Barite or barium sulphate- has unique properties that define a wide range of industrial uses. It has high specific gravity, chemically inert and insoluble, low hardness (not abrasive) and ability to absorb X-rays. As a non metallic mineral, a density of 4, 2-4.5 g/cm3 is exceptional. These characteristics have made barite suitable for a wide range of industrial, medical and manufacturing applications.

About 80% world production of barite is used as weighting material in the formulation of drilling fluids.  Barite increases the hydrostatic pressure of the drilling fluids allowing it to compensate for high-pressure zones experienced during drilling and prevent blowouts. The softness of barite (3-3.5 on Moh's scale) makes it less abrasive and less damaging drilling tools during drilling. Another benefit of barite is that it is non-magnetic and thus does not interfere with magnetic measurements taken in the borehole. Substitutes for barite in drilling fluids include: ilmenite, hematite and galena. But none of these substitutes is effective at replacing barite in the market. They are too expensive or do not perform competitively. Specifications of barite for drilling mud purposes are established by the American Petroleum Institute (API).

Oil Well Blowout

Another unique feature of barite is its ability to strongly absorb X-rays and gamma rays. It is applied in diagnostic medical tests on the intestines and colon. If a patient drinks a small cup of liquid containing barite powder in a milkshake consistency (barium meal), the liquid will coat the patient's esophagus. An x-ray of the throat taken immediately after the "barium swallow" will image the soft tissue of the esophagus (which is usually transparent to x-rays) because the barium is opaque to x-rays and blocks their passage. This ability to absorb X-rays, barite is also used to make high-density concrete to block x-ray emissions in hospitals, power plants, laboratories and nuclear reactors. In addition, barite is the cheapest protective material in the construction of "burial grounds" and reactors in nuclear power industry.

Nuclear  Waste Burial 

Additional uses of barite include as filler in the manufacture of linoleum, oilcloth, paper and textile manufacturing, rubber, and plastics, brake linings, paint and sound-deadening material in cars. For those who love crystal healing, barite crystal is said as excellent in balancing the brain chemistry, assists with memory and information retention. It strengthens inner vision and is a strong stone to enhance dream recall.

BENTONITE CLAY: MINERAL OF 1000 USES

BENTONITE CLAY: MINERAL OF 1000 USES

By: Jum’an

You may be surprised! All Abrahamic religions Judaism, Christianity and Islam suggest in their scriptures that man was originally created from clay. Other mythologies including Greek, Egyptian, Inca, American Indian and Chinese mythology tell about the same creation. If the whole worlds mention the same single subject, there must be something very exceptional about this breed of mineral. The Daily Mail of UK wrote: Scientists believe that people may have had their beginnings in clay. According to the latest theory, clay acts as a breeding laboratory for tiny molecules and chemicals which it 'absorbs like a sponge'. The process takes billions of years, during which the chemicals react to each other to form proteins, DNA and, eventually, living cells.

Bentonite for Drilling Fluids 

The name Bentonite refers to a high water swelling clay first identified in Fort Benton, Wyoming where the best quality and most abundant sediments can be found. Bentonite clay formed by the alternation of volcanic ash for tens of millions of years during the late Cretaceous period. It is composed essentially of montmorillonite, also known as hydrous silicate of alumina. Long story short, the best bentonies is the sodium type or sodium montmorillonites. It has unique characteristics. It can swell up to 16 times its original size and absorbs up to 10 times its own weight in water. Its colloidal solution in water has a thyrotrophic or shear thinning property; semisolid (gel) when still and becoming fluid when stirred. These special properties of bentonite make it a valuable material for a wide range of uses and applications. Including as absorbents, cosmetics and pharmaceuticals, in drilling fluids, foundry (metal casting), civil construction, , pelletizing of iron ore and animal food, cat litter, detoxification, and many other industrial and consumer related products.

Slurry Trench

Bentonite is an essential ingredient of drilling fluids for oil, gas, geothermal and water well drilling. Its roles are mainly to seal the borehole walls, to remove drill cuttings and to lubricate the drill bit. In civil construction, bentonite is used to build slurry walls (slurry trench), waterproofing of underground walls and forming other impermeable barriers for example to plug old wells or as a base liner of landfills to prevent migration of contaminated water into the soil, to stop dam leakage etc. Bentonite is used as a sealant, such as to seal of undergound disposal of nuclear wastes and to isolate metal pollutants of groundwater. In foundry (metal casting) industry, bentonite is used as a bonding agent in the molding sand for the production of iron and steel. The unique properties of bentonite provide green sand moulds with good thermal stability and compactibility for the production of high quality castings. Bentonite is also used as a binding agent in the production of iron ore pellets. Iron ore fines are converted into spherical pellets, suitable as feed material in blast furnaces for pig iron production. Animal foods and fertilizer are pelletized using bentonite as well. So it makes sense why Holy Scriptures, mythologies and scientists agree that human was created from clay.

 Foundry ( Metal Casting)