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)

DRILLING AND COMPLETION FLUIDS

DRILLING AND COMPLETION FLUIDS

By: Jum’an

While an oil well is being drilled, specific drilling fluid is pumped down the drill pipes and circulated back through the annulus to flush out the rock cuttings, cool and lubricate the drilling bit, and maintain pressure so that oil or gas does not escape. Completion fluid is specialized liquid -typically brine solution- placed in the well to facilitate final operations prior to initiation of production, to control subsurface pressure as well as to minimize formation damage during completion and workover operations. Most of the professionals working in this upstream (exploration and production) sector of the oil industry are drilling/completion engineers and the production specialists. They are highly skilled on drilling, completing and production of oil well, but usually have inadequate knowledge of the chemistry aspects of drilling and completion of a well. The composition and properties of Drilling and Completion Fluids play important role in the success of a well. While the average cost drilling fluid amounts less than 10% of the total cost to drill a well, the success and failure of the well may depend on the optimization of the fluids used. Lacks of knowledge in chemical composition and properties of the fluids may result in soaring cost or even a total failure.  

An important guide to successfully utilize the drilling and completion fluids in the oil exploration and production has been written by three prominent experts in this field. The late George R. Gray PhD a pioneer in the development of drilling fluids technology, once Director and Vice President of SPE and held positions within the American Petroleum Institute (API). The late H.C.H. Darley, a member of the Institute of Petroleum in London, active within SPE and a Researcher for Shell for 25 years. Ryen Caenn specializes in the technology transfer for all aspects of drilling and completion fluids technologies. He has worked in the industry for over 40 years including over 28 years as consultant to oil companies, fluid service companies, and chemical manufacturers. He currently conducts training sessions worldwide on drilling fluid technology and is active in AADE, SPE, and API Committees.

They are authors of a book considered the bible of Drilling Fluids Industry titled Composition and Properties of Drilling and Completion Fluids. This book is an essential tool to achieving successful outcome of the wellbore. The content is regularly updated since its first publication up to the current Sixth Edition. This last edition includes new information on technology, economic, and political issues that have affected the use of drilling and completion fluids. Also explains a countless new products and fluid systems. It covers the latest API/SI standards. It includes new R&D on water-based muds. It places new emphases on Health, Safety & Environment (HSE). It also includes new chapter on Waste Management and Disposal.

Composition and Properties of Drilling and Completion Fluids is highly recommended for Drilling engineers, drilling rig supervisors, drilling managers, operating company personnel, and service company personnel