Clay Chemistry

Relationship between
Quantity & Size
Mud system: ±3,500 bbl

@ ~25 ppb Bentonite

∴40 Metric Tonne of clay in suspension

Size of each particle...

Sunday, February 17, 2008

 Size of each piece of
hydrated Bentonite

Surface Area
800m² per gram of clay in the system

With a total surface area of:

31,758 km² (12,262 square miles)

A little bigger than Belgium

Sunday, February 17, 2008

 The Clay
Structure

Basic Building Blocks

Silica Sheet

Alumina Sheet

Sunday, February 17, 2008

 Layer Structure

Kaolin Chlorite Mica Montmorillonite

Dispersion

Sunday, February 17, 2008

 Dispersion

Platelets will break away from each other

Form a structure like the pages in a book

Under some conditions the book breaks

down to individual pages

This is when the problems start

Dispersion
This process increases the number of
particles and the surface area

The reversal of this effect is call

“Aggregation”

Mechanical or Chemical Forces

Dispersion
One
Particle Aggregation Many
Particle
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Sunday, February 17, 2008

 Dispersion Caused by
Mechanical energy

from drilling

Mud mixing and handling

Thermal energy

temperature increases chemical reactions

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Hydration

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Sunday, February 17, 2008

 Schematic
Illustration of
Swelling Clay
(note - microscopic scale)

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Bentonite Hydration

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Sunday, February 17, 2008

 Hydration of Bentonite

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Cation Exchange

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Sunday, February 17, 2008

 Methylene Blue
Capacity
Indicator of reactive clay content

Estimate of total cation capacity

Dye taken up by clay(and some other

materials)

Estimate only

results examined in-conjunction with

retort and solids calculations

MBT
2 cm3 of Drilling Fluid to 10 cm3 water in Flask

Add 15 cm3 of 3% hydrogen peroxide 0.5 cm3

sulphuric acid

Boil gently for 10 min, then dilute to +/-50 cm3

with water

Add Methylene Blue in 0.5 cm3 increments

Sunday, February 17, 2008

 MBT
Use dip stick to transfer sample of solution with
solids to a filter paper

Record each step, after adding more dye

Stop when excess dye can be seen as a ‘Halo’

Sunday, February 17, 2008

 Reducing HYDRATION with Salts!

The degree of layer separation will depend

on the metal ion concentration in the mud
system

Sodium based with low salinity

Maximum separation

Maximum viscosity

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Particle
Interaction

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Sunday, February 17, 2008

 Unaltered State

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Face and Edge Charges

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Sunday, February 17, 2008

 Until…

Created by the
Edge Charges
fracture of the
clay crystal

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Surface & Edge

Charges
Surface and edge charges
Until Broken… are balanced

Balanced Charges

Negative

Positive

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Sunday, February 17, 2008

 pH Effect
-

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Isomorphous Substitution

Silica Sheet
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Sunday, February 17, 2008

 Isomorphous Substitution

Alumina Sheet
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Clay Behaviour

Dispersed Flocculation

Aggregation Deflocculation

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Sunday, February 17, 2008

 or a Combination...

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Sunday, February 17, 2008