Title: Suitability of Nigerian barite as a weighting agent in drilling mud

Authors: Kenneth A. Ibe; Doris F. Ogeleka; Ifeanyi C. Ani; Gift O. Uyebi

Addresses: Department of Chemistry, Federal University of Petroleum Resources Effurun, P.M. B. 1221 Effurun, Nigeria ' Department of Chemistry, Federal University of Petroleum Resources Effurun, P.M. B. 1221 Effurun, Nigeria ' Department of Chemistry, Federal University of Petroleum Resources Effurun, P.M. B. 1221 Effurun, Nigeria ' Department of Chemistry, Federal University of Petroleum Resources Effurun, P.M. B. 1221 Effurun, Nigeria

Abstract: The suitability of local barite as weighting agent in drilling mud was appraised using some physico-chemical parameters. Thirty samples, A, sourced from Obi in Nasarawa State, Nigeria; and 10 imported samples, N, in use in drilling mud, were analysed. The mean pH of the local samples ranged from 5.13 ± 0.12-6.25 ± 0.05; the specific gravity, 3.95 ± 0.16-4.20 ± 0.06; the moisture content, 0.64 ± 1.15-0.95 ± 0.15%; the Mohr's hardness, 3.0 ± 0.05-4.0 ± 0.05 while the imported samples had mean pH 8.04 ± 0.05; specific gravity, 4.25 ± 0.95; moisture content, 0.10 ± 0.01 and Mohr's hardness, 4.0 ± 0.07. The mean concentration of the metals is 1.6 ± 0.05 in Zn to 3760 ± 9.95 mg/Kg in Ba for local samples and 1.60 ± 0.65 in Cd to 2960 ± 7.75 mg/Kg in Ba for imported samples. The values for most of the locally sourced samples compared well with those of the imported ones. Therefore, the local barite samples could be used as weighting agent in drilling mud additive with little modification.

Keywords: barite; drilling mud; additives; API; American Petroleum Institute; Nasarawa State; physico-chemical parameters; suitability; weighting agent; local samples; imported smaples; Nigeria; moisture content; hardness; mean pH; specific gravity.

DOI: 10.1504/IJMME.2016.074596

International Journal of Mining and Mineral Engineering, 2016 Vol.7 No.1, pp.51 - 63

Received: 06 Sep 2014
Accepted: 02 Sep 2015
Published online: 07 Feb 2016 *

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