Przygotowanie i poprawa właściwości reologicznych naturalnego bentonitu przy użyciu węglanu sodu i karboksymetylocelulozy sodu

Abstract

Drilling fluids play a critical role in the exploration and production of oil and gas. Among the various types of drilling fluids, water-based mud has attracted significant attention due to its sustainability and low cost compared to synthetic mud. In Kenya, there is an increasing demand for sustainable drilling fluid compounds, such as bentonite, which is readily available in some parts of the country, for example, Isinya and Amboseli. The main drawback for the beneficiation of Kenyan bentonite include low concentration of smectite, high levels of iron contaminant, and inconsistent composition. Hence, there is a need to enhance local bentonite to improve its performance for effective drilling applications. In this work, we incorporated sodium carbonate (Na2CO3) and carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) as additives to improve the properties of the raw bentonite. The rheological characteristics of both pristine and activated bentonite were investigated using the Rheolab QC rheometer. The findings revealed that the yield point of the Isinya and Amboseli samples increased as a function of the levels of activation reagents (Na2CO3 and CMC). It was noted that more than 1.25w% of Na2CO3 was required to bring the yield stress closer to the required 15 Pa for drilling application. Additionally, the Isinya bentonite (IS3) provided adequate rheological characteristics for drilling muds after compounding with 2.5w% CMC additive. These results demonstrate the feasibility of using the local bentonite in Kenya for drilling applications. In the future, we will explore the potential of using other additives to further enhance the properties of local bentonite for geothermal power production, with the goal of lowering electricity generation cost and supporting ongoing efforts to provide reliable and affordable energy, as proposed in Kenya Vision 2030 project.