Effect of beneficiation of Harin-Hamza Futuk bentonite for drilling fluid formulation

Abstract

This research focused on beneficiation and characterization of raw Garin Hamza Futuk (GHF) Bentonite for oil and gas drilling fluid formulation. The FTIR results confirmed that GHF bentonitic clay is rich in montmorillonite mineral noticed at approximately 3620-3630cm^-1 stretching band in the higher frequency level. In the lower frequency region, montmorillonite had a strong band at 1024.24 and 1028.09 cm^-1 for Sivibration of layered silicates.The X-ray fluorescence (XRF) results showed slight reduction in free silica (Quartz) by about 1%. The SEM images of the beneficiated samples were more dispersed than the raw sample with some large flocs structure confirming their montmorillonitic nature. The optimum amount of poly anionic cellulose (PAC)used for instant drilling fluid formulation was found to be at 2.0 g, while the aged formulation was achieved at 0.8g PAC when compared with the API grade. Hence, GHF bentonite can be used for drilling fluid formulation.