Oil & Gas / Oilfield

API grade barite meets API Specification 13A for drilling-fluid materials. The main requirement is a minimum density of 4.20 g/cm³, with an alternative 4.10 grade also defined, together with limits on water-soluble alkaline earth metals (as calcium) and on particle size, covering both coarse residue above 75 µm and fine particles below 6 µm. These limits ensure the barite raises mud weight efficiently without adding fines that thicken the mud.

Approximate maximum densities near room temperature are: potassium chloride about 1.16 SG (9.7 ppg), sodium formate about 1.32 SG (11 ppg), calcium chloride about 1.39-1.41 SG (11.6-11.8 ppg) and sodium bromide about 1.52 SG (12.7 ppg). Choose a brine that reaches the required density with a margin, and check compatibility with formation water, since calcium brines can precipitate with carbonate- or sulphate-rich waters. The brine's crystallisation temperature must also suit site conditions.

MEA-triazine reacts irreversibly with hydrogen sulphide, mainly forming dithiazine, so the scavenger is consumed rather than regenerated. It is injected directly into gas lines, crude or produced water, or used in contact towers, and suits low to moderate H2S loads. The reaction raises pH, which can promote calcium carbonate scale, and overdosing or spent product can leave dithiazine solids, so dose rates are set against the measured H2S.

Bentonite is a sodium montmorillonite clay that hydrates in fresh water to build viscosity, gel strength and a thin, low-permeability filter cake that reduces fluid loss, but it yields poorly in salt water and brines. Xanthan gum is a biopolymer that gives strongly shear-thinning rheology: thin at the bit, thick at low shear to suspend cuttings and barite. It works in fresh water and brines, so it is used in low-solids and brine-based fluids, often alongside bentonite.

Both convert dissolved oxygen to sulphate; in theory about 6.2-6.5 ppm of bisulphite removes 1 ppm of oxygen, and a cobalt catalyst is often added to speed the reaction in cold water. Ammonium bisulphite is supplied as a concentrated solution that is easy to pump, which makes it common in waterflood and pipeline service. Sodium bisulphite and sodium metabisulphite are also widely used to dechlorinate water ahead of RO membranes.

Barite and bentonite are supplied in 25/50 kg HDPE or paper bags or 500-1,000 kg jumbo bags, and liquids such as MEA, glutaraldehyde and bisulphite in 200 L drums or 1,000 L IBC tanks. Export orders get export-worthy packing and shipping documents. The manufacturer's COA and SDS go with each batch, and the quotation confirms packaging, lead time and terms in writing.