Chemicals and additives for drilling fluids

During vertical drilling it is always advisable to use certain drilling fluid additives depending on the soil. Thanks to these drilling fluids, drilling will be faster and the drilling wall will be more stable. Each product has its own properties, so it is very important to know which product should be added and when. On this page the products are divided into Bentonite, polymers and special products. In order to add the additives to the drilling fluid in an efficient manner, we recommend using a Venturi mixer gets used. Test kits are very useful to know which drilling fluid additive should be added at which time.

BENTONY

COLCLAY is produced from natural calcium-bentonite that is converted to sodium-bentonite by soda activation. This conversion produces a highly plastic clay with the following properties:

• greatly increases the viscosity of water
• has a sealing, stabilising and lubricating effect

Colclay ensures that the sand is better disposed of, the wall becomes more stable and less flushing is lost.

IDP-696 is a bentonite specially developed for vertical drilling such as flush drilling, suction drilling, tubular drilling and core drilling. This product has the following advantages:

• very easy to mix
• quickly reaches the maximum viscosity
• very stable in low concentration
• very well combined with polymers

IDP-696 contains the following function:

• rapid build-up of a filter cake against the wall of the borehole. This makes the borehole more stable and minimises any losses from the drilling fluids.
• This way, there is no mixing between the loose soil and the drilling fluid. The advantage of this is that undesired solid particles will not accumulate on the wall of the borehole.

TUNNEL-GEL PLUS is a non-toxic bentonite used in vertical drilling. The functions of this product are:

• increased viscosity of drilling fluids
• increased carrying capacity to facilitate the transport of the drilling cuttings
• reduction of water penetration in the permeable formation
• promotes borehole stability in porous formations

POLYMERS

IPR-246 is a non-toxic biodegradable polymer that can be used instead of bentonite. In some projects, the use of bentonite is prohibited because it may contaminate certain aquifers. IPR-264 has the following properties:

• biodegradable
• non-toxic
• can be reused by using a recycling unit

The functions of this product are shown below:

• increased viscosity so that the loosened soil is brought to the surface better
• creates a filter cake that reduces the loss of drilling fluid
• ensures that the clay is inhibited so that it does not start to stick (to the drill pipes) and rises more easily

BARASOL-R is a biodegradable drilling product that may be used in usable drinking water areas. The function of this product is to reduce coil drilling losses.

EZ-MUD is a biodegradable drilling product that may be used in usable drinking water areas. The function of this product is to reduce coil drilling losses.

• stabilising clay to reduce swelling and/or dispersion 
• promotes the borehole wall in water-sensitive formations
• reduced the swelling of the drill wall and the drilled clay

EZ-MUD GOLD verminderde de zwelling van de boorwand en de geboorde klei

AGRIPOL is a highly viscous anionic synthetic polymer containing partially hydrolysed high molecular weight polyacrylamide/sodium acrylaate copolymers. Because it is a water-soluble liquid additive, it mixes fairly quickly in water and bentonite-based drilling fluids. ARGIPOL has the following functions:

• eliminates swelling of clay and slate
• stabilises the borehole wall
• Inhibits clay
• allows drill residue to emerge more easily

MODIPOL 600 is a polymer specially developed to have the same properties as bentonite but is biodegradable. This product provides the following functions:

• making the drilling mud more fishy so that the drilling residues come to the surface more easily
• making the drill wall more stable
• reducing the loss of drilling fluid

SPECIAL PRODUCTS

SODA ASH ensures that the pH value of the mixing water is around 9 and that the hardness drops below 100 ppm. This has the advantage that added bentonite and/or polymers to the drilling fluid hydrate better, so less of these products need to be added.

MSDS of these drilling fluid additives sheets are available upon request.