ORGANOPHILIC BENTONITE

 

The production and industrial use of organoclays has a long history of development. For the first time the organoclay was used for the oil-based drilling mud (OBM) in the middle of the last century. Oil-based emulsion drilling fluids (OBM) are used when drilling low-angle and horizontal wells of a complex profile, as well as during the initial opening of low-permeability productive formations. The use of OBM is constantly growing, which leads to an increase in the world consumption of organobentonite, as the main structure former and OBM stabilizer.

The use of organobentonite in OBM ensures:

• high electrical stability of OBM (more than 700 V), which characterizes the optimal combination of sedimentation and coagulation stability of the emulsion in the presence of organobentonite microparticles;
• in addition to structure-forming properties, it provides the solution with the necessary viscosity, heat resistance, improves the carrying capacity, GEL and maintains suspended the particles of the weighting agent. It also contributes to building a high-quality filter cake and reducing water loss.

The use of organoclays for paints and coatings production has also a long history.

Advantages of adding organobentonite to paints and coatings:

• improvement of sedimentation stability during storage, elimination of sedimentation and pigmentation formation;
• decrease of runoff of the coating from vertical and inclined surfaces, improvement of coverage rate;
• improvement of light, weather, heat and corrosion resistance of the coating.

Organoclays are also used in greases, adhesives, sealants, in the production of plastics and polymer compositions, cosmetics, and in the production of anti-corrosion coatings; in rubbers; in anhydrous molding sands; as an additive in cement and others.