Bentonite

Bentonite

Product Information

Description

Bentonite is a clay material formed from the alteration of igneous rocks, it is usually dry-blended with cement but may be prehydrated in the mixing water if desired. When Bentonite is prehydrated, it will yield (gel) much more than if the same amount of BE-30 has been dry-blended with cement then mixed with water. In general, 1% prehydrated gel by weight of cement will result in a slurry having about the same properties as a dry-blended 4% gel slurry using fresh water, and as a dry-blended 3% gel slurry using sea water.

Bentonite has a water requirement of 530% by weight of gel, and is used in concentration of 1% to 10% by weight of cement.

Applications

Bentonite has the ability to absorb many times its own weight in water and will swell to many times its original volume. As an admix to cement, Bentonite allows the use of much more mixing water in the slurry before water separation occurs. This results in low slurry weights, increased slurry yield per sack of cement and low slurry cost.

Bentonite also accelerates thickening times of neat cement slurries, decreases their compressive strengths, and provides some thixotropic properties which yield better sealing of formation openings.