Evaluation of Baryte Ores from Selected Sites in Obubra Mine of Cross River State, Nigeria, for Application as a Weighting Agent in Drilling Fluid: A Physical Characterization
Baryte, a non-metallic mineral, is used primarily for the formulation of drilling mud to control reservoir pressure during drilling. However, despite its abundant reserves in Nigeria, the international oil companies (IOC) operating in Nigeria still apply imported baryte for operations. Therefore, in...
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Reaserch Institute of Petroleum Industry
2024-07-01
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| Series: | Journal of Petroleum Science and Technology |
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| author | Utibe Edem Oji Akuma Ayoade Kuye Ogbonna Joel |
| author_facet | Utibe Edem Oji Akuma Ayoade Kuye Ogbonna Joel |
| author_sort | Utibe Edem |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Baryte, a non-metallic mineral, is used primarily for the formulation of drilling mud to control reservoir pressure during drilling. However, despite its abundant reserves in Nigeria, the international oil companies (IOC) operating in Nigeria still apply imported baryte for operations. Therefore, in this research, the physical properties (specific gravity (SG), hardness and moisture content (MC, and pH)), of baryte deposits from 5 selected sites in Obubra mine of Cross River State, were determined and compared, vis-à-vis the API specifications, to ascertain their suitability for use in oil drilling. The white powder obtained from a streak test on the 5 ores indicated that all were indeed baryte ores. Furthermore, the samples were separately washed, dried, crushed, ground, and milled. In addition, the ore’s hardness of 3.5, and MC range of 0.00-0.01%, and pH range of 7-7.4, were all within the API specifications. Moreover, readings from the SG obtained were; site 1=4.25, site 2 = 4.28, site 3 = 4.32, site 4 = 4.12 and site 5 = 3.37. Thus, baryte in sites 3 and 5 recorded the highest and lowest SG, respectively. Ultimately, these results showed that ores from sites 1, 2, and 3 meet the API 4.20 specification for drilling purposes. At a SG of 4.12, site 4 sample, fell slightly below 4.20, while site 5 sample was unsuitable for drilling. Therefore, baryte from sites 4 and 5 should be further processed to meet the API SG specification for drilling. These findings prove that Obubra baryte possesses crucial criteria for drilling mud formulation. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-994f6d32477f481a829f39b969dcd0c8 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2251-659X 2645-3312 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2024-07-01 |
| publisher | Reaserch Institute of Petroleum Industry |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Journal of Petroleum Science and Technology |
| spelling | doaj-art-994f6d32477f481a829f39b969dcd0c82025-08-20T04:03:12ZengReaserch Institute of Petroleum IndustryJournal of Petroleum Science and Technology2251-659X2645-33122024-07-01143111710.22078/jpst.2025.5475.19671491Evaluation of Baryte Ores from Selected Sites in Obubra Mine of Cross River State, Nigeria, for Application as a Weighting Agent in Drilling Fluid: A Physical CharacterizationUtibe Edem0Oji Akuma1Ayoade Kuye2Ogbonna Joel3Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Port Harcourt, Port Harcourt, NigeriaDepartment of Chemical Engineering, University of Port Harcourt, Port Harcourt, NigeriaDepartment of Chemical Engineering, University of Port Harcourt, Port Harcourt, NigeriaWorld Bank African Centre of Excellence for Oilfields Chemical Research (ACE-CEFOR), University of Port Harcourt, Port Harcourt, NigeriaBaryte, a non-metallic mineral, is used primarily for the formulation of drilling mud to control reservoir pressure during drilling. However, despite its abundant reserves in Nigeria, the international oil companies (IOC) operating in Nigeria still apply imported baryte for operations. Therefore, in this research, the physical properties (specific gravity (SG), hardness and moisture content (MC, and pH)), of baryte deposits from 5 selected sites in Obubra mine of Cross River State, were determined and compared, vis-à-vis the API specifications, to ascertain their suitability for use in oil drilling. The white powder obtained from a streak test on the 5 ores indicated that all were indeed baryte ores. Furthermore, the samples were separately washed, dried, crushed, ground, and milled. In addition, the ore’s hardness of 3.5, and MC range of 0.00-0.01%, and pH range of 7-7.4, were all within the API specifications. Moreover, readings from the SG obtained were; site 1=4.25, site 2 = 4.28, site 3 = 4.32, site 4 = 4.12 and site 5 = 3.37. Thus, baryte in sites 3 and 5 recorded the highest and lowest SG, respectively. Ultimately, these results showed that ores from sites 1, 2, and 3 meet the API 4.20 specification for drilling purposes. At a SG of 4.12, site 4 sample, fell slightly below 4.20, while site 5 sample was unsuitable for drilling. Therefore, baryte from sites 4 and 5 should be further processed to meet the API SG specification for drilling. These findings prove that Obubra baryte possesses crucial criteria for drilling mud formulation.https://jpst.ripi.ir/article_1491_2141551b9bd978d09fc8f12dfabeabbe.pdfbaryte orespecific gravityhardnessmoisture contentobubra |
| spellingShingle | Utibe Edem Oji Akuma Ayoade Kuye Ogbonna Joel Evaluation of Baryte Ores from Selected Sites in Obubra Mine of Cross River State, Nigeria, for Application as a Weighting Agent in Drilling Fluid: A Physical Characterization Journal of Petroleum Science and Technology baryte ore specific gravity hardness moisture content obubra |
| title | Evaluation of Baryte Ores from Selected Sites in Obubra Mine of Cross River State, Nigeria, for Application as a Weighting Agent in Drilling Fluid: A Physical Characterization |
| title_full | Evaluation of Baryte Ores from Selected Sites in Obubra Mine of Cross River State, Nigeria, for Application as a Weighting Agent in Drilling Fluid: A Physical Characterization |
| title_fullStr | Evaluation of Baryte Ores from Selected Sites in Obubra Mine of Cross River State, Nigeria, for Application as a Weighting Agent in Drilling Fluid: A Physical Characterization |
| title_full_unstemmed | Evaluation of Baryte Ores from Selected Sites in Obubra Mine of Cross River State, Nigeria, for Application as a Weighting Agent in Drilling Fluid: A Physical Characterization |
| title_short | Evaluation of Baryte Ores from Selected Sites in Obubra Mine of Cross River State, Nigeria, for Application as a Weighting Agent in Drilling Fluid: A Physical Characterization |
| title_sort | evaluation of baryte ores from selected sites in obubra mine of cross river state nigeria for application as a weighting agent in drilling fluid a physical characterization |
| topic | baryte ore specific gravity hardness moisture content obubra |
| url | https://jpst.ripi.ir/article_1491_2141551b9bd978d09fc8f12dfabeabbe.pdf |
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