Application of carboxymethylated carob bean gum as eco-friendly water based drilling fluids additive

Abstract

Excessive exploitation of non-renewable energy and environmental damage have forced people's scientific research turn to inexhaustible nature plants. In this work, carob bean gum (CBG) was modified using sodium chloroacetate as the modifier to enhance its solubility and efficiency in water based drilling fluids. The modification conditions were discussed through single factor test and screened as follows: the mass ratio of sodium chloroacetate to CBG was 20.0g/100g with pH 12 at the temperature of 50°C for 6 h. The rheological property and filtration loss of carboxymethylated carob bean gum (CCBG) treated drilling fluids were tested, which demonstrated more excellent rheological property and lower filtration loss than that of CBG. The inhibitive property of CCBG was evaluated by using Na-Bentonite (Na-MMT)-swelling tests and mud ball immersing tests, which showed that CCBG performed a high inhibitive and anti-caving capacities in water-based drilling fluids.