Organophilic Attapulgite Clay Application For DRILLING Mud Thixotropic Agent TECHNOLOGIES Rheology Modifier In Oil Base Muds

Rheology ModifierProduct introduction

Attapulgite high viscosity agent / suspending agent / thixotropic agent is made of colloidal attapulgite clay ore as raw material, finely processed with mineral processing, crushing, activation soaking, pressing, drying and grinding procedure. This product has high cohesiveness, excellent suspension and colloidal thixotropy,  and strong adhesion, good suspension, wear resistance, high temperature resistance, fire resistance and corrosion resistance properties,which is inert and stable in the working medium and is not easy to collapse and deform after molding. Widely used in pellet feed, granular fertilizer, mineral desiccant, molecular sieve and building board, and also used as suspending agent and thickener of medium and high grade coatings.

High viscosity of Attapulgite Clay Description

Attapulgite is a kind of crystalloid hydrous magnesium-aluminum silicate mineral,which has very good colloidal properties such as: specific dispersity, high temperature endurance, salt and alkali resistance, and also high adsorbing and de-coloring capabilities. Furthermore, Attapulgite has certain plastic and adhesive characters.

Attapulgite Thixotropic Agent  Feature as a Thixotropic Suspending Agent

Attapulgite is a hydrous magnesium aluminum silicate clay mineral with a unique structure made up of colloidal particles called spicules. Gellation takes place following dispersion when the spicules become attracted to each other, become entangled and form the matrix structure that thickens, entraps, and suspends solids. Proper dispersion and gelling is dependent on the amount of shear and length of time it is applied or the use of chemical means to facilitate dispersion. To achieve gellation chemically dispersed clay must come into contact with a chemical salt which causes spicules to associate with one another and the gel to instantly form. Attapulgite can also be used to structure organic systems with the proper use of a cationic surfactant. The basic advantages of attapulgite as a structuring agent are versatility, compatibility with a variety of liquid systems, functionality over a wide pH range, and resistance to attack by microorganisms. It is relatively economical and provides a thixotropic liquid system.

Attapulgite thickeners and suspending agents provide benefits,including easy dispersion, formulating latitude and long-term stability. The colloidal network forms a thixotropic gel that if undisturbed is stable indefinitely. Under modest shear, however,the structure breaks down and the liquid becomes thin and flowable. When agitation ceases, the scattered particles realign  to reform the colloidal network and thicken the liquid. The cycle of thinning and thickening, by changes in shear, can be repeated endlessly.