Drilling Fluid Additives
The most important weighting additive in drilling fluids is barium sulfate (BaSO 4 ). Barite is a dense mineral comprising barium sulfate. The specific gravity of barite is at least g/cm 3 to meet API specifications for producing mud densities from 9 to 19 lbm/gal. However, a variety of materials have been used as weighting agents for ...