Influence of ionic strength on the viscosities and water loss of bentonite suspensions containing polymers

Abstract

A study was made of the influence of ionic strength (S) on the apparent (AV) and plastic (PV) viscosities and water loss (WL) of sodium bentonite suspension with polymers. Na-bentonite was dispersed in water (4.86% w/w) of different ionic strengths (S = 0.0, 0.015, 0.030 and 0.045 M) followed by the addition of polymer. Three polymer samples were studied, i.e., low viscosity carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC BV), polyanionic cellulose (PAC), and partially hydrolyzed polyacrylamide (HPAM). The results indicated that the presence of salts and increased salinity greatly influence the apparent and plastic viscosities and water loss of bentonite suspensions with polymer.

Keywords

• bentonite
• rheology
• polymer
• ionic strength