CHARACTERIZATION AND COMMINUTION ENERGY DETERMINATION FOR FAYA BENTONITE CLAY TOWARDS OIL AND GAS DRILLING MUD PRODUCTION

The aim of the study is to characterize and determine the comminution energy for Faya bentonite clay towards oil and gas drilling mud production.  Nigeria possesses vast reserves of bentonite clay yet it’s application in the oil and gas industry remains limited, due to its predominantly calcium-potassium base, which makes it unsuitable for drilling mud formulation. Faya clay located in Langtang south local government area of plateau state Nigeria is one such underutilized resource. Sample of Faya- bentonite, Azara barite in Nasarawa State, Odogbola feldspar from Kogi state and kujama granite from Kaduna state were collected and prepares. The chemical analysis of the head sample of Faya bentonite clay using X-ray fluoresce (X.R.F) showed that it contains; 38.7% BaO 35.6% SiO2 and  16.6% Al2O3  as the major oxides. The major mineral compounds in Faya bentonite clay are, Quartz, Dickite, Geothite and muscovite as revealed by the X-Ray diffractometer(XRD) analysis. The assay-size analysis of the head sample of Faya clay revealed that the size at which most of the BaO value preferentially report to 125 µm. the work indices of the clay were determined using modified Bonds method with Azara Barite, odogbola feldspar and Kujama granite as reference minerals. The work Index was found to be 4.9 kWh/t. The study has significant implication towards enhanced mineral characterization by utilizing modern analytical tools and technologies, ensuring accurate identification of mineral phases and work index determination.