Baryte

Baryte is a commercial name of Barium Sulphate. Baryte is generally white or colorless, and is the main source of the element Barium. 69–77% of Baryte is used as a weighting agent for drilling fluids in oil and gas exploration to suppress high formation pressures and prevent blowouts. As a well is drilled, the bit passes through various formations, each with different characteristics. The deeper the hole, the more Baryte is needed as a percentage of the total mud mix. An additional benefit of Baryte is that it is non-magnetic and thus does not interfere with magnetic measurements taken in the borehole, either during logging-while-drilling or in separate drill hole logging. Baryte is also used for drilling petroleum wells which can be black, blue, brown or gray depending on the ore body.