Greek lignites as additives for controlling filtration properties of water–bentonite suspensions at high temperatures

The effectiveness of Greek lignites to control the filtration characteristics of water–bentonite suspensions and to minimize formation damage at high temperatures was studied. Twenty-six lignite samples from various peat/lignite deposits in Greece were used together with a commercial lignite product. The contents of humic and fulvic acids, humins, oxygen, ash and the cation exchange capacity of lignite samples were examined with respect to fluid loss of these suspensions. The results show that most samples provided very good filtration control of the water–bentonite suspensions after exposure to 177 °C with some being superior to the commercial product. Better performance was observed after addition of 3% w/v lignite. Total humic and fulvic acids as percentage of dry lignite matter and the organic matter as lignite percentage showed a weak inverse correlation with the fluid loss volumes.