1. Introduction
Barite, as an important non-metallic raw material mineral, is mainly composed of barium sulfate (BaSO4). With characteristics of being insoluble in water, high density, good filling capacity and non-toxicness, barite has shown extremely high application value in many fields.
2. Main application of barite
2.1. Weighting agent of oil drilling mud
Barite plays a vital role in oil drilling. As the main weighting agent of drilling mud, it can significantly increase the density of the mud, help cool the drill bit, strengthen the well wall, control oil and gas pressure, and then prevent blowout accidents. According to statistics, the use of barite as weighting agent accounts for 85% to 90% of its total consumption. This use not only ensures the safety and efficiency of oil drilling, but also establishes the important position of barite in global energy industry.
2.2. Filler
Barite is widely used in filler industry. In paint industry, barite powder can enhance the thickness, strength and durability of the paint film. In addition to paint, the paper-making, rubber and plastics industries also use barite as filler, it can improve the hardness, wear resistance and aging resistance of these materials.
2.3. Mineralizer for cement
Barite is used as mineralizer in cement production. It can combine with fluorite to significantly promote the formation and activation of C3S. Additionally, the composite mineralizer of barite and fluorite can also reduce the burning temperature of clinker from 1450℃ to 1300±50℃, and the effect is particularly good when the addition amount of barite is controlled at 0.8-1.5%. Moreover, In the production of white cement, this mineralizer can not only reduce the burning temperature, but also improve the strength and whiteness.
2.4. Nuclear radiation protection material
The barium element in barite has an extremely high neutron inelastic scattering cross section, this property enables barite to effectively shield neutrons, so it is widely used in nuclear radiation protection projects. High-density barium cement and barite mortar made of ultra-fine barite powder can be used for shielding nuclear reactors, and constructing radon-proof and X-ray-proof buildings, to provide safety protection for the atomic energy industry, nuclear power plants and X-ray laboratories.
2.5. Composite conductive materials
Through doping and modification, barite can be used as a core material to make light-colored conductive pigments, this can significantly improve added value and use value of the pigment. This pigment not only has ideal appearance color and conductivity, but also can be used to produce antistatic coatings, conductive plastics and conductive rubber, etc., so it provides new material options for electronics and electrical industries.
2.6. Medical contrast agent
Barite can be used to make contrast agent. The main component of barite is barium sulfate (BaSO4). Barium sulfate can be used as gastrointestinal contrast agent in medical field, it can image due to its property of absorbing X-rays in gastrointestinal tract.
3. Summary
Barite has a wide range of applications. With continuous increase of global energy demand and advancement of science and technology, application areas of barite will continue to increase, and the demand will also continue to grow. However, when used as filler, barite is difficult to disperse evenly, this would affect the comprehensive performance of the composite material. Therefore, surface modification of barite is very important to improving its application effect.
Qingdao Epic Powder Machinery Co., Ltd. is a manufacturer specializing in the production of powder processing equipment.
Its products include: grinding equipment, classifying/grading equipment, modifying equipment and some auxiliary equipment.
Among them, surface modifier for barite powder and other powders includes: pin-mill modifier, turbo-mill modifier and three-roller-mill modifier, especially pin-mill modifier, is called universal modifier, and has high reputation among customers.
If you are interested in surface modifier or other equipment from Qingdao Epic , pleas contact their staff directly. They are always at your service.
Below are photos from Qingdao Epic for your reference.
