Introduction to basic information on polymer mud

Introduction to basic information on polymer mud

Polymer mud is a highly polymerized polymer material.

What physical characteristics polymer mud has? The physical form is white powder particles, soluble in water, colorless and odorless after melting, in a viscous liquid state.

What advantages polymer mud has?

• Construction technology                           

- Prepare mud quickly

- Wide range of use (freshwater/seawater) (soil, sand, pebbles, rocks)

- Low site conditions requirements

- High mud recycling rate

- Low sand content reduces the risk of alkali injection

- Effective control of perfusion base overflow

- Direct contact between the cast foundation and the original soil increases the bearing capacity

• On-site management

- Reduce material cost per cubic meter of mud

- Reduce labor hours costs

- Shorten construction time

- Speed up project progress

- Reduce the workload of calling equipment on site

- Reduce on-site inventory (e.g. bentonite storage)

- Reduce total project costs

• Environmental friendly

- No dust

- No waste slurry

- Biodegradable

- No mud transport required

- Reduce slurry disposal costs

- Can be discharged directly into the sewage pipe network (subject to local regulations)

What projects the polymer mud is suitable for? It is suitable for drilling piles(including rotary drilling bored pile and reverse circulation bored pile), exploration, diaphragm wall(grab and double wheel milling) and HDD drilling.

What geological condition is the polymer mud suitable for? It is suitable for soil, sand, gravel, silt, pebbles, weathered rock and rock.

Then how to use the polymer mud in 3 kinds of situations?

• Steps for making polymer mud using mud box

- Make and install mud box

- Lay out air compressors, outlet pipes, water pipes, mud pipes, valves, etc.

- Adjusting the pH in the mud tank

- Turn on the air compressor

- Add polymer slurry material

- Use Markov funnel to detect mud viscosity index

- Medium speed drilling

- Maintain mud level

- Use a Markov funnel to detect the viscosity of the mud in the borehole during the drilling process

- Measuring the hole depth after forming the hole

- Concrete pouring, slurry recovery, reuse

Tips:

- Please don’t use a vane pump because the high-speed rotating vanes will break up the polymer chains in the mud and affect the mud effect.

- From the "return slurry box" to the "mud box", connect from the top, and make the connection between the "mud boxes" at the bottom

• Steps for making polymer slurry in the application hole

- Lower the casing, lay mud pipelines, water injection pipelines, etc.

- Calculate the amount of Neptune mud material

- Count the number of additions

- Adjust pH in boreholes

- Add polymer slurry material

- Use Markov funnel to detect mud viscosity index

- Medium speed drilling

- Maintain mud level

- Use a Markov funnel to detect the viscosity of the mud in the borehole during the drilling process

- Measuring the hole depth after forming the hole

- Concrete pouring, slurry recovery, reuse

Tips:

- Please don’t use a vane pump because the high-speed rotating vanes will break up the polymer chains in the mud and affect the mud effect.

- Adjust pH to 10. Pay attention to safety when adding alkali.

- The addition of materials follows the principles of "plan ahead" and "small amounts and often times".

- Maintain mud level. .

- Pay attention to the pH and viscosity of the mud during drilling.

• Steps for making polymer slurry using mixing barrel

- Make a mixing bucket

- Lay out water pumps, grouting pipelines, water injection pipelines, etc.

- Adjust the pH in the mixing tank

- Open the mixing barrel

- Add polymer mud material

- Use Markov funnel to detect mud viscosity index

- Medium speed drilling

- Maintain mud level

- Use a Markov funnel to detect the viscosity of the mud in the borehole during the drilling process

- Measuring the hole depth after forming the hole

- Pouring concrete

- Slurry recovery, reuse

Tips:

- Please don’t use a vane pump because the high-speed rotating vanes will break up the polymer chains in the mud and affect the mud effect.

- The size of the mixing barrel is made according to the needs of the site.

- Can be made from second-hand casings

Other tips:

- Use an in-hole mud sampler to obtain the required mud sample for testing from the borehole. Samples are taken from the bottom and middle of the borehole each time

- A pH range of 10 will help chemical slurry materials work best. So some instruments and equipment are needed to check the pH value of mud.

- Funnel viscosity test using the standard procedure for field testing of water-based drilling fluids recommended by API 13B-1. The most important thing is to use the specific funnels and measuring cups found in API 13B-1 test methods and API specifications. API mud testing standards are the most widely used, but there are also other testing standards (for example: 1006 mud funnel testing is commonly used in mainland China).

Generally, the viscosity range of mud is 60~90 seconds/qt. Newly prepared mud may have a higher initial viscosity in the range of 125~145 seconds/qt, and then will drop to the general range within a few hours. (qt—quart=946ml)

- The specific gravity of polymer mud generally ranges from 1.00 to 1.10.

Polymer mud is an environmentally friendly and easy-to-handle mud.

In some environmentally sensitive areas, such as cities, river slope protection, etc., polymer slurry can be directly discharged with permission.

During normal drilling, polymer mud is not discarded. It is reusable throughout the project. After all mud is returned, appropriate material is added as needed to maintain mud performance.

After the work is completed, the remaining slurry is diluted with water and discharged into the municipal sewerage system in accordance with local permits.

Polymer slurries discharged into open spaces are easily decomposed by sunlight, exposure to natural minerals. You can also add some calcium hypochlorite to speed up the decomposition of the mud.