Oil and gas drilling

Oil and gas drilling

Silicate is used in the preparation of drilling fluids to aid the extraction of the drilled material.

In some oil fields it is used to increase the extraction output, in fact, when it is pumped deep, it reacts with the fatty acids contained in the oil, saponifying them. The reduced surface tension makes extraction easier.

A similar reaction is also used to refine vegetable and mineral oils.
Silicate solutions are used to recover spent mineral oils, to eliminate particles and other impurities, by transitioning through an aqueous stage.