If salt enters a bentonite based mud, the clay platelets will flocculate resulting in gellation and increasedfluid loss (>10ml).

Polymer systems are tolerant to salt contamination. However, the salt acts to reduce the yield of most polymers (not Starch), and in practice, high salt concentrations will require a higher concentration of polymer for the same effect.

Sources of Salt Contamination

• Drilling of salt formations
• Contamination from salt water aquifers.

Diagnosis

Salt contamination will result in:

• an increase in Chlorides
• a decrease in pH
• a decrease in Pf.

Treatment

In serious cases the only effective treatment for salt contamination is dilution.