The Clay Technology Unit (CTU) is currently in development but aims to characterise the technological properties of clay materials and to provide interpretations and advice, as well as suggesting solutions to the problems that such materials cause.
 
The use of clay materials is involved in many different industries, such as those dealing with disposal of nuclear wastes, ceramics, paints, coatings, paper production, absorbents, cosmetics and pharmaceuticals, to name but a few. All these industries face clay-related problems, the solutions to which require not only quantitative mineralogical analysis but determination of clay technological properties and interpretive skill with regard to the particular problem in hand.

CTU aims to develop a capacity to engage in such a market, but in the first instance, will provide a service for the oil industry. Some clay-related problems frequently encountered in the oil industry during drilling operations, and which literally cost the industry over a billion pounds per year, are:

• Wellbore Instability
• Disintegration of Cuttings
• Bit Balling
• Deterioration of Reservoir Quality

CTU will provide information on the technological properties of clay materials directly relevant to the oil industry including

• Shale Hydration
• Hot Rolling Dispersion
• Shale Durability
• Bulk Hardness
• Capillary Suction Time
• Accretion
• Linear Swelling

CTU also has the capacity to determine other properties of clay materials including

• Exchangeable Cations
• Layer Charge
• Liquid/Plastic Limits
• Specific Surface Area
• Particle Size Distribution
• Pore Size Distribution
• Permeability
• Viscosity

Many of the above tests will be made with various generic fluids commonly used in drilling through geological formations, including brines, polymers, glycol and combinations thereof, the aim being to provide objective and independent advice concerning the use of appropriate fluids capable of combating the adverse effects that clay materials frequently cause. However, no specific branded fluids would be recommended.