List five (5) type of the drilling fluid additive and describe the purpose of each of the additives

Weighting Agents

The most important weighting additive in drilling fluids is barium sulfate (BaSO4). Barite is a dense
mineral comprising barium sulfate. The specific gravity of barite is at least 4.20 g/cm3 to meet API
specifications for producing mud densities from 9 to 19 lbm/gal

Fluid-Loss-Control Addictives

Clays, dispersants, and polymers such as starch are widely used as fluid-loss-control additives.
Sodium montmorillonite (bentonite) is the primary fluid-loss-control additive in most waterbased
drilling fluids. The colloidal-sized sodium-bentonite particles are very thin and sheetlike or platelike
with a large surface area, and they form a compressible filter cake. Inhibitive mud systems inhibit the
hydration of bentonite and greatly diminish its effectiveness. Therefore, bentonite should be
prehydrated in fresh water before being added to these systems. The larger and thicker particles of
sodium montmorillonite do not exhibit the same fluid-loss-control characteristics.

Thinners or Dispersants

Although the original purpose in applying certain substances called thinners was to reduce flow
resistance and gel development (related to viscosity reduction), the modern use of dispersants or
thinners is to improve fluid-loss control and reduce filter cake thickness. Dispersants are chemical
materials that reduce the tendency of the mud to coagulate into a mass of particles or “floc cells”. In
addition, some dispersants contribute to fluid-loss control by plugging or bridging tiny openings in
the filter cake.

Lost-Circulation Materials

In mud parlance, losses of whole drilling fluid to subsurface formation are called lost circulation.
Circulation in a drilling well can be lost into highly permeable sandstones, natural or induced
formation fractures, and cavernous zones; such a loss is generally induced by excessive drilling-fluid
pressures. Drilling mud flowing into the formation implies a lack of mud returning to the surface after
being pumped down a well.

Surfactants or Surface-Active Agents

A surface-active agent is a soluble organic compound that concentrates on the surface boundary
between two dissimilar substances and diminishes the surface tension between them. The molecular
structure of surfactants is made of dissimilar groups having opposing solubility tendencies such as
hydrophobic and hydrophilic. They are commonly used in the oil industry as additives to water-based
drilling fluid to change the colloidal state of the clay from that of complete dispersion to one of
controlled flocculation.