05/18/2026
This is what bentonite mixing still looks like on a lot of drill sites.
Low shear, low energy, zero hydration.
The bentonite particles are getting wet — but they're not hydrating. Without high-shear mixing, the clay platelets never fully separate and expand. You end up with a fluid that looks like mud and performs like water.
And that creates a cascade of problems:
→ Poor viscosity means poor cuttings suspension. Cuttings drop and pack the annulus.
→ Inadequate filter cake leaves the borehole wall unprotected. You get sloughing, caving, and stuck tooling.
→ You use more bentonite to compensate — and it still doesn't work.
→ Downtime. Remediation. Cost.
Drilling fluid isn't just something you mix up and pump down the hole. It's doing critical work: stabilizing the borehole, lubricating the bit, and carrying cuttings to surface. If the fluid isn't properly hydrated, none of that happens effectively.
The fix isn't complicated — it's high-shear mixing equipment that actually does what the name implies.
If your mud program is built on improperly hydrated bentonite, you're not drilling — you're hoping.
www.stsmixers.com
