COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS IN PHYSICO-CHEMICAL PROPERTIES OF LOCALLY AVAILABLE BENTONITE AND IMPORTED WYOMING BENTONITE USED IN GEOTHERMAL DRILLING IN KENYA

Abstract

Kenya’s economy like other economies in the world relies heavily on electric power for industrialdevelopment. Due to ever increasing demand for energy, efforts towards more energy production have beengiven priority. This has been hampered by impacts of climate change worldwide which has led to thediversification in investments in both renewable and non renewable energy sources. The energy sector iscurrently attracting a lot of focus due to its critical role in driving economic development. Geothermal is oneof the renewable energy sources available for electric power generation in Kenya. Most of the drillingequipment and consumables in geothermal drilling are imported; these includes drilling bits, drilling rods,drilling rigs and Bentonite (drilling mud). These increases the drilling costs and eventual costs of electricity tothe consumer. There is need to look for ways of reducing costs that are involved in the drilling of geothermalresources by obtaining materials locally. The objective of this study was to assess the suitability of localBentonite which can be used as a drilling mud in geothermal development in Kenya. This involved acomparative analysis of the physico-chemical properties of imported Wyoming Bentonite and localBentonite. Samples were collected from the Parminters and the Krigers field in the Lewa Wildlifeconservancy and were analysed in laboratories at the Kenya Electricity Generating Company in OlkariaNaivasha, Ministry of Natural resources and the Ministry of Public works. The tests carried out were; on tracemetals, specific gravity and cation exchange capacity. The study results show that there was no difference inphysico-chemical properties between the local Bentonite and the imported Wyoming Bentonite. The studyrecommends that geothermal drilling operations in Kenya should substitute the imported Bentonite for localBentonite to save on drilling costs.