Rheological characteristics of aqueous waxy hull-less barley (WHB) solutions

This paper offers a comprehensive, comparative study of rheological properties of aqueous solutions of waxy hull-less barley (WHB). Rheological properties of aqueous WHB solutions were compared to hydrocolloid systems prepared by using sodium bentonite, Xanthan Gum, and cellulosic biopolymer (CMC), which are some of the most common additives used for formulating drilling fluids in the oil and gas industry. Samples were prepared at various concentrations in freshwater and saline solutions, and tested for temperature aging at 90 °C. Viscosity measurements at various shear rates were performed on each sample. WHB performed reasonably well as a viscosifying agent, especially in saline, high temperature environments.