The purpose of this work was to study of composition effect of ternary bentonite mixtures on the rheology of drilling fluids. Through the experimental design were defined the components proportions in the ternary clays mixtures and then adjusted regression models relating apparent and plastic viscosities and water loss, with the proportion of each clay. The application of mixture experimental design, include ternary composition, response surface methodology, graphic and mathematical optimization allowed to delimit a strip of compositions that favors the improvement of the rheological properties of the drilling fluids.
bentonite; clays mixtures; mixture experimental design; drilling fluids; optimization
