In the petroleum industry, barytes provides the main ingredient in "mud" - the mix of chemicals used for drilling. This is because the liquid column in the well must be heavy to balance the underground pressure, and a high specific gravity comes in useful. The weight additive represents 80-90 per cent of total chemical consumption in drilling, and barytes accordingly accounts for the bulk of the compounds which can be discharged to the sea.
Barite heavyweight additive is a barium sulfate material used to weight drilling muds and cement slurries. Typically, 85 to 90% of barite additive will pass through a 325-mesh sieve.
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