Barite Plugs
A barite plug is a slurry of barite in fresh water or diesel oil which is spotted in the hole to form a barite bridge that will seal the flow and allow control of the well to be re-established.
The plug is displaced through the drillstring and, if conditions allow, the string is pulled up to a safe point above the plug. The barite settles out rapidly to form an impermeable mass capable of shutting off high rates of flow.
The effectiveness of a barite plug derives from the high density and . . .