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Bentonite QSE (sealing material)

Bentonite QSE (sealing material)

The QSE sealing material is a high-quality clay raw material in the form of pellets with a diameter of 6 mm or 8 mm and a length of 5-12 mm. On contact with water, QSE pellets increase their volume as a result of swelling, forming a homogeneous plastic mass used as a sealing material. It is assumed that ~1 litre of seal is obtained from 1 kg of QSE.

Application

There are numerous possibilities for using QSE pellets, provided that water is available in sufficient quantity and there are no obstacles to placing them at the spot to be sealed. 

The pellets are used wherever a plastic seal with a very low permeability coefficient (~10-8 m/s) needs to be created. The product works well both for sealing off aquifers in water wells and in all kinds of engineering works. After reaching its maximum degree of swelling, the material remains plastic and “cooperates” with the surrounding layers. However, it should be remembered that no permanent setting process takes place in this case. A seal exposed directly to weather conditions will tend to gradually release water and shrink, regaining its properties on renewed contact with water.

Physical properties

FORMPellets  6/8 mm dia. and 5-12mm
BULK DENSITY
SPECIFIC GRAVITY1,9-2,1 kg/l
HUMIDITYmax. 18%
WATER ABSORPTION120 – 150%
SWELLING PRESSUREmin. 12,5 kN/m2
PERMEABILITY10-12 m/s after 48 hours in a closed vessel at full water saturation.
SWELLING ONSET~15 min
SINKING RATE IN WATER~20 m/min

If there is a concern that QSE pellets may start swelling too early in the annular space, the pellets can be mixed with fine gravel, which will increase their sinking rate. The sealing material will “coat” the gravel, so no negative effects altering the permeability of the mixture will occur.
Due to the sinking rate and the swelling onset time, we do not recommend using QSE pellets in boreholes deeper than 300 m.

Packaging

QSE pellets are available in 25 kg foil bags (40 bags per pallet) or in so-called Big Bags (1000 kg).

NOTE

Once the bag has been opened, due to its high hygroscopicity,  the material must be stored in a dry place. 

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