If your mud engineer needs a viscosifier for a water-based system, or your frac crew needs a base gel polymer, guar gum powder is the product to order. As a guar gum powder supplier in Oman, we are based in Barka Industrial Area and list oilfield grade guar for drilling and frac work. Guar builds viscosity, helps control fluid loss and carries proppant. The grade you pick decides how fast it hydrates and how clean it breaks.
What Guar Gum Powder Is
Guar gum, also called guaran, is a galactomannan polysaccharide made from the endosperm of guar seeds (Cyamopsis tetragonoloba). It thickens and stabilises water. To make it, the seeds are dehusked, hydrated, milled and screened to suit the end use. The result is a free-flowing, off-white to cream powder that dissolves in cold water.
The molecule is a mannose backbone with galactose side branches. The mannose to galactose ratio is about 1.5 to 2:1, and the molecular weight is roughly 200,000 to 250,000. Guar is non-ionic and sensitive to strongly acidic media. For customs and paperwork, the identifiers are CAS 9000-30-0, EINECS 232-536-8 and HS code 1302.32. Much of the guar gum powder imported into Oman is technical-grade material from India.
Guar Gum as a Drilling Mud Viscosifier and Fluid Loss Additive
In water-based mud, guar works as a viscosifier and a fluid loss control additive. It is especially useful in salt-water muds. Drilling grade guar gum is also used as an additive in workover and completion fluids.
Native guar has limits you should plan around. It leaves high residue and gives a low yield point. It performs poorly at about 120 °C and above, and in high salinity of about 12 wt% NaCl and above. For deep, hot PDO wells or heavy brines, chemically modified guars are used instead. Your mud engineer may also want to compare guar against the other polymers in the programme.
Microbes can break down guar-based wellbore fluids and cut viscosity, so a biocide is often added to the mud. The right loading in lb/bbl depends on your mud weight, make-up water and target rheology. We recommend a pilot test in your own make-up water before you fix the dose on the rig.
Guar Gum for Fracturing Fluid: Base Gel, Crosslinking and Breakers
In hydraulic fracturing, oilfield grade guar gum is the main viscosifier and proppant carrier. It is typically hydrated at 20 to 40 lb/Mgal to give about 50 to 500 cP, and it helps control fluid leakoff. It works with borate, zirconate and titanate crosslinkers. Guar is also used as a slickwater friction reducer and as a viscosity builder in polymer-flood EOR.
A borate crosslinked guar gel forms only under alkaline conditions: pH above about 8, with an optimum of about 9.5 to 11.5. The crosslink can be reversed by changing pH. Adding too much borate lowers viscosity and causes lumpy gel and syneresis, so check your crosslinker ratio on the bench first.
After the job, guar gels are broken with oxidising breakers such as ammonium persulfate or peroxide. Conventional borate-crosslinked guar systems have limited temperature resistance, below about 160 °C. Derivatives such as hydroxypropyl guar (HPG) and carboxymethyl guar (CMG) are sold as separate grades.
Choosing a Grade: Standard or Fast Hydrating, 200 or 300 Mesh
Mesh is matched to use. About 100 mesh suits industrial and oilfield work, 200 mesh is standard, and 300 mesh is used for premium fast hydrating guar gum. Fast hydrating grades are surface treated, while standard hydrating grades are untreated. If your frac spread needs the gel to build quickly in line, a fast hydrating grade can cut the time spent waiting for the gel to hydrate.
Typical oilfield frac grades have at least 85% passing 200 mesh and moisture of 12% or less. High-purity grades have insoluble residue of 6% or less. Hydration viscosity is at least 30 cP at 30 minutes at a 30 lb/Mgal loading. High-purity grades, with galactomannan above about 75%, are preferred for oilfield use. For QC labs and bench tests we also list a guar gum endosperm powder for laboratory use.
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Part number (oilfield) | RXSOL-81-8129-025, Guar Gum Powder |
| Part number (laboratory) | RXSOL-60-6604-658, Guar Gum Powder of Endosperm |
| Application | Viscosifier and fluid loss control in water-based mud; base gel and proppant carrier in frac fluids; workover and completion fluids |
| Typical frac loading | 20 to 40 lb/Mgal, giving about 50 to 500 cP (typical for this product class) |
| Typical class specs | Galactomannan 80% or more; moisture 12% or less; pH 6.0 to 7.5 (1% solution); ash 1.5% or less; viscosity 3,000 to 6,000 cP (1% in water, 25 °C), depending on grade |
| Mesh options in the market | About 100, 200 or 300 mesh |
| Typical packing for the class | 25 kg multi-wall paper or PP bags; 750 kg to 1 MT FIBC jumbo bags |
| Shelf life | Typically 24 months from manufacture |
| Documents | Buyers of oilfield guar should ask for the COA, MSDS and TDS |
Storage, Handling and Safety in Oman Conditions
Store guar gum powder in sealed packaging in a cool, dry place and protect it from moisture. Keep containers tightly closed in a cool, well-ventilated place away from direct sunlight. In a Muscat or Duqm summer with coastal humidity, use a shaded store and keep the sacks on pallets, not on the floor. Reseal opened bags in the same shift so the powder does not pick up moisture and cake.
Guar gum powder becomes extremely slippery when wet, so spills on wet floors are a slip hazard. Sweep up dry powder before you hose down the mixing area. Fine guar dust can form combustible dust clouds, and settled dust is a fire hazard, so keep dust down with good housekeeping around the hopper.
Some drilling-additive guar products are classed as respiratory sensitisers, so wear dust masks or respirators during mixing. Guar is typically not regulated as dangerous goods for transport, which keeps trucking to interior sites simpler.
Guar Gum Powder Supplier in Oman: Ordering from Barka
The oilfield Guar Gum Powder product page lists part number RXSOL-81-8129-025. If you are building a complete mud order, ask us about the rest of our drilling fluids and mud chemicals range. In Oman, guar gum powder is commonly supplied in 25 kg and 50 kg bags. Tell us the packing you need and we will confirm it in the quote.
We are located in Barka Industrial Area. The same product is also listed on our Sohar site and on Muscat Chemical.
Before you place a PDO-linked order, ask for a certificate of analysis, MSDS and technical data sheet. Check that the batch number on the COA matches the bags you receive. Oman Chem (Muscat & Barka for Business Trading), Barka Industrial Area, Sultanate of Oman. Phone +968 77333599, WhatsApp +968 77333599, email muscatchem@gmail.com.
Frequently asked questions
What is guar gum powder used for in drilling mud?
It is a viscosifier and fluid loss control additive in water-based mud, and it is especially useful in salt-water muds. Add a biocide, because microbes can break guar down and cut viscosity.
What pH does a borate crosslinked guar gel need?
Borate crosslinks guar only under alkaline conditions, above about pH 8, with an optimum of about 9.5 to 11.5. Too much borate lowers viscosity and causes lumpy gel and syneresis.
What does fast hydrating guar gum mean?
Fast hydrating grades are surface treated. The finer 300 mesh premium grades are usually the fast hydrating ones. Standard hydrating grades are untreated, and 200 mesh is the standard size.
How should guar gum powder be stored in a hot, humid climate, and what is its shelf life?
Keep it in sealed packaging in a cool, dry, well-ventilated place away from direct sunlight and protect it from moisture. Typical shelf life is 24 months from manufacture.
Where can I buy guar gum powder in bulk in Muscat or Oman?
Contact Oman Chem in Barka Industrial Area on +968 77333599 or on WhatsApp. Ask for the COA, MSDS and technical data sheet with your quote.