Cenospheres

Cenospheres

What Is A Cenosphere?

The word cenosphere comes from two Greek words: kenos (hollow) and sphaira (sphere). Cenospheres are in fact hollow lightweight alumino-silicate bubbles. Cenospheres are also known as hollow spheres, microspheres, cennaspheres and hohlkugeln.

A cenosphere is a lightweight, inert, hollow sphere comprised largely of silica and alumina and filled with air and/or gases. cenospheres are a naturally occurring by-product of the burning process at coal-fired power plants,and they have most of the same properties as manufactured hollow-sphered products.

The spherical shape of cenospheres improves flowability in most applications and provides a more even distribution of the filler material. The natural properties of cenospheres make it possible to use them either in dry or wet slurry form. cenospheres are easy to handle and provide a low surface area-to-volume ratio. due to their inert properties, they are not affected by solvents, water, acids, or alkalis. cenospheres are 75% lighter than other minerals currently used as a filler or extender and are 30 % lighter than most resins.

Applications:

Cenospheres have been used in oilfield cementing for quite long time. During a cementing job, cenospheres act to decrease the slurry density without increasing the water content. this in turn provides better compressive strength to the cement.