1. n. [Drilling Fluids]

A type of mud that contains the three components that form a chemical buffer, whether by design or by coincidence. Buffering results from components that react with the added OH^- ions (or added H⁺ ions) forming slightly soluble or slightly ionized compounds. Water is one component of a buffer and various ions are the other components, such as bicarbonates, carbonates, lignite, lignosulfonate, silicate and sulfide. Clay solids are buffers because of their ability to accept or donate H⁺ ions on their surface. The pH of a buffered mud will not increase as fast as expected after addition of caustic soda, for example.

See related terms: alkalinity,  bicarbonate,  carbonate ion,  silicate anion,  silicate mud