A cement retarder is not a finished well-cement blend. It is the ligand that keeps slurry pumpable at bottomhole temperature. Esteem’s concrete additive table is three glucoheptonate grades. Specify BHCT and physical form, then the salt—not one tote for every slurry.
What the Concrete-Additive Table Is For
Oilfield primary and remedial cementing needs a retarder that survives high temperature. Esteem publishes H-Quest C 100, H-Quest L 50, and H-Quest Calcium Glucoheptonate for formulating cement retarders. C 100 is called out for formulated retarders stable above 200 °C (400 °F). This guide maps those grades. It is not an API cement-class certificate or a construction-admixture dose book.
Esteem Grades by Form
| Grade (as listed) | Composition | Start here when |
|---|---|---|
| H-Quest C 100 | Crystalline sodium glucoheptonate (100%) | High-temperature retarder solids; >200 °C note |
| H-Quest L 50 | Liquid sodium glucoheptonate (50%) | Liquid dosing into retarder packages |
| H-Quest Calcium Glucoheptonate | Calcium glucoheptonate (38%) | Retarder plus concrete-particle dispersant |
Thermal Stability vs Liquid Handling vs Calcium Salt
H-Quest C 100 is the crystalline 100% sodium salt with the high-temperature stability comment for formulated retarders. H-Quest L 50 is the 50% liquid analogue—same job family, different handling and active assay. Calcium glucoheptonate (38%) adds a dispersant comment for concrete particles. All three rows also mention volume increase, compressive strength, plasticity, and inhibition of corrosion on metal in reinforced concrete. Verify those in your slurry and rebar tests; the product page is not a substitute for thickening-time charts.
Do not confuse this table with chelant selection for produced-water metals. That map is HEDTA vs glucoheptonate vs TSS on chelating agents.
Match Slurry Need to the Named Salt
| Need | Start with (as listed) | Do not assume |
|---|---|---|
| High-temperature retarder solids; >200 °C / 400 °F note | H-Quest C 100 (crystalline sodium glucoheptonate 100%) | That C 100 is a finished Class G blend |
| Liquid dosing into a retarder package | H-Quest L 50 (liquid sodium glucoheptonate 50%) | 2× L 50 equals C 100 without a slurry test |
| Retarder plus concrete-particle dispersant | H-Quest Calcium Glucoheptonate (38%) | The calcium salt is a 1:1 sodium swap |
| Produced-water metal chelation | Chelating-agent guide, not this table | A cement retarder as a scale chelant by default |
Well Cementing vs Construction Concrete
The oil and gas hub lists these grades because well cementing needs a retarder that stays pumpable at bottomhole temperature. H-Quest C 100’s published thermal-stability note (formulated retarders above 200 °C / 400 °F) is the oilfield reason this page exists. Construction concrete can still use the same chemistry family for set control and the table’s plasticity, volume, strength, and rebar-corrosion comments. Say well cementing versus construction on the request so the trial is not judged on the wrong thickening-time schedule.
None of the three grades replaces fluid-loss additive, weighting agent, or gas-migration control. They are retarder and dispersant building blocks. A slurry that is pumpable but weeps, settles, or channels is not a retarder success. Run thickening time, free water, and compatibility with the rest of the cement package on the cement class you will pump.
Assay, Handling, and What Not to Scale
C 100 is 100% crystalline; L 50 is 50% liquid; calcium glucoheptonate is listed at 38%. Dose on active and confirm in the slurry. Liquid L 50 is easier to meter; it is not automatically “milder” or “safer at temperature” than C 100. The high-temperature comment sits on the crystalline sodium grade’s formulated-retarder language. Repeat the thickening-time chart if you change salt, assay, or cement class.
Foam in mix water is a defoamer problem, not a reason to change glucoheptonate salt. Corrosion of tubulars in produced fluids is a corrosion-inhibitor problem, not the rebar-corrosion comment on this table. Keep those briefs on their own guides.
Thickening Time, BHCT, and Cement Class
Well cementing needs slurry that remains pumpable at bottomhole circulating temperature, then develops strength after placement. H-Quest C 100 is crystalline sodium glucoheptonate 100%, described as thermally stable above 200 °C (400 °F) in formulated cement retarders. That published note is why the oil and gas hub carries this chemistry. It is still a building block. It is not a finished Class G or Class H blend, and it is not an API certificate on this page.
H-Quest L 50 is liquid sodium glucoheptonate 50% for the same retarder-formulating job when metering a liquid is easier. Doubling L 50 because the label says 50% is not a published conversion. Active matter, water in the liquid, and the cement class still decide thickening time. Repeat the chart if you change assay, salt, or cement. Construction concrete can use the same family for set control; it will not use a well-cement thickening-time schedule. Say well versus construction on the request.
Sodium vs Calcium and What the Table Also Claims
H-Quest Calcium Glucoheptonate is listed at 38% as a cement-retarder ingredient that also acts as a dispersant for concrete particles. The table repeats volume, compressive strength, plasticity, and corrosion inhibition of metal in reinforced concrete across these grades. Treat those lines as published comments to verify in your design—not as a skip of free-water, settling, and compressive-strength tests. A slurry that is pumpable but weeps or channels is not a retarder success.
Fluid-loss additive, weighting agent, and gas-migration control remain separate. Compatibility with those additives belongs on the same lab sheet as thickening time. Foam in mix water belongs on the defoamer table. Tubular corrosion in produced fluids belongs on the corrosion-inhibitor guide, not on the rebar-corrosion comment here. Produced-water metal chelation belongs on the chelating-agent guide, not on a cement-retarder PO.
Dose on active. Crystalline C 100, liquid L 50, and 38% calcium salt will not occupy the same kilogram of slurry at the same set delay. Share BHCT, slurry density, and cement class when you request named H-Quest grades.
How to Specify with Esteem
- Name well cementing vs construction concrete, BHCT, and slurry density.
- State crystalline vs liquid preference and sodium vs calcium salt.
- Request H-Quest C 100 vs L 50 vs calcium glucoheptonate as named grades.
- Run thickening time, free water, and compatibility with fluid-loss additives; do not scale a lab cup to a long-string cement job without a repeat.
Related oilfield chemistry: corrosion inhibitors, drilling lubricity aids, oilfield defoamers (foam in mix water is a different problem).
Contact Esteem for samples, or custom synthesis for a non-catalogue retarder window.