A CONVENIENT, LOW COST LABORATORY PROTOCOL FOR SCREENING SCALE INHIBITORS

摘要

A convenient protocol for screening the potential efficacy of scale inhibitors is described. All of the techniques used require relatively inexpensive equipment. Two types of scale are addressed in this paper, calcium carbonate and calcium oxalate, but the general procedures are expected to be applicable to inhibitor screening for others as well. The screening tests used include a turbidity/light scattering method that requires only a simple spectrophotometer. Another simple measurement was the hot surface deposition of scale formed in situ from hot solutions utilizing heating elements with matched heat fluxes. In addition, it was found that conventional optical microscopy can provide valuable information concerning the ability of scale inhibitor candidates to disrupt nascent crystal symmetry and generate particulate geometries that are amenable to dispersion (rather than surface deposition). These experimentally convenient procedures provide information that is of value in assessing the potential of various chemical moieties to inhibit harmful scale and/or deposition development.