A major challenge faced by the oil and gas industry is the minimisation of scale formation within installation; new regulations are requiring conventional scale inhibition strategies to be replaced by environmental friendly ones such as anti-fouling surfaces or green inhibitors.In this study, the ability of different surfaces to reduce or modify calcium carbonate was assessed with the final objective being to understand what constitutes a surface that minimises the potential for scaling. A range of chemically and morphologically modified surfaces have been selected (from bio-inspired nano-structured polymer surfaces to silanized stainless steel) for calcium carbonate bulk scale deposition experiments. Bulk scale precipitation was monitored using turbidity and ions selective electrodes measurements while scale surface deposition were studied using surface analyses (XRD, EDX, SEM).The study has shown that compared to flat steel the polymer surfaces all reduce scale deposition. By analyzing the range of scaling behaviours observed within the surfaces tested some initial suggestions of the controlling factors in deposition on these systems are made and discussed.

Influence of substrate on formation of calcium carbonate in the bulk and on the surface

244th National Meeting (2012)

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