METHODS FOR PREVENTION AND REDUCTION OF SCALE FORMATION

• US 20110089115A1
• Filed: 06/01/2009
• Published: 04/21/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 06/02/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Imerys Filtration Minerals, Inc. (Parjointco N.V.)
• Original Assignee: World Minerals Incorporated (Parjointco N.V.)
• Inventors: Lu, Jie
• Granted Patent: US 8,623,273 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 210/683
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 1/281 using inorganic sorbents
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 2103/023 Water in cooling circuits
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 5/00 Softening water; Preventing scale; Adding scale preventatives or scale removers to water, e.g. adding sequestering agents softening using ion-exchange C02F1/42
• CPC Class Codes: C23F 14/02 by chemical means
• CPC Class Codes: F28F 19/00 Preventing the formation of deposits or corrosion, e.g. by using filters or scrapers

Abstract

Disclosed herein are methods of preventing or reducing scale formation or corrosion by combining at least one scale-forming fluid comprising at least one scaling compound with at least one anti-scale material chosen from at least one scale-adsorbent agent. The methods may reduce or prevent the formation of scale on surfaces of liquid-related process equipment, such as boilers and heat exchangers.

Claims

1. A method of preventing or reducing scale formation or corrosion comprising combining at least one particulate scale-adsorbent agent with at least one scale-forming fluid comprising at least one scaling compound.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one particulate scale-adsorbent agent is at least one silicate material.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the at least one silicate material is a calcium silicate material.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the at least one silicate material is a magnesium silicate material.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein the silicate material is a synthetic silicate material.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the synthetic silicate material is derived from diatomaceous earth.

7. The method of claim 2, wherein the at least one silicate material is at least one glass

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the at least one glass is cullet.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the at least one glass is selected from the group consisting of soda lime glass and calcium aluminosilicate glass.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one particulate scale-adsorbent agent is chosen from the group consisting of diatomaceous earth, silica gel, cellulose powder, vermiculite, wollastonite, zeolite, halloysite, smectite, and kaolin and other clays.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one particulate scale-adsorbent agent is added to the at least one scale-forming fluid in an amount ranging from about 0.01 g/L to about 20 g/L.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the at least one particulate scale-adsorbent agent is added in an amount of about 0.05 g/L to about 0.5 g/L.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one particulate scale-adsorbent agent has a BET surface area of from about 5 to about 500 m²/g.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the at least one particulate scale-adsorbent agent has a BET surface area of from about 50 to about 200 m²/g.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one anti-scale material has a median particle size ranging from about 1 to about 50 microns.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one scaling compound is at least one inorganic salt.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the at least one inorganic salt is chosen from the group consisting of calcium carbonate, calcium sulfate, calcium oxalate, magnesium carbonate, calcium phosphate, barium carbonate, barium phosphate, and barium sulfate.

18. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one scaling compound is at least one scale-forming ion.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the at least one scale-forming ion is chosen from the group consisting of Ca²⁺, Mg²⁺, Ba²⁺, Sr²⁺, Na⁺, K⁺, OH⁻

, NO₃⁻

, CO₃²⁻

, SO₄²⁻

, PO₄³⁻

, HPO₄²⁻

, H₂PO₄⁻

, C₂O₄²⁻

, SiO₃²⁻

, F⁻

, and Cl⁻

.

20. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one scaling compound is silica.

21. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one scale-forming fluid is contained within at least one fluid handling system.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein the at least one fluid handling system is chosen from the group consisting of a boiler, an evaporator, a reactor, a cooling tower, a water system, a heat exchanger, a pipe, a filter, a membrane surface, and a secondary oil recovery unit.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein at least one surface of the at least one fluid handling system is made of a material chosen from the group consisting of plastic, glass, wood, and metal.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein the metal is stainless steel.

25. The method of claim 1, where the presence of the at least one anti-scale material moderates the hardness and/or alkalinity of the scale-forming liquid.

26. A method of preventing or reducing scale formation, comprising:

providing at least one scale-forming fluid comprising at least one scaling compound;

providing at least one particulate scale-adsorbent agent to the at least one scale-forming fluid; and

allowing the at least one scale-adsorbent agent to adsorb the at least one scaling compound.

27. The method of claim 26, wherein the at least one particulate scale-adsorbent agent is at least one silicate material.

28. The method of claim 27, wherein the at least one silicate material is a calcium silicate material.

29. The method of claim 27, wherein the at least one silicate material is a synthetic silicate material.

30. The method of claim 26, wherein the at least one particulate scale-adsorbent material is chosen from the group consisting of diatomaceous earth, silica gel, cellulose powder, vermiculite, and kaolin clay.

31. The method of claim 26, wherein the at least one particulate scale-adsorbent agent is added in an amount ranging from about 0.01 g/L to about 2 g/L.

32. The method of claim 31, wherein the at least one particulate scale-adsorbent agent is added in an amount ranging from about 0.05 g/L to about 0.5 g/L.

33. The method of claim 26, wherein the at least one scaling compound is at least one inorganic salt.

34. The method of claim 33, wherein the at least one inorganic salt is chosen from the group consisting of calcium carbonate, calcium sulfate, calcium oxalate, magnesium carbonate, calcium phosphate, and barium sulfate.

35. The method of claim 26, wherein the at least one scaling compound is at least one scale-forming ion.

36. The method of claim 35, wherein the at least one scale-forming ion is chosen from the group consisting of Ca²⁺, Mg²⁺, Ba²⁺, Sr²⁺, Na⁺, K⁺, OH⁻

, NO₃⁻

, CO₃²⁻

, SO₄²⁻

, PO₄³⁻

, HPO₄²⁻

, H₂PO₄⁻

, C₂O₄²⁻

, SiO₃²⁻

, F⁻

, and Cl⁻

.

37. The method of claim 26, wherein the at least one scaling compound is silica.

38. The method of claim 26, wherein the at least one scale-forming fluid is provided within at least one fluid handling system.

39. The method of claim 38, wherein the at least one fluid handling system is chosen from the group consisting of a boiler, an evaporator, a reactor, a water system, a heat exchanger, a pipe, a filter, a membrane surface, a cooling tower, and a secondary oil recovery unit.

40. The method of claim 38, wherein a surface of the at least one fluid handling system is made of a material chosen from the group consisting of plastic, glass, and metal.

41. The method of claim 40, wherein the metal is stainless steel.

42. The method of claim 26, wherein the step of providing the at least one particulate scale-adsorbent agent comprises adding at least one particulate scale-adsorbent agent to the at least one scale-forming fluid.

43. The method of claim 26, wherein the step of providing the at least one particulate scale-adsorbent agent comprises:

providing at least one anti-scale precursor material to the at least one scale-forming fluid comprising at least one second scaling compound; and

co-precipitating the at least one scale co-precipitation agent with the at least one second scaling compound to form the at least one particulate scale-adsorbent agent.

44. The method of claim 43, wherein the at least one anti-scale precursor material is chosen from the group consisting of hydrated lime, sodium phosphate, and sodium silicate.

45. The method of claim 26, wherein the adsorbed at least one scaling compound is suspended in the at least one scaling fluid.

46. The method of claim 26, wherein the at least one particulate scale-adsorbent agent has a BET surface area of from about 5 to about 500 m²/g.

47. The method of claim 46, wherein the at least one particulate scale-adsorbent agent has a BET surface area of from about 50 to about 200 m²/g.

48. The method of claim 47, wherein the at least one particulate scale-adsorbent agent has a BET surface area of from about 100 to about 200 m²/g.

49. A method of preventing or reducing scale formation, comprising:

providing at least one scale-forming fluid comprising at least one scaling compound in the form of at least one scale crystal;

providing at least one particulate scale-adsorbent agent to the at least one scale-forming fluid; and

allowing the at least one scale-adsorbent agent to distort the at least one scale crystal and disperse the distorted crystal.

50. The method of claim 49, wherein the at least one particulate scale-adsorbent material is chosen from the group consisting of silicate material, diatomaceous earth, silica gel, cellulose powder, vermiculite, and kaolin clay.

51. The method of claim 49, wherein the at least one particulate scale-adsorbent agent is added in an amount ranging from about 0.01 g/L to about 2 g/L.

52. The method of claim 49, wherein the at least one scaling compound is at least one inorganic salt.

53. The method of claim 52, wherein the at least one inorganic salt is chosen from the group consisting of calcium carbonate, calcium sulfate, calcium oxalate, magnesium carbonate, calcium phosphate, and barium sulfate.

54. The method of claim 49, wherein the at least one scaling compound is at least one scale-forming ion.

55. The method of claim 54, wherein the at least one scale-forming ion is chosen from the group consisting of Ca²⁺, Mg²⁺, Ba²⁺, Sr²⁺, Na⁺, K⁺, OH⁻

, NO₃⁻

, CO₃²⁻

, SO₄²⁻

, PO₄³⁻

, HPO₄²⁻

, H₂PO₄⁻

, C₂O₄²⁻

, SiO₃²⁻

, F⁻

, and Cl⁻

.

56. The method of claim 49, wherein the at least one scaling compound is silica.