An integrated radiotracer approach for the laboratory evaluation of scale inhibitors performance in geological environments

The applicability of a newly developed radiotracer technique as a reliable laboratory procedure for the evaluation of scale inhibitors performance to prevent mineral precipitation is demonstrated. The performance of two new environmentally friendly inhibitors to prevent calcite and barite scale was...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Chemical engineering science 2006-11, Vol.61 (21), p.7057-7067
Main Authors: Stamatakis, E., Chatzichristos, C., Sagen, J., Stubos, A.K., Palyvos, I., Muller, J., Stokkan, J.-A.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adsorption
Applied sciences
Chemical engineering
Desorption
Exact sciences and technology
Inhibition
Porous media
Precipitation
Radiotracer
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Summary:The applicability of a newly developed radiotracer technique as a reliable laboratory procedure for the evaluation of scale inhibitors performance to prevent mineral precipitation is demonstrated. The performance of two new environmentally friendly inhibitors to prevent calcite and barite scale was evaluated experimentally in connection with a standard phosphonate-type scale inhibitor using the radioactive tracer technology. The radiotracers 47Ca and 131Ba were employed in order to monitor at real-time calcite and barite scale formation, respectively. The results show that the developed radiotracer technique can be established as a novel method for the determination of the minimum inhibitor concentration (MIC) under dynamic, reservoir conditions. In addition, the radioactive tritiated water (HTO) was used as a reference water tracer to identify the inhibitors’ properties, such as adsorption/desorption characteristics, in sandpack-flooding tests. Further issues regarding the implementation of the radiotracer technology for the laboratory evaluation of scale inhibitors performance are also discussed.
ISSN:0009-2509
1873-4405
DOI:10.1016/j.ces.2006.07.034