Alternating magnetic field influence on scaling in pump diffusers

- Permanent magnet favourable the formation of aragonite and inhibits the calcite.
- The magnet fields intensity has an important influence on CaCO3 transformation.
- The precipitate after using magnet is in powdered and easily removable form.

This paper examines the influence of alternating magnetic fields on water scale precipitation on diffusers in vertical multistage pumps in real drinking water systems. The exact conditions in pumping stations were simulated in the laboratory using in-house techniques. The testing device consists of two lines, the first a control line and the other for testing, where a permanent magnet was installed. The influence of magnetic fields intensity, post-magnetisation time, temperature and saturation index on calcium carbonate nucleation and crystallisation was studied. The precipitate was analysed using X-ray powder diffraction (XRD) and a scanning electron microscope (SEM). It was found that the precipitate in water from the control line was in the form of calcite, while after the magnet treatment it was in the form of a non-adhesive aragonite powder that could be easily removed with the turbulent flow through the pump diffuser. The results suggest that the magnetic field has a noticeable effect on the transforming process of clusters in the solutions.

SEM micrograph of precipitate from pump diffusor from pumping station and after magnet treatment.196