The use of ultrasound to reduce cathodic incrustation

Alternative technologies used to treat effluents from the petroleum industry have advanced in recent decades through the development of new physicochemical processes. Electrochemical processes such as electroflotation stand out among these advances. However, one problem remains unsolved—cathodic incrustation. This problem can increase the energy cost to maintain and operate the necessary equipment. The aim of this study is to minimize the incrustation in electrochemical cells used for the electroflotation of saline water produced by the oil industry via ultrasonic transducers operating at a frequency of 24 kHz. The optimal operating cycle of these transducers was found to occur during the electrochemical production of H2. The transducer efficiency in reducing cathodic incrustation was evaluated using the combined mass transfer coefficient (kdg‾). The reduction of cathodic incrustation was evaluated using the water hardness and incrustation indices from a synthetic solution with a composition similar to seawater. Finally we analyzed the morphology of the cathodic incrustation and identified its elements using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and EDS, respectively. One can conclude that the use of these devices can significantly reduce the cathodic incrustation. Enhanced performance can be achieved with improvements in the quality of the materials used, their geometry and the assembly design of the transducers.