Pilot plant experiments and modeling of CaCO3 growth inhibition by the use of antiscalant polymers in recirculating cooling circuits

An adsorption-based model was proposed to quantify the inhibition of precipitation kinetics with respect to the process operating conditions and water qualities. Then, the model was validated at a wide range of polymer concentrations, temperatures, and water qualities, representative of industrial systems. A small amount of polymer was sufficient to affect bulk-scale prevention, albeit the efficiency became constant at high polymer concentrations. Under these conditions, a complementary treatment such as acid injection is necessary.