Performance and mechanism of 1-hydroxy ethylidene-1,1-diphosphonic acid and 2-phosphonobutane-1,2,4-tricarboxylic acid in the inhibition of calcium carbonate scale

Research on the inhibitory properties and mechanism of carboxymethyl cellulose-modified sulfur quantum dots towards calcium sulfate and calcium carbonate

An eco-friendly antimicrobial sulfur quantum dot scale inhibitor (CMC-SQDs) synthesized using carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) showed strong inhibition of calcium sulfate (CaSO4) at a concentration just below 1 mg/L, with an inhibition efficiency exceeding 99 %. However, the precise interaction process between CMC-SQDs and CaSO4 remains unclear. This article investigates the effectiveness of SQDs in inhibiting the formation of CaSO4 and calcium carbonate (CaCO3) scales. Through static scale inhibition tests, molecular dynamics simulations, and quantum chemical calculations, the study aims to elucidate the different impacts of CMC-SQDs on CaSO4 and CaCO3 scale formation. The research focuses on understanding the relationship between the structural activity of CMC-SQDs and their scale-inhibiting performance and delving into the underlying mechanisms of scale inhibition. The findings describe the role of SQDs in a water-based solution, acting as persistent "nanodusts" that interact with calcium (Ca2+) ions and sulfate ions. CMC forms complexes with Ca2+ ions, and the presence of SQDs enhances the van der Waals force, indirectly increasing the resistance of associated ions and the binding energy on the surface of precipitated gypsum. Conversely, SQDs exhibit weak surface stability and have minimal binding energy when interacting with calcite, leading to limited occupation of available adsorption sites.

A structure-property study for konjac glucomannan and guar galactomannan: Selective carboxylation and scale inhibition

The effect of structural difference for konjac glucomannan (KGM) and guar galactomannan (GGM) on their physicochemical properties including selective carboxylation, biodegradation and scale inhibition was firstly investigated. Compared with GGM, KGM can be specially modified by amino acid to prepare carboxyl-functionalized polysaccharides. The structure-activity relationship explaining the difference in carboxylation activity and the anti-scaling abilities of polysaccharides and carboxylated derivatives were explored by static anti-scaling, iron oxide dispersion and biodegradation tests coupled with structural and morphological characterizations. KGM with linear structure was preferred for carboxylated modification by glutamic acid (KGMG) and aspartic acid (KGMA) while GGM with branched structure failed to accomplish that due to steric hindrance. GGM and KGM showed limited scale inhibition performance, which was probably attributed to the moderate adsorption and isolation effect of macromolecular stereoscopic structure. While KGMA and KGMG performed as effective and degradable inhibitors for CaCO₃ scale with inhibitory efficiencies > 90 %.

Review of Phosphorus-Based Polymers for Mineral Scale and Corrosion Control in Oilfield

Production chemistry is an important field in the petroleum industry to study the physicochemical changes in the production system and associated impact on production fluid flow from reservoir to topsides facilities. Mineral scale deposition and metal corrosion are among the top three water-related production chemistry threats in the petroleum industry, particularly for offshore deepwater and shale operations. Mineral scale deposition is mainly driven by local supersaturation due to operational condition change and/or mixing of incompatible waters. Corrosion, in contrast, is an electrochemical oxidation–reduction process with local cathodic and anodic reactions taking place on metal surfaces. Both mineral scaling and metal corrosion can lead to severe operational risk and financial loss. The most common engineering solution for oilfield scale and corrosion control is to deploy chemical inhibitors, including scale inhibitors and corrosion inhibitors. In the past few decades, various chemical inhibitors have been prepared and applied for scaling and corrosion control. Phosphorus-based polymers are an important class of chemical inhibitors commonly adopted in oilfield operations. Due to the versatile molecular structures of these chemicals, phosphorus-based polymeric inhibitors have the advantage of a higher calcium tolerance, a higher thermal stability, and a wider pH tolerance range compared with other types of inhibitors. However, there are limited review articles to cover these polymeric chemicals for oilfield scale and corrosion control. To address this gap, this review article systematically reviews the synthesis, laboratory testing, and field applications of various phosphorus-based polymeric inhibitors in the oil and gas industry. Future research directions in terms of optimizing inhibitor design are also discussed. The objective is to keep the readers abreast of the latest development in the synthesis and application of these materials and to bridge chemistry knowledge with oilfield scale and corrosion control practice.

Synthesis of polyaspartic acid-capped 2-aminoethylamino acid as a green water treatment agent and study of its inhibition performance and mechanism for calcium scales

Polyaspartic acid (PASP), a well-known green scale inhibitor for industrial water treatment, might be decomposed with prolonged duration, and its anti-scaling performance against CaCO₃ and CaSO₄ is diminished at a low concentration (<10 mg L⁻¹) and a high temperature. With semi-ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) tetrasodium salt as the mimicking model, novel phosphorus-free PASP-capped 2-aminoethylamino acid (PASP–ED₂A) containing side chains bearing multi-functional groups is rationally designed and successfully prepared via the ring-opening reaction of cheap poly(succinimide) under mild reaction conditions with the assistance of readily available 2-aminoethyl amino acid. The static scale inhibition method is used to evaluate the scale inhibition performance of the as-synthesized PASP derivative. Scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy are utilized to monitor the crystallization process of calcium carbonate and calcium sulfate scales, and density functional theory calculations are conducted to shed light on the relationship between the molecular structure and scale inhibition mechanism of PASP–ED₂A. Results show that the as-prepared PASP–ED₂A shows better scale inhibition performance for CaCO₃ and CaSO₄ than PASP with a low concentration, a high temperature, and an extended duration. Particularly, PASP–ED₂A with a concentration of 10 mg L⁻¹ exhibits the best scale inhibition performance for CaCO₃; its scale inhibition capacity is about two times as much as that of PASP. The reason lies in that the coordination atoms in the molecular structure of PASP–ED₂A can chelate with Ca²⁺ to inhibit the combination of Ca²⁺ with anions and prevent the generation of CaCO₃ and CaSO₄ scales. The PASP–ED₂A derivative can more efficiently retard the formation and growth of CaCO₃ and CaSO₄ crystal nuclei and exerts better inhibition performance against CaCO₃ and CaSO₄ scales than PASP.

A novel phosphorus-free PASP–ED₂A antiscalant exhibits good scale inhibition performance against calcium scale at a low concentration or a high temperature, better than that of PASP.