Sodium chloride (halite) mineral scale threat assessment and scale inhibitor evaluation by two common jar test based methods

Abstract

Sodium chloride (halite) scale precipitation has become a serious operational threat to many industries. Although water dilution is the primary halite treatment method, water availability and water quality can be a significant challenge. Chemical inhibition as an alternative management approach can supplement water dilution, providing the needed halite scaling control. The most commonly adopted experimental methods to assess halite threat and to evaluate halite inhibitor performance are the static jar test methods. However, there are limited studies to systematically evaluate the accuracy and quality of these jar test based methods. In this study, temperature driven jar test (Method One) and brine mixing associated jar test (Method Two) methods were adopted for evaluation. These two methods were compared in terms of method accuracy and quality to assess halite threat. It shows that Method One is more applicable for halite scaling studies with a lower target saturation level. Method Two is more suitable for scenarios with a higher saturation level and/or demanding a greater accuracy. The study can be very beneficial to halite scale management and halite scale inhibitor selection. This can result in a considerable reduction in freshwater demand and the amount of produced water to be generated afterwards. The significance of this achievement is not only in operational cost saving but also in water resource preservation and water sustainability.