Study on the Effect of Surface Properties of Non-Metallic Materials on the Growth Mechanism of Crystallization Fouling

Abstract

In order to alleviate the serious problem of scaling in oilfield water injection pipelines, we developed a scale collection device and applied it in the field based on the idea to “change passive descaling to active descaling”, but the effect is not stable, so we need to improve the descaling effect. Firstly, this paper analyzed the effect of surface physical properties of eight non-metallic materials on CaCO3 scale growth and their mechanisms through shear experiments. Then, the influence of surface properties (roughness, contact angle, surface energy) on the scale growth characteristics was investigated. Finally, the influence of material surface properties on the friction coefficient was studied by a cyclic experiment. The results showed that except for PTFE (polytetrafluoroethylene), the fouling amount of the other seven materials changed abruptly at 18 h, and the maximum fouling amount of FRP was 2.05 g/m3. It was found by scanning electron microscopy that the fouling particles on the surface of FRP were interconnected and presented in the form of flakes, which was related to the larger surface wettability, surface energy, and roughness. At the same time, the surface properties of the material have a certain relationship with the friction coefficient, and the influence of the contact angle on the friction coefficient is greater than the surface energy and roughness.