Association of Anion-Cation and Calcite Scale Inhibition Study by a Synthesized Copolymer in Aqueous Medium

The formation of mineral scale is a persistent and expensive problem in the oil and gas industry. Frequent well cleaning contributes to major increase in operating cost. In order to minimize the formation of scale deposits, threshold scale inhibitor treatment is a common practice in oil industry. Synthetic copolymers with active functional groups have been proven to be efficient scale inhibitors which work well in the threshold level. In this work we present synthesis and scale inhibiting properties of a new compound, a low molecular weight p-amino benzene sulphonic acid co- acrylic acid. GPC and FT-IR were employed for molecular characterization; scale inhibition efficiency was studied through static jar test, dynamic tube block method and also through electrochemical technique such as constant potential electrolysis. SEM analysis demonstrated inhibited and un-inhibited crystal morphology. Complete scale inhibition was possible at a low dose of 15 – 20 ppm throughout the test regime.