| Author(s) | Malik Alahmad |
| Affiliation | Chemical Engineering Department, College of Engineering, King Saud University, Box 800, Riyadh 11421, Saudi Arabia |
| Title | Experimental Study of Scale Formation in Sea Water Environment |
| Source | Journal of King Saud University. Engineering Sciences. Volume 17, No 1. (2005/1425) |
| Abstract | Seawater is a complex aqueous solution with large tendency for scale formation, which is usually ascribed to the scaling dissolved salts and suspended particles. Scale formation results in lots of problems in thermal processes like desalination and steam generation plants. In a typical desalination plant, about 40% of the heat transfer is provided to allow for scale formation problems, which is equivalent to about 10% increase of the whole capital cost of the plant. The main constituent forming scale in seawater environments (calcium carbonate, calcium sulfate and magnesium hydroxide) is extensively investigated in the present work. For better understanding of the scale tendency of seawater environment, an experimental unit was precisely designed and coupled with data acquisition system for continuous monitoring of the investigated parameters. Significant factors affecting scale formation like salts concentration, flow velocity, water temperature and pH of the environment were extensively studied using mild steel and stainless steel (rough and smooth). The hydraulic parameters like Reynolds number and shear stress were used in the analysis of the collected data and revealed the role of shear stress in the effective removal of scale. The scale model of Kern and Seaton was used to calculate the fouling resistance in each case and values obtained were compared with the experimental ones. A modification of this model was also attempted to give better agreement with the experimental findings. |
