Abstract

Application of antiscalants is a worldwide practice for industrial scale formation mitigation. The range of reagents is constantly expanding, and new scale inhibitors are permanently elaborated, including biodegradable ones. An antiscalant-driven scale inhibition theory has formed in the mid-twentieth century, and is up to date with some minor refinements. However, in recent years, the classical views have been increasingly criticized on the grounds of such modern methods as dynamic light scattering, particle counter technique and fluorescent visualization of antiscalant location in industrial and model system’s deposits. These methods provide a better understanding of scale inhibition mechanisms. In a present review the major mechanisms of scale inhibition are critically examined, and a hypothesis on the dominating role of solid impurities interaction with antiscalant is formulated. According to this hypothesis, the scale crystals nucleation in the bulk aqueous medium is a heterogeneous process, catalyzed by foreign solid nano/microdust particles, serving as crystallization templates (seeds). Thus, an antiscalant competes for these templates with the scale forming ions, blocks the background seeds, and reduces therefore the number of potential crystallization centers. In this way, the scale inhibitor slows down the scale formation due to the foreign seeds isolation, but not via direct interaction with the nuclei of a sparingly soluble salt.

中文翻译：

---

最新的防垢剂驱动水垢抑制理论（综述）

摘要

阻垢剂的应用是减轻工业规模形成的全球实践。试剂的范围在不断扩大，新的阻垢剂也在不断研发，包括可生物降解的阻垢剂。抗垢剂驱动的阻垢理论已经在二十世纪中叶形成，并且在一些细微的改进方面是最新的。但是，近年来，基于动态光散射，粒子计数技术以及工业和模型系统沉积物中防垢剂位置的荧光可视化等现代方法，越来越多地批评经典观点。这些方法可以更好地了解水垢抑制机理。在目前的综述中，对阻垢的主要机理进行了严格审查，提出了固体杂质与阻垢剂相互作用的主导作用假说。根据该假设，在大量水性介质中的水垢晶体成核是一个异质过程，由异质固体纳米/微尘颗粒催化，用作结晶模板（种子）。因此，抗垢剂与形成垢的离子竞争这些模板，阻止了背景种子，并因此减少了潜在的结晶中心数量。以这种方式，由于外来种子的分离，阻垢剂减慢了结垢的形成，但不是通过与微溶盐的核的直接相互作用而减缓的。由外来固体纳米/微尘颗粒催化，用作结晶模板（种子）。因此，抗垢剂与形成垢的离子竞争这些模板，阻止了背景种子，并因此减少了潜在的结晶中心数量。以这种方式，由于外来种子的分离，阻垢剂减慢了结垢的形成，但不是通过与微溶盐的核的直接相互作用而减缓的。由外来固体纳米/微尘颗粒催化，用作结晶模板（种子）。因此，抗垢剂与形成垢的离子竞争这些模板，阻止了背景种子，并因此减少了潜在的结晶中心数量。以这种方式，由于外来种子的分离，阻垢剂减慢了结垢的形成，但不是通过与微溶盐的核的直接相互作用而减缓的。