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Inhibition of calcium carbonate by low phosphorus copolymers rich in carboxylic acids

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Abstract

To effectively control CaCO3 scaling in oilfield-produced water, terpolymer scale inhibitor P(IA-AA-SHP) was synthesized by aqueous solution polymerization using itaconic acid (IA), acrylic acid (AA) and sodium hypophosphite (SHP) as raw materials and ammonium persulfate as an initiator. The optimal monomer ratio, initiator dosage, reaction temperature, and time for copolymer synthesis were determined by the controlled variable method. According to the static scale inhibition performance test method in the oilfield, the copolymer dose reached 95.8% inhibition efficiency of CaCO3 at 30 mg L−1. A study of the inhibitory efficiency of copolymer on the CaCO3 scale at different Ca2+ concentrations, CO32− concentrations, and temperatures was also carried out, and the excellent scale inhibition efficiency was maintained despite a change in the water quality conditions. The structure of copolymer P(IA-AA-SHP) was characterized by FTIR, UV, 1H-NMR, and 13C-NMR. Since the molecular weight (Mw) has a great influence on the scale inhibition performance, the relationship between the molecular weight of the polymer and the scale inhibition performance was discussed using gel permeation chromatography (GPC) to detect the molecular weight of the product. The copolymers were shown to have excellent thermal stability using thermogravimetric (TGA) analysis. The effect of copolymers on the morphological structure of CaCO3 crystals was analyzed by SEM and XRD, and the mechanism of scale inhibition was discussed.

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Data Availability

The data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author, Y.Z., upon reasonable request.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Chemical and Environment Engineering, Key Laboratory of Biologic Resources Protection and Utilization of Hubei Province, Hubei Minzu University, Enshi, Hubei, 445000, People’s Republic of China

    Wentao Ma & Yu Zhang

  2. No. 3 Oil Production Plant of PetroChina Changqing Oilfield Company, Yinchuan, Ningxia, 750005, People’s Republic of China

    Cong Liu

  3. Xiʼan 3D Technology Development Co., Xiʼan, Shanxi, 710016, People’s Republic of China

    Lei Zhang

Authors
  1. Wentao Ma
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  2. Cong Liu
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  3. Lei Zhang
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  4. Yu Zhang
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Correspondence to Yu Zhang.

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Conflict of Interest

All authors disclosed no relevant relationships, The work was performed by Wentao Ma1, Cong Liu2, Lei Zhang3, and Yu Zhang1*, and no conflict of interest existed at the time of submission of this manuscript, which was published with the consent of all authors. On behalf of my co-authors, I would like to state that the work described is original research that has not been previously published and is not being considered for publication elsewhere, in whole or in part. All authors listed have approved the attached manuscript.

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Ma, W., Liu, C., Zhang, L. et al. Inhibition of calcium carbonate by low phosphorus copolymers rich in carboxylic acids. J Polym Res 30, 148 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10965-023-03527-7

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