×
INTELLIGENT WORK FORUMS
FOR ENGINEERING PROFESSIONALS

Log In

Come Join Us!

Are you an
Engineering professional?
Join Eng-Tips Forums!
  • Talk With Other Members
  • Be Notified Of Responses
    To Your Posts
  • Keyword Search
  • One-Click Access To Your
    Favorite Forums
  • Automated Signatures
    On Your Posts
  • Best Of All, It's Free!
  • Students Click Here

*Eng-Tips's functionality depends on members receiving e-mail. By joining you are opting in to receive e-mail.

Posting Guidelines

Promoting, selling, recruiting, coursework and thesis posting is forbidden.

Students Click Here

Jobs

Calcite buildup in 8" pipes - anyone know if electronic scale treatment works?

Calcite buildup in 8" pipes - anyone know if electronic scale treatment works?

Calcite buildup in 8" pipes - anyone know if electronic scale treatment works?

(OP)
We are looking at this type of unit (https://www.aquagenesisusa.com/commercial/industri...) for electronic treatment of effluent water from one of our processes.

The 8" piping gets about a 1/2" of hard calcite buildup within a week. Anyone have any comment on the electronic treatment or another recommendation?

We are also looking into water softeners and water PH neutralizers but those are expensive setup and yearly costs.

Thanks

See attached pic of buildup.

RE: Calcite buildup in 8" pipes - anyone know if electronic scale treatment works?

Don't waste your money on one of these gadgets. They have been around for 80 years at least and have never worked.

What is the process that is creating the problem?

RE: Calcite buildup in 8" pipes - anyone know if electronic scale treatment works?

(OP)
sludge drying. It is in an offgas cooling spray tower. We get high ammonia that raises the pH from 6ish to over 9 making things drop out and form the scale (what the lab people told me). We are looking at an acid injection in the water supply for at least a temporary solution and to get the pipes clean

RE: Calcite buildup in 8" pipes - anyone know if electronic scale treatment works?

Sulfuric acid will control the scale. Acid is also commonly used in cooling towers to lower the alkalinity.

RE: Calcite buildup in 8" pipes - anyone know if electronic scale treatment works?

You need to know what scale if forming, especially if it is more soluble at high temp, or more likely to form at high temp.
That way you can choose where in your system you prevent it from forming, and where you allow it to form and come out of your water (in a place that it does not cause damage).

Yes this will be an ongoing operations cost, but the gain in efficiency and reductions in maintenance will be significant.

= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
Plymouth Tube

Red Flag This Post

Please let us know here why this post is inappropriate. Reasons such as off-topic, duplicates, flames, illegal, vulgar, or students posting their homework.

Red Flag Submitted

Thank you for helping keep Eng-Tips Forums free from inappropriate posts.
The Eng-Tips staff will check this out and take appropriate action.

Reply To This Thread

Posting in the Eng-Tips forums is a member-only feature.

Click Here to join Eng-Tips and talk with other members!


Resources