Effects of Metal Oxides on the Crystallization of BaSo4 in a Vibrated Batch Crystallizer System

Abstract

Scale formation of BaSO4 (barite) is a serious and persistent problem in a petroleum industry. The scale may severely hamper industrial processes through clogging the equipment, blocking the piping system, reducing the transfer of heat and material, which can lead to total breakdown and substantial financial losses. Hence, various methods have been applied to prevent the scaling of barite. This work reports a vibrated-batch lab crystallization to examine the influence of copper oxide (CuO) and zinc oxide (ZnO), an increasing temperature and mechanical vibration at 4.00 Hz and 8.00 Hz frequencies on crystallization kinetics and morphology of barite. The experiments using an experimental rig which was equipped with mechanical vibration to vibrate the rig under the heating program control. The inducing of vibration at 4.00 Hz and 8.00 Hz frequencies resulted in increasing rate scale deposition, whereas barite is the main crystal of the precipitated product which could be validated by the XRD Rietveld method. A morphological investigation by SEM confirmed that barite has mainly rosette-like crystal with the smaller size of order 5 µm. A new habit crystal of barite under the influence of vibration could be observed, and here an increasing vibration and additive concentrations made a reduction of scale deposition and providing more dense crystal morphology. The current findings suggest that the presence of mechanical vibration can be used to elucidate the mechanism of crystallization as well as the control of the morphology of barite. In practical terms, metal oxides could be potential as a scale inhibitor, while the mechanical vibration can be used to prevent the barite formation on pipes or mechanical equipment of the petroleum industry.