Experimental study on calcium carbonate precipitation using electromagnetic field treatment

Abstract

The present study investigated the effectiveness of electromagnetic fields in preventing calcium carbonate (CaCO3) fouling in cooling water. Four different frequencies and two different voltages were adopted to induce electromagnetic fields directly in water with constant water temperature and constant flow velocity. Artificial hard water was used. The solution conductivities decreased by 17-25% from their initial values in the electromagnetic anti-fouling treatment (EAT) cases, depending on different frequencies of electric pulses, whereas the untreated case dropped by 31%. The particle size became small and the crystal structure changed into loose style after EAT. The EAT device independently developed by the State Key Laboratory had been validated as an effective apparatus in preventing CaCO3 fouling in cooling water. © IWA Publishing 2013.