Abstract

To study the scaling process in sub-sea pipelines, a mesoscale experimental loop was developed, it was used to generate inorganic salt deposition in a one-inch diameter pipe. A specially monitored test section was developed, it would be removed and weighed after the experiments to study the scale build-up over time. Changes on the experimental conditions such as flow rate and fluid concentration allowed us to understand how calcium car-bonate accumulation affects pipeline surfaces over time. The calcium carbonate concentration of the fluid passing through the pipe was controlled using a turbidity meter. The size of the loop, a novelty on the field, allowed us to generate extensive data on the calcium carbonate scaling process, conduct longer experiments, and visualize smaller changes in temperature or accumulation using non-intrusive infrared (IR) technology. The experiments were conducted using IR images and chemical analyses by Energy dispersion X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) and the results were compared with predictions from analytical models.