scale on water Tubes

[mozhigopi]

how can we prevent the scales in water tubes

[swansont]

Depends on what's in the scale. Some of it can be gotten rid of by softening the water. Other stuff, like silica, is harder to deal with.

[insane_alien]

using an acid will help remove it. doesn't need to be strong.

 

using acetic acid(vinegar) will work or you could use citric acid which is less pungent.

 

this will only work downstream of where you add it though. so it this for household plumbing or a seperate application?

[Think it thru]

Could a form of electrolysis cause an ionization of the water to prevent scale? I'm asking, I don't know. Oil field piping, city water mains, etc. use electrolysis to prevent rust/corrosion but does it prevent scale?

[insane_alien]

use electrolysis to prevent rust/corrosion

 

no they don't, they use sacrificial nodes. completely different principle to electrolysis.

 

electrolysis would not prevent scales.

[Think it thru]

no they don't, they use sacrificial nodes. completely different principle to electrolysis.

 

electrolysis would not prevent scales.

 

I'll buy that because, like I said, I simply don't know.

 

I do know that in some of the oil fields they run wires beside the pipelines to the tank batteries and they are ultimately hooked up to electricity, i.e. meter and equipment. ??

[insane_alien]

same reason as they use sacrificial nodes.

 

the sacrifical nodes(or wires running down the side.) supply electrons to the pipe to prevent it from oxidising(rusting for this scenario).

 

for a sacrificial node this means that it will oxidise even easier than if it was on its own and has to be replaced every so often.

 

for the wires, this means they have to handle a current dependant on the rate of attempted oxidisation.

[Think it thru]

Thanks. I appreciate the explanation so that I may learn.

[SkepticLance]

To come up with a practical suggestion as how to control scale, we need to know what kind of scale, and in what situation.

 

For example : calcium rich waters passing against a hot surface form lime scale on that hot surface, because the calcium salt is less soluble at higher temperature (reverse solubility). It can be cleaned off by acid wash. In industry, a corrosion inhibitor is added to the acid wash to prevent the acid attacking the metal surface.

 

There are many kinds of scale. Silicate scale is much tougher. In industrial cooling water systems, various scale inhibiting chemicals are added to the water, such as polyacrylates.

 

Pre-treatment of water, such as by softeners sometimes helps.