Development of a new copolymer for oil field carbonate scale mitigation

Calcite scale deposition along the flow path is the most common among flow assurance problems in oil wells. Frequent well cleaning creates a major increase in operating cost. In order to minimize the formation of scale deposits, threshold scale inhibitor treatment is a common practice in oil industry. The authors describe synthesis, characterization, and comparative evaluation of a low molecular weight maleic acid-methacrylic acid copolymer as potential calcite scale inhibitor. GPC and FT-IR were employed for molecular characterization; scale inhibition efficiency was studied through a static jar test, a dynamic tube block method, and also through an electrochemical technique (e.g., electrochemical impedance technique). SEM analysis demonstrated inhibited and uninhibited crystal morphology, and 100% scale inhibition was possible at a low dose of 20-25 ppm throughout the test regime.