Phosphonated Polyetheramine-Coated Superparamagnetic Iron Oxide Nanoparticles: Study on the Harsh Scale Inhibition Performance of Calcium Carbonate and Barium Sulfate.

Harsh scale buildup, such as calcium carbonate (calcite) and barium sulfate (barite), poses significant challenges in the oil and gas industry. While various scale inhibitors (SIs) are employed to mitigate this issue, there is a need for greener, more efficient, compatible, and affordable alternatives. Calcium compatibility often complicates the use of SIs, potentially leading to formation damage. Our group has recently synthesized a recyclable nanocomposite scale inhibitor made of superparamagnetic nanoparticles coated with a trisodium citrate linker to phosphonated poly(ether amine) (SPION-TSC-PPEA) and tested it against calcium sulfate (gypsum), a simple form of scale buildup. This study evaluates the recyclable nanocomposite scale inhibitor's efficiency in mitigating calcite and Barite scales through static jar tests and high-pressure dynamic tube-blocking tests at 80 bar and 100 °C. The nanocomposite demonstrated high calcium ion compatibility, excellent inhibition efficiency against calcite, moderate efficiency against Barite, and maintained efficacy over five recycling cycles.