Study of the scaling formation mechanism in recycling water

To better understand the phenomenon of scaling of water that occurs in the cooling systems of nuclear power plants and thus to propose effective measures against scaling, the analysis of the scaling capacity of Salvetat mineral water and Seine river water was carried out in this study by the method of rapid controlled precipitation (RCP), which was used to estimate the scaling power of natural waters and to characterize the scaling formation mechanisms. The results showed that RCP allowed the establishment of thermodynamic conditions where the scaling was formed with a degree of oversaturation that much less than 40 in relation to a real-life scaling phenomenon. Some factors, such as the water composition, temperature, and initial presence or absence of calcium carbonate (CaCO3) nucleus, promoted or inhibited the precipitation of (CaCO3). In the water with a higher scaling potential, deposition on a copper surface did not occur or remained negligible because of the electrochemical reactions between the copper ions and water. The electrostatic treatment was quite good for delaying precipitation because it could affect the water's composition in an infinitesimal way.