Superfícies de aço inoxidável com e sem revestimentos de carbono para inibição de incrustações de CaCO3

Abstract

Calcium carbonate (CaCO3) fouling is a problem for industries associated with deterioration and obstructing any equipment that is in contact with supersaturated solutions, in particular in the oil and gas industry. In this case, the formation of CaCO3 in the production pipelines hinders the normal flow of the fluid. Currently, most of the techniques used for scale removal must meet certain conditions: it must be fast, it must not damage the surface of the different equipment, and it must be practical and efficient. In this context, the general objective of this work was to study the influence of surface roughness (Ra) on the nanometric scale of stainless-steel parts (AI) with and without carbon coating for the inhibition of CaCO3. To accomplish the objective, first, the conditions of calcium carbonate formation on stainless steel surfaces were studied and analyzed based on the roughness quality of the surface finish using the magnetic abrasive finishing (MAF) technique. Second, carbon coatings deposited using the pulsed laser ablation technique (PLD) on IA, and subsequently were characterized. The results of the characterization techniques allowed the formation of graphene oxide (GO) on the substrate surface to be observed. The coated and uncoated samples were tested in a supersaturated CaCO3 solution to evaluate fouling inhibition. The results showed that the uncoated samples showed more incrustation when the Ra decreases, contrary to the classical nucleation theory. Whereas, the pieces with GO coating showed up to a four times reduction in incrustation formation compared to the parts with lower roughness which suffered more incrustation.