ABSTRACT
The deposition of sparingly soluble salts in porous formations causes severe scaling problems during oil production. The formation of scale is the cause of serious operational problems in oil and gas industry, dramatically reducing production rates. This reduction is mainly due to the formation of insoluble salts through nucleation and crystal growth within tubing, casings, and associated equipment, as well as in the well bore and the formation itself [1]. As a result, extra capital cost, substantial operating cost, and in extreme cases the abandonment of the oil wells are needed. Similar scaling problems are present in the production wells and equipment used for the utilization of geothermal energy [2], in water desalination, where scaling decreases the operational life of membranes [3], and in CO2 sequestration in subsoil wells [4,5]. In oil production, the trapped oil ganglia in the pores of rock formations are displaced by forced injection of immiscible uids, like formation water or seawater. The chemical composition of these media often favors pore plugging due to the development of locally high supersaturation with respect to calcium carbonate [6]. The most common types of scale encountered in oil elds include carbonate and sulfate salts of calcium, strontium, and barium [1,7-9].
