Experiments and Modeling the Effect of Rising Supersaturation on Induction Times (t_ind) with Implications for Energy Production

During energy production, brines continuously become increasingly supersaturated towards mineral phases. This rise in supersaturation causes scaling that is detrimental to production. Experimentally determining the effect of environmental conditions and the presence of inhibitors on induction times (t_ind) and developing predictive models has been the focus of many studies. However, the common practice is to use systems with a constant supersaturation for such purposes. We have developed an experimental system to quantify the effect of rising supersaturation on t_ind. Our results show that the rate at which the supersaturation rises controls t_ind. However, this data is not obtained from traditional experiments and is not included in previous modeling schemes that significantly misestimate actual t_ind. Here, we present our experimental scheme and results from nucleation experiments of calcite and barite showing different dependencies on the rate of rising supersaturation. Moreover, we demonstrate that existing models can be adjusted to accurately describe the t_ind under conditions of increasing supersaturation. Updating current models to account for the effect of rising supersaturation, as suggested here, will provide a powerful tool for improving predictions of scale formation that can support better mitigation strategies.