Nanotech Prevents Scale Build-Up in Oil Extraction Pipelines

The build-up of scale within the pipes used by the oil extraction industry can pose a significant and expensive problem. As minerals and other dissolved solids in the extracted oil and water gradually accumulate on the inner pipe walls, the flow of liquid solutions becomes increasingly restricted.

This scale build-up can drastically reduce the overall volume, capacity, and efficiency of the pipeline system, hindering the smooth extraction and transportation of precious oil resources. Furthermore, hardened scale deposits can create blockages and bottlenecks, leading to costly maintenance and repair work to clear the obstructions. Over time, the scale can also accelerate corrosion of the pipe materials, weakening the structural integrity and heightening the risk of leaks or ruptures that threaten the environment.

It is a problem faced by any company which pipes water mixed with a water-resistant material, such as oil or organic solvents, including businesses in the cosmetics and food processing sectors.

Now however, material scientists from Penn State University have found a way to use nanotechnology to create a multi-functional solution which prevents the build-up of scale while also stabilizing water-in-oil emulsions.

Research which, according to Associate Professor Amir Sheikhi, who co-authored the study, was aimed, “… to tackle the challenge of calcium carbonate formation, known as scaling, in two-phase oil-water systems, dealt with in numerous water-based industries, such as oil and gas sectors.”

“Current anti-scaling solutions,” he continues, “either have adverse environmental impacts or are limited to working only in single-phase aqueous media.”

Originally, the team worked on a solution which resulted in the synthesis of a cellulose-based nanoparticle, called an anionic hairy cellulose nanocrystal (AHCNC). This novel nanomaterial was able to reduce the formation of scale but was unable to stabilize water-in-oil emulsions.

So, the team developed their ideas further to create a completely new, multifunctional, bio-based nanoparticle, called an amphiphilic hairy cellulose nanocrystal (AmHCNC). The dual role of this unique material was that it could prevent scale formation while also stabilizing water-in-oil emulsions.

Related: Nanotechnology: The Sustainable Science Inside Cosmetics or Nanoscale Modification Gives Polystyrene an Antimicrobial Surface

The study has now been published in the ACS journal Applied Materials & Interfaces, where they claim the creation of, “a novel antiscaling cellulose-based nanoparticle that enables scale-resistant Pickering emulsions.” Specifically describing the discovery as, “the first dual functional antiscaling and emulsion stabilizing nanoparticle.” A technology which Sheikhi believes, “… may provide new opportunities for sustainable and safer industrial practices.”

In order to assess the technology's efficacy on an industrial scale, the researchers are currently seeking companies in the oil extraction industry which could test the nanoparticle in real-world scenarios, such as increased oil recovery. They also intend to investigate possible uses in other sectors, such the food processing and cosmetics industries.

Ultimately, the team believes it has found an answer to a long-held problem in the manufacturing and oil extraction sectors. Using nanotechnology to keep oil pipes free from the build-up of scale - doing so in an eco-friendly and economically viable manner.

As Sheikhi concludes, “These anti-scaling particles are bio-based, environmentally safe and cost-effective, offering a sustainable solution to the longstanding industrial problem of scaling.”

Another breakthrough for nanotechnology.

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