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Peer-reviewedCC BY-NCUltrasonics sonochemistry

Acoustic-Cavitation-Assisted chemical removal of gypsum Scale: Mechanisms and process intensification.

  • Chiara Canciani1
  • Ghassan Alaseri2
  • Ahmad Alguydi3
  • Areej Alzuwaid3
  • Faisal Alissa3
  • William L Roberts4
  • Qasim Sahu5
5 affiliations
  1. 1Physical Science and Engineering Division, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Thuwal 23955-6900, Saudi Arabia; KAUST Research Center, Upstream Advanced Research Center, Saudi Aramco, Thuwal 23955, Saudi Arabia.
  2. 2KAUST Research Center, Upstream Advanced Research Center, Saudi Aramco, Thuwal 23955, Saudi Arabia. Electronic address: [email protected].
  3. 3KAUST Research Center, Upstream Advanced Research Center, Saudi Aramco, Thuwal 23955, Saudi Arabia.
  4. 4Physical Science and Engineering Division, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Thuwal 23955-6900, Saudi Arabia.
  5. 5Drilling & Production Technology Department, Upstream Advanced Research Center, Saudi Aramco, Dhahran 31311, Saudi Arabia.
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Abstract

Calcium sulfate (gypsum) scale removal is a major operational issue concerning oil production facilities, as the deposits damage equipment and their removal causes prolonged downtime. Therefore, investigating process intensification techniques is pivotal for reducing scale removal time. This study focuses on the application of acoustic cavitation to the dissolution of gypsum, using two different types of dissolvers: potassium carbonate, a converter, and tetrasodium EDTA, a chelating agent. Compared with soaking at ambient temperature, ultrasound-assisted treatment increased gypsum removal 8.5-fold with potassium carbonate and 56-fold with tetrasodium EDTA. Silent experiments following the same temperature profile showed that heating accounts for much of this gain, with cavitation providing a further 1.6-fold and 2.9-fold increase, respectively. Electron microscopy indicated different mechanisms. Potassium carbonate converts gypsum layer by layer under silent conditions, whereas ultrasound produced deep cavities beyond the surface layer, consistent with localized cavitation-induced penetration. With tetrasodium EDTA, surface morphology was unchanged, suggesting that enhanced mass transfer dominates. These bench-scale findings support acoustic cavitation as a process intensification tool for scale removal, warranting further studies on field applicability.

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Cite

BibTeXRIS
BibTeX
@article{canciani2026acousticcavitationassisted,
  title = {{Acoustic-Cavitation-Assisted chemical removal of gypsum Scale: Mechanisms and process intensification.}},
  author = {Chiara Canciani and Ghassan Alaseri and Ahmad Alguydi and Areej Alzuwaid and Faisal Alissa and William L Roberts and Qasim Sahu},
  journal = {Ultrasonics sonochemistry},
  year = {2026},
  month = oct,
  doi = {10.1016/j.ultsonch.2026.108124},
  url = {https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42896426},
  note = {CC BY-NC},
}
RIS
TY  - JOUR
TI  - Acoustic-Cavitation-Assisted chemical removal of gypsum Scale: Mechanisms and process intensification.
AU  - Chiara Canciani
AU  - Ghassan Alaseri
AU  - Ahmad Alguydi
AU  - Areej Alzuwaid
AU  - Faisal Alissa
AU  - William L Roberts
AU  - Qasim Sahu
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/10/17
JO  - Ultrasonics sonochemistry
DO  - 10.1016/j.ultsonch.2026.108124
UR  - https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42896426
AB  - Calcium sulfate (gypsum) scale removal is a major operational issue concerning oil production facilities, as the deposits damage equipment and their removal causes prolonged downtime. Therefore, investigating process intensification techniques is pivotal for reducing scale removal time. This study focuses on the application of acoustic cavitation to the dissolution of gypsum, using two different types of dissolvers: potassium carbonate, a converter, and tetrasodium EDTA, a chelating agent. Compared with soaking at ambient temperature, ultrasound-assisted treatment increased gypsum removal 8.5-fold with potassium carbonate and 56-fold with tetrasodium EDTA. Silent experiments following the same temperature profile showed that heating accounts for much of this gain, with cavitation providing a further 1.6-fold and 2.9-fold increase, respectively. Electron microscopy indicated different mechanisms. Potassium carbonate converts gypsum layer by layer under silent conditions, whereas ultrasound produced deep cavities beyond the surface layer, consistent with localized cavitation-induced penetration. With tetrasodium EDTA, surface morphology was unchanged, suggesting that enhanced mass transfer dominates. These bench-scale findings support acoustic cavitation as a process intensification tool for scale removal, warranting further studies on field applicability.
SN  - 1350-4177
SN  - 1873-2828
ER  -