Chemical Engineering September 2014 - 73

Water Management Special Advertising Section
Not all scale inhibitors are created equally
Polymer chemistries from BWA Water Additives give a one-two punch against scales,
where traditional phosphonates or very low molecular weight polymers fail
B
WA Water Additives is a technologyled
specialty chemicals company that
focuses on providing sustainable solutions
in water treatment challenges. Whether it
is scale control, corrosion inhibition, microbiological
control or desalination, BWA
has unique chemistries providing solutions
in increasingly extreme environments.
Scale inhibition is a concern for any
process that uses water, from industrial
treatment, though cooling towers and
geothermal energy, to oil and gas production.
These environments can have water
chemistries that rapidly change, as well
as physical characteristics such as temperature
that can fluctuate greatly in mere
hours. Traditional scale inhibitors, based
in phosphonates or very low molecular
weight polymers, are prone to failure in
such applications because of the types of
inhibitory mechanisms they depend on.
In particular, scaling caused by barium
sulfate can be difficult to control. Once
nucleation has begun, it can very rapidly
seize up a pipe, resulting in a significant
Poorly controlled scale can quickly
block pipes so badly that replacement
may be the only practical option
loss of money in terms of both system
downtime and maintenance efforts. The
resulting scale is not easily removed, and
often results in the need to either drill out
the blockage or simply replace the pipe. In
a low-pH environment the problem seems
to be compounded by standard scale inhibitors,
which fail at an even faster rate.
BWA's Bellasol S50, on the other hand,
has proven itself time and again in these
types of environments as a cost-effective
water treatment.
A growing concern that needs to be acknowledged
is that scale inhibition products
must now be able not only to protect
and maintain the functionality of a system,
but to do so in an environmentallyfriendly,
biodegradable fashion. BWA
Water Additives' Belclene 810 has strong
antiscalant properties in calcium carbonate,
barium sulfate and even mixed scales,
while scoring high in the OECD 302B biodegradation
test.
BWA Water Additives scale inhibition
polymers work where phosphonates can
fail because they block crystal growth and
provide threshold inhibition, while having
great thermal stability properties over a
wide pH spectrum. BWA's polymeric scale
inhibitors can provide the needed solution
to common scales such as calcium carbonate,
barium sulfate, harder-to-treat silica
scales, and even heavy metals.
www.wateradditives.com
An intelligent approach to measurement
OTEK Corp. manufactures panel instruments that combine traditional visibility with
modern digital accuracy and reliability
M
anufacturers rely on digital process
instruments to maintain accuracy and
consistency in their processes. For many
processes, including water treatment, even
a small inaccuracy in a variable can have a
significant effect on the desired product.
Variations in temperature, flow, proportion,
and other parameters must be carefully
monitored and controlled.
OTEK Corp., a leading designer and
manufacturer of digital instrumentation,
knows that accuracy is required to maximize
its customers' profitability and ensure
quality and safety. Its instruments are
manufactured with the latest technology to
ensure accurate and reliable performance,
and durable products.
The NTM series is the latest in digital
panel meters from OTEK. The series includes
19 different models available with
loop, signal or external power. The use of
high-efficiency components allows OTEK
to produce a product with lower power
consumption than the current industry average.
A lower power requirement permits
the display to maintain an even intensity at
both the high and low end of the 4-20 mA
range. Units are equipped with an LED digital
display and a tri-color bar graph to ensure
visibility. The bar graph also shows
the current setpoints in color.
OTEK offers a signal failure detection
feature in all of its units. If a sensor fails or
a cable breaks, the display will flash the
message " INPT FAIL " for approximately
20 s to alert the user. It then transmits a
failure notification to the supervisory control
system, before going dark.
The innovative designs incorporate
flexible firmware for improved
customization. Depending on the model
and the input selection, the NTM series
offers a wide variety of options. For instance,
one channel's setpoint can be
used to control another channel's function.
Isolated serial I/O is available, and there is
a choice of USB, RS485, Ethernet or IRDA.
Added benefits include remote display for
SCADA/DCS, improved response time, and
self-diagnostics.
A combination of digital and bar graph
displays provides maximum information
The series offers replacements for virtually
all existing analog and digital meters.
Easy pin-for-pin replacement means
no rewiring and no need to run additional
power to the unit. NTM meters have no
moving parts so there is no longer a need
for recalibration and maintenance.
OTEK Corp. backs all its instruments
with a lifetime warranty that is unique to
the industry.
www.otekcorp.com
CHEMICAL ENGINEERING||||WWW.CHEMENGONLINE.COM||||SEPTEMBER 2014||||||73
http://www.wateradditives.com http://www.otekcorp.com
Chemical Engineering September 2014

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Chemical Engineering September 2014
