Mining operations such as alumina refineries and phosphoric acid plants require scale inhibitor chemistry to prevent clogging in process equipment. The presence of scale can be caused by a host of factors, including silica. Scale is difficult and costly to remove. The traditional solution for descaling is to reduce or remove scale after it appears, which leads to reduced throughput, increased energy consumption and plant shutdowns for cleaning.

Facilities that use wet processes and evaporation to produce phosphoric acid from phosphate rock frequently must combat scaling. Scaling occurs during evaporation when deposits accumulate on equipment such as heat exchangers, reducing production capacity. Without measures to prevent the formation of scale, phosphoric acid producers can experience significant downtime due to frequent cleanings.

OAN offers industry-proven scale inhibitors, which prevent scale from forming in the first place, thus optimizing energy efficiency and improving productivity and downtime in phosphoric acid processing operations.