Scale inhibition performance of an electric field on a heat transfer surface: Experiments and molecular dynamics simulation

Because of the electric field method has the characteristics of energy saving, environmental protection and high efficiency, it is the focus of research in this field at present. In this study, a molecular dynamics method was used to simulate the effect of an electric field on the interaction of Ca2+ and CO32− in calcium carbonate solution with the surface of calcite crystals (1, -1, 0), and through experiments, the performance of an electric field with an intensity of 1000–1400 V/m (step 100 V/m) to inhibit calcium carbonate deposition on the heat transfer surface was studied. The simulation results showed that the binding energy of Ca2+ and CO32− to the surface of calcite crystals (1, -1, 0) decreased after the application of an electric field. By analysing the diffusion coefficient and radial distribution function of Ca2+ and CO32−, the electric field was shown to effectively prevents the diffusion and combination of to the calcite (1, -1, 0) crystal plane, which can effectively prevent the growth of calcium carbonate on the heat transfer surface. The experimental results showed that the fouling resistance is significantly reduced after electric field treatment. The results of scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and macroscopic analysis of fouling on heat transfer surface also show that electric field can effectively inhibit fouling. When the electric field intensity is 1300 V/m, it has the best anti-scaling effect. Therefore, the calculation results are basically consistent with the simulation conclusions.