Synthesis and Evaluation of an Itaconic Acid Ternary Polymer as a Scale Inhibitor for Cooling Circulation Water

ABSTRACT The ternary polymer IA‐HEMA‐VS is synthesized by polymerizing itaconic acid (IA), hydroxyethyl methacrylate (HEMA), and sodium vinyl sulfonate (VS). Ammonium persulfate is the initiator, while sodium hypophosphite is the chain transfer agent. The scale inhibition properties of IA‐HEMA‐VS are then investigated. The scale inhibition rate of IA‐HEMA‐VS reaches 95.38% for CaCO 3 scale and 98.46% for CaSO 4 . The optimization of synthesis factors is carried out during preparation, and the optimal ratio of IA: HEMA: VS is 2:1:1. The chain transfer agent is 6% of the mass, the initiator is 8% of the mass, the polymerization temperature is 105°C, and the polymerization time is 180 min. The polymerization of IA‐HEMA‐VS is investigated by Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FT‐IR), Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Hydrogen Spectroscopy ( 1 H‐NMR), and Gel Permeation Chromatography (GPC), and the polymer is also investigated. IA‐HEMA‐VS is characterized and analyzed by FTIR, 1 H‐NMR, and GPC. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X‐ray diffraction (XRD) are performed for the analysis of calcium scale crystals before and after the reaction. The data indicate that IA‐HEMA‐VS can cause lattice distortion or crystal dispersion and inhibit the growth of CaCO 3 and CaSO 4 scale effectively. Therefore, IA‐HEMA‐VS can effectively prevent scale formation in industrial circulating cooling water.