Prognosticating scale-forming properties of water

A review of the methods for prognosticating corrosive and scale-forming properties of water from natural sources is presented. By modifying the procedure of calculating the Langelier Index it becomes possible to cut down the number of measurements and analyses to three steps. Now, estimation of corrosive and scale-forming properties of water can be performed by the data on its electrical conductivity, pH, and total alkalinity. Equations are proposed to estimate the thickness of the scale layer that may within a month’s time deposit from natural water on the surface of a pipeline or on a heat-exchange surface. To perform the estimation it is necessary to know the conductivity of the water and the temperature of the surface where scaling is expected to take place.