An Interesting Final-Year Undergraduate Laboratory Project: Investigation of Gypsum Scale Formation on Piping Surfaces

S. Muryanto (Department of Chemical Engineering, UNTAG Semarang Jalan Pawiyatan Luhur, Semarang 50233 INDONESIA)
H M Ang (Department of Chemical Engineering Curtin University of Technology GPO Box U 1987, Perth 6845 W A, AUSTRALIA)

ASEAN Journal of Chemical Engineering
Vol 5, No 2 (2005)

The formation of scales in pipes and on the surfaces of vessels is one of the major problems encountered by the mineral processing industry in Australia and elsewhere. A cursory study revealed that one of the main components of the scales was gypsum or calcium sulfate dihydrate. This paper discusses a typical undergraduate laboratory project to investigate the formation of calcium sulfate dihydrate scale on the surfaces of different types of pipes under isothermal conditions. This laboratory exercise is essentially a crystallization process and is suggested as one of the topics for final-year chemical engineering undergraduate project since it is a very important unit operation in the chemical, mineral, or pharmaceutical industries. Keywords: Calcium sulfate dihydrate, laboratory project, scale formation, and undergraduate curriculum..