scale — Oil & Gas Glossary

A mineraldeposit that can occur in the tubing, the gravel pack, the perforations or the formation. Scale deposition occurs when the solution equilibrium of the water is disturbed by pressure and temperature changes, dissolved gases or incompatibility between mixing waters. Scale deposits are the most common and most troublesome damage problems in the oil field and can occur in both

Detailed Explanation

production and injection wells.All waters used in well operations can be potential sources of scale, including water used in waterflood operations and filtrate from completion, workover or treating fluids. Therefore, reduction of scale deposition is directly related to reduction of bad water production.