Validation of radiotracer technology in dynamic scaling experiments in porous media

The present study attempts to qualify the radiotracer technology as a reliable source of information for laboratory experimental investigations of the scaling phenomena involved in geological systems. The critical information provided by these experiments is the induction time of scaling and the profile of the scale deposition along the deposition medium.A series of calcite scaling experiments in sandpacks were carried out. In these experiments, ⁴⁷Ca²⁺ was used as tracer to monitor the CaCO₃ precipitation. The results show that the introduction of the tracer technology, for the first time in scaling experiments in porous media, has been successful and will constitute a valuable tool in further studies of the scaling mechanism in geological formations. The advantages of the radioactive tracer technology are its high sensitivity for the onset of precipitation (short induction time) and its ability to visualize the scale distribution as a function of time.