Patent ID: 9719008
Date: 2017-08-01
CPC Classifications: C09K,C22B,C23F,Y02P

Claim:
1. A process for preventing/inhibiting/controlling complex scale in mining operations comprising: adding to an aqueous mineral ore slurry having a solids content of at least 10%, a scale inhibiting composition in an amount of from about 5 parts-per-million (ppm) to about 300 ppm, wherein the scale inhibiting composition comprises an active component selected from a) a carboxylate polymer having the formula wherein R1 is selected from the group consisting of sulfonate, sulfate, phosphonate, alcohol, 1,1-diphenylhexyl, tert-butyl, mercaptoethanol, mercaptopropionic acid, and mercaptoglycolic acid; R 2 is a polycarboxylate; and R 3 is H or R 1 ; or b) a polyamine acid having the formula wherein X and Y are independently selected from the group consisting of an amino acid, a salt of n amino acid and an amino acid derivative, m can be from about 2 to about 60, n can be up to about 60, and the sum of m and n is at least about 5; and wherein the pH of the mineral ore slurry is below 9.0 and the complex scale comprises gypsum.