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Created on 04.07
Why PAM Isn't Settling: 10 Troubleshooting Checkpoints (part 3)
Checkpoint 6: Water quality can neutralize PAM (hardness, salinity, and chlorine)
PAM’s chain conformation and charge behavior are strongly influenced by dissolved ions. High salinity can “coil” the polymer, reducing bridging. Oxidants (notably free chlorine) can chemically degrade chains.
Actionable checks
· If using chlorinated water for make-down, test free chlorine. If present, switch to dechlorinated water or untreated source water;
· If conductivity is high (brackish/produced water), expect different dose and potentially a different PAM grade;
· If hardness is high, jar test an alternate grade and a wider dose window.
Field clue: PAM works in bench tests using bottled/DI water but fails when made down with site water—this points directly to water quality incompatibility.
Checkpoint 7: pH outside the workable range changes charge interactions
Even if PAM itself is stable, the particle surfaces it must bind to can change with pH. Coagulants and alkalinity shifts also alter the effective charge balance.
What to do
· Measure pH at the actual injection/mixing point (not upstream).
· If pH is extreme, jar test at adjusted pH to see if performance returns.
· If you use coagulants (alum, ferric, PAC), re-optimize sequence and dose; polymer needs the right charge environment to bridge effectively.
Checkpoint 8: You may be mixing in the wrong place (contact time and turbulence matter)
PAM needs initial dispersion, then gentle growth of flocs. Injecting into a dead zone yields poor dispersion; injecting into extreme turbulence breaks forming floc.
Placement guidelines you can test quickly
· Aim for a zone with rapid initial mixing (seconds), followed by lower shear residence (tens of seconds to minutes).
· Avoid adding polymer directly before high-shear equipment (pumps, tight valves, hydrocyclones).
· If you can, compare two injection points in parallel using the same polymer batch and dose.
To be continued.......
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