KR-5000 Carboxylate-Sulfonate Copolymer

KR-5000 is a specialty carboxylate-sulfonate copolymer (often supplied as an equivalent or generic counterpart to Dow's ACUMER™ 5000). With an average molecular weight of around 5,000 Da, it is designed specifically to handle high-silica and high-hardness stress conditions in industrial water systems.

Technical Specifications

Parameter Specification

Appearance Clear, colorless to light yellow/brown liquid

Active Solid Content ~44.0% – 46.0%

Molecular Weight (Mw) ~5,000 Da

pH (neat @ 25°C) 2.0 – 3.0

Density (20°C) 1.15 – 1.25 g/cm³

Viscosity (25°C) 200 – 600 cps

Key Working Mechanisms & Features

Silica & Magnesium Silicate Control:

Standard polymers usually fail when dissolved silica (SiO₂) exceeds ~180 mg/L in cooling water. KR-5000 disperses colloidal silica and prevents magnesium silicate (MgSiO3) precipitation, enabling systems to run safely at silica levels up to 300 mg/L or higher.

Iron & Heavy Metal Tolerance:

Unlike basic polyacrylic acids (PAA) that foul easily in the presence of ferric iron (Fe³⁺), KR-5000 maintains h3 dispersancy even with high soluble iron and manganese concentrations.

Threshold Inhibition & Crystal Modification:

It distorts the crystal lattices of calcium carbonate (CaCO₃), calcium phosphate, and zinc salts, leaving soft, non-adherent sludge rather than hard scale on heat exchanger tubes.

Chlorine & Hydrothermal Stability:

It exhibits h3 chemical resistance to oxidizing biocides (like sodium hypochlorite/bleach) and resists thermal degradation across a wide pH spectrum.

Primary Applications & Recommended Dosages

High-Cycles Cooling Water Circuits: Used in industrial evaporative cooling towers running under high cycles of concentration where silica is the primary limiting factor.

Boiler Water Systems: Used in low- to medium-pressure boilers (up to ~900 psig) to control magnesium silicate and iron sludge accumulation.

Oilfield Water Injection: Prevents silica and carbonate scale fouling during reinjection of produced water and thermal EOR processes.

Dosage Rate: Typically fed continuously into the system at 15–30 mg/L as active polymer when used alone, or lower when co-formulated with phosphonates (like HEDP or PBTC) and zinc salts.