The focus of this paper is the in-situ assessment of calcium carbonate formation on a
stainless steel surface. Calcium carbonate formation is studied by Synchrotron X-Ray
Diffraction (SXRD) with a flow cell that allows in-situ and real-time measurements. The
effects of a commercial scale inhibitor, Polyphosphinocarboxylic acid (PPCA) on formation
is also studied. Previously silicon was used as the substrate for SXRD measurements and
therefore the effects of the substrate nature on calcium carbonate formation and its
inhibition by PPCA are discussed.