This paper reviews electromagnetic water treatment, an alternative solution for scale control in industrial water processing, and a model device with solenoid coils inserted into a cylindrical kernel inside a pipe is analyzed for potential application at high water-flow capacity (few hundreds of m(3)/h). An efficiently strong magnetic field (e.g. with maximum magnetic flux density from 0.1T to 0.2T) can be produced using a DC electric supply resulting in total costs at least ten times lower than the expense of the scale-prevention ion exchange. (C) 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.