Low temperature stabilized foam-forming composition for enhanced oil recovery

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10336935-B2
Application number	US-201414780228-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 22, 2014
Priority date	May 31, 2013
Publication date	Jul 2, 2019
Grant date	Jul 2, 2019

Abstract

This invention relates to a foam-forming composition having good low temperature stability and method of use thereof for enhanced oil recovery. Said foam-forming composition comprises an anionic sulfonate surfactant, preferably an alpha-olefin sulfonate, a alkyl ether solvent, and water and is preferably stable to at least −5 C. A preferred alkyl ether solvent has the formula C8H18O3, C8H16O3, or mixtures thereof. Preferred alpha-olefin sulfonate have 10 to 18 carbons, preferably 12 carbons. A preferred method for recovering oil from a reservoir comprises the periodic injection of gas and said foam-forming composition into the reservoir and contacting the oil in the reservoir with the foam so as to assist in the recovery of oil from the reservoir.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of recovering hydrocarbons from a reservoir during gas injection into the reservoir for enhanced oil recovery, the method comprising:
(a) at least periodically injecting a gas and a foam-forming composition into a reservoir, the foam-forming composition including an aqueous anionic surfactant foaming solution comprising:
(i) one or more alpha-olefin sulfonate (AOS),
(ii) a solvent having the chemical formula C 8 H 18 O 3 , C 8 H 16 O 3 , or mixtures thereof, the solvent being present in an amount from 30 weight percent to 60 weight percent, based on a total weight of the aqueous anionic surfactant foaming solution, and
(iii) water; and

(b) contacting hydrocarbons in the reservoir with the gas and foam formed using the foam-forming composition to assist in recovering the hydrocarbons from the reservoir.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the solvent has an octanol-water partitioning constant of from 0.05 to 0.8.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the solvent is

or mixtures thereof.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the one or more alpha-olefin sulfonate has 10 to 18 carbons.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the one or more alpha olefin sulfonate comprises both hydroxy-sulfonates and alkene-sulfonates.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the one or more alpha olefin sulfonate has 12 carbons.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the amount of the solvent is from 35 weight percent to 60 weight percent, based on the total weight of the aqueous anionic surfactant foaming solution.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the amount of the solvent is from 35 weight percent to 50 weight percent, based on the total weight of the aqueous anionic surfactant foaming solution.

Assignees

• Dow Global Technologies Llc

Inventors

• Frattarelli David L
• Abbas Sayeed
• Knight Troy E
• Sanders Aaron W
• Tucker Christopher J
• Woelfle-Gupta Caroline

Classifications

• E21B43/168

  Injecting a gaseous medium · CPC title

• C09K8/594 Primary

  Compositions used in combination with injected gas {, e.g. CO2 orcarbonated gas}(C09K8/592 takes precedence) · CPC title

• C09K8/584 Primary

  characterised by the use of specific surfactants · CPC title

• E21B43/16

  Enhanced recovery methods for obtaining hydrocarbons · CPC title