Synthesis of sodium formate and drilling fluid comprising the same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10919833-B2
Application number	US-201916515525-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 18, 2019
Priority date	Jun 12, 2018
Publication date	Feb 16, 2021
Grant date	Feb 16, 2021

Abstract

A method of synthesizing sodium formate. The method includes reacting acetaldehyde, formaldehyde, and NaOH to form a raw reaction solution which includes pentaerythritol and sodium formate. The method also includes passing the raw reaction solution to an evaporator to reduce the water content of the raw reaction solution and remove any unreacted formaldehyde from the raw reaction solution to form a concentrated reaction solution and cooling the concentrated reaction solution to form pentaerythritol crystals in suspension while retaining sodium formate in solution. Further, the method includes filtering the cooled concentrated reaction solution to remove the pentaerythritol crystals and create a mother liquor comprising the sodium formate in solution and separating the sodium formate from the mother liquor.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of synthesizing ultra-pure sodium formate, the method comprising:
reacting acetaldehyde, formaldehyde, and NaOH to form a raw reaction solution comprising pentaerythritol and sodium formate;
reducing the water content of the raw reaction solution and removing unreacted formaldehyde from the raw reaction solution to form a concentrated reaction solution with a formaldehyde concentration less than 0.5% by weight
cooling the concentrated reaction solution to form pentaerythritol crystals in suspension while retaining the sodium formate in solution as a crystallized pentaerythritol solution;
filtering the crystallized pentaerythritol solution to remove the pentaerythritol crystals and create a mother liquor comprising the sodium formate in solution;
adding isobutanol to the mother liquor as an extraction solvent for the sodium formate to form a sodium formate rich solvent stream;
separating the sodium formate rich solvent stream and the isobutanol to produce a purified sodium formate stream; and
separating the sodium formate from the purified sodium formate stream to collect sodium formate having a purity in excess of 99.5% by weight.

2. The method of claim 1 where separating the sodium formate from the mother liquor further comprises:
removing water from the purified sodium formate stream until a sodium formate suspension is produced.

3. The method of claim 2 where the method further comprises separating the sodium formate crystals from a liquid component of the sodium formate suspension.

4. The method of claim 3 where the method further comprises drying the sodium formate crystals.

5. The method of claim 1 where reacting acetaldehyde, formaldehyde, and NaOH to form a raw reaction solution comprising pentaerythritol and sodium formate comprises:
reacting acetaldehyde and formaldehyde to form (HOCH 2 ) 3 CCHO; and
reacting the (HOCH 2 ) 3 CCHO, formaldehyde, and NaOH to form pentaerythritol and sodium formate.

6. The method of claim 5 where the acetaldehyde and formaldehyde are reacted in a 3:1 molar ratio.

7. The method of claim 5 where the (HOCH 2 ) 3 CCHO, formaldehyde and NaOH are reacted in a 1:1:1 molar ratio.

8. The method of claim 1 where formic acid is additionally provided to neutralize excess NaOH.

Assignees

• Saudi Arabian Oil Co

Inventors

• Al-Yami Abdullah
• Wagle Vikrant
• Alsaihati Zainab
• Alsafran Ali
• Alalhareth Nasser
• Alhelal Abdulaziz

Classifications

• C09K8/06

  Clay-free compositions (containing inorganic compounds only C09K8/05) · CPC title

• C09K8/035 Primary

  Organic additives · CPC title

• C07C51/47

  by solid-liquid treatment; by chemisorption · CPC title

• C07C51/41

  Preparation of salts of carboxylic acids ({C07C51/093 - C07C51/34 take precedence} preparation of soap C11D) · CPC title

• C07C29/78

  by condensation or crystallisation · CPC title