Methods for producing an emulsifier suitable for use in an emulsion drilling fluid

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11345843-B2
Application number	US-202017034170-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 28, 2020
Priority date	Sep 28, 2020
Publication date	May 31, 2022
Grant date	May 31, 2022

Abstract

According to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure, a method for producing an emulsifier suitable for use in an emulsion drilling fluid may comprise esterifying a processed vegetable oil to produce a first mixture comprising fatty acid alkyl esters. The processed vegetable oil may comprise less than 1 wt. % of compounds having an atmospheric boiling point less than or equal to 150° C. The method may further comprise removing at least 99 wt. % of each of glycerol, water, and short-chain alcohols having a main chain of less than or equal to 12 carbon atoms from the first mixture to produce a modified mixture, and hydrolyzing the fatty acid alkyl esters of the modified mixture with a base to produce the emulsifier comprising at least one salt of a fatty acid. Emulsion drilling fluids comprising the emulsifier and methods of producing emulsion drilling fluids are also disclosed.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for producing an emulsifier suitable for use in an emulsion drilling fluid, the method comprising:
esterifying a processed vegetable oil to produce a first mixture comprising fatty acid alkyl esters, wherein the processed vegetable oil comprises less than 1 wt. % of compounds having an atmospheric boiling point less than or equal to 150° C.;
removing at least 99 wt. % of each of glycerol, water, and short-chain alcohols from the first mixture to produce a modified mixture, wherein short-chain alcohols are alcohols having a main chain of less than or equal to 12 carbon atoms; and
hydrolyzing the fatty acid alkyl esters of the modified mixture with a base to produce the emulsifier comprising at least one salt of a fatty acid,
wherein the processed vegetable oil comprises less than 1 wt. % of 2,4-decadienal, 1-octen-3-ol, 2-penten-1-ol, nonanal, hexanal, heptanal, and 2-4,decadieanal, based on the total weight of the processed vegetable oil.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the processed vegetable oil is a previously unprocessed vegetable oil that was used in a food preparation process.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the processed vegetable oil is esterified with a short-chain alcohol in the presence of a catalyst.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein the processed vegetable oil is esterified with methanol in the presence of sodium hydroxide.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the fatty acid alkyl esters of the modified mixture are hydrolyzed by reaction with an aqueous hydroxide solution.

6. A method for producing an emulsion drilling fluid, the method comprising:
esterifying a processed vegetable oil to produce a first mixture comprising fatty acid alkyl esters, wherein the processed vegetable oil comprises less than 1 wt. % of compounds having an atmospheric boiling point less than or equal to 150° C.;
removing at least 99 wt. % of each of glycerol, water, and short-chain alcohols from the first mixture to produce a modified mixture, wherein short-chain alcohols are alcohols having a main chain of less than or equal to 12 carbon atoms;
hydrolyzing the fatty acid alkyl esters of the modified mixture with a base to produce an emulsifier comprising at least one salt of a fatty acid; and
mixing the emulsifier with a base drilling fluid comprising an aqueous phase and a non-aqueous phase to produce the emulsion drilling fluid,
wherein the processed vegetable oil comprises less than 1 wt. % of 2,4-decadienal, 1-octen-3-ol, 2-penten-1-ol, nonanal, hexanal, heptanal, and 2-4,decadieanal, based on the total weight of the processed vegetable oil.

7. The method of claim 6 , wherein the processed vegetable oil is a previously unprocessed vegetable oil that was used in a food preparation process.

8. The method of claim 6 , wherein the processed vegetable oil is esterified with a short-chain alcohol in the presence of a catalyst.

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein the processed vegetable oil is esterified with methanol in the presence of sodium hydroxide.

10. The method of claim 6 , wherein the fatty acid alkyl esters of the third mixture are hydrolyzed by reaction with an aqueous hydroxide solution.

11. The method of claim 6 , wherein the aqueous phase comprises an aqueous base fluid and the non-aqueous phase comprises a non-aqueous base fluid.

12. An emulsion drilling fluid comprising:
an aqueous phase comprising an aqueous base fluid in an amount of from 5 wt. % to 95 wt. %, based on the total weight of the emulsion drilling fluid;
a non-aqueous phase comprising a non-aqueous base fluid in an amount of from 5 wt. % to 95 wt. %, based on the total weight of the emulsion drilling fluid; and
an emulsifier in an amount of from 0.1 wt. % to 10 wt. %, based on the total weight of the emulsion drilling fluid, wherein the emulsifier is produced by a method comprising:
esterifying a processed vegetable oil to produce a first mixture comprising fatty acid alkyl esters, wherein the processed vegetable oil comprises less than 1 wt. % of compounds having an atmospheric boiling point less than or equal to 150° C., wherein the processed vegetable oil comprises less than 1 wt. % of 2,4-decadienal, 1-octen-3-ol, 2-penten-1-ol, nonanal, hexanal, heptanal, and 2-4,decadieanal, based on the total weight of the processed vegetable oil;
removing at least 99 wt. % of each of glycerol, water, and short-chain alcohols from the first mixture to produce a modified mixture, wherein short-chain alcohols are alcohols having a main chain of less than or equal to 12 carbon atoms; and
hydrolyzing the fatty acid alkyl esters of the modified mixture with a base to produce the emulsifier comprising at least one salt of a fatty acid.

13. The emulsion drilling fluid of claim 12 , wherein the processed vegetable oil is esterified with a short chain alcohol in the presence of a catalyst.

14. The emulsion drilling fluid of claim 13 , wherein the processed vegetable oil is esterified with methanol in the presence of sodium hydroxide.

15. The emulsion drilling fluid of claim 12 , wherein the fatty acid alkyl esters of the third mixture are hydrolyzed by reaction with an aqueous hydroxide solution.

16. The emulsion drilling fluid of claim 12 , wherein the emulsion drilling fluid is a direct emulsion and comprises:
the aqueous base fluid in an amount of from 50 wt. % to 95 wt. %, based on the total weight of the emulsion drilling fluid; and
the non-aqueous base fluid in an amount of from 5 wt. % to 50 wt. %, based on the total weight of the emulsion drilling fluid.

17. The emulsion drilling fluid of claim 12 , wherein the emulsion drilling fluid is an invert emulsion and comprises:
the aqueous base fluid in an amount of from 5 wt. % to 50 wt. %, based on the total weight of the emulsion drilling fluid; and
the non-aqueous base fluid in an amount of from 50 wt. % to 95 wt. %, based on the total weight of the emulsion drilling fluid.

18. The emulsion drilling fluid of claim 12 , further comprising one or more additives in an amount of from 0.1 wt. % to 75 wt. %.

Assignees

• Saudi Arabian Oil Co

Inventors

• Ramasamy Jothibasu
• Amanullah Md

Classifications

• C11C1/02

  from fats or fatty oils · CPC title

• C11C3/003

  by esterification of fatty acids with alcohols (C11C3/02 takes precedence) · CPC title

• C09K8/36

  Water-in-oil emulsions · CPC title

• C11C3/04

  by esterification of fats or fatty oils · CPC title

• C09K8/28 Primary

  containing organic additives · CPC title