Processing produced fluids for fluid recovery

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11384272-B2
Application number	US-202016928031-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 14, 2020
Priority date	Aug 5, 2019
Publication date	Jul 12, 2022
Grant date	Jul 12, 2022

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to methods for adding a recirculation chemical composition to a hydrocarbon containing stream. The recirculation chemical composition may be an emulsion breaker. The hydrocarbon containing stream may be separated into a stream containing water and a stream containing oil. The stream containing oil may be contacted in a water wash unit, and the residual emulsion breaker may be removed from the stream containing oil.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method comprising:
adding a recirculation chemical composition to a hydrocarbon containing stream, wherein the recirculation chemical composition is an emulsion breaker, the hydrocarbon containing stream in fluid communication with a well;
separating the hydrocarbon containing stream into a stream containing water and a stream containing oil;
contacting the stream containing oil in a water wash unit; and
removing residual emulsion breaker from the stream containing oil.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising contacting the hydrocarbon containing stream for up to 30 minutes prior to separating the hydrocarbon containing stream into the stream containing water and a stream containing oil.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising recirculating the stream containing water.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising recirculating the stream containing oil.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising recirculating the stream containing water and the stream containing oil.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the residual emulsion breaker is removed in an amount of about 45% to about 77%.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the method is accomplished with existing facility equipment.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the method is accomplished with temporary vessels.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the recirculation chemical composition comprises at least one additive selected from the group consisting of acid catalyzed phenol-acid formaldehyde resins, base catalyzed phenol-formaldehyde resins, epoxy resins, polyethyleneimines, polyamines, di-epoxides, polyols, and combinations thereof.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the hydrocarbon containing stream comprises a viscosified treatment fluid.

11. The method of claim 1 , wherein the hydrocarbon containing stream is a water-in-oil emulsion.

12. The method of claim 1 , wherein the recirculation chemical composition is added at a concentration of about 5 ppm to 200 ppm to the water.

13. The method of claim 1 , wherein the separating the hydrocarbon containing stream comprises gravity separation, enhanced gravity separation, electrocoalescence separation, flotation separation, heat accelerated coalescence separation, flocculation separation, simple gravity separation, or combinations thereof.

14. The method of claim 1 , wherein separating the hydrocarbon containing stream comprises at least one separation vessel selected from the group consisting of free water knock-out vessels, electrostatic coalescers, heater treaters, desalters, flotation units, corrugated plate interceptors, hydrocyclones, centrifudges, and combinations thereof.

15. The method of claim 4 , wherein a portion of the stream containing oil is drawn off as an oil product stream after contacting in the water wash unit and before recirculating a remainder of the stream containing oil.

16. The method of claim 9 , wherein the additive is present in a concentration of about 5 ppm to about 200 ppm of the recirculated chemical composition.

17. The method of claim 1 wherein the recirculation chemical composition is added at a load of about 0.25% to about 2.0% of the hydrocarbon containing stream.

18. The method of claim 1 , wherein the residual emulsion breaker is removed in an amount of about 41% to about 80%.

19. The method of claim 1 , further comprising applying a hydrogen sulfide scavenger through an in-line injection system to disperse the hydrogen sulfide scavenger into the hydrocarbon containing stream.

20. The method of claim 19 , wherein the hydrogen sulfide scavenger is selected from the group consisting of triazine scavengers, solid scavengers, oxidizing chemicals, aldehydes, metal carboxylates and chelates, and combinations thereof.

Assignees

• Multi Chem Group Llc

Inventors

• Horner Stephen John
• Bosch Ronald Oliver

Classifications

• C09K8/36

  Water-in-oil emulsions · CPC title

• C09K2208/20

  Hydrogen sulfide elimination · CPC title

• C09K2208/26

  Gel breakers other than bacteria or enzymes · CPC title

• C09K8/602

  containing surfactants · CPC title

• C09K8/532 Primary

  Sulfur · CPC title