Methods of recycling oil from a direct phase emulsion

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11739246-B2
Application number	US-201917254884-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 1, 2019
Priority date	Jun 29, 2018
Publication date	Aug 29, 2023
Grant date	Aug 29, 2023

Abstract

A method of recycling a direct emulsion wellbore fluid may include disrupting a direct emulsion comprising an aqueous external phase and an oleaginous internal phase, wherein the direct emulsion is stabilized by a surfactant composition; and separating the aqueous phase and the oleaginous phase.

First claim

What is claimed:

1. A method of recycling a direct emulsion wellbore fluid, the method comprising:
disrupting a direct emulsion comprising an aqueous external phase and an oleaginous internal phase, wherein the direct emulsion is stabilized by a surfactant composition; and
separating the aqueous phase and the oleaginous phase;
wherein disrupting the direct emulsion comprises adding an invert emulsifier;

further comprising:
formulating an invert emulsion wellbore fluid from the oleaginous phase comprising the invert emulsifier.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the surfactant composition comprises a phospholipid surfactant.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the separated oleaginous phase comprises less than 1 vol % of aqueous impurities.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein disrupting the direct emulsion comprises increasing the pH of the direct emulsion to a pH equal to or greater than 10.

5. The method of claim 4 , further comprising neutralizing the aqueous phase prior to reuse.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the separated oleaginous phase is used to formulate a direct emulsion wellbore fluid.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the separated oleaginous phase is used to formulate an invert emulsion wellbore fluid.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the separated oleaginous phase comprises the invert emulsifier.

9. The method of claim 2 , wherein the phospholipid surfactant has the general formula:

where R and R′ are C 6 to C 25 hydrocarbon groups and A is any suitable anion.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the surfactant composition further comprises a viscosifying agent.

11. The method of claim 1 , wherein the amount of oleaginous internal phase is from about 15% to about 50% by volume of the fluid.

12. The method of claim 1 , wherein the amount of aqueous external phase is from about 50% to about 85% by volume of the wellbore fluid.

Assignees

• Mi Llc
• Schlumberger Technology Corp

Inventors

• Zhang Hui
• Smith Jeremy
• Wei Xia
• Huang Weiqing
• Young Steven Philip

Classifications

• E21B43/34

  Arrangements for separating materials produced by the well · CPC title

• C09K8/26 Primary

  Oil-in-water emulsions · CPC title

• B01D17/047

  with separation aids · CPC title

• C09K8/035 Primary

  Organic additives · CPC title

• C09K2208/30

  Viscoelastic surfactants [VES] · CPC title