Methods of using olefin sulfonates

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12012549-B2
Application number	US-202017770559-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 30, 2020
Priority date	Oct 31, 2019
Publication date	Jun 18, 2024
Grant date	Jun 18, 2024

Abstract

The present disclosure is directed to surfactants (in particular olefin sulfonates), surfactant packages, compositions derived thereof, and uses thereof in hydrocarbon recovery. Methods of making olefin sulfonate surfactants are also described.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method for performing an operation a subterranean formation, the method comprising:
introducing an aqueous fluid comprising water and a surfactant package through a wellbore to contact the subterranean formation;
wherein the surfactant package comprises an olefin sulfonate;
wherein the olefin sulfonate is a propylene oligomer comprising one or more sulfonate groups, and
wherein the propylene oligomer has an average total branching of about 3 to about 15 per molecule.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the aqueous fluid has a maximum particle size of less than 0.1 micrometers in diameter in particle size distribution measurements performed at a temperature and salinity of the subterranean formation.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the method comprises a method for stimulating the subterranean formation that comprises:
(a) injecting the aqueous fluid through the wellbore into the subterranean formation;
(b) allowing the aqueous fluid to imbibe into a rock matrix of the subterranean formation for a period of time; and
(c) producing fluids from the subterranean formation through the wellbore.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein the method remediates near wellbore damage.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the method comprises a method for fracturing the subterranean formation that comprises:
(a) injecting the aqueous fluid into the subterranean formation through the wellbore at a sufficient pressure to create or extend at least one fracture in a rock matrix of the subterranean formation in fluid communication with the wellbore.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the wellbore comprises an injection wellbore, and wherein the method comprises a method for hydrocarbon recovery that comprises:
(a) injecting the aqueous fluid through the injection wellbore into the subterranean formation; and
(b) producing fluids from a production wellbore spaced apart from the injection wellbore a predetermined distance and in fluid communication with the subterranean formation;

wherein injection of the aqueous fluid increases a flow of hydrocarbons to the production wellbore.

7. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
adding a tracer to the aqueous fluid prior to introducing the aqueous fluid through the wellbore into the subterranean formation;
recovering the tracer from fluids produced from the subterranean formation through the wellbore, fluids recovered from a different wellbore in fluid communication with the subterranean formation, or any combination thereof; and
comparing the quantity of tracer recovered from the fluids produced to the quantity of tracer introduced.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the aqueous fluid is a single-phase fluid.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the aqueous fluid comprises a foam.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the water comprises at least 10 ppm of divalent metal ions chosen from Ca 2+ , Mg 2+ , Sr 2+ , Ba 2+ , and any combination thereof.

11. The method of claim 1 , wherein the aqueous fluid further comprises a viscosity-modifying polymer, a friction reducer, a gelling agent, a crosslinker, a breaker, a pH adjusting agent, a non-emulsifier agent, an iron control agent, a corrosion inhibitor, a scale inhibitor, a biocide, a clay stabilizing agent, wettability alteration chemical, or any combination thereof.

12. The method of claim 1 , wherein the aqueous fluid further comprises a borate-acid buffer.

13. The method of claim 1 , wherein the aqueous fluid comprises slickwater.

14. The method of claim 1 , wherein the aqueous fluid has a total surfactant concentration of from 0.01% to 5% by weight, based on the total weight of the aqueous fluid.

15. The method of claim 1 , wherein the surfactant package comprises:
the olefin sulfonate; and
one or more secondary surfactants comprising:
a non-ionic surfactant comprising a branched or unbranched C6-C32:PO(0-65):EO(0-100), such as a branched or unbranched C6-C30:PO(30-40):EO(25-35), a branched or unbranched C6-C12:PO(30-40):EO(25-35), or a branched or unbranched C6-C30:EO(8-30);
an anionic surfactant comprising a sulfonate, a disulfonate, a sulfate, a disulfate, a sulfosuccinate, a disulfosuccinate, a carboxylate, a dicarboxylate, or any combination thereof;
a cationic surfactant;
a zwitterionic surfactant;
or any combination thereof.

16. The method of claim 1 , wherein the surfactant package comprises:
a primary surfactant comprising:
a non-ionic surfactant comprising a branched or unbranched C6-C32:PO(0-65):EO(0-110), such as a branched or unbranched C6-C30:PO(30-40):EO(25-35), a branched or unbranched C6-C12:PO(30-40):EO(25-35), or a branched or unbranched C6-C30:EO(8-30);
an anionic surfactant comprising a sulfonate, a disulfonate, a sulfate, a disulfate, a sulfosuccinate, a disulfosuccinate, a carboxylate, a dicarboxylate, or any combination thereof;
a cationic surfactant;
a zwitterionic surfactant;
or any combination thereof; and
one or more secondary surfactants comprising the olefin sulfonate and one or more additional surfactants.

17. The method of claim 1 , wherein the propylene oligomer is a propylene tetramer, a propylene pentamer, a dimer of a propylene tetramer, a dimer of a propylene pentamer, or any combination thereof.

18. The method of claim 1 , wherein the propylene oligomer has an average carbon number of from 9 to 50.

19. The method of claim 1 , wherein the average total branching is between about 3 to about 10.

20. The method of claim 1 , wherein the average total branching is a sum of average total aliphatic branching and average total olefinic branching as determined by nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy.

Assignees

• Chevron Oronite Co
• Chevron Usa Inc
• Chevron Usa Inc

Inventors

• Dwarakanath Varadarajan
• Pinnawala Gayani W
• Thomas Andrew M
• Campbell Curtis B
• Davidson Andrew M
• Wang Ping

Classifications

• C09K8/703

  Foams · CPC title

• C09K8/604

  Polymeric surfactants · CPC title

• E21B43/16

  Enhanced recovery methods for obtaining hydrocarbons · CPC title

• C09K8/882

  obtained by reactions only involving carbon-to-carbon unsaturated bonds · CPC title

• C09K8/68 Primary

  containing organic compounds · CPC title