Polyanionic surfactants and methods of making and using thereof

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12577451-B2
Application number	US-202117920979-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 26, 2021
Priority date	Apr 24, 2020
Publication date	Mar 17, 2026
Grant date	Mar 17, 2026

Abstract

The present disclosure is directed to polyanionic surfactants, surfactant mixtures, compositions derived thereof, and uses thereof in hydrocarbon recovery. Methods of making polyanionic surfactants are also described.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1 . A surfactant defined by Formula I below

or a salt thereof, wherein
HG represents a head group comprising a sulfonate moiety or a sulfate moiety;
R 1 represents a C7-C28 alkyl group, a C7-C28 alkylaryl group, a C7-C28 alkenyl group, or a C7-C28 alkenylaryl group,
wherein each R 1 group is substituted with from 1 to 3 pendant polycarboxylate moieties, and
wherein each R 1 group is optionally substituted with from 1 to 3 substituents selected from sulfonate moieties, hydroxy, alkoxy, or any combination thereof;
n is an integer from 1 to 8;
AO represents, individually for each occurrence, an alkyleneoxy group selected from an ethoxy group, a propoxy group, or a butoxy group; and
w is an integer from 1 to 110.

2 . The surfactant of claim 1 , wherein AO represents, individually for each occurrence, an alkyleneoxy group selected from an ethoxy group or a propoxy group.

3 . The surfactant of claim 1 , wherein w is an integer from 20 to 110.

4 . The surfactant of claim 1 , wherein & is defined by the formula below

w

(

q
+
n

)

=
ε

wherein
w and n are as defined above in Formula I; and
q is an integer equal to the number of carbon atoms in R 1 ; and
wherein ε is from 0.5 to 6.

5 . The surfactant of claim 1 , wherein the head group is defined by the formula below

or a salt thereof, where m is an integer from 1 to 6.

6 . The surfactant of claim 1 , wherein the head group is defined by the formula below

or a salt thereof, where m is an integer from 1 to 6.

7 . The surfactant of claim 1 , wherein each of the pendant polycarboxylate moieties comprises a pendant bicarboxylate moiety.

8 . The surfactant of claim 1 , wherein each of the pendant polycarboxylate moieties is defined by the formula below

or a salt thereof.

9 . The surfactant of claim 1 , where R 1 comprises a sulfonate moiety and a pendant polycarboxylate moiety.

10 . The surfactant of claim 1 , where R 1 comprises one of the following

or a salt thereof, wherein
one of D 1 and D 2 is a sulfonate group and one of D 1 and D 2 is hydrogen;
one of E 1 and E 2 is a sulfonate group and one of E 1 and E 2 is hydroxy;
a is an integer from 0 to 32; and
b is an integer from 0 to 32,
with the proviso that the sum of a and b is from 4 to 32.

11 . The surfactant of claim 1 , wherein the surfactant is defined by Formula IA below

or a salt thereof, wherein
HG represents a head group comprising a sulfonate moiety or a sulfate moiety;
n is an integer from 1 to 8;
R 1 represents a C7-C28 alkyl group, a C7-C28 alkylaryl group, a C7-C28 alkenyl group, or a C7-C28 alkenylaryl group,
wherein each R 1 group is substituted with from 1 to 3 pendant polycarboxylate moieties, and
wherein each R 1 group is optionally substituted with from 1 to 3 substituents selected from sulfonate moieties, hydroxy, alkoxy, or any combination thereof;
BO represents a butyleneoxy group;
PO represents a propyleneoxy group;
EO represents an ethyleneoxy group;
x is an integer from 1 to 65;
y is an integer from 0 to 65; and
z is an integer from 0 to 45.

12 . The surfactant of claim 11 , wherein z is 0.

13 . The surfactant of claim 11 , wherein x is from 5 to 50.

14 . The surfactant of claim 11 , wherein y is from 5 to 45.

15 . The surfactant of claim 11 , wherein the ratio of x:(y+z) is from 0.5:1 to 2:1.

16 . The surfactant of claim 11 , wherein y is 0 and z is 0.

17 . An aqueous composition comprising water and a surfactant defined by claim 1 .

18 . A method for treating a subterranean formation, the method comprising
introducing an aqueous fluid comprising water and a surfactant defined by claim 1 through a wellbore into the subterranean formation.

Assignees

• Chevron Usa Inc

Inventors

• Pinnawala Gayani W
• Palayangoda Sujeewa S
• Winslow Gregory A
• Dwarakanath Varadarajan
• Spilker Kerry Kennedy
• Shong Robert George

Classifications

• E21B43/26

  by forming crevices or fractures · CPC title

• E21B43/16

  Enhanced recovery methods for obtaining hydrocarbons · CPC title

• C09K8/68

  containing organic compounds · CPC title

• C09K8/604

  Polymeric surfactants · CPC title

• C09K8/588

  characterised by the use of specific polymers {(polymeric surfactants C09K8/584)} · CPC title