Synergistic H2S/mercaptan scavengers using glyoxal

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9260669-B2
Application number	US-201213408657-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 29, 2012
Priority date	Mar 24, 2011
Publication date	Feb 16, 2016
Grant date	Feb 16, 2016

Abstract

The use of neutral aqueous solutions of glyoxal (pH approximately 6 to 8.5) scavenges H 2 S that is present in natural gas and in oil better than glyoxal alone or base alone. The resulting scavenger combination significantly increases the reaction rate and the overall scavenging efficiency, i.e. capacity over glyoxal used alone. A buffer may be optionally used. In another embodiment, the combination of non-nitrogen-containing surfactants and glyoxal results in a significant increase in the reaction rate and the overall scavenging efficiency, i.e. capacity as compared to glyoxal used alone.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for scavenging hydrogen sulfide and/or mercaptans from a fluid selected from the group consisting of an aqueous phase, a gaseous phase, a hydrocarbon phase and mixtures thereof, the method comprising contacting the fluid with a composition in an effective amount for synergistically scavenging hydrogen sulfide and/or mercaptans, where the composition consists of:
at least one dialdehyde,
at least one base and
at least one non-nitrogen-containing surfactant; and
optionally a buffer, and optionally a solvent;

where synergistically scavenging is defined as the amount of hydrogen sulfide and/or mercaptans scavenged is greater as compared with a composition having a greater amount of dialdehyde where the second component is absent.

2. The method of claim 1 where:
the dialdehyde is selected from the group consisting of glyoxal, malondialdehyde, succindialdehyde, glutaraldehyde and combinations thereof;
the base is selected from the group consisting of NaOH, KOH, Ba(OH) 2 , CsOH, Sr(OH) 2 , Ca(OH) 2 , NH 4 OH, LiOH, and combinations thereof; and
the non-nitrogen-containing surfactant is selected from the group consisting of alkoxylated alkyl alcohols and salts thereof and alkoxylated alkyl phenols and salts thereof, alkyl and aryl sulfonates, sulfates, phosphates, carboxylates, polyoxyalkyl glycols, fatty alcohols, polyoxyethylene glycol sorbitan alkyl esters, sorbitan alkyl esters, polysorbates, glucosides and combinations thereof.

3. The method of claim 1 where the composition has a pH in the range from about 6 to about 8.5.

4. The method of claim 1 where the weight ratio of base to dialdehyde ranges from about 25/75 to about 5/95, where the dialdehyde is in a 40 wt % aqueous solution.

5. The method of claim 1 where the composition consists of a buffer selected from the group consisting of sodium bicarbonate, potassium bicarbonate, calcium bicarbonate, ammonium bicarbonate, disodium phosphate, sodium acetate and combinations thereof.

6. The method of claim 5 where in the composition: the wt % of dialdehyde ranges from about 10 to about 90 (40 wt % aqueous solution), the wt % of buffer ranges from about 1 to about 5, and the amount of base is effective so that the composition has a pH in the range from about 6 to about 8.5.

7. The method of claim 1 where the composition is present in the fluid in a concentration from about 10 to about 10,000 ppm.

8. The method of claim 7 where the method is practiced in a refinery.

9. The method of claim 7 where the method is practiced in upstream production.

10. The method of claim 1 where the weight ratio of non-nitrogen-containing surfactant to dialdehyde ranges from about 40/60 to 0.1/99.9, where the dialdehyde is in a 40 wt % aqueous solution.

11. The method of claim 1 where in the composition: the wt % of dialdehyde ranges from about 10 to about 90 (40 wt % aqueous solution), and the wt % of non-nitrogen-containing surfactant ranges from about 0.01 to about 20.

12. The method of claim 1 where the composition comprises an amount of a base effective so that the pH of the composition is in the range from about 6 to about 8.5.

13. The method of claim 12 where the weight ratio of base to dialdehyde ranges from about 15/85 to about 0.1/99.9, where the dialdehyde is in a 40 wt % aqueous solution.

14. The method of claim 12 where the composition consists of a buffer selected from the group consisting of sodium bicarbonate, potassium bicarbonate, calcium bicarbonate, ammonium bicarbonate, disodium phosphate, sodium acetate and combinations thereof.

15. The method of claim 14 where in the composition: the wt % of dialdehyde ranges from about 10 to about 90 (40 wt % aqueous solution), the wt % of buffer ranges from about 1 to about 5, and the amount of base is effective so that the composition has a pH in the range from about 6 to about 8.5.

16. A method for scavenging hydrogen sulfide and/or mercaptans from a fluid selected from the group consisting of an aqueous phase, a gaseous phase, a hydrocarbon phase and mixtures thereof, the method comprising contacting the fluid with a composition in an effective amount for synergistically scavenging hydrogen sulfide and/or mercaptans, where the composition consists of:
at least one dialdehyde, at least one base, and at least one non-nitrogen-containing surfactant;
and optionally a buffer, and optionally a solvent;
where synergistically scavenging is defined as the amount of hydrogen sulfide and/or mercaptans scavenged is greater as compared with a composition having a greater amount of dialdehyde where the base is absent;
and where the composition has a pH in the range from about 6 to about 8.5, and where:
the dialdehyde is selected from the group consisting of glyoxal, malondialdehyde, succindialdehyde, glutaraldehyde and combinations thereof; the base is selected from the group consisting of NaOH, KOH, Ba(OH)2, CsOH, Sr(OH)2, Ca(OH)2, NH4OH, LiOH, and combinations thereof; and the non-nitrogen-containing surfactant is selected from the group consisting of alkoxylated alkyl alcohols and salts thereof and alkoxylated alkyl phenols and salts thereof, alkyl and aryl sulfonates, sulfates, phosphates, carboxylates, polyoxyalkyl glycols, fatty alcohols, polyoxyethylene glycol sorbitan alkyl esters, sorbitan alkyl esters, polysorbates, glucosides and combinations thereof.

17. The method of claim 1 where the composition consists of a solvent selected from the group consisting of water, an alcohol, a glycol, and combinations thereof.

18. The method of claim 6 where the composition consists of a solvent selected from the group consisting of water, an alcohol, a glycol, and combinations thereof.

Assignees

• Ramachandran Sunder
• Jovancicevic Vladimir
• Cattanach Kyle C
• Squicciarini Michael P
• Baker Hughes Inc

Inventors

• Ramachandran Sunder
• Jovancicevic Vladimir
• Cattanach Kyle C
• Squicciarini Michael P

Classifications

• C10G29/20

  Organic compounds not containing metal atoms · CPC title

• C10G29/22

  containing oxygen as the only hetero atom · CPC title

• C10G29/24 Primary

  Aldehydes or ketones · CPC title

• C09K2208/20

  Hydrogen sulfide elimination · CPC title

• C10G19/02

  with aqueous alkaline solutions · CPC title