Mobilization of heavy oil

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9550936-B2
Application number	US-201213569642-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 8, 2012
Priority date	Aug 8, 2012
Publication date	Jan 24, 2017
Grant date	Jan 24, 2017

Abstract

A process for increasing mobility of heavy oil includes: disposing a solvating composition comprising a paraffinic solvent and a multifunctional solvent in a heavy oil environment including a heavy oil, the heavy oil comprising asphaltene; contacting the heavy oil with the solvating composition; and stabilizing asphaltene in the heavy oil with the solvating composition to increase mobility of the heavy oil and to form a stabilized heavy oil which includes the heavy oil and solvating composition. A method for making stabilized heavy oil includes separating resin from an oil; combining the resin and a paraffinic solvent to form a solvating composition; disposing the solvating composition in a heavy oil environment which includes heavy oil comprising asphaltene; and contacting the asphaltene with the solvating composition to make stabilized heavy oil, wherein the stabilized heavy oil comprises the solvating composition and heavy oil.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for increasing mobility of heavy oil, the method comprising:
disposing a solvating composition comprising a paraffinic solvent and a multifunctional solvent in a heavy oil environment including a heavy oil, the heavy oil comprising asphaltene;
contacting the heavy oil with the solvating composition; and stabilizing asphaltene in the heavy oil with the solvating composition to increase mobility of the heavy oil and to form a stabilized heavy oil which includes the heavy oil and solvating composition;
wherein the multifunctional solvent comprises an ionic liquid and a surfactant different from the ionic liquid, and
wherein the ionic liquid comprises one or more of the following cations: pyrazolium; piperidinium; sulfonium; morpholinium; indolium; thiazolium; benzothiazolium; or cyclopropenylium.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising removing the stabilized heavy oil from the heavy oil environment.

3. The method of claim 2 , further comprising recycling the solvating composition after removing the stabilized oil from the heavy oil environment.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein recycling comprises separating the paraffinic solvent from the stabilized heavy oil.

5. The method of claim 3 , wherein recycling the solvating composition comprises separating the multifunctional solvent from the stabilized heavy oil.

6. The method of claim 3 , wherein recycling the solvating composition comprises removing the asphaltene from the stabilized heavy oil.

7. The method of claim 6 , wherein removing the asphaltene from the stabilized heavy oil comprises:
heating the stabilized heavy oil to evaporate the paraffinic solvent from the stabilized heavy oil;
decreasing a pressure of the stabilized heavy oil;
precipitating the asphaltene; or
a combination comprising at least one of the foregoing.

8. The method of claim 7 , wherein precipitating the asphaltene comprises:
pressurizing the stabilized heavy oil;
introducing additional paraffinic solvent to the stabilized heavy oil;
decreasing a pressure of the stabilized heavy oil below the bubble point of an alkane in the paraffinic solvent;
cooling the stabilized heavy oil; or
a combination comprising at least one of the foregoing.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein stabilizing asphaltene in the heavy oil comprises maintaining the asphaltene at a concentration lower than a critical micelle concentration.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the multifunctional solvent further comprises a resin.

11. The method of claim 1 , wherein the paraffinic solvent comprises a C1 to C12 alkane, C1 to C12 alkene, or a combination comprising at least one of the foregoing; and
the surfactant comprises a fatty acid.

12. The method of claim 1 , wherein the solvating composition further comprises an auxiliary solvent which includes an aromatic solvent.

13. The method of claim 12 , wherein the aromatic solvent includes toluene, pyridine, nitrobenzene, t-butyl benzene, cumene, xylene, ethylbenzene, tetrahydrofuran, trichloroethane, or a combination comprising at least one of the foregoing.

14. The method of claim 1 , wherein the solvating composition does not include an aryl phosphonate, aryl sulfate, aryl sulfonate, aryl sulfone, aryl carboxylate, or a combination comprising at least one of the foregoing.

15. The method of claim 1 , wherein a ratio of the heavy oil to the solvating composition is 50:1 to 0.1:1, based on the volume of the heavy oil.

16. The method of claim 1 , wherein a ratio of the paraffinic solvent to the multifunctional solvent in the solvating composition is 10:1 to 1:10, based on a volume of the solvating composition.

17. The method of claim 1 , wherein the heavy oil environment comprises vessel, reservoir, borehole, processing facility, downhole, refinery, pre-refinery facility, production zone, formation, tubular, reactor, or a combination comprising at least one of the foregoing.

18. The method of claim 1 , wherein a viscosity of the stabilized heavy oil is less than that of the heavy oil before contacting with the solvating composition.

19. The method of claim 1 , wherein the stabilized heavy oil has an API gravity which is greater than that of the heavy oil before contacting with the solvating composition.

20. The method of claim 1 , wherein the ionic liquid comprises one or more of the following: 1-butyl-1-methylpiperidinium bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide; 1,2,3-tris(diethylamino)cyclopropenylium dicyanamide; benzothiazolium methanesulfonate; benzothiazolium trifluoromethanesulfonate; benzothiazolium p-toluenesulfonate; or 2,3,3-trimethyl-1-propyl-3H-indolium iodide.

21. The method of claim 1 , wherein the surfactant different from the ionic liquid is one or more of the following: an anionic surfactant;
cationic surfactant; zwitterionic surfactant; or non-ionic surfactant.

22. A method for increasing mobility of heavy oil, the method comprising:
disposing a solvating composition comprising a paraffinic solvent and a multifunctional solvent in a heavy oil environment including a heavy oil, the heavy oil comprising asphaltene;
contacting the heavy oil with the solvating composition; and stabilizing asphaltene in the heavy oil with the solvating composition to increase mobility of the heavy oil and to form a stabilized heavy oil which includes the heavy oil and solvating composition;
wherein the multifunctional solvent comprises an ionic liquid and a resin extracted from an oil obtained from an earth formation or deposit; and
wherein the ionic liquid comprises one or more of the following cations: pyrazolium; piperidinium; sulfonium; morpholinium; indolium; thiazolium; benzothiazolium; or cyclopropenylium.

23. The method of claim 22 , wherein the resin is extracted from a heavy oil.

24. The method of claim 22 , wherein the multifunctional solvent further comprises a surfactant different from the ionic liquid.

25. The method of claim 22 , wherein the ionic liquid comprises one or more of the following: 1-butyl-1-methylpiperidinium bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide; 1,2,3-tris(diethylamino)cyclopropenylium dicyanamide; benzothiazolium methanesulfonate; benzothiazolium trifluoromethanesulfonate; benzothiazolium p-toluenesulfonate; or 2,3,3-trimethyl-1-propyl-3H-indolium iodide.

Assignees

• Mazyar Oleg A
• Johnson Michael H
• Baker Hughes Inc

Inventors

• Mazyar Oleg A
• Johnson Michael H

Classifications

• C09K8/58 Primary

  Compositions for enhanced recovery methods for obtaining hydrocarbons, i.e. for improving the mobility of the oil, e.g. displacing fluids · CPC title

• Y10T137/0391

  Affecting flow by the addition of material or energy · CPC title

• F17D1/17

  by mixing with another liquid {, i.e. diluting} · CPC title

• E21B43/16

  Enhanced recovery methods for obtaining hydrocarbons · CPC title

• C09K8/594

  Compositions used in combination with injected gas {, e.g. CO2 orcarbonated gas}(C09K8/592 takes precedence) · CPC title