Process for extracting mineral oil using surfactants based on butylene oxide-containing alkyl alkoxylates

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9751905-B2
Application number	US-201314081027-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 15, 2013
Priority date	Mar 10, 2010
Publication date	Sep 5, 2017
Grant date	Sep 5, 2017

Abstract

A surfactant and a surfactant formulation comprising at least one ionic surfactant of the general formula R 1 —O-(D) n -(B) m -(A) l -XY − M + where R 1 is a linear or branched, saturated or unsaturated, aliphatic and/or aromatic hydrocarbon radical having 8 to 30 carbon atoms, A is ethyleneoxy, B is propyleneoxy, and D is butyleneoxy, l is from 0 to 99, m is from 0 to 99 and n is from 1 to 99, X is an alkyl or alkylene group having 0 to 10 carbon atoms, M + is a cation, and Y − is selected from the group of sulfate groups, sulfonate groups, carboxylate groups and phosphate groups.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An aqueous surfactant formulation comprising at least one ionic surfactant of the general formula
R 1 —O-(D) n -(B) m -(A) l -XY − M + , where

R 1 is selected from: iso-C 17 H 35 ; a fatty alcohol mixture with linear C 16 H 33 and C 18 H 37 alkyl chains; derived from a C 16 Guerbet alcohol, 2-hexyldecan-1-ol; derived from a C 24 Guerbet alcohol, 2-decyltetradecanol; or derived from a C 28 Guerbet alcohol, 2-dodecylhexadecanol,
A is ethyleneoxy,
B is propyleneoxy, and
D is butyleneoxy,
l is from 0 to 99,
m is from 5 to 9, and
n is from 2 to 10,
X is an alkyl or alkylene group having 0 to 10 carbon atoms,
M + is a cation, and
Y − is selected from the group consisting of sulfate groups, sulfonate groups, carboxylate groups and phosphate groups, where
the A, B and D groups are in the form of two, three, four or more blocks beginning at the alcohol with the sequence D-B-A, the sum of l+m+n is in the range from 7 to 99 and the proportion of 1,2-butylene oxide, based on the total amount of butylene oxide, is at least 80%.

2. The surfactant formulation according to claim 1 , wherein
Y − is selected from the group of sulfate groups, sulfonate groups, and carboxylate groups, where
the A, B and D groups are present to an extent of more than 80% in block form, the sum of l+m+n is in the range from 7 to 49, and the proportion of 1,2-butylene oxide, based on the total amount of butylene oxide in the molecule, is at least 90%.

3. The surfactant formulation according to claim 2 , wherein R 1 is a linear fatty alcohol having 16 or 18 carbon atoms and n is from 3 to 10.

4. The surfactant formulation according to claim 1 , wherein the concentration of all surfactants together is 0.05 to 5% by weight, based on the total amount of the aqueous surfactant formulation.

5. A surfactant of the general formula
R 1 —O-(D) n -(B) m -(A) l -XY − M + , where

R 1 is selected from: iso-C 17 H 35 ; a fatty alcohol mixture with linear C 16 H 33 and C 18 H 37 alkyl chains; derived from a C 16 Guerbet alcohol, 2-hexyldecan-1-ol; derived from a C 24 Guerbet alcohol, 2-decyltetradecanol; or derived from a C 28 Guerbet alcohol, 2-dodecylhexadecanol,
A is ethyleneoxy,
B is propyleneoxy, and
D is butyleneoxy,
l is from 0 to 99,
m is from 5 to 9 and
n is from 2 to 10,
X is an alkyl or alkylene group having 0 to 10 carbon atoms,
M + is a cation, and
Y − is selected from the group consisting of sulfate groups, sulfonate groups, carboxylate groups and phosphate groups, where
the A, B and D groups are in the form of two, three, four or more blocks beginning at the alcohol with the sequence D-B-A, the sum of l+m+n is in the range from 7 to 99 and the proportion of 1,2-butylene oxide, based on the total amount of butylene oxide, is at least 80%.

6. The surfactant according to claim 5 , wherein the sum of l+m+n is in the range from 7 to 49.

7. The surfactant according to claim 5 , Wherein the proportion of 1,2-butylene oxide, based on the total amount of butylene oxide, is at least 90%.

8. The surfactant according to claim 5 , wherein
R 1 is a fatty alcohol mixture with linear C 16 H 33 and C 18 H 37 alkyl chains,
n is from 3 to 10, and
Y − is selected from the group consisting of sulfate groups, sulfonate groups, and carboxylate groups, where the A, B and D groups are present to an extent of more than 80% in block form, the sum of l+m+n is in the range from 7 to 49, and the proportion of 1,2-butylene oxide, based on the total amount of butylene oxide in the molecule, is at least 90%.

9. The surfactant according to claim 5 , wherein R 1 is a linear fatty alcohol having 16 or 18 carbon atoms and n is from 3 to 10.

10. The surfactant according to claim 5 , wherein R 1 is a linear fatty alcohol having 16 or 18 carbon atoms and the surfactant is selected from the group consisting of
R 1 O-D 2 -B 7 —XY − M + ,

R 1 O-D 3 -B 7 —XY − M + ,

R 1 O-D 5 -B 7 —XY − M + , and

R 1 O-D 7 -B 7 A 10 -XY − M + .

11. The surfactant according to claim 5 , wherein R 1 is a C 16 Guerbet alcohol, 2-hexyldecan-1-ol.

Assignees

• Basf Se

Inventors

• Bittner Christian
• OETTER Günter
• Tinsley Jack
• Spindler Christian
• Alvarez-Juergenson Gabriela
• Vogel Sophie

Classifications

• C09K8/584

  characterised by the use of specific surfactants · CPC title

• C07F9/46 Primary

  Phosphinous acids [R2POH], [R2P(= O)H]: Thiophosphinous acids {including[R2PSH]; [R2P(=S)H]; Aminophosphines [R2PNH2]; Derivatives thereof} · CPC title

• C07C305/06 Primary

  Hydrogenosulfates · CPC title

• B01F17/0021

  Operations & Transport · mapped topic

• C09K23/42

  Ethers, e.g. polyglycol ethers of alcohols or phenols · CPC title