Alkoxy carboxylate surfactants

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9783729-B2
Application number	US-201414281592-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 19, 2014
Priority date	Aug 27, 2010
Publication date	Oct 10, 2017
Grant date	Oct 10, 2017

Abstract

Provided herein are inter alia novel compositions and methods having application in a variety of fields including the field of enhanced oil recovery, the cleaning industry as well as groundwater remediation. In particular, the alkoxy carboxylate compounds and mixtures thereof presented herein can be used, inter alia, for the recovery of a large range of crude oil compositions from challenging reservoirs.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for hydrocarbon recovery comprising:
(i) injecting an aqueous composition into a hydrocarbon reservoir to form a mixture, wherein the aqueous composition comprising an alkali and a compound having the formula:

wherein
R 1 is linear unsubstituted C 24 -C 100 alkyl, a branched C 24 -C 100 alkyl derived from Guerbet alcohol formed from dimerization of two linear unsubstituded alcohols, or a substituent defined by formula (V)

wherein;
R 5 is independently an R 6 -substituted or unsubstituted C 1 -C 50 alkyl, R 6 -substituted or unsubstituted aryl or R 6 -substituted or unsubstituted cycloalkyl;
R 6 is independently R 7 -substituted or unsubstituted C 1 -C 50 alkyl, R 7 -substituted or unsubstituted aryl or R 7 -substituted or unsubstituted cycloalkyl;
R 7 is independently R 8 - substituted or unsubstituted C 1 -C 50 alkyl, R 8 -substituted or unsubstituted aryl or R 8 -substituted or unsubstituted cycloalkyl;
R 8 is independently R 9 -substituted or unsubstituted C 1 -C 50 alkyl, R 9 -substituted or unsubstituted aryl or R 9 -substituted or unsubstituted cycloalkyl;
R 9 is independently unsubstituted C 1 -C 50 alkyl, unsubstituted aryl or unsubstituted cycloalkyl;
a, b, and c are independently integers from 1 to 15;
n is an integer from 2 to 210;
z is an integer from 1 to 6; and
M + is a monovalent, divalent or trivalent cation; and
(ii) recovering a hydrocarbon material from the mixture,

wherein the method is an enhanced oil recovery method.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein said hydrocarbon material is unrefined petroleum in a petroleum reservoir.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein said aqueous composition further comprises a co-surfactant.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein an emulsion forms after injecting the aqueous composition into the hydrocarbon reservoir.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein said method further comprises allowing an unrefined petroleum acid within said unrefined petroleum material to enter into the emulsion, thereby converting said unrefined petroleum acid into a surfactant.

6. The method of claim 3 , wherein said co-surfactant is a C 10 -C 30 internal olefin sulfonate or a C 8 -C 30 alkyl benzene sulfonate.

7. The method of claim 3 , further comprising a viscosity enhancing polymer.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein R 1 is linear unsubstituted C 24 -C 100 alkyl or branched C 24 -C 100 alkyl derived from a Guerbet alcohol formed from dimerization of two linear unsubstituted alcohol.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein R 1 is linear unsubstituted C 24 -C 36 alkyl.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein R 2 is independently hydrogen or unsubstituted C 1 -C 2 alkyl.

11. The method of claim 1 , wherein R 3 is hydrogen.

12. The method of claim 1 , wherein the compound has the formula:

or any combination of the two
y is an integer from 1 to 100;
w is an integer from 1 to 70;
v is an integer from 0 to 40;
R 2 is unsubstituted C 2 -C 6 alkyl.

13. The method of claim 1 , wherein the compound has the formula:

wherein
x and y are independently integers from 1 to 100; and
R 2 is unsubstituted C 1 -C 6 alkyl.

14. The method of claim 1 , wherein the compound has the formula:

15. The method of claim 14 , wherein:
z is 1;
R 3 is hydrogen;
x and y are independently 5 to 100; and
R 1 is linear unsubstituted C 24 -C 50 alkyl or unsubstituted tristyrylphenyl.

16. The method of claim 1 , wherein said hydrocarbon material is heavy oil.

17. The method of claim 1 , wherein said aqueous composition further comprises a foam.

18. The method of claim 1 , wherein said aqueous composition further comprises a gas.

19. The method of claim 1 , wherein said aqueous composition further comprises a co-solvent.

20. The method of claim 2 , wherein said aqueous composition has a temperature of at least 100° C.

21. The method of claim 1 , wherein said aqueous composition further comprises EDTA.

22. The method of claim 1 , wherein said aqueous composition has a salinity of at least 50,000 ppm.

23. The method of claim 1 , wherein the compound have the formula:

wherein
R 1 is linear unsubstituted C 24 -C 150 alkyl;
R 2 is independently hydrogen or methyl;
R 3 is independently hydrogen or unsubstituted C 1 -C 6 alkyl;
n is an integer from 45 to 210;
z is an integer from 1 to 6; and
M + is monovalent, divalent or trivalent cation.

24. The method of claim 1 , wherein R 1 is linear unsubstituted C 24 -C 100 alkyl, branched C 28 -C 100 alkyl derived from a Guerbet alcohol formed from dimerization of two linear unsubstituted alcohols, or (C 6 H 5 —CH 2 CH 2 ) 3 C 6 H 2 —.

25. The method of claim 1 , wherein R 1 is linear unsubstituted C 24 -C 100 alkyl, branched C 28 -C 100 alkyl derived from a Guerbet alcohol formed from dimerization of two linear unsubstituted alcohols.

26. The method of claim 1 , wherein R 1 is linear unsubstituted C 28 -C 100 alkyl, branched C 28 -C 100 alkyl derived from a Guerbet alcohol formed from dimerization of two linear unsubstituted alcohols, or (C 6 H 5 —CH 2 CH 2 ) 3 C 6 H 2 —.

27. The method of claim 1 , wherein R 1 is linear unsubstituted C 28 -C 100 alkyl, branched C 28 -C 100 alkyl derived from a Guerbet alcohol formed from dimerization of two linear unsubstituted alcohols.

28. The method of claim 1 , wherein R 1 is linear unsubstituted C 32 -C 100 alkyl, branched C 32 -C 100 alkyl derived from a Guerbet alcohol formed from dimerization of two linear unsubstituted alcohols, or (C 6 H 5 —CH 2 CH 2 ) 3 C 6 H 2 —.

29. The method of claim 1 , wherein R 1 is linear unsubstituted C 32 -C 100 alkyl, branched C 32 -C 100 alkyl derived from a Guerbet alcohol formed from dimerization of two linear unsubstituted alcohols.

30. The method of claim 1 , wherein the method comprises injecting at least 0.5 pore volume of the aqueous composition into the petroleum reservoir.

Assignees

• Univ Texas
• Board Of Regents The Univ Of Texas Systems

Inventors

• Weerasooriya Upali P
• Pope Gary A

Classifications

• C09K8/584 Primary

  characterised by the use of specific surfactants · CPC title

• C11D1/06

  Ether- or thioether carboxylic acids · CPC title