Flooding process for the recovery of oil

Patent · Mon Nov 30 04:00:00 EST 1970

OSTI ID:5003843

Holm, L W

A process is described for recovering oil from subterranean reservoirs in which a slug of substantially anhydrous soluble oil is injected into the reservoir through an injection well, and thickened flood water is injected to drive the soluble oil slug toward a production well. The anhydrous soluble oil slug may be followed by a substantially larger slug of thickened flood water, and then by flood water. The soluble oils used are oleaginous compositions which are miscible in all proportions with the reservoir oil and have the ability to spontaneously emulsify with water when mixed with it, their emulsibility with water depending in part upon the salt content of the water, lower salt content water being more readily emulsified. These soluble oils consist of a liquid hydrocarbon, one or more selected surface-active agents, and optionally, a stabilizing agent. The emulsions formed by the addition of water to a soluble oil are of the water-in-oil type, in that at water concentrations less than the inversion concentration, oil is the continuous phase and the water is dispersed in the oil in the form of very fine droplets, or micelles, which are less than about 0.1 mu in size, and usually range in size from about 100 to 600 Angstroms. (4 claims)

• Assignee: Union Oil Co. of California
• Patent Number(s): US 3537520
• OSTI ID: 5003843
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

02 PETROLEUM
020300* -- Petroleum-- Drilling & Production
ADDITIVES
COLLOIDS
DISPERSIONS
EMULSIFIERS
EMULSIONS
ENERGY SOURCES
ENHANCED RECOVERY
FLUID INJECTION
FOSSIL FUELS
FUELS
INJECTION WELLS
OIL WELLS
PARTICLE SIZE
PETROLEUM
RECOVERY
RESERVOIR ROCK
ROCKS
SEDIMENTARY ROCKS
SIZE
SURFACTANTS
WATERFLOODING
WELLS