Enhance oil recovery using oil soluble sulfonate surfactants from lignin and alkylphenol

Patent · Tue Mar 17 04:00:00 EST 1992

OSTI ID:5251271

Naae, D G; Davis, C A

This patent describes a method of recovering hydrocarbons from an underground formation penetrated by at least one injection well and at least one production well. It comprises injecting into an underground formation through an injection well about 0.1 to about 0.6 pore volumes of an aqueous surfactant slug comprising about 0.1% to about 10% by weight of an oil soluble lignin surfactant, the oil soluble lignin surfactant produced by reacting an alkylphenol having an alkyl chain of about 5 to about 20 carbon atoms with formaldehyde at elevated temperature to produce an intermediate product; reacting the intermediate product at elevated temperature with a lignin phenol sulfonate, the lignin phenol sulfonate produced by placing lignin in contact with water, converting the lignin into low molecular weight lignin phenol by reducing the lignin in the presence of a reducing agent of carbon monoxide or hydrogen which creates a reduction reaction mixture comprising oil soluble lignin phenol, the reduction occurring at a temperature greater than about 200{degrees} C and a pressure greater than about 100 psig, recovering the oil soluble lignin phenol from the reduction mixture, and sulfonating the lignin phenol to produce lignin phenol sulfonates; injecting into the formation through the injection well a drive fluid to push the surfactant slug towards the production well; and recovering hydrocarbons at the production well.

• Assignee: Texaco Inc., White Plaines, NY (United States)
• Patent Number(s): US 5095985; A
• Application Number: PPN: US 7-632676
• OSTI ID: 5251271
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

02 PETROLEUM
020300* -- Petroleum-- Drilling & Production
023000 -- Petroleum-- Properties & Composition
AROMATICS
CARBOHYDRATES
CHEMICAL COMPOSITION
CHEMICAL REACTION KINETICS
DRILLING FLUIDS
ENHANCED RECOVERY
FLUID INJECTION PROCESSES
FLUIDS
HYDROXY COMPOUNDS
KINETICS
LIGNIN
OIL WELLS
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
ORGANIC SULFUR COMPOUNDS
PHENOLS
POLYSACCHARIDES
REACTION KINETICS
SACCHARIDES
STIMULATION
SULFONATES
SURFACTANTS
WELL STIMULATION
WELLS