Method of extracting and reutilizing surfactants from emulsions

Patent · Tue Dec 17 04:00:00 EST 1985

OSTI ID:5911423

Ashwari, S S; Prukop, G

The invention extracts surfactants from produced emulsions of oil, water and surfactants from enhanced oil recovery operations and concentrates the surfactants into an aqueous solution. The produced emulsion is mixed with an alkali metal chloride salt, and butanol or pentanol, and allowed to separate into two phases, an oleic phase and an aqueous phase. The oleic phase is then mixed with fresh water containing about 1% to about 10% by weight of isopropanol, ethanol or methanol, and the mixture is allowed to separate into at least two phases, a substantially water-free and surfactant-free crude oil phase and an aqueous phase containing virtually all of the enhanced oil recovery surfactants originally within the produced emulsion. The surfactants in the aqueous phase may be reutilized for further enhanced oil recovery operations.

• Assignee: Texaco Inc.
• Patent Number(s): US 4559148
• OSTI ID: 5911423
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

02 PETROLEUM
020300* -- Petroleum-- Drilling & Production
ALCOHOLS
ALKALI METAL COMPOUNDS
AQUEOUS SOLUTIONS
BUTANOLS
CHEMICAL COMPOSITION
CHLORIDES
CHLORINE COMPOUNDS
COLLOIDS
DISPERSIONS
DISPLACEMENT FLUIDS
EMULSIONS
ENHANCED RECOVERY
EXTRACTION
FLUID INJECTION
FLUIDS
HALIDES
HALOGEN COMPOUNDS
HYDROXY COMPOUNDS
MANAGEMENT
MATERIALS RECOVERY
MIXTURES
OIL WELLS
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
PENTANOLS
PROCESS SOLUTIONS
PROCESSING
RECOVERY
RECYCLING
SEPARATION PROCESSES
SOLUTIONS
SURFACTANTS
WASTE MANAGEMENT
WASTE PROCESSING
WATERFLOODING
WELLS