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U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Extraction of acidic materials from organic liquids and use thereof in enhanced oil recovery

Patent ·
OSTI ID:5932045

In accordance with the present invention acidic materials, preferably naturally-occurring carboxylic acids from crude oils and acids formed by the oxidation of components of crude oils, are extracted from organic liquids containing the same by contacting the organic liquid with an aqueous polar organic solvent solution of potassium hydroxide. The polar organic solvents are preferably solvents selected from the group consisting of OH substituted hydrocarbons, SO substituted hydrocarbons, SO/sub 2/ substituted hydrocarbons, NH/sub 2/, NHR and NR/sub 2/ substituted hydrocarbons, CONH/sub 2/, CONHR and CONR/sub 2/ substituted hydrocarbons and CN substituted hydrocarbons. The thus extracted acidic materials may be neutralized with an appropriate alkaline material to produce the corresponding salts thereof. In another aspect of the present invention the thus extracted acids or the salts thereof are utilized to recover oil from a subterranean oil reservoir by utilizing the same in conjunction with waterflooding operations, particularly an alkaline waterflooding technique or a surfactant waterflooding technique.

Assignee:
Phillips Petroleum Co.
Patent Number(s):
US 4494604
OSTI ID:
5932045
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English