Recycled fatty acid crude petroleum recovery process
A method of recovering crude oil for subsequent processing. The method contemplates the step of exposing the source of crude oil such as a subterranean petroleum reservoir or a vessel or container of tar sands, kerogen or the like to aliphatic or carboxylic acid, preferably oleic acid, to produce a solvated crude oil mixture of reduced viscosity. This mixture is saponifyed by reacting it with a nucleophilic base, preferably a hydroxide of potassium or sodium, under pressure whereby to separate the solvated mixture into petroleum crude and an acid soap which migrates to an aqueous phase. The petroleum crude is separated from the aqueous soap through conventional techniques. Afterwards, a desaponification step contemplates recovery of the aliphatic or carboxylic acid for subsequent recycling in the previously mentioned exposing step. Reuse is facilitated by desaponifying aqueous soap within a high pressure containment vessel reacted with an acid suitable for donating a hydrated proton to the aqueous phase of the soap. This reconstituted acid is recycled for injection into the inputting step. Preferably carbonic acid is generated for the desaponifying step by injecting high pressure carbon dioxide within the containment vessel. By-products of the chemical reaction are separated and/or filtered as necessary to effectuate necessary purification sub-steps.
- Assignee:
- EDB-85-034905
- Patent Number(s):
- US 4480691
- OSTI ID:
- 6043961
- Resource Relation:
- Patent File Date: Filed date 29 Sep 1982; Other Information: PAT-APPL-427134
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
OLEIC ACID
RECYCLING
PETROLEUM
ADDITIVES
ENHANCED RECOVERY
VISCOSITY
AQUEOUS SOLUTIONS
CARBON DIOXIDE
CARBOXYLIC ACIDS
CHEMICAL REACTION YIELD
DISPLACEMENT FLUIDS
FILTRATION
MIXING
OIL WELLS
POTASSIUM HYDROXIDES
PURIFICATION
SAPONIFICATION
SOAPS
SODIUM HYDROXIDES
ALKALI METAL COMPOUNDS
CARBON COMPOUNDS
CARBON OXIDES
CHALCOGENIDES
CHEMICAL REACTIONS
DECOMPOSITION
DISPERSIONS
ENERGY SOURCES
FLUIDS
FOSSIL FUELS
FUELS
HYDROGEN COMPOUNDS
HYDROLYSIS
HYDROXIDES
LYSIS
MIXTURES
MONOCARBOXYLIC ACIDS
ORGANIC ACIDS
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
OTHER ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
OXIDES
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
POTASSIUM COMPOUNDS
RECOVERY
SEPARATION PROCESSES
SODIUM COMPOUNDS
SOLUTIONS
SOLVOLYSIS
WELLS
YIELDS
020300* - Petroleum- Drilling & Production