Surfactant oil recovery process usable in high temperature formations

Patent · Tue Apr 19 04:00:00 EST 1977

OSTI ID:6799550

Shupe, R D

Many petroleum formations contain water having excessive quantities of salt or divalent ions such as calcium or magnesium dissolved in it, and are additionally at a temperature from about 70/sup 0/ to about 300/sup 0/F. Most surfactants otherwise usable for oil recovery operations are either ineffective in high salinity or hard water, or decompose or precipitate at the higher temperature encountered in formations. A sulfonated, ethoxylated alcohol or alkylphenol surfactant, either as the sole constituent of the surfactant solution, or as a co-surfactant with a more conventional anionic surfactant such as petroleum sulfonate, alkyl sulfonate, or alkylaryl sulfonate, is effective for use in formations containing water having substantial amounts of salt and/or divalent ion salts such as calcium or magnesium dissolved in it, and which additionally may be hotter than 120/sup 0/F. (16 claims)

• Assignee: Texaco Inc.
• Patent Number(s): US 4018278
• OSTI ID: 6799550
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

02 PETROLEUM
020300* -- Petroleum-- Drilling & Production
36 MATERIALS SCIENCE
360603 -- Materials-- Properties
ALKALINE EARTH METAL COMPOUNDS
AROMATICS
CALCIUM COMPOUNDS
CATIONS
CHARGED PARTICLES
ENGINEERING
ENHANCED RECOVERY
ESTERS
FLUID INJECTION
GROUND WATER
HIGH TEMPERATURE
HYDROGEN COMPOUNDS
HYDROXY COMPOUNDS
INTERSTITIAL WATER
IONS
MAGNESIUM COMPOUNDS
OIL WELLS
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
ORGANIC SULFUR COMPOUNDS
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
PETROLEUM SULFONATES
PHENOLS
PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
RECOVERY
RESERVOIR ENGINEERING
RESERVOIR TEMPERATURE
SALINITY
SULFONATES
SULFONIC ACID ESTERS
SURFACTANTS
WATER
WATERFLOODING
WELLS