# US 10,119,064 B2 · Thermally unstable ammonium carboxylates for enhanced oil recovery

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- Number: US 10,119,064 B2
- Document ID: US10119064B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 15/328,557
- Filed: 2015-09-08
- Published: 2017-07-27
- Granted: 2018-11-06
- Earliest claimed: 2014-09-22
- Assignees: Dow Global Technologies LLC
- Applicants: Dow Global Technologies LLC
- Inventors: Alexander Williamson; Timothy J. Young
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10119064B2

## CPC

- C09K 8/592: Compositions used in combination with generated heat, e.g. by steam injection
- C09K 8/584: characterised by the use of specific surfactants
- E21B 43/00: Methods or apparatus for obtaining oil, gas, water, soluble or meltable materials or a slurry of minerals from wells (applicable only to water E03B)
- E21B 43/2406: {Steam assisted gravity drainage [SAGD]}
- E21B 43/2408: {SAGD in combination with other methods}
- C09K: MATERIALS FOR MISCELLANEOUS APPLICATIONS, NOT PROVIDED FOR ELSEWHERE
- E21B: EARTH OR ROCK DRILLING; OBTAINING OIL, GAS, WATER, SOLUBLE OR MELTABLE MATERIALS OR A SLURRY OF MINERALS FROM WELLS

## Abstract

A process comprising the steps of: (a) injecting a steam composition into a subterranean location containing heavy hydrocarbons, preferably bitumen, wherein the steam composition comprises (i) steam and (ii) an ammonium carboxylate and (b) recovering the heavy hydrocarbon from the subterranean location to above the ground. The process is preferably a cyclic steam stimulation (CSS) process, a steam assisted gravity drainage (SAGD), or a combination thereof.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A process comprising:
(a) injecting a steam composition into a subterranean location containing heavy hydrocarbons, the steam composition consisting of
(i) steam
and
(ii) an ammonium carboxylate comprising an ammonium ion (i) and a carboxylate ion (ii) having the following chemical formula:
wherein L represents a methylene group, an alkyl ether group, an aryl group, an aryloxy group, an alkyl aryl group, or an alkyl aryloxy group, any of said groups optionally substituted with alkyl groups, branched alkyl groups, or heteroatom containing groups,
R1 is hydrogen or a linear or branched alkyl group having a primary chain length equal to or greater than 1 carbon and equal to or less than 15 carbons,
and
R2, R3, and R4 are independently a hydrogen, a linear alkyl group, or a branched alkyl group
and
(b) recovering the heavy hydrocarbon from the subterranean location to above the ground.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The process of claim 1, further characterized by the ammonium carboxylate being present at a concentration of 0.005 weight percent or more and 25 weight percent or less based on combined ammonium carboxylate and steam weight.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The process of claim 1 wherein the ammonium carboxylate comprises one or more of the following ammonium ions (i) and one or more of the following carboxylate ions (ii):
(i) ammonium (NH4+), methylammonium, dimethylammonium, trimethylammonium, ethylammonium, diethylammonium, triethylammonium, methylethylammonium, dimethylethylammonium, diethylmethylammonium, propylammonium, dipropylammonium, tripropylammonium, butylammonium, dibutylammonium, tributylammonium, pentylammonium, dipentylammonium, hexylammonium, dihexylammonium, heptylammonium, octylammonium, nonylammonium, decylammonium, undecylammonium, 1,1-dimethyl-2-hydroxy-ethylammonium, or dodecylammonium
and
(ii) acetate, propionate, butanoate, 2-methylpropionate, pentanoate, 2-methylbutanoate, 3-methylbutanoate, 2,2-dimethylpropionate, hexanoate, 2-methylpentanoate, 3-methylpentanoate, 4-methylpentanoate, 3,3-dimethylbutanoate, heptanoate, 2-methyl hexanoate, octanoate, 2-ethylhexanoate, 2-methylheptanoate, 2-propylpentanoate, nonanoate, decanoate, undecanoate, dodecanoate, benzoate, phenylacetate, or methylbenzoate.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The process of claim 1 wherein the carboxylate ion (ii) is a free carboxylic acid (i.e., in its acid form) has a boiling point of equal to or less than 300° C. at ambient pressure and the ammonium ion in the form of its free amine has a boiling point of equal to or less than 300° C. at ambient pressure.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The process of claim 1 wherein the process is cyclic steam stimulation (CSS) process wherein the steam composition is injected down a well into the subterranean location and the recovered heavy hydrocarbon is pumped up the well to above the ground.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The process of claim 1, wherein the process is a steam assisted gravity drainage (SAGD) process and the steam composition is injected into the ground through a first well and the heavy hydrocarbon that is displaced from the ground is recovered to above ground through a second well.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

The process of any previous claim 1 wherein the heavy hydrocarbon is bitumen.