# US 10,370,584 B2 · Method for subterranean petroleum recovery using a surfactant blend

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- Number: US 10,370,584 B2
- Document ID: US10370584B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 15/512,863
- Filed: 2015-09-17
- Published: 2017-11-09
- Granted: 2019-08-06
- Earliest claimed: 2014-09-24
- Assignees: Dow Global Technologies LLC
- Applicants: Dow Global Technologies LLC
- Inventors: Claribel Acevedo Velez; Wanglin Yu; Wanda G. Buckner; Joydeep Mukherjee
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10370584B2

## CPC

- C09K 8/584: characterised by the use of specific surfactants
- C11D 1/12: Sulfonic acids or sulfuric acid esters; Salts thereof
- C11D 1/72: Ethers of polyoxyalkylene glycols
- C11D 1/831: of sulfonates with ethers of polyoxyalkylenes without phosphates
- E21B 43/20: Displacing by water
- C09K 2208/06: Structured surfactants, i.e. well drilling or treating fluids with a lamellar or spherulitic phase
- C09K: MATERIALS FOR MISCELLANEOUS APPLICATIONS, NOT PROVIDED FOR ELSEWHERE
- C11D: DETERGENT COMPOSITIONS; USE OF SINGLE SUBSTANCES AS DETERGENTS; SOAP OR SOAP-MAKING; RESIN SOAPS; RECOVERY OF GLYCEROL
- E21B: EARTH OR ROCK DRILLING; OBTAINING OIL, GAS, WATER, SOLUBLE OR MELTABLE MATERIALS OR A SLURRY OF MINERALS FROM WELLS

## Abstract

Recover petroleum from a subterranean formulation by injecting an aqueous solution comprising a polyethylene oxide nonionic surfactants and a disulfonated anionic surfactant.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A method for recovering petroleum from a subterranean formation, the method comprising injecting an aqueous solution into the subterranean formation to displace petroleum wherein the aqueous solution consists of:
a. a nonionic surfactant of structure (I):
where R1 is a linear or branched alkyl with from one to 23 carbons; R2 is selected from hydrogen and linear or branched alkyls with from one to 23 carbons provided that the total number of carbons in the combination of R1 and R2 is in a range of 7 to 23; (AO) is selected from a group consisting of CH(CH3)CH2O and CH(CH2CH3)CH2O; m is a number from zero to 10; n is a number from 5 to 30; and G is selected from a group consisting of hydrogen, chlorine, alkyl groups with one to four carbons, and COR′ where R′ is an alkyl with from one to four carbons; and
b. an anionic surfactant of structure (II):
where R3 and R4 are each independently selected from a group consisting of hydrogen and linear and branched alkyl groups with one to 16 carbons; and M is selected from sodium, potassium, lithium and ammonium.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, where n is in a range of 7 to 20.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, the method further characterized by injecting the aqueous solution into a subterranean environment that is at a temperature of 70 degrees Celsius or higher.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, the method further characterized by injecting the aqueous solution into a subterranean aqueous phase having a total dissolved solids content of over 80,000 parts per million and a divalent ion concentration of at least 1,000 parts per million, with parts per million based on weight relative to total aqueous phase weight.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, the method further characterized by the nonionic surfactant and the anionic surfactant each independently being present at a concentration of 0.01 weight-percent or more and ten weight-percent or less based on total aqueous solution weight.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, the method further characterized by m being a number in a range of 0 to 5; n being in a range of 9 to 15 and G being hydrogen and the (R1)R2CH— group containing from 8-20 carbons.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, further characterized by the (R1)R2CH— group being selected from a group consisting of linear C11 to C15 linear hydrocarbon chain moieties and an ethylhexyl moiety.

### Claim 8 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, further characterized by R3 and R4 being each independently selected from a group consisting of hydrogen and a linear hexyl group provided R3 and R4 are not both hydrogen.