US 10,851,629 B2Granted

Enhanced oil recovery compositions and methods thereof

AssigneeChevron U.S.A. Inc.

InventorsVaradarajan Dwarakanath, Robert G. Shong, Gregory A. Winslow, Taimur Malik, Marlon Solano

Life of this patent

Estimating the term…

Loading patent…

Abstract

Additional oil recovery is obtained from a reservoir with a composition comprising at least a coupling solvent typically employed in waterborne coating compositions. Provided herein are embodiments of methods of recovering hydrocarbons using at least one coupling solvent, such as an oxygenated coupling solvent. The coupling solvent increases the mutual solubility with water at the injection temperature to facilitate the mixing and injection, particularly with an optional co-solvent. The coupling solvent helps mitigate formation plugging and improve performance when injected into a formation, as the solvent mixture moves from being miscible in the injection field water to being miscible in the reservoir oil, mobilizing the reservoir oil to increase oil recovery.

Claims20

Dependent claims

A method to recover hydrocarbons from a reservoir, the method comprising:

forming an injection stream comprising a brine, a coupling solvent, and a co-solvent or a second coupling solvent for injection into the reservoir, the injection stream having a phase inversion temperature that is greater than a temperature of the injection stream prior to injection into the reservoir and that is less than a reservoir temperature such that the coupling solvent and the co-solvent or the second coupling solvent form a miscible mixture in a single phase with the brine prior to injection into the reservoir, wherein:
the co-solvent or the second coupling solvent are different from the coupling solvent such that if the coupling solvent comprises ethers, glycol ethers, glycol ether esters, or any combination thereof, then the co-solvent or the second coupling solvent comprise ketones, esters, lactams, cyclic ureas, alcohols, aromatic hydrocarbons, aliphatic hydrocarbons, nitroalkanes, halocarbons, alkoxy ethoxyethanol compounds, anionic surfactants, cationic surfactants, nonionic surfactants, amphoteric surfactants, or any combination thereof;
and
injecting the injection stream into the reservoir, wherein at least a portion of the coupling solvent separates from the brine as the temperature of the injection stream increases to the reservoir temperature and achieves the phase inversion temperature of the injection stream, and the at least the portion of the coupling solvent becomes miscible with hydrocarbons in the reservoir to displace the hydrocarbons toward a production well.

1 more element

A method to recover hydrocarbons from a reservoir, the method comprising:

forming an injection stream comprising a brine, a coupling solvent, and a co-solvent or a second coupling solvent for injection into the reservoir, wherein concentrations of the coupling solvent and the co-solvent or the second coupling solvent are determined such that the coupling solvent and the co-solvent or the second coupling solvent form a miscible mixture in a single phase with the brine prior to injection into the reservoir, wherein:
the coupling solvent comprises ketones, esters, ethers, glycol ethers, glycol ether esters, or any combination thereof;
and
the co-solvent or the second coupling solvent comprise ketones, esters, ethers, glycol ethers, glycol ether esters, lactams, cyclic ureas, alcohols, aromatic hydrocarbons, aliphatic hydrocarbons, nitroalkanes, halocarbons, alkoxy ethoxyethanol compounds, anionic surfactants, cationic surfactants, nonionic surfactants, amphoteric surfactants, or any combination thereof;
and
the co-solvent or the second coupling solvent are different from the coupling solvent such that if the coupling solvent comprises ethers, glycol ethers, glycol ether esters, or any combination thereof, then the co-solvent or the second coupling solvent comprise ketones, esters, lactams, cyclic ureas, alcohols, aromatic hydrocarbons, aliphatic hydrocarbons, nitroalkanes, halocarbons, alkoxy ethoxyethanol compounds, anionic surfactants, cationic surfactants, nonionic surfactants, amphoteric surfactants, or any combination thereof;
and
injecting the injection stream into the reservoir, wherein at least a portion of the coupling solvent separates from the brine as a temperature of the injection stream increases to a reservoir temperature and achieves a phase inversion temperature of the injection stream, and the at least the portion of the coupling solvent becomes miscible with hydrocarbons in the reservoir to displace the hydrocarbons toward a production well.

5 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 16/421,909Filed 24 May 2019 · continuation
Priority: 2 Sep 2015
Published: US 2019/0345800 A114 Nov 2019
Granted: 1 Dec 2020
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification10 codes

E21B 43/162
Enhanced recovery methods for obtaining hydrocarbons: injecting fluid from longitudinally spaced locations in injection well
C09K 8/58
Compositions for drilling of boreholes or wells; Compositions for treating boreholes or wells, e.g. for completion or for remedial operations:…
C09K 8/584
Compositions for enhanced recovery methods for obtaining hydrocarbons, i.e. for improving the mobility of the oil, e.g. displacing fluids:…
C09K 8/588
Compositions for enhanced recovery methods for obtaining hydrocarbons, i.e. for improving the mobility of the oil, e.g. displacing fluids:…

Family

Application62/213,495Us provisional application · filed 2 Sep 2015
Application15/511,563Parent of this continuation · filed 15 Mar 2017
US 2019/0345800 A1Pre-grant publication · published 14 Nov 2019
US 10,337,303 B2Parent of this continuation
US 2018/0230788 A1Published application
US 10,851,629 B2This patent

From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.