Back to results
US 12,110,464 B2Granted
Phase change materials to address reversion problems in heavy oils
AssigneeBaker Hughes Oilfield Operations LLC
InventorsAsha Patel, Kekeli A. Ekoue-Kovi, Sankaran Murugesan
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Reversion problems with heavy oils, such as heavy fuel oils, are mitigated by introducing an effective amount of an additive that contains both a phase change material and a pour point depressant, even synergistically mitigated.
Claims14
A method to mitigate a reversion problem of a heavy oil, comprising:
- introducing into the heavy oil having the reversion problem an effective amount of an additive to mitigate the reversion problem where the additive comprises both:
- a phase change material that can absorb, store and liberate latent heat at a nearly constant phase-transition temperature, and
- a pour point depressant,
- where the additive provides a synergistic effect that mitigates the reversion problem better than the phase change material alone in the same total amount or the pour point depressant alone in the same total amount;
- and
- providing a treated heavy oil.
3 more elements
A method to mitigate a reversion problem of a heavy oil, comprising:
- introducing into the heavy oil having the reversion problem an effective amount of an additive to mitigate the reversion problem where the additive comprises both:
- from about 1 ppm to 2,000 ppm of a phase change material, based on the heavy oil, where the phase change material can absorb, store and liberate latent heat at a nearly constant phase-transition temperature, and where the phase change material is selected from the group consisting of:
- organic phase change materials,
- inorganic phase change materials,
- eutectic mixtures of at least two-phase change materials and
- combinations thereof, and
- from about 10 ppm to about 20,000 ppm of a pour point depressant, based on the heavy oil, where the pour point depressant is selected from the group consisting of:
- ethyl vinyl acetate copolymers,
- alpha-olefin maleic anhydrides,
- vinyl acetate olefin maleic anhydride copolymers,
- polymeric amides and imides,
- poly alkyl acrylic polymers, and
- combinations thereof;
- and
- where the additive provides a synergistic effect that mitigates the reversion problem better than the phase change material alone in the same total amount or the pour point depressant alone in the same total amount;
- providing a treated heavy oil;
- and
- subsequently subjecting the treated heavy oil to a phenomenon selected from the group consisting of thermal cycling, mechanical shearing, and combinations thereof,
- where the reversion problem is mitigated.
16 more elements
A treated heavy oil, comprising:
- heavy oil having a reversion problem;
- and
- an effective amount of an additive to mitigate the reversion problem where the additive comprises both:
- a phase change material that can absorb, store and release latent heat at a nearly constant phase-transition temperature, and
- a pour point depressant,
- where the additive provides a synergistic effect that mitigates the reversion problem better than the phase change material alone in the same total amount or the pour point depressant alone in the same total amount.
3 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.