Gel concentrate and method for increasing polymer load of a gel mineral oil without increasing viscosity beyond useful levels
OwnerSteluta Butuc, David Morrison +1inventors
InventorsSteluta Butuc, David Morrison, Julie Thompson
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Abstract
This invention is a hydrocarbon gel concentrate containing a high polymer load and a polar compound. The method of the present invention allows for increasing polymer load of a mineral oil gel through the addition of a polar compound as a processing aid during gel formation such that the viscosity of the resulting hydrocarbon gel concentrate is mixable at processing temperature, thereby allowing dilution of the hydrocarbon gel concentrate with additional hydrocarbon oil.
Claims14
A concentrated gelled composition comprising:
- a first component comprising about 0 to 99 weight percent of one or more liquid hydrocarbons;
- a second component comprising about 10 to 20 weight percent of one or more gelling agents;
- and a third component comprising about 1 to 80 weight percent of one or more polar hydrocarbons.
A method for reducing the viscosity of a gel containing a high concentration of gellant polymers, wherein a polar hydrocarbon is added to the gellant polymers and an effective amount of one or more liquid aliphatic or alicyclic hydrocarbons is added to allow further dilution with additional liquid aliphatic or alicyclic hydrocarbons to a desired final concentration.
A method comprising combining a hydrocarbon gel oil with at least one gellant, said gellant being in sufficient concentration that the resulting hydrocarbon gel would be too stiff to be mixable;
- and adding an effective amount of at least one polar component to the hydrocarbon oil and gellant while the gel is forming, whereby the resulting hydrocarbon gel concentrate is mixable at normal processing temperatures.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.