# US 2014/0196902 A1 · Method, system, and composition for producing oil

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- Number: US 2014/0196902 A1
- Document ID: US20140196902A1
- Status: Published application
- Kind: A1
- Application number: 14/156,042
- Filed: 2014-01-15
- Published: 2014-07-17
- Earliest claimed: 2013-01-16
- Assignees: Shell Oil Company
- Applicants: Shell Oil Company
- Inventors: Jeffrey George SOUTHWICK; Yi SVEC; Gordon Thomas SHAHIN
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20140196902A1

## CPC

- C09K 8/588: characterised by the use of specific polymers {(polymeric surfactants C09K8/584)}
- C09K 8/584: characterised by the use of specific surfactants
- E21B 43/16: Enhanced recovery methods for obtaining hydrocarbons
- E21B 43/20: Displacing by water
- E21B 43/26: by forming crevices or fractures
- 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 method, system, and composition for producing oil from a formation utilizing an oil recovery formulation comprising a surfactant, an ammonia liquid, an alkali metal carbonate or bicarbonate, a polymer, and water are provided.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A process for recovering oil from an oil-bearing formation, comprising:
mixing a surfactant, water, a polymer, an alkali metal carbonate or an alkali metal bicarbonate, and an ammonia liquid to form an oil recovery formulation;
introducing the oil recovery formulation into the oil-bearing formation;
contacting the oil recovery formulation with oil in the oil-bearing formation; and
producing oil from the oil-bearing formation after introduction of the oil recovery formulation into the oil-bearing formation.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The process of claim 1 wherein the amount of ammonia liquid mixed with the surfactant, the polymer, the alkali metal carbonate or alkali metal bicarbonate, and the water is selected to comprise from 0.01 wt. % to 5 wt. % of the total weight of the oil recovery formulation and the amount of alkali metal carbonate or alkali metal bicarbonate mixed with the surfactant, water, the polymer, and the ammonia liquid is selected to comprise from 0.001 wt. % to 1 wt. % of the total weight of the oil recovery formulation.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The process of claim 1 wherein the ammonia liquid is anhydrous liquid ammonia and the alkali metal carbonate is sodium carbonate.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The process of claim 1, further comprising the steps of:
calculating the minimum quantity of alkali metal carbonate or alkali metal bicarbonate required to precipitate 100% of the estimated amount of calcium cations on clay mineral sites in the formation;
limiting the amount of alkali metal carbonate or alkali metal bicarbonate mixed with the surfactant, water, polymer, and ammonia liquid to at most 10 times the calculated minimum quantity of alkali metal carbonate or alkali metal bicarbonate.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The process of claim 1, wherein the surfactant is an anionic surfactant selected from the group consisting of an alpha olefin sulfonate compound, an internal olefin sulfonate compound, a branched alkyl benzene sulfonate compound, a propylene oxide sulfate compound, an ethylene-propylene oxide sulfate compound, or a blend thereof.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The process of claim 1 wherein the polymer is selected from the group consisting of polyacrylamides; partially hydrolyzed polyacrylamides; copolymers of acrylamide, acrylic acid, AMPS (2-acrylamide-, methyl propane sulfonate) and n-vinylpyrrolidone in any ratio; polyacrylates; ethylenic co-polymers; biopolymers; carboxymethylcelloluses; polyvinyl alcohols; polystyrene sulfonates; polyvinylpyrrolidones; AMPS; and combinations thereof.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

The process of claim 1 wherein the oil recovery formulation comprises from 0.05 wt. % to 5 wt. % of the surfactant, from 200 ppm to 10000 ppm of the polymer, from 0.01 wt. % to 5 wt. % of the ammonia liquid, and from 0.001 wt. % to 1 wt % of the alkali metal carbonate or alkali metal bicarbonate.

### Claim 8 (depends on 1)

The process of claim 1 wherein the oil-bearing formation is a subterranean formation having a calcium ion exchange capacity of at least 0.25 meq/100 grams and a temperature of at least 60° C.

### Claim 9 (depends on 1)

The process of claim 1 wherein the oil-bearing formation is a subsea formation.

### Claim 10 (depends on 1)

The process of claim 1 wherein the oil recovery formulation has a dynamic viscosity within 50% of the dynamic viscosity of oil of the oil-bearing formation when measured isothermally at a formation temperature.

### Claim 11

A composition comprising a mixture of a surfactant, a polymer, ammonia, water, and an alkali metal carbonate or an alkali metal bicarbonate.

### Claim 12 (depends on 11)

The composition of claim 11 wherein the ammonia comprises from 0.01 wt. % to 5 wt. % of the composition and the alkali metal carbonate or alkali metal bicarbonate comprises from 0.001 wt. % to 1 wt. % of the composition.

### Claim 13 (depends on 11)

The composition of claim 11 wherein the surfactant is an anionic surfactant.

### Claim 14 (depends on 11)

The composition of claim 11 wherein the polymer is selected from the group consisting of polyacrylamides; partially hydrolyzed polyacrylamides; copolymers of acrylamide, acrylic acid, AMPS (2-acrylamide-methyl propane sulfonate) and n-vinylpyrrolidone in any ratio; polyacrylates; ethylenic co-polymers; biopolymers; carboxymethylcelloluses; polyvinyl alcohols; polystyrene sulfonates; polyvinylpyrrolidones; AMPS; and combinations thereof.

### Claim 15 (depends on 11)

The composition of claim 11 wherein the composition comprises from 0.05 wt. % to 5 wt. % of the surfactant, from 200 ppm to 10000 ppm of the polymer, from 0.01 wt. % to 5 wt. % of the ammonia, and from 0.001 wt. % to 1 wt. % of the alkali metal carbonate or alkali metal bicarbonate.

### Claim 16

A system, comprising:
a surfactant;
a polymer;
an ammonia liquid;
an alkali metal carbonate or an alkali metal bicarbonate;
water;
an oil-bearing formation;
a mechanism for introducing the surfactant, the polymer, the alkali metal carbonate or alkali metal bicarbonate, the ammonia liquid and the water into the oil-bearing formation; and
a mechanism for producing oil from the oil-bearing formation subsequent to introduction of the surfactant, the polymer, the alkali metal carbonate or alkali metal bicarbonate, the ammonia liquid and the water into the oil-bearing formation.

### Claim 17 (depends on 16)

The system of claim 16 further comprising a mechanism for mixing the surfactant, the polymer, the alkali metal carbonate or alkali metal bicarbonate, the ammonia liquid, and the water to form an oil recovery formulation, wherein the mechanism for introducing the surfactant, the polymer, the alkali metal carbonate or alkali metal bicarbonate, the ammonia liquid, and the water into the oil-bearing formation is a mechanism for introducing the oil recovery formulation into the oil-bearing formation.

### Claim 18 (depends on 17)

The system of claim 17 wherein the oil recovery formulation comprises from 0.01 wt. % to 5 wt. % of the ammonia liquid and from 0.001 wt. % to 1 wt. % of the alkali metal carbonate or alkali metal bicarbonate.

### Claim 19 (depends on 16)

The system of claim 16 wherein the oil-bearing formation is a subsea formation.

### Claim 20 (depends on 19)

The system of claim 19 further comprising:
a platform located on the surface of a sea located above the subsea formation;
a storage facility for storing the surfactant located on the platform;
a storage facility for storing the polymer located on the platform;
a storage facility for storing the alkali metal carbonate or alkali metal bicarbonate located on the platform; and
a storage facility for storing the ammonia liquid located on the platform.

### Claim 21 (depends on 16)

The system of claim 16 wherein at least a portion of the oil-bearing formation has a temperature of at least 60° C.

### Claim 22 (depends on 16)

The system of claim 16 wherein the ammonia liquid is anhydrous liquid ammonia and the alkali metal carbonate is sodium carbonate.

### Claim 23

A process for recovering oil from an oil-bearing formation, comprising:
introducing a surfactant, water, a polymer, an alkali metal carbonate or alkali metal bicarbonate, and an ammonia liquid into the oil-bearing formation;
mixing the surfactant, water, polymer, alkali metal carbonate or alkali metal bicarbonate, and ammonia liquid in the oil-bearing formation to form an oil recovery formulation;
contacting the oil recovery formulation with oil in the oil-bearing formation; and
producing oil from the oil bearing-formation after contacting the oil recovery formulation with oil in the oil-bearing formation.

### Claim 24 (depends on 23)

The process of claim 23 wherein the amount of ammonia liquid introduced into the formation is from 0.01 wt. % to 5 wt. % of the total combined weight of the ammonia liquid, the water, the surfactant, the alkali metal carbonate or alkali metal bicarbonate, and the polymer introduced into the formation and the amount of alkali metal carbonate or alkali metal bicarbonate introduced into the formation is from 0.001 wt. % to 1 wt. % of the total combined weight of the ammonia liquid, the water, the surfactant, the alkali metal carbonate or alkali metal bicarbonate, and the polymer introduced into the formation.

### Claim 25 (depends on 23)

The process of claim 23 wherein the ammonia liquid is liquid anhydrous ammonia and the alkali metal carbonate is sodium carbonate.

### Claim 26 (depends on 23)

The process of claim 23 wherein the water has a total dissolved solids content of from 200 ppm to 100000 ppm.

### Claim 27 (depends on 23)

The process of claim 23 wherein the surfactant is an anionic surfactant selected from the group consisting of an alpha olefin sulfonate compound, an internal olefin sulfonate compound, a branched alkyl benzene sulfonate compound, a propylene oxide sulfate compound, an ethylene-propylene oxide sulfate compound, or a blend thereof.

### Claim 28 (depends on 23)

The process of claim 23 wherein the polymer is selected from the group consisting of polyacrylamides; partially hydrolyzed polyacrylamides; copolymers of acrylamide, acrylic acid, AMPS (2-acrylamide-, methyl propane sulfonate) and n-vinylpyrrolidone in any ratio; polyacrylates; ethylenic co-polymers; biopolymers; carboxymethylcelloluses; polyvinyl alcohols; polystyrene sulfonates; polyvinylpyrrolidones; AMPS; and combinations thereof.

### Claim 29 (depends on 23)

The process of claim 23 wherein the oil recovery formulation comprises from 0.05 wt. % to 5 wt. % of the surfactant, from 200 ppm to 10000 ppm of the polymer, from 0.001 wt. % to 1 wt. % of the alkali metal carbonate or alkali metal bicarbonate, and from 0.01 wt. % to 5 wt. % of the ammonia liquid.

### Claim 30 (depends on 23)

The process of claim 23 wherein the oil-bearing formation is a subterranean formation wherein at least a portion of the formation has a temperature of at least 60° C.

### Claim 31 (depends on 23)

The process of claim 23 wherein the oil-bearing formation is a subsea formation.