Hydrocarbon recovery composition comprising an n-alkyl-2-pyrrolidone surfactant, method and system

Abstract

The present disclosure relates generally to compound(s), composition(s), systems and method(s) for removing hydro-carbons from a hydrocarbon-containing reservoir. Various N-alkyl-2-pyrrolidones, such as N-octyl-2-pyrrolidone, alone in hot water or steam, or in conjunction with other surfactants and/or solvents are injected into petroleum reservoirs containing heavy oil or bitumen to accomplish one or more functions: (1) increase the rate of petroleum production compared to that produced using steam and/or hot water alone; (2) decrease the steam to oil ratio; (3) extend the life of a well by recovering more petroleum; (4) recover petroleum from wells that have been declared uneconomic using existing recovery methods; and/or (5) generally increase the estimated petroleum reserves, by reducing the cost of production. The N-alkyl-2-pyrrolidones are most usefully applied in cyclic steam stimulation, steam drive or steam assisted gravity drainage operations after the initial rate of petroleum production has begun to decline. N-alkyl-2-pyrrolidones have additional advantages in thermal EOR in being resistant to thermal decomposition in water.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.