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US 4,226,702 AGranted
Addition of water to emulsions to accelerate coalescence
AssigneePhillips Petroleum Company
InventorJames E. Vinatieri
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Opaque macroemulsions comprising oil and brine are diluted with water to an electrolyte concentration at which rapid coalescence into three phases, oil, a transparent microemulsion, and water is achieved. This is of particular utility in post-primary oil recovery processes wherein said opaque macroemulsions are produced as effluents from producing wells. The opaque macroemulsions are collected and oil therein recovered by dilution as described herein.
Claims11
A process comprising:
- (a) forming a diluted system by adding to an opaque macroemulsion system made up of oil, a surfactant, water, and an electrolyte having a sodium chloride equivalent concentration in said opaque macroemulsion of at least 2 weight percent based on the weight of water;
- an amount of water such that the thus formed diluted system coalesces into a predominantly oil upper phase, a transparent microemulsion middle phase containing oil, surfactant, water and electrolyte and an aqueous lower phase;
- (b) allowing said diluted system to so coalesce;
- and
- (c) recovering oil from said upper phase.
2 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.