Permanent cobalt catalyst for sulfite oxygen scavenging

Abstract

In the recovery of hydrocarbons from petroliferous formations wherein water is injected into the formation through a borehole, oxygen is scavenged from water employed in recovery applications requiring low oxygen levels by mixing with a source of sulfite ion, said mixture then being passed over a cation exchange resin on which a cobalt ion or other metallic catalyst is adsorbed. The catalyst increases the reaction rate of the sulfite ion and the oxygen to form sulfate ion, while the resin maintains the cobalt in place.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.