Method for breaking petroleum emulsions and the like comprising resinous polyalkylene oxide adducts

A method for breaking petroleum emulsions of the water-in-oil type characterized by subjecting the emulsion to the action of a homogeneous micellar solution of a thin film spreading agent, comprising:

• (1) from between about 5% and about 75% by weight of a resinous polyalkylene oxide adduct of a fusible, water-insoluble organic aromatic hydrocarbon solvent-soluble synthetic resin, wherein said resin has from between about 4 to about 15 phenolic groups and is an alkyl or cycloaliphatic substituted phenolaldehyde, condensate of an ortho- or para-substituted phenol and an aldehyde, said condensate resin being thereafter further condensed with an alkylene oxide containing less than about five carbon atoms in an amount equal to at least one mole of alkylene oxide per phenolic moiety of said resin, said adduct at about 25.degree. C.:
• (A) having a solubility in water and isooctane of less than about 1%, by volume;
• (B) having a solubility parameter from between about 6.8 and about 8.5;
• and (C) spreading at the interface between white, refined mineral oil and distilled water to form a film having a calculated thickness no greater than about 20 Angstroms, at a spreading pressure of about 16 dynes per cm;
• (2) from between about 2% and about 30% by weight of a hydrotropic agent comprising a semi-polar hydrogen bond forming compound containing at least one of oxygen, nitrogen and sulfur and from between about 2 and about 12 carbon atoms;
• (3) from between about 2% and about 30% by weight of an amphipathic agent having at least one radical having from between about 10 and about 64 carbon atoms per molecule;
• and (4) from between about 15% and about 90% by weight, water.

A method of recovering oil from an oil-bearing formation into which a well bore extends, comprising the steps of:

• (I) generating steam at the reference;
• (II) supplying said steam to said oil-bearing formation by way of said well bore;
• (III) supplying a homogeneous aqueous micellar solution composition of an inherently water-insoluble thin film spreading agent to said oil-bearing formation to inhibit the production of oil-water emulsion as a result of the interaction of said steam with the oil and water in the formation said composition comprising:
• (1) from between about 5% and about 75% by weight of a resinous polyalkylene oxide adduct of a fusible, water-insoluble organic aromatic hydrocarbon solvent-soluble synthetic resin, wherein said resin has from between about 4 to about 15 phenolic groups and is an alkyl or cycloaliphatic substituted phenol-aldehyde condensate of an ortho- or para-substituted phenol and an aldehyde, said condensate resin being thereafter further condensed with an alkylene oxide containing less than about five carbon atoms in an amount equal to at least one mole of alkylene oxide per phenolic moiety of said resin, said adduct at about 25.degree. C.:
• (A) having a solubility in water and issoctane of less than about 1%, by volume;
• (B) having a solubility parameter from between about 6.8 and about 8.5;
• and (C) spreading at the interface between white, refined mineral oil and distilled water to form a film having a calculated thickness no greater than about 20 Angstroms, at a spreading pressure of about 16 dynes per cm;
• (2) from between about 2% and about 30% by weight of a hydrotropic agent having one of the formulas:
• X--Z (A)
• wherein X is an alkyl, alicyclic, aromatic, alkylalicyclic, alkylaryl, arylalkyl, alicyclicalkyl, heterocyclic or substituted heterocyclic radical having 2 to 13 carbon atoms;
• and wherein Z is one of:
• ##STR7## and U and V are hydrogen or hydrocarbon substituents;
• X--Y--R--(Z).sub.n, (B)
• wherein:
• Z is one of ##STR8## X is an alkyl, alicyclic, aromatic, alkylalicyclic, alkylaryl, arylalkyl, alicyclicalkyl, heterocyclic or substituted heterocyclic radical having 2 to 12 carbon atoms;
• R is a member selected from the class consisting of, --CH.sub.2 --, --C.sub.2 H.sub.4 --, C.sub.3 H.sub.5 .dbd., --C.sub.3 H.sub.6, and --C.sub.2 H.sub.4 --O--C.sub.2 H.sub.4 --;
• n is either a one or two integer, the integer dependent upon the selection of R;
• U and V are hydrogen or hydrocarbon substituents;
• and
• Y is a number selected from the class consisting of:
• ##STR9## (3) from between about 2% and about 30% by weight of an amphipathic agent having at least one radical having from between about 10 and about 64 carbon atoms per molecule;
• (4) from between about 15% and about 90% by weight, water, and (IV) recovering from said formation oil and water which was subjected to the action of said steam.

A method of recovering oil from an oil-bearing formation into which a well bore extends, comprising the steps of:

• (I) generating steam at the surface;
• (II) supplying said steam to said oil-bearing formation by way of said well bore;
• (III) supplying a homogeneous aqueous micellar solution of an inherently water-insoluble thin film spreading agent to said oil-bearing formation to inhibit the production of oil-water emulsion as a result of the interaction of said steam with the oil and water in the formation said micellar solution comprising:
• (1) from between about 5% and about 75% by weight of a resinous polyalkylene oxide adduct of a fusible, water-insoluble organic aromatic hydrocarbon solvent-soluble synthetic resin, wherein said resin has from between about 4 to about 15 phenolic groups and is an alkyl or cycloaliphatic substituted phenol-aldehyde condensate of an ortho- or para-substituted phenol and an aldehyde, said condensate resin being thereafter further condensed with an alkylene oxide containing less than about five carbon atoms in an amount equal to at least one mole of alkylene oxide per phenolic moiety of said resin, said adduct at about 25.degree. C.:
• (A) having a solubility in water and isooctane of less than about 1%, by volume;
• (B) having a solubility parameter from between about 6.8 and about 8.5;
• and (C) spreading at the interface between white, refined mineral oil and distilled water to form a film having a calculated thickness no greater than about 20 Angstroms, at a spreading pressure of about 16 dynes per cm;
• (2) from between about 2% and about 30% by weight of a hydrotropic agent comprising a semi-polar hydrogen bond forming compound containing at least one of oxygen, nitrogen and sulfur and from between about 2 and about 12 carbon atoms;
• (3) from between about 2% and about 30% by weight of an amphipathic agent having at least one radical having from between about 10 and about 64 carbon atoms per molecule;
• (4) from between about 15% and about 90% by weight, water;
• and (IV) recovering from said formation oil and water which was subjected to the action of said steam.

A method of breaking petroleum or bitumen emulsions of water comprising contacting the emulsion with a sufficient emulsion-breaking amount of a homogeneous aqueous micellar solution of an inherently water-insoluble thin film spreading agent said micellar solution comprising:

• (1) from between about 5% and about 75% by weight of a resinous polyalkylene oxide adduct of a fusible, water-insoluble organic aromatic hydrocarbon solvent-soluble synthetic resin, wherein said resin has from between about 4 to about 15 phenolic groups and is an alkyl or cycloaliphatic substituted phenol-aldehyde condensate of an ortho- or para-substituted phenol and an aldehyde, said condensate resin being thereafter further condensed with an alkylene oxide containing less than about five carbon atoms in an amount equal to at least one mole of alkylene oxide per phenolic moiety of said resin, said adduct at about 25.degree. C.:
• (A) having a solubility in water and isooctane of less than about 1%, by volume;
• (B) having a solubility parameter from between about 6.8 and about 8.5;
• and (C) spreading at the interface between white, refined mineral oil and distilled water to form a film having a calculated thickness no greater than about 20 Angstroms, at a spreading pressure of about 16 dynes per cm;
• (2) from between about 2% and about 30% by weight of a hydrotropic agent comprising a semi-polar hydrogen bond forming compound containing at least one of oxygen, nitrogen and sulfur and from between about 2 and about 12 carbon atoms;
• (3) from between about 2% and about 30% by weight of an amphipathic agent having at least one radical having from between about 10 and about 64 carbon atoms per molecule;
• and (4) from between about 15% and about 90% by weight, water.

In the method of preventing the formation of emulsions of an aqueous phase and a petroleum oil or bitumen phase, the improvement comprising:

• contacting said petroleum oil or bitumen phase prior to or coincident with its contact with the aqueous phase with an effective emulsion preventing amount of a homogeneous aqueous micellar solution of an inherently water-insoluble thin film spreading agent said micellar solution comprising:
• (1) from between about 5% and about 75% by weight of a resinous polyalkylene oxide adduct of a fusible, water-insoluble organic aromatic hydrocarbon solvent-soluble synthetic resin, wherein said resin has from between about 4 to about 15 phenolic groups and is an alkyl or cycloaliphatic substituted phenol-aldehyde condensate of an ortho- or para-substituted phenol and an aldehyde, said condensate resin being thereafter further condensed with an alkylene oxide containing less than about five carbon atoms in an amount equal to at least one mole of alkylene oxide per phenolic moiety of said resin, said adduct at about 25.degree. C.:
• (A) having a solubility in water and isooctane of less than about 1%, by volume;
• (B) having a solubility parameter from between about 6.8 and about 8.5;
• and (C) spreading at the interface between white, refined mineral oil and distilled water to form a film having a calculated thickness no greater than about 20 Angstroms, at a spreading pressure of about 16 dynes per cm;
• (2) from between about 2% and about 30% by weight of a hydrotropic agent comprising a semi-polar hydrogen bond forming compound containing at least one of oxygen, nitrogen and sulfur and from between about 2 and about 12 carbon atoms;
• (3) from between about 2% and about 30% by weight of an amphipathic agent having at least one radical having from between about 10 and about 64 carbon atoms per molecule;
• and (4) from between about 15% and about 90% by weight, water.

In the method of breaking and preventing emulsions of water in bitumen during the recovery of bitumen or heavy oil from tar sands and subterranean deposits by steaming, flooding, and combinations thereof, the improvement comprising:

• contacting said bitumen or heavy oil with a homogeneous aqueous micellar solution of an inherently water-insoluble thin film spreading agent said micellar solution comprising:
• (1) from between about 5% and about 75% by weight of a resinous polyalkylene oxide adduct of a fusible, water-insoluble organic aromatic hydrocarbon solvent-soluble synthetic resin, wherein said resin has from between about 4 to about 15 phenolic groups and is an alkyl or cycloaliphatic substitute phenol-aldehyde condensate of an ortho- or para-substituted phenol and an aldehyde, said condensate resin being thereafter further condensed with an alkylene oxide containing less than about five carbon atoms in an amount equal to at least one mole of alkylene oxide per phenolic moiety of said resin, said adduct at about 25.degree. C.:
• (A) having a solubility in water and isooctane of less than about 1% by volume;
• (B) having a solubility parameter from between about 6.8 and about 8.5;
• and (C) spreading at the interface between white, refined mineral oil and distilled water, to form a film having a calculated thickness no greater than about 20 Angstroms, at a spreading pressure of about 16 dynes per cm;
• (2) from between about 2% and about 30% by weight of a hydrotropic agent comprising a semi-polar hydrogen bond forming compound containing at least one of oxygen, nitrogen and sulfur and from between about 2 and about 12 carbon atoms;
• (3) from between about 2% and about 30% by weight of an amphipathic agent having at least one radical having from between about 10 and about 64 carbon atoms per molecule;
• and (4) from between about 15% and about 90% by weight, water.