Enhanced oil recovery
AssigneeUop LLC
InventorsThomas P. Malloy, Raymond J. Swedo
Life of this patent
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Abstract
The recovery of residual oil which is found in subterranean reservoirs may be accomplished by utilizing an aqueous surfactant slug to reduce the interfacial tension between oil and water. An effective surfactant slug which may be used will comprise a mixture of: (1) from about 1 to about 10% of a sulfonate of a mixture of mono- and dialkyl-substituted aromatic hydrocarbon which has been obtained by the alkylation of an aromatic hydrocarbon with an olefinic hydrocarbon in the presence of a hydrogen fluoride catalyst; (2) a lower alkyl alcohol which possesses from about 3 to about 6 carbon atoms; and (3) a nonionic cosurfactant comprising an ethoxylated n-alcohol which possesses from about 12 to about 15 carbon atoms.
Claims10
In a process for an enhanced oil recovery wherein an aqueous surfactant slug is introduced into a subterranean reservoir of oil to displace said oil from said reservoir, said slug being in a sufficient amount to lower the interfacial tension between said oil and water, the improvement which comprises utilizing as said surfactant slug an aqueous mixture comprising:
- (a) from about 1 to about 10% of a sulfonate of a mixture of mono- and dialkyl-substituted aromatic hydrocarbons prepared by the alkylation of an aromatic hydrocarbon with a straight or branched chain olefinic hydrocarbon containing from about 6 to about 22 carbon atoms in the chain in the presence of hydrogen fluoride at alkylation conditions;
- (b) from about 1 to about 10% of a lower alkyl alcohol containing from about 3 to about 6 carbon atoms;
- and
- (c) from about 0.1 to about 2% of a nonionic ethoxylated normal alcohol containing from about 12 to about 15 carbon atoms.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.