Oil recovery method for waxy crude oil using alkylaryl sulfonate surfactants derived from alpha-olefins and the alpha-olefin compositions
AssigneesChevron U.S.A. Inc., Chevron Chemical Company
InventorsShang Chou, Curtis B. Campbell
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Abstract
An oil recovery process is disclosed which uses a particular class of alkylaryl sulfonate surfactants. The surfactants are derived from an alpha-olefin stream having a broad distribution of even carbon numbers ranging from 12 to 58. The olefin stream is reacted with aromatic feedstock, such as benzene, toluene, xylene, or a mixture thereof to form alkylates, and then reacted with SO3 to form sulfonic acids. The resulting surfactant has high solubilization and ultra-low interfacial tension with crude oils, especially waxy crude oil, having a broad distribution of carbon numbers.
Claims13
A method of recovering crude oil from a subterranean hydrocarbon containing formation which comprises (a) injecting into said formation an aqueous solution containing an effective amount of alkylaryl sulfonate, surfactant prepared by alkylating aromatic compounds with an alpha-olefin stream having a broad distribution in olefin carbon numbers, the olefin stream is the carbon chain C10 bottoms of a commercial ethylene synthesis alpha-olefin reactor and comprises C10+ through C58 carbon chain fractions, and wherein the aromatic alkyl compound is selected from the group consisting of benzene, tuolene, xylene, or mixtures thereof, sulfonating and then neutralizing the resulting alkylate, and (b) displacing said solution into the formation to recover hydrocarbons from a production well.
In a process of recovering hydrocarbons from a subterranean hydrocarbon bearing formation using an alkylaryl sulfonate as a surfactant, the improvement which comprises using an alkylaryl sulfonate mixture wherein the alkyl chain includes C10 to C24 carbon chain lengths and wherein the carbon chain is straight, branced or mixtures thereof, and wherein the aryl group is a xylene and having a greater than 85% ortho-xylene content.
An alkylaryl sulfonate enhanced oil recovery surfactant composition which comprises a sulfonate of a C10+ to C58 alkyl carbon chain length distribution, with an aryl group selected from ethyl benzene, xylene, toluene, or mixtures thereof, and wherein greater than 50% of the aryl is an ortho-, meta-, or para-xylene, the surfactant having a mixture molecular weight of from 320 to 650 and a solubilization greater than about 5 with a waxy crude oil.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.