Back to results
US 8,757,253 B2Granted
Moderation of oil extraction waste environments
AssigneeBiolargo Life Technologies, Inc.
InventorKenneth R. Code
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Loading patent…
Loading patent…
AssigneeBiolargo Life Technologies, Inc.
InventorKenneth R. Code
Estimating the term…
An environment is moderated against microbial buildup, and especially bacterial buildup in an area where residual liquid wastes are collected or retained or added into natural ground formations. Water wastes are created, collected in storage areas or retained in natural land formations after the use of fluids to extract hydrocarbons contained in oil sand or oil shale or other hydrocarbon rich formations. The residual water wastes are of the type that generate or provide or promote in or above the fluid at least one waste selected from the group consisting of bacteria, carbon dioxide, hydrogen sulfide, ammonia, mercaptans and organic acids. A combination is provided of at least one of i) a friction reducing polymer for oil extraction and/or a polymer capable of absorbing at least ten times its weight in water (preferably a super-absorbing polymer) and ii) a combination of salts that react to liberate I2. At least one liquid waste may flocculated with liberated I2 (and any cations from the reactive salts) to form a flocculent that has reduced odor and reduced microbial content. By injecting the iodine-generating composition into the hydrocarbon-rich or hydrocarbon providing composition (e.g., the oil sand or shale in its natural underground formation), some of the iodine or iodine producing materials will be present in both the residual water pumped from the source and water retained in the underground formation to reduce microbial growth.
A method of moderating an environment in a hydrocarbon extraction process, the method comprising:
A method of moderating an environment in a hydrocarbon extraction process, the method comprising:
A method of moderating an environment in an area where liquid wastes are collected from a hydrocarbon extraction process, the method comprising:
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.
Drawings are temporarily unavailable. Open the PDF at USPTO
From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.
Compositions for drilling of boreholes or wells; Compositions for treating boreholes or wells, e.g. for completion or for remedial operations:…
Inorganic fertilisers not covered by subclasses c05b, c05c: other inorganic fertilisers
Arrangements for treating drilling fluids outside the borehole: using chemical treatment
Technologies for the production of fuel of non-fossil origin: fuel from waste, e.g. synthetic alcohol or diesel
About 11 months of term left · ends 3 Oct 2027 (estimated)
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the field of moderation of environments where animal are stored or housed and release waste into an area adjacent, under or into the environment. The invention relates to moderating effects of microbes and gaseous emissions from the waste and to the ability to use bound waste safely and effectively in agricultural applications.
2. Background of the Art
FIG. 1 is a Graph showing Natural settling of liquid swine manure.
FIG. 2 Graph. Effect of mixing speed on TSS removal. Experimental condition: dilution=1:5, TSS0=470 mg/L, pH0=7.78, SAP0=0.5 mg/L.
FIG. 3 Graph. Effect of mixing time on TSS removal. Experimental condition: dilution=1:5, TSS0=200 mg/L, pH0=11.07, Speed=200 rpm, SAP0=0.5 g/L
In oilfield applications involving stimulation of the natural occurring compositions such as oil sands, rock and the like through extraction and/or fracturing, there is a need for bacterial removal from the fracturing, extraction or residual fluid. In the case of shale gas production, the oil extraction practice is to use up to 5 million gallons of aqueous fluid which is over 99% water. To facilitate penetration friction reducers are added, in addition to a biocide. The latter has to be tailored to suit the chemistry of the friction reducer. The addition of biocides is in itself an adverse practice because of their expense and the ability of organic biocides to promote resistance to that and other biocides.
Recently, environmental pressures are forcing the recycling of the flow back water (fracture fluid returns). The nature of the rock is such that the flow back water is much more saline than that which goes in. While desalinization is an option, industry is responding with tailoring the fracture fluid to be tolerant to salinity. This has an effect on both additives. Some of the polymers used for friction reduction are not effective in high salinity. The polymer optimized for this purpose may be incompatible with the biocides in use.
A further problem is that even with bacteria free fracturing fluid in use, the bacteria already resident pose a problem. They cause the production of H2S and also products which plug up the pores. Tight rock such as shale or formations that hold gaseous and/or liquid hydrocarbons has a much less margin for error in this regard.