Controlled release of surfactants for enhanced oil recovery
AssigneeSaudi Arabian Oil Company
InventorsYun Chea Chang, Mazen Kanj
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Abstract
A controlled release composition comprising an aqueous sulfonate solution; an anionic surfactant; and a salt selected from aluminum nitrate nanohydrate, calcium chloride dehydrate, magnesium chloride hexahydrate, cobalt chloride hexahydrate, and other metal salts. Methods of delivering a controlled release of surfactants composition, the method comprising the steps of: delivering a solution into a reservoir, the solution comprising an aqueous sulfonate solution; an anionic surfactant; and a salt selected from aluminum nitrate nanohydrate, calcium chloride dehydrate, magnesium chloride hexahydrate, cobalt chloride hexahydrate, and other metal salts; and delivering water to the reservoir.
Claims20
A composition useful for controlling the release of an anionic sulfonate surfactant during a hydrocarbon recovery operation, the composition comprising an aqueous solution of a sulfonate surfactant, where the sulfonate surfactant is an alkyl benzene sulfonate, with dispersed particles of a salt of the sulfonate surfactant,
- where the sulfonate surfactant salt particles are operable to control the release of the sulfonate surfactant into the sulfonate surfactant aqueous solution and have a mean particle size of less than 200 nanometers (nm) in the dispersion, and
- where the sulfonate surfactant salt has a solubility in water of less than about 300 parts-per-million (ppm) at room temperature.
A composition useful for controlling the release of an anionic sulfonate surfactant during a hydrocarbon recovery operation, the composition made by combining a sulfonate surfactant, where the sulfonate surfactant is an alkyl benzene sulfonate, in a range of from about 0.05 weight percent to about 5 weight percent of the composition, a metal salt selected from the group consisting of aluminum nitrate nanohydrate, calcium chloride dehydrate, magnesium chloride hexahydrate, cobalt chloride hexahydrate and combinations thereof in a range of from about 0.05 weight percent to about 5 weight percent of the composition, and water in a range of from about 88 weight percent to about 99 weight percent of the composition such that an aqueous solution of a sulfonate surfactant with dispersed particles of a salt of the sulfonate surfactant forms,
- where the sulfonate surfactant salt particles are operable to control the release of the sulfonate surfactant into the sulfonate surfactant aqueous solution and have a mean particle size of less than 200 nanometers (nm) in the dispersion, and
- where the sulfonate surfactant salt has a solubility in water of less than about 300 parts-per-million (ppm) at room temperature.
A method for treating a hydrocarbon containing formation, the method comprising the steps of:
- injecting a composition useful for controlling the release of an anionic sulfonate surfactant during a hydrocarbon recovery operation into the hydrocarbon containing formation;
- maintaining the injected composition in the hydrocarbon containing formation for a time in a range of from about an hour to about 1,000 hours;
- and
- injecting water into the hydrocarbon containing formation;
- where the injected composition comprises an aqueous solution of a sulfonate-surfactant, where the sulfonate surfactant is an alkyl benzene sulfonate, with dispersed particles of a salt of the sulfonate surfactant,
- where the sulfonate surfactant salt particles are operable to control the release of the sulfonate surfactant into the sulfonate surfactant aqueous solution and have a mean particle size of less than 200 nanometers (nm) in the dispersion, and
- where the sulfonate surfactant salt has a solubility in water of less than about 300 parts-per-million (ppm) at room temperature.
A composition useful for controlling the release of an anionic sulfonate surfactant during a hydrocarbon recovery operation, the composition comprising an aqueous solution of a sulfonate surfactant, where the sulfonate surfactant consists essentially of a combination of an alkyl sulfonate and an alkyl benzene sulfonate, with dispersed particles of a salt of the sulfonate surfactant,
- where the sulfonate surfactant salt particles are operable to control the release of the sulfonate surfactant into the sulfonate surfactant aqueous solution and have a mean particle size of less than 200 nanometers (nm) in the dispersion, and
- where the sulfonate surfactant salt has a solubility in water of less than about 300 parts-per-million (ppm) at room temperature.
A composition useful for controlling the release of an anionic sulfonate surfactant during a hydrocarbon recovery operation, the composition made by combining a sulfonate surfactant, where the sulfonate surfactant consists essentially of a combination of an alkyl sulfonate and an alkyl benzene sulfonate, in a range of from about 0.05 weight percent to about 5 weight percent of the composition, a metal salt selected from the group consisting of aluminum nitrate nanohydrate, calcium chloride dehydrate, magnesium chloride hexahydrate, cobalt chloride hexahydrate and combinations thereof in a range of from about 0.05 weight percent to about 5 weight percent of the composition, and water in a range of from about 88 weight percent to about 99 weight percent of the composition such that an aqueous solution of a sulfonate surfactant with dispersed particles of a salt of the sulfonate surfactant forms,
- where the sulfonate surfactant salt particles are operable to control the release of the sulfonate surfactant into the sulfonate surfactant aqueous solution and have a mean particle size of less than 200 nanometers (nm) in the dispersion, and
- where the sulfonate surfactant salt has a solubility in water of less than about 300 parts-per-million (ppm) at room temperature.
A method for treating a hydrocarbon containing formation, the method comprising the steps of:
- injecting a composition useful for controlling the release of an anionic sulfonate surfactant during a hydrocarbon recovery operation into the hydrocarbon containing formation;
- maintaining the injected composition in the hydrocarbon containing formation for a time in a range of from about an hour to about 1,000 hours;
- and
- injecting water into the hydrocarbon containing formation;
- where the injected composition comprises an aqueous solution of a sulfonate-surfactant, where the sulfonate surfactant consists essentially of a combination of an alkyl sulfonate and an alkyl benzene sulfonate, with dispersed particles of a salt of the sulfonate surfactant,
- where the sulfonate surfactant salt particles are operable to control the release of the sulfonate surfactant into the sulfonate surfactant aqueous solution and have a mean particle size of less than 200 nanometers (nm) in the dispersion, and
- where the sulfonate surfactant salt has a solubility in water of less than about 300 parts-per-million (ppm) at room temperature.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.