Crude oil recovery chemical fluid

• US 10,570,331 B2
• Filed: 09/12/2018
• Issued: 02/25/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 09/13/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nissan Chemical America Corporation (Nissan Chemical Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nissan Chemical America Corporation (Nissan Chemical Corporation)
• Inventors: Southwell, John Edmond, Murakami, Satoru, Oota, Isao
• Primary Examiner(s): Bhushan, Kumar R
• Application Number:
  US16/129,705
• Publication Number:
  US 20190078016A1
• Time in Patent Office: 531 Days
• CPC Class Codes: C09K 2208/10 Nanoparticle-containing well treatment fluids
• CPC Class Codes: C09K 8/584 characterised by the use of specific surfactants
• CPC Class Codes: C09K 8/588 characterised by the use of specific polymers polymeric surfactants C09K8/584
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 43/16 Enhanced recovery methods for obtaining hydrocarbons

Abstract

A crude oil recovery chemical fluid is described and claimed. This fluid has been shown to exhibit excellent resistance to salt and high temperatures. This crude oil recovery chemical fluid includes a silane compound, an aqueous silica sol having an average particle diameter of from about 3 nm to about 200 nm, two or more anionic surfactants, and one or more nonionic surfactants.

Claims

1. A crude oil recovery chemical solution which exhibits excellent resistance to high temperature and salt, comprising a silane compound, an aqueous silica sol comprising colloidal silica particles dispersed in an aqueous solvent having an average particle size of from about 3 nm to about 200 nm, two or more anionic surfactants, and one or more nonionic surfactants;

wherein the aqueous silica sol contains silica particles in which at least a part of the silane compound is bonded on the surface of at least a part of the silica particles in the sol;

wherein the aqueous silica sol has a silica concentration of about 5% to about 55% by mass; and

wherein the aqueous silica sol is present in an amount of from about 3% by mass to about 30% by mass, based on the total mass of the crude oil recovery chemical solution, in terms of silica solid content;

wherein the silane compound is present in a ratio of from about 0.1 to about 10.0 of silane compound based on the mass of silica solid content of the aqueous silica sol;

wherein the two or more anionic surfactants are independently selected from the group consisting of a sodium salt or a potassium salt of a fatty acid, an alkylbenzene sulfonate, a higher alcohol sulfate ester salt, a polyoxyethylene alkyl ether sulfate, an α

-sulfo fatty acid ester, an α

-olefin sulfonate, a monoalkyl phosphate ester salt, and an alkane sulfone acid salt;

wherein the anionic surfactants are present in an amount of from about 0.001% by mass to about 20% by mass, based on the total mass of the crude oil recovery chemical fluid;

wherein the nonionic surfactants have an HLB of from about 11.0 to about 20.0, and wherein the nonionic surfactants are selected from the group consisting of polyoxyethylene alkyl ether, polyoxyethylene alkylphenol ether, alkyl glucoside, polyoxyethylene fatty acid ester, sucrose fatty acid ester, sorbitan fatty acid ester, polyoxyethylene sorbitan fatty acid ester and fatty acid alkanolamide, wherein the nonionic surfactants are present in an amount of from about 0.001% by mass to about 30% by mass, based on the total mass of the crude oil recovery chemical fluid; and

wherein the ratio of DLS average particle diameter of the chemical solution before and after the chemical solution is exposed to high temperature and salt is less than 1.5.

2. The crude oil recovery chemical solution of claim 1, wherein the silane compound comprises a silane coupling agent having at least one organic functional group, wherein the organic functional group is selected from the group consisting of vinyl group, ether group, epoxy group, styryl group, methacryl group, acryl group, amino group, isocyanurate group, alkoxysilane, silazane and siloxane.

3. The crude oil recovery chemical solution of claim 1, wherein the aqueous silica sol is present in an amount of from about 10% by mass to about 25% by mass, based on the total mass of the crude oil recovery chemical solution, in terms of silica solid content.

4. The crude oil recovery chemical solution of claim 1, wherein the anionic surfactants are a combination of a higher alcohol sulfate ester salt and an α

-olefin sulfonate.

5. The crude oil recovery chemical solution according to claim 1, wherein at least a part of the silane compound is not bonded on the surface of the silica particles in the sol.

6. The crude oil recovery chemical solution according to claim 1, produced by a process comprising combining the silane compound, the aqueous silica sol, two or more anionic surfactants, and one or more nonionic surfactants.

7. The crude oil recovery chemical solution according to claim 6, wherein the aqueous silica sol comprises silica particles obtained by (a) adding the silane compound to the aqueous silica sol in a ratio of from about 0.1 to about 3.0, based on the mass of the silane compound in terms of the silica particles (silica solid content) in the aqueous silica sol, and (b) heating from about 50°

C. to about 100°

C. for from about 1 hour to about 20 hours.

8. The crude oil recovery chemical solution according to claim 1, wherein the silane compound is present in a ratio of from about 0.1 to about 3.0 of silane compound based on the mass of silica solid content of the aqueous silica sol.