Extraction of hydrocarbons from hydrocarbon-containing materials and/or processing of hydrocarbon-containing materials

• US 9,102,864 B2
• Filed: 03/31/2014
• Issued: 08/11/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 09/20/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Green Source Holdings LLC
• Original Assignee: Green Source Holdings LLC
• Inventors: Fan, Liang-tseng, Shafie, Shahram Reza, Tollas, Julius Michael, Lee, William Arthur Fitzhugh
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Tam M
• Application Number:
  US14/230,264
• Publication Number:
  US 20140209303A1
• Time in Patent Office: 498 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: C09K 8/54 Compositions for in situ inhibition of corrosion in boreholes or wells
• CPC Class Codes: C09K 8/58 Compositions for enhanced recovery methods for obtaining hydrocarbons, i.e. for improving the mobility of the oil, e.g. displacing fluids
• CPC Class Codes: C09K 8/64 Oil-based compositions
• CPC Class Codes: C10G 1/04 by extraction
• CPC Class Codes: C10G 21/27 Organic compounds not provided for in a single one of groups C10G21/14 - C10G21/26
• CPC Class Codes: E21B 43/16 Enhanced recovery methods for obtaining hydrocarbons
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 137/0391 Affecting flow by the addition of material or energy

Abstract

A method of extracting hydrocarbon-containing organic matter from a hydrocarbon-containing material includes the steps of providing a first liquid comprising a turpentine liquid; contacting the hydrocarbon-containing material with the turpentine liquid to form an extraction mixture; extracting the hydrocarbon material into the turpentine liquid; and separating the extracted hydrocarbon material from a residual material not extracted.

Claims

1. A method for increasing recovery of hydrocarbon-containing organic matter from a production well coupled to a hydrocarbon-containing sub-surface formation, the subsurface formation comprising hydrocarbon-containing material by contacting the hydrocarbon-containing organic matter with a substantially surfactant-free non-aqueous hydrocarbon-extracting composition comprising the steps of:

providing an injection well, said injection being in fluid communication with the sub-surface formation;

providing said substantially surfactant-free non-aqueous hydrocarbon-extracting composition, wherein said composition consists essentially of a turpentine liquid;

injecting the substantially surfactant-free non-aqueous hydrocarbon-extracting composition through the injection well and into the formation, wherein the substantially surfactant-free non-aqueous hydrocarbon-extracting composition and the hydrocarbon-containing organic matter from the hydrocarbon containing sub-surface formation form an extraction mixture comprising at least a portion of the hydrocarbon-containing organic matter extracted into turpentine liquid;

recovering the extraction mixture from the formation through the production well; and

separating the extraction mixture to produce a hydrocarbon product stream and a hydrocarbon-extracting liquid stream.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said turpentine liquid is selected from the group consisting of natural turpentine, synthetic turpentine, mineral turpentine, pine oil, α

-pinene, β

-pinene, α

-terpineol, β

-terpineol, γ

-terpineol, terpene resins, α

-terpene, β

-terpene, γ

-terpene, geraniol, 3-carene, dipentene (p-mentha-1,8-diene), nopol, pinane, 2-pinane hydroperoxide, terpin hydrate, 2-pinanol, dihydromycenol, isoborneol, p-menthan-8-ol, a-terpinyl acetate, citronellol, p-menthan-8-yl acetate, 7-hydroxydihydrocitronellal, menthol, anethole, camphene;

p-cymene, anisaldeyde, 3,7-dimethyl-1,6-octadiene, isobornyl acetate, ocimene, alloocimene, alloocimene alcohols, 2-methoxy-2,6-dimethyl-7,8-epoxyoctane, camphor, citral, 7-methoxydihydro-citronellal, 10-camphorsulphonic acid, cintronellal, menthone, and mixtures thereof.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said contacting comprises mixing.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the substantially surfactant-free non-aqueous hydrocarbon-extracting composition consists essentially of at least about 30% by volume α

-terpineol and at least about 15% pinene.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the substantially surfactant-free non-aqueous hydrocarbon-extracting composition consists essentially of at least about 50% by volume α

-terpineol and at least about 20% by volume α

- and/or β

-pinene.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the substantially surfactant-free non-aqueous hydrocarbon-extracting composition includes at least one of α

-terpene, β

-terpene or γ

-terpene.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein substantially surfactant-free non-aqueous hydrocarbon-extracting composition consists essentially of α

-terpineol and β

-terpineol, wherein the ratio of α

-terpineol to β

-terpineol is at least about 1.3;

1.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the substantially surfactant-free non-aqueous hydrocarbon-extracting composition consists essentially of α

-terpineol and β

-terpineol, wherein the ratio of α

-terpineol to α

- and/or β

-pinene is at least about 2;

1.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the substantially surfactant-free non-aqueous hydrocarbon-extracting composition consists essentially of a mixture of α

-terpineol, β

-terpineol, α

-terpene, and β

-terpene.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the substantially surfactant-free non-aqueous hydrocarbon-extracting composition consists essentially of a mixture of α

-terpineol, and α

- and/or β

-pinene.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the substantially surfactant-free non-aqueous hydrocarbon-extracting composition consists essentially of:

about 40-60% α

-terpineol,

pine oil,

about 5-20% β

-pinene, and

about 0-10% p-cymene.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein said substantially surfactant-free non-aqueous hydrocarbon-extracting composition contains about 5% p-cymene.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the substantially surfactant-free non-aqueous hydrocarbon-extracting composition consists essentially of:

about 40-60% α

-terpineol,

about 5-10% α

-pinene,

about 5-20% β

-pinene, and

about 0-10% p-cymene.