Patent US4374734A successfully refreshed from Google Patents.
US4374734A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Emulsion breaking of surfactant stabilized crude oil in water emulsions
Assignee: Cities Service Co
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Filing: 1981-06-19
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Granted: 1983-02-22
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Expires: 2001-06-19
Abstract
Abstract A process useful for breaking oil in water emulsions produced as the result of a surfactant flood oil recovery project is disclosed. The produced oil in water emulsion, stabilized with surfactants, content is treated with brine and a polyol or quaternary ammonium compound, or both, followed by mixing and settling to form a sprung oil phase and a brine phase.
Inventors
- 👤 Jack Newcombe
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-01 07:49
CPC Classifications
B; B01; B01D; B01D17/00; B01D17/02; B01D17/04; B01D17/047; C; C09; C09K; C09K8/00; C09K8/58; C09K8/584; C09K8/60; C09K8/602; C10; C10G; C10G33/00; C10G33/04
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 9
Claim 1
Independent Claim
141 words
Process for recovering crude oil from an oil-in-water emulsion comprising crude oil, water, and sufficient petroleum sulfonate surface active agents with an equivalent weight range of 350 to 500 to stabilize said emulsion, said process comprising: (a) adding to the emulsion (1) an amount of brine equivalent to 1 to 50 wt % of the total emulsion prior to brine addition, (2) 100 to 1000 wt ppm of quaternary ammonium surfactant compound with a molecular weight of 200 to 700, based on the original emulsion, and (3) 100 to 1000 wt ppm of polyol emulsion breaking reagent with a molecular weight of 1,000 to 10,000, based on the original emulsion, (b) mixing the above components to break said oil-in-water emulsion, and (c) settling the mixture to recover a sprung, or released, oil phase of reduced water content from a water phase.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
141 words
Process for recovering crude oil from an oil-in-water emulsion comprising crude oil, water, and sufficient petroleum sulfonate surface active agents with an equivalent weight range of 350 to 500 to stabilize said emulsion, said process comprising: (a) adding to the emulsion (1) an amount of brine equivalent to 1 to 50 wt % of the total emulsion prior to brine addition, (2) 100 to 1000 wt ppm of quaternary ammonium surfactant compound with a molecular weight of 200 to 700, based on the original emulsion, and (3) 100 to 1000 wt ppm of polyol emulsion breaking reagent with a molecular weight of 1,000 to 10,000, based on the original emulsion, (b) mixing the above components to break said oil-in-water emulsion, and (c) settling the mixture to recover a sprung, or released, oil phase of reduced water content from a water phase.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
14 words
Process of claim 1, wherein the quaternary ammonium compound is a quaternary ammonium halide.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
14 words
Process of claim 1, wherein the polyol emulsion breaking reagent is a polyoxypropylene polyol.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
26 words
Process of claim 1, wherein the quaternary ammonium compound is selected from the group of dodecyltrimethylammonium chloride, laurylpyridinium chloride, methyldodecyltrimethylammonium chloride, and beta-hydroxylethylbenzyl "coco" imidazolinium chloride.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
12 words
Process of claim 4, wherein the quaternary ammonium compound is dodecyltrimethylammonium chloride.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
19 words
Process of claim 1, wherein the polyol is a polyoxypropylene polyol with a molecular weight of 2000 to 4500.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
17 words
Process of claim 6, wherein the polyol is a polyoxypropylene polyol with a molecular weight of 4000.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
28 words
Process of claim 1, wherein the polyol has a molecular weight of 3500 to 4500 and the quaternary ammonium compound has a molecular weight of 250 to 350.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1986-02-21 | 1986-08-23 | 1987-02-22 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1990-02-21 | 1990-08-23 | 1991-02-22 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1994-02-21 | 1994-08-23 | 1995-02-22 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |