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US4544033A Expired / Lapsed US ⏱️ 0.0 years remaining

Oil recovery process

Assignee: Lion Corp
•
Filing: 1984-03-23
•
Granted: 1985-10-01
•
Expires: 2004-03-23
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Abstract

Abstract A process for recovering oil from an oil-bearing subterranean reservoir penetrated by at least one injection well and at least one production well which comprises the steps of: (1) injecting into the oil-bearing subterranean reservoir through the injection well a first injecting fluid consisting essentially of (a) 1% to 30% by weight of an internal olefin sulfonate having 10 to 26 carbon atoms and a disulfonate content of 20% by weight or less, (b) 0.1% to 20% by weight of a cosurfactant, and (c) a brine; (2) injecting, as a second injecting fluid, an aqueous polymer solution having a viscosity higher than that of the first injecting fluid into the oil-bearing subterranean reservoir; and (3) recovering oil replaced with the first and second injecting fluids through the production well. This process can recover oil from subterranean reservoirs at a high oil recovery efficiency without destroying a micro-emulsion during sweeping in the subterranean reservoir even when the salt concentration of the formation water is widely changed.

Inventors

  • 👤 Toshiyuki Ukigai
  • 👤 Masaaki Hagiwara
  • 👤 Junichi Yamada

Bibliographic Details

Application Number —
Jurisdiction US
Data Source google_patents
Last Synchronized 2026-10-30 22:22
CPC Classifications
C; C09; C09K; C09K8/00; C09K8/58; C09K8/584

Claims Analysis

Total Claims: 6
Claim 1
Independent Claim 129 words
A process for recovering oil from an oil-bearing subterranean reservoir penetrated by at least one injection well and at least one production well which comprises the steps of: (1) injecting into the oil-bearing subterranean reservoir through the injection well a first injecting fluid consisting essentially of (a) 1% to 30% by weight of an internal olefin sulfonate having 10 to 26 carbon atoms and a disulfonate content of 20% by weight or less, (b) 0.1% to 20% by weight of a cosurfactant, and (c) a brine; (2) injecting, as a second injecting fluid, an aqueous polymer solution having a viscosity higher than that of the first injecting fluid into the oil-bearing subterranean reservoir; and (3) recovering oil replaced with the first and second injecting fluids through the production well.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim 129 words
A process for recovering oil from an oil-bearing subterranean reservoir penetrated by at least one injection well and at least one production well which comprises the steps of: (1) injecting into the oil-bearing subterranean reservoir through the injection well a first injecting fluid consisting essentially of (a) 1% to 30% by weight of an internal olefin sulfonate having 10 to 26 carbon atoms and a disulfonate content of 20% by weight or less, (b) 0.1% to 20% by weight of a cosurfactant, and (c) a brine; (2) injecting, as a second injecting fluid, an aqueous polymer solution having a viscosity higher than that of the first injecting fluid into the oil-bearing subterranean reservoir; and (3) recovering oil replaced with the first and second injecting fluids through the production well.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim 21 words
A process as claimed in claim 1, wherein said surfactant is an internal olefin sulfonate having 12 to 24 carbon atoms.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim 84 words
A process as claimed in claim 1, wherein said surfactant is prepared by sulfonating internal olefins containing as a main constituent vinylene-type monoolefin having 10 to 26 carbon atoms and having a general formula: R--CH═CH--R' wherein R and R' are independently straight- or branched-chain saturated hydrocarbon radicals having 1 or more carbon atoms, provided that the total carbon atom number of R and R' is 8 to 24, followed by neutralizing the sulfonated products with appropriate bases and then, optionally, hydrolyzing the neutralized products.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim 68 words
A process as claimed in claim 1, wherein said cosurfactant has the general formula; R"O(CH.sub.2 CH.sub.2 O).sub.n H wherein n is a number of from 0 to about 4 and R" is an alkyl or alkenyl group having 3 to 8 carbon atoms when n is zero and an alkyl, alkenyl, a phenyl, or an alkylphenyl group having 6 to 15 carbon atoms when n is not zero.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim 26 words
A process as claimed in claim 1, wherein said brine is contained in an amount of 50% to 98.9% by weight in the first injecting fluid.

References Cited (Backward Citations)

US3348611A Cited
US3373809A Cited
US3446282A Cited
US3506070A Cited
US3474865A Cited
US3508612A Cited
US4090967A Cited
US4045084A Cited
US4446036A Cited

USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows

Annuity Stage Window Opens Payment Deadline Surcharge Period Until Estimated Fee Status
3.5 Years (Year 4) 1988-09-30 1989-04-01 1989-10-01 $2000.00 Window Closed / Lapsed
7.5 Years (Year 8) 1992-09-30 1993-04-01 1993-10-01 $3760.00 Window Closed / Lapsed
11.5 Years (Year 12) 1996-09-30 1997-04-01 1997-10-01 $7700.00 Window Closed / Lapsed

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