Asphaltene inhibitors for squeeze applications
US9637676B2 · kind B2 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Jan 22, 2013 |
| Grant date | May 2, 2017 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Mar 31, 2034 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC E)Fixed Constructions
- CPC primaryE21B43/25
- WIPO fieldCivil engineering
- WIPO sectorOther fields
Abstract
Reaction products of polymeric alkyl phenol formaldehyde resins are useful as additives to inhibit or prevent the deposition or precipitation of asphaltenes in hydrocarbon fluids, particularly crude oil produced from a subterranean formation. These reaction products are formed by reacting a polymeric alkyl phenol formaldehyde resin with a co-reactant having functional groups including, but not necessarily limited to, amines, esters, silanes, ketones, epoxides, alkoxides, aryloxides, halogens, alkali metals, alkali earth metals, acetamides, non-metal oxides, metal oxides, where the co-reactant optionally has a carbon chain length between 1 and 22 and the reaction is conducted in the presence of at least one of various solvents. In one non-limiting embodiment, the co-reactant is a silicon derivative. The asphaltene inhibitors have utility when injected into a subterranean formation while oil production temporarily halts, a process called “squeezing,” because they are retained to a degree in the formation as the crude oil is produced.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.