CA1113529A - Method of transporting viscous hydrocarbons - Google Patents
Method of transporting viscous hydrocarbonsInfo
- Publication number
- CA1113529A CA1113529A CA336,372A CA336372A CA1113529A CA 1113529 A CA1113529 A CA 1113529A CA 336372 A CA336372 A CA 336372A CA 1113529 A CA1113529 A CA 1113529A
- Authority
- CA
- Canada
- Prior art keywords
- molecular weight
- carbon atoms
- alkaryl sulfonate
- sulfonate
- hydrocarbon
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Expired
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- Lubricants (AREA)
- Production Of Liquid Hydrocarbon Mixture For Refining Petroleum (AREA)
Abstract
METHOD OF TRANSPORTING VISCOUS HYDROCARBONS
Abstract of Disclosure An improvement in the method of transporting viscous hydrocarbons through pipes is disclosed. Briefly, the improvement comprises adding water containing an ef-fective amount of a low molecular weight alkaryl sulfonate.
Abstract of Disclosure An improvement in the method of transporting viscous hydrocarbons through pipes is disclosed. Briefly, the improvement comprises adding water containing an ef-fective amount of a low molecular weight alkaryl sulfonate.
Description
, METHOD Ol~ TRANSPORTING VISCOU~ l-IYDROCARBONS
Background of the Invention Field of the Invention .. _ . .... . .
The invention is in the cJelleral field oE improved methods of pumping viscous hydroc~rbons through a pipe, such as a well-bore or a pipeline.
General Background ....
The movement of heavy crlldes through pipes is difficult because of their high viscosity and resulting low mobility. One method of improviny the movemerlt of 10- these heavy crudes has included adding to the crude ]ight-er hydrocarbons (e.g. kerosine distillate). This reduces the viscosity and thereby improves the mobility. This method has the disadvantage that it is expenslve and -the kerosine distillate is becoming difficult -to obtain.
15Another method of improving the movement of these ' heavy crudes is by heating them. This requires the instal-lation of expensive heating equipment and thus is an expen-sive process.
Still another method of moving heavy crudes through pipes uses oil-in-water emulsions which use sur-factants to form the emulsions.
We have found that when an alkaryl sulfonate is used as the surfactant the molecular weight of the sulfo-nate is important. As an illustrative example a sulfonate having a molecular weight of about 334 provides much better results than a sulfonate having a molecular weight of 427.
Brief SumTnary of the Invention Briefly stated, the present invention is direc-ted to an improvement in the method of pumping a viscous hydrocarbon through a pipe wh~rein the improvement comprises forming an oil-in-water emulsion by adding to said hydrocar-bon from about 20 to about 80 volume percent water contain-ing an effective amount of a water-soluble alkaryl sulfonate having a molecular weight below about 410 and preferably below about 350.
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;~-The speci~ic nature of ~he water-soluble alkaryl sulfonate is provided in the det:ailed description.
De-talled D~scrlption Insofar as is known our method is suitable for use with any viscous crude oil~ It is well known that crude oils often contain a minor amount of water.
The amount of water which is added to the hydro-carbon is suitably in the range of about 20 to about 80 volume percent based on the hydrocarbon. A preferred a-mount of water is in the range of about 30 to 60 volume percent. The water can be pure or can have a ~elatively high amount of dissolved solids. Any water normally found in the proximity of a produclng oil-well is suitable.
Suitable water-soluble alkaryl sulfonates have a molecular weight below about 410 and are represented by the formula ~( )Ar-SO M
wherein Ar is an aromatic moiety which is phenyl, tolyl, xylyl or ethylphenyl, R is a linear or branched-chain alkyl group containing 4 to 16 car~on atoms, n is l or 2, but preferably is 1, the total number of carbon atoms in alkyl groups is in the range of 8 to 16, and M is sodium, po-tassium or ammonium.
More suitably, the water-soluhle alkaryl sulfo-nates have a molecular weight below about 375, preferably below about 350.
The more suitable and preferred alkaryl sulfonates are represented by the formula R ~ SO3Na wherein ~ is an alkyl group containing 8 to ]6, more suit-ably 9 to 14, and preferably lO to 13, carbon atoms. The alkylbenzene sulfonates usually are mixtures containing alkyl groups in the carbon range specified.
Suitable and preferred amounts of the alkaryl sul-fonates, based on the hydrocarbon, are shown below.
: . ~ - - - - ~ . .: . -, . , - , , ' ' ~ :
. .: . :
5~.~
~uit~ble Preferred _ (parts per million)__ Alkaryl sulfonate l0n - ~,000 200 - 1,000 In order to lllustrate the ~ature or the presen~
invention still more clearly the follo~ing exa~ples will be ~iven. It is to be understood, however 7 that the invention is not to be limited to the specific conditions or details set forth in these examples except insofar as such limita-tions are specified in the appended claims.
The following materials were used in the tests described herein:
~ Crude Oil - Goodwin lease crude from Cat Canyon oil field, Santa Maria, California Water - Goodwin synthetic ~Water prepared in lab-oratory to simulate watex produced at the well. It con-tained 4720 ppm total solids.) The specific nature of the su]fonates tested will be given in the examples.
Viscosities were determined using a Brookfield viscometer, Model LVT with No. 3 spindle. The procedure is described below.
Test Procedure Three hundred ml of crude oil, preheated in a large container to about 93C. in a laboratory oven, was transferred to a Waring blender and stirred at medium speed until homogeneous. Stirring was stopped, temperature re-corded, and the viscosity measured using the Brookfield viscometer at RPM's (revolutions per minute) of 6, 12, 30 and 60. Viscosity was calculated by using a multiplication factor of 200, 100, 40 and 20 for the respective speeds times the dial reading on the viscometer.
It may be well to mention that the final result at 6 RPM is an indication of the stability of the solution being tested.
The difference in viscosity values on the crude alone in the examples is due to the varying amount of water naturally present in the crude. For this reason the viscos-ity value of the crude alone was obtained in each example.
.
,.
- . . -. . : ' -: .
Background of the Invention Field of the Invention .. _ . .... . .
The invention is in the cJelleral field oE improved methods of pumping viscous hydroc~rbons through a pipe, such as a well-bore or a pipeline.
General Background ....
The movement of heavy crlldes through pipes is difficult because of their high viscosity and resulting low mobility. One method of improviny the movemerlt of 10- these heavy crudes has included adding to the crude ]ight-er hydrocarbons (e.g. kerosine distillate). This reduces the viscosity and thereby improves the mobility. This method has the disadvantage that it is expenslve and -the kerosine distillate is becoming difficult -to obtain.
15Another method of improving the movement of these ' heavy crudes is by heating them. This requires the instal-lation of expensive heating equipment and thus is an expen-sive process.
Still another method of moving heavy crudes through pipes uses oil-in-water emulsions which use sur-factants to form the emulsions.
We have found that when an alkaryl sulfonate is used as the surfactant the molecular weight of the sulfo-nate is important. As an illustrative example a sulfonate having a molecular weight of about 334 provides much better results than a sulfonate having a molecular weight of 427.
Brief SumTnary of the Invention Briefly stated, the present invention is direc-ted to an improvement in the method of pumping a viscous hydrocarbon through a pipe wh~rein the improvement comprises forming an oil-in-water emulsion by adding to said hydrocar-bon from about 20 to about 80 volume percent water contain-ing an effective amount of a water-soluble alkaryl sulfonate having a molecular weight below about 410 and preferably below about 350.
- . . . . :
. - ,: : .
' ' .:' : ., :.:'',. ,. ;' ' - : . :. . ' , : , ~ ' . . - . . - -:: : : - - : : -- . . . ..
: : , . . ::
.
.
~o~
;~-The speci~ic nature of ~he water-soluble alkaryl sulfonate is provided in the det:ailed description.
De-talled D~scrlption Insofar as is known our method is suitable for use with any viscous crude oil~ It is well known that crude oils often contain a minor amount of water.
The amount of water which is added to the hydro-carbon is suitably in the range of about 20 to about 80 volume percent based on the hydrocarbon. A preferred a-mount of water is in the range of about 30 to 60 volume percent. The water can be pure or can have a ~elatively high amount of dissolved solids. Any water normally found in the proximity of a produclng oil-well is suitable.
Suitable water-soluble alkaryl sulfonates have a molecular weight below about 410 and are represented by the formula ~( )Ar-SO M
wherein Ar is an aromatic moiety which is phenyl, tolyl, xylyl or ethylphenyl, R is a linear or branched-chain alkyl group containing 4 to 16 car~on atoms, n is l or 2, but preferably is 1, the total number of carbon atoms in alkyl groups is in the range of 8 to 16, and M is sodium, po-tassium or ammonium.
More suitably, the water-soluhle alkaryl sulfo-nates have a molecular weight below about 375, preferably below about 350.
The more suitable and preferred alkaryl sulfonates are represented by the formula R ~ SO3Na wherein ~ is an alkyl group containing 8 to ]6, more suit-ably 9 to 14, and preferably lO to 13, carbon atoms. The alkylbenzene sulfonates usually are mixtures containing alkyl groups in the carbon range specified.
Suitable and preferred amounts of the alkaryl sul-fonates, based on the hydrocarbon, are shown below.
: . ~ - - - - ~ . .: . -, . , - , , ' ' ~ :
. .: . :
5~.~
~uit~ble Preferred _ (parts per million)__ Alkaryl sulfonate l0n - ~,000 200 - 1,000 In order to lllustrate the ~ature or the presen~
invention still more clearly the follo~ing exa~ples will be ~iven. It is to be understood, however 7 that the invention is not to be limited to the specific conditions or details set forth in these examples except insofar as such limita-tions are specified in the appended claims.
The following materials were used in the tests described herein:
~ Crude Oil - Goodwin lease crude from Cat Canyon oil field, Santa Maria, California Water - Goodwin synthetic ~Water prepared in lab-oratory to simulate watex produced at the well. It con-tained 4720 ppm total solids.) The specific nature of the su]fonates tested will be given in the examples.
Viscosities were determined using a Brookfield viscometer, Model LVT with No. 3 spindle. The procedure is described below.
Test Procedure Three hundred ml of crude oil, preheated in a large container to about 93C. in a laboratory oven, was transferred to a Waring blender and stirred at medium speed until homogeneous. Stirring was stopped, temperature re-corded, and the viscosity measured using the Brookfield viscometer at RPM's (revolutions per minute) of 6, 12, 30 and 60. Viscosity was calculated by using a multiplication factor of 200, 100, 40 and 20 for the respective speeds times the dial reading on the viscometer.
It may be well to mention that the final result at 6 RPM is an indication of the stability of the solution being tested.
The difference in viscosity values on the crude alone in the examples is due to the varying amount of water naturally present in the crude. For this reason the viscos-ity value of the crude alone was obtained in each example.
.
,.
- . . -. . : ' -: .
2.~Y
The crude corresponded to that used in combination with -the aqueous surfactant.
This example is illustrative and shows the vis-cosity values obtained on the crude alone and a combinationof 50 volume percent crude oil and 50 volume percent water which contained 625 ppm of an alkylbenzene sodium sulfonate, wherein the alkyl groups were linear, and having a molecular weight of about 334 (containing an average of about 11 car-bon atoms in the alkyl groups).
The results are shown in Table I.
TABLE I
~300 ML)DESCRIBED SULFONATE
Dial Viscosity Dial Viscosity R Reading cp Readiny cp 6 28.5 5,700 2 400 1251.5 5,150 3.5 350 30Offscale - 6 240 60Offscale - 12.8 256 30 Offscale - 6 240 12 51 5,100 5 500 6 24.7 4,940 4.5 900 25 Test TemEerature 82C Test Tempera-ture 66C
' This example is comparative and shows the viscos-ity values obtained using a sodium alkylbenzene sulfonate having a molecular weight of 427. This material was ob-tained by making a blend of a 375 molecular weight sodium alkylbenzene sulfonate and a 510 molecular weight sodium alkylbenzene sulfonate.
Viscosity values were obtained on the following:
(a) crude oil alone, (b) crude oil plus 50 volume percent water containing 2500 ppm of the described sulfonate, and (c) crude oil plus 50 volume pexcent water containing 5000 ppm of the desired sulfonate.
The results are shown in Table II. ~-_ T~BL~
CRUDE OIL. PLUS CRUD~ OIL PLUS
CRUD~ OIL ALONE TAINING 2500 PPM TAINING 5000 PPM
(300 ML) SULE`ONATE __ SULFONATE
Dial Viscoslty Dial Viscosity Dial Viscosity RPM Readiny cp Reading _ cp Reading _ cp 6 6.7 1,340 91.2 18,2401.7 340 12 11.3 1,130 Offscale - 4 400 10 30 26.3 1,052 Offscale - 7 280 52 1,040 Offscale - 10.3 206 26 1,052 Offscale - 7.5 300 12 10.3 1,030 Offscale - 7.5 750 6 2.6 1,060 82.5 16,5009.3 1,860 15 Test Temp 82C Test Temp 72C Test Tem~ C
The data in Table II shows that this sulfonate i5 effective at 5000 ppm but is not effective at 2500 ppm.
Thus, having described the invention ln detail, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that certain variations and modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined herein and in the appended claims.
: - . . .
' ' : : .
: ,: - - : : . :
The crude corresponded to that used in combination with -the aqueous surfactant.
This example is illustrative and shows the vis-cosity values obtained on the crude alone and a combinationof 50 volume percent crude oil and 50 volume percent water which contained 625 ppm of an alkylbenzene sodium sulfonate, wherein the alkyl groups were linear, and having a molecular weight of about 334 (containing an average of about 11 car-bon atoms in the alkyl groups).
The results are shown in Table I.
TABLE I
~300 ML)DESCRIBED SULFONATE
Dial Viscosity Dial Viscosity R Reading cp Readiny cp 6 28.5 5,700 2 400 1251.5 5,150 3.5 350 30Offscale - 6 240 60Offscale - 12.8 256 30 Offscale - 6 240 12 51 5,100 5 500 6 24.7 4,940 4.5 900 25 Test TemEerature 82C Test Tempera-ture 66C
' This example is comparative and shows the viscos-ity values obtained using a sodium alkylbenzene sulfonate having a molecular weight of 427. This material was ob-tained by making a blend of a 375 molecular weight sodium alkylbenzene sulfonate and a 510 molecular weight sodium alkylbenzene sulfonate.
Viscosity values were obtained on the following:
(a) crude oil alone, (b) crude oil plus 50 volume percent water containing 2500 ppm of the described sulfonate, and (c) crude oil plus 50 volume pexcent water containing 5000 ppm of the desired sulfonate.
The results are shown in Table II. ~-_ T~BL~
CRUDE OIL. PLUS CRUD~ OIL PLUS
CRUD~ OIL ALONE TAINING 2500 PPM TAINING 5000 PPM
(300 ML) SULE`ONATE __ SULFONATE
Dial Viscoslty Dial Viscosity Dial Viscosity RPM Readiny cp Reading _ cp Reading _ cp 6 6.7 1,340 91.2 18,2401.7 340 12 11.3 1,130 Offscale - 4 400 10 30 26.3 1,052 Offscale - 7 280 52 1,040 Offscale - 10.3 206 26 1,052 Offscale - 7.5 300 12 10.3 1,030 Offscale - 7.5 750 6 2.6 1,060 82.5 16,5009.3 1,860 15 Test Temp 82C Test Temp 72C Test Tem~ C
The data in Table II shows that this sulfonate i5 effective at 5000 ppm but is not effective at 2500 ppm.
Thus, having described the invention ln detail, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that certain variations and modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined herein and in the appended claims.
: - . . .
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: ,: - - : : . :
Claims (9)
PROPERTY OR PRIVILEGE IS CLAIMED ARE DEFINED AS FOLLOWS:
1. In the method of pumping a viscous hydrocar-bon through a pipe the improvement which comprises forming an oil-in-water emulsion by adding to said hydrocarbon from about 20 to about 80 volume percent of an aqueous solution containing an effective amount, in the range of about 100 to about 2,000 parts per million, based on said hydrocarbon, of a water-soluble alkaryl sulfonate having a molecular weight below about 410, said alkaryl sulfonate being represented by the formula R(n)Ar-SO3M
wherein Ar is an aromatic moiety which is phenyl, tolyl, xylyl, or ethylphenyl, R is a linear or branched-chain alkyl group containing 4 to 16 carbon atoms, n is an integer of 1 or 2, M is sodium, potassium, or ammonium, and the total number of carbon atoms in the alkyl groups is in the range of 8 to 16.
wherein Ar is an aromatic moiety which is phenyl, tolyl, xylyl, or ethylphenyl, R is a linear or branched-chain alkyl group containing 4 to 16 carbon atoms, n is an integer of 1 or 2, M is sodium, potassium, or ammonium, and the total number of carbon atoms in the alkyl groups is in the range of 8 to 16.
2. The method of claim 1 wherein the alkaryl sulfonate has a molecular weight below about 375 and is represented by the formula wherein R is an alkyl group containing from about 9 to about 14 carbon atoms.
3. The method of claim 2 wherein the hydrocar-bon is a crude oil.
4. The method of claim 1 wherein the amount of aqueous solution added to said hydrocarbon is in the range of about 30 to about 60 volume percent, based on said hydro-carbon.
5. The method of claim 4 wherein the amount of alkaryl sulfonate is in the range of about 200 to about 1,000 parts per million, based on said hydrocarbon.
6. The method of claim 5 wherein the alkaryl sulfonate has a molecular weight below about 375 and is represented by the formula wherein R is an alkyl group containing from about 9 to about 14 carbon atoms.
7. The method of claim 6 wherein the hydrocar-bon is a crude oil.
8. The method of claim 7 wherein the alkyl group contains about 10 to about 13 carbon atoms.
9. The method of claim 8 wherein the alkaryl sulfonate has a molecular weight of about 334.
Applications Claiming Priority (2)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| US1335879A | 1979-02-21 | 1979-02-21 | |
| US13,358 | 1979-02-21 |
Publications (1)
| Publication Number | Publication Date |
|---|---|
| CA1113529A true CA1113529A (en) | 1981-12-01 |
Family
ID=21759557
Family Applications (1)
| Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA336,372A Expired CA1113529A (en) | 1979-02-21 | 1979-09-26 | Method of transporting viscous hydrocarbons |
Country Status (1)
| Country | Link |
|---|---|
| CA (1) | CA1113529A (en) |
Cited By (9)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US4966235A (en) * | 1988-07-14 | 1990-10-30 | Canadian Occidental Petroleum Ltd. | In situ application of high temperature resistant surfactants to produce water continuous emulsions for improved crude recovery |
| US4978365A (en) * | 1986-11-24 | 1990-12-18 | Canadian Occidental Petroleum Ltd. | Preparation of improved stable crude oil transport emulsions |
| US4983319A (en) * | 1986-11-24 | 1991-01-08 | Canadian Occidental Petroleum Ltd. | Preparation of low-viscosity improved stable crude oil transport emulsions |
| US5000872A (en) * | 1987-10-27 | 1991-03-19 | Canadian Occidental Petroleum, Ltd. | Surfactant requirements for the low-shear formation of water continuous emulsions from heavy crude oil |
| US5083613A (en) * | 1989-02-14 | 1992-01-28 | Canadian Occidental Petroleum, Ltd. | Process for producing bitumen |
| US5156652A (en) * | 1986-12-05 | 1992-10-20 | Canadian Occidental Petroleum Ltd. | Low-temperature pipeline emulsion transportation enhancement |
| US5263848A (en) * | 1986-11-24 | 1993-11-23 | Canadian Occidental Petroleum, Ltd. | Preparation of oil-in-aqueous phase emulsion and removing contaminants by burning |
| EP0855493A1 (en) * | 1997-01-23 | 1998-07-29 | AGIP S.p.A. | Process for moving heavy crude oils with water having a high content of salts |
| EP1091165A2 (en) | 1999-10-08 | 2001-04-11 | EniTecnologie S.p.A. | Process for moving highly viscous residues deriving from oil processing |
-
1979
- 1979-09-26 CA CA336,372A patent/CA1113529A/en not_active Expired
Cited By (10)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US4978365A (en) * | 1986-11-24 | 1990-12-18 | Canadian Occidental Petroleum Ltd. | Preparation of improved stable crude oil transport emulsions |
| US4983319A (en) * | 1986-11-24 | 1991-01-08 | Canadian Occidental Petroleum Ltd. | Preparation of low-viscosity improved stable crude oil transport emulsions |
| US5263848A (en) * | 1986-11-24 | 1993-11-23 | Canadian Occidental Petroleum, Ltd. | Preparation of oil-in-aqueous phase emulsion and removing contaminants by burning |
| US5156652A (en) * | 1986-12-05 | 1992-10-20 | Canadian Occidental Petroleum Ltd. | Low-temperature pipeline emulsion transportation enhancement |
| US5000872A (en) * | 1987-10-27 | 1991-03-19 | Canadian Occidental Petroleum, Ltd. | Surfactant requirements for the low-shear formation of water continuous emulsions from heavy crude oil |
| US4966235A (en) * | 1988-07-14 | 1990-10-30 | Canadian Occidental Petroleum Ltd. | In situ application of high temperature resistant surfactants to produce water continuous emulsions for improved crude recovery |
| US5083613A (en) * | 1989-02-14 | 1992-01-28 | Canadian Occidental Petroleum, Ltd. | Process for producing bitumen |
| EP0855493A1 (en) * | 1997-01-23 | 1998-07-29 | AGIP S.p.A. | Process for moving heavy crude oils with water having a high content of salts |
| US5934303A (en) * | 1997-01-23 | 1999-08-10 | Agip S.P.A. | Process for moving heavy crude oils with water having a high content of salts |
| EP1091165A2 (en) | 1999-10-08 | 2001-04-11 | EniTecnologie S.p.A. | Process for moving highly viscous residues deriving from oil processing |
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Legal Events
| Date | Code | Title | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| MKEX | Expiry |