Instituto Mexicano Del Petroleo

Edgar Iván Hernández Carbajal

Flavio Salvador Vázquez Moreno

César Andrés Flores Sandoval

Juan De La Cruz Clavel López

Alfonso López Ortega

Gerardo Zavala Olivares

Enrique Cevada Maya

Fernando Alvarez Ramírez

Fernando Álvarez Ramírez

Rodrigo De Jesús García Jiménez

The present invention is related to the application of terpolymers based on alkyl acrylates as defoamers of gasified crude oils, with densities between 10 and 40&#xb0; API. The evaluation of terpolymers based on alkyl acrylates at conditions similar to those of gas-liquid separators has shown that the terpolymers are efficient as inhibitors of the foam formation in heavy and super-heavy crude oil, abating the foam between 15 and 50% faster than in non-dosed crude oil (blank). Even some acrylic terpolymers exhibited a greater efficiency as defoamers than that of commercial silicon-based polymers, which promoting the defoaming only 20-25% faster than the blank collapse. The employ of silicones as defoamers presents serious problems as the formation of deposits and the deactivation of catalysts in the refining processes. This situation has provoked that refineries in Mexico and a worldwide ban the application of this kind of inorganic polymers, and new silicon-free defoaming agents are required. Therefore, the new silicon free defoamers object of this invention represent an advantageous option to replace the silicon based defoamers employed nowadays by the petroleum industry.

Formulation of terpolymers based on alkyl acrylates employed as antifoaming of gasified heavy and super-heavy crude oils

Nowadays, one of the major problems of the oil industry is the presence of large amounts of water and salts, which cannot be efficiently removed by conventional dehydrating polymers. In addition, the acid stimulation operations of petroleum wells cause the chemical degradation of demulsifiers such as polyethers and phenolic resins, reducing drastically their efficiency as water and salt removers. Based on aforementioned, a series of new copolymers has been developed; these copolymers are combinations of an acrylic and an aminoacrylic monomer and they are synthesized by semi-continuous emulsion polymerization (under starved feed conditions), which ensures both the homogeneity of the different chains as well as the randomness of the monomers distribution. The solutions of one of these random copolymers have shown an efficiency similar or superior to combinations of two or three block copolymers (formulations), when they are applied in light or heavy crude oils. The acrylic-aminoacrylic copolymers show good performance as water/oil emulsion breaker initiators, coalescence agents of water droplets and clarifiers of the remaining aqueous phase. In addition, the chemical structure of the acrylic copolymers confers resistance to degradation induced by abrupt pH changes when acid stimulation operations of wells are performed.

Demulsifiers for crude oil based on acrylic-aminoacrylic random copolymers of controlled molecular mass

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Mexico City, Mexico

Edgar Iván Hernández Carbajal