Marathon Oil Company

Kent W Robinson

Mark A Plummer

Wayne E Luetzelschwab

Donald E Schroeder, Jr

Carle C Zimmerman, Jr

John R Coleman, Jr

Henry J Pietrzak

Petroleum sulfonates useful to impart micellar characteristics to mixtures of hydrocarbon and aqueous medium are obtained by reacting a hydrocarbon gas oil feedstock (average molecular weight 250-700; A/AP aliphatic to aromatic proton) ratio 5-50 moles/mole, 30-100% of the feedstock molecules contain aromatic portions and the A/AP ratio of the aromatic portion being about 3-20 moles/mole) with a solution of EDC (ethylene dichloride) containing 0.1-0.3 lb. liquid SO.sub.3 /lb EDC. The SO.sub.3 concentration is about 0.1-0.3 lb. of SO.sub.3 /lb of gas oil feedstock. Reaction takes place in a back-mix tubular reactor wherein at least about 4 parts of reaction products are recycled per 1 part of reaction products withdrawn and wherein the gas oil feedstock plus recycled reaction products and the SO.sub.3 /EDC streams entering the reaction zone are in turbulent flow. Velocity ratio of the feedstock plus recycled reaction products stream to the SO.sub.3 /EDC stream is at least 4:1, respectively. The withdrawn reaction products are neutralized with an aqueous basic liquid, e.g. aqueous solution, NH.sub.4 OH and thereafter the EDC is recovered from the neutralized reaction products to obtain unextracted sulfonate mix. The unextracted sulfonate mix is extracted with an aqueous alcohol solution to obtain a raffinate phase, an extract phase, and a brine phase; the extract phase is withdrawn and stripped of alcohol and water to obtain the desired petroleum sulfonate.

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Englewood, CO, United States of America

Kent W Robinson