The Dow Chemical Company

Champion Technologies Limited

Vaughn M Nace

Debkumar Bhattacharjee

Jerram B Nichols

Warren A Kaplan

Hans R Friedli

Raymond A Plepys

Van A Kent

Johnny Chavez, Jr

Sen J Ubbels

Paul D Bettge

Petrus Johannes Venter

Andrew S Farnum

Randall K Whitmire

Low dosage naphthenate inhibitors, such as a surfactant or hydrotrope, delivered into production fluids for contact with mixtures of oil and water, such as in a hydrocarbon producing formation, production equipment, or processing systems. Inhibitor compounds such as monophosphate esters and diphosphate esters exhibit surface-active properties that cause the inhibitors to self-associate at oil-water interfaces and inhibit interactions between organic acids in the oil with cations or cation complexes in the water. These compounds also inhibit aggregation of organic acid carboxylate salts that form when pH and pressure conditions are amenable to organic acid ionization. Preferred inhibitors do not form emulsions due to the formation of unstable mixed interface structures that result in coalescence of dispersed droplets. Naphthenate inhibitor compound dosages of less than 100 ppm can effectively inhibit naphthenate salts or other organic acid salts that can form precipitates or emulsions during crude oil production or processing.

Low dosage naphthenate inhibitors

Polyurethane, polyisocyanurate and polyurea polymers, particularly foamed polymers can be prepared from formulations including non-silicone polyether surfactants. The non-silicone polyether surfactants can be polyethers having from about 10 to about 90 weight percent oxyethylene units and from about 10 to about 90 weight percent oxyalkylene units having at least 4 carbons. The non-silicone polyether surfactants can be used to prepare foams having properties substantially similar to foams prepared with conventional silicone based surfactants.

Polyisocyanate based polymers prepare from formulations including

Polyisocyanate based polymers perpared from formulations including

The biodegradability of polyglycol-based block copolymers is improved by including in the copolymer a lactone. Representative of these biodegradable enhanced copolymers are those made of 1,2-butylene oxide and .epsilon.-caprolactone capped with a homopolymer block of ethylene oxide. The copolymers of this invention have many uses, such as nonionic surfactants, foam control agents, lubricants, and the like.

Biodegradable alkylene oxide-lactone copolymers

The concentration of propenyl ethers in a hydroxy-functional polyether having oxypropylene units is reduced by a process including the step of contacting the polyether with an acid ion exchange resin for a time and at a temperature sufficient for the conversion of at least some of the propenyl ethers to propionaldehyde and in the presence of sufficient water for the conversion. Optionally, the polyether is treated with an epoxy compound in an amount sufficient to reduce the acidity of the polyol.

Purified hydroxy-functional polyether compounds

Carbonate polymer compositions are rendered gamma ray resistant by the incorporation of 500 to 50,000 ppm of one or more polyether polyols. Compared to the controls, the compositions of the invention have a reduced yellowing after exposure to cobalt 60 radiation.

Gamma radiation resistant carbonate polymer compositions

Carbonate polymer compositions are rendered gamma ray resistant by the incorporation of 100 to 50,000 ppm of one or more linolenic compounds. Compared to the controls, the compositions of the invention have a reduced yellowing after exposure to cobalt 60 radiation.

Gamma radiation resistant carbonate polymer compositions containing

Carbonate polymer compositions are rendered gamma ray resistant by the incorporation of 5 to 20,000 ppm of one or more sorbate compounds. The compositions of the invention have a reduced yellowing after exposure to cobalt 60 radiation. Examples of useful sorbate compounds are sorbic acid, sorbic acid amides, esters and the like. The addition of hindered phenolic compounds renders the sorbate compounds more effective.

Gamma radiation resistant carbonate polymer compositions with sorbates

Carbonate polymer compositions are rendered gamma ray resistant by the incorporation of 0.1 to 10 percent by weight of the esters of aromatic polycarboxylic acids such as terephthalic, isophthalic, phthalic, trimellitic, hemimellitic, trimesic, and prehnitic acids with the monoalkyl or monoaryl ethers of polyglycols. The compositions have reduced yellowing after exposure to cobalt 60 radiation.

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Lake Jackson, TX, United States of America

Vaughn M Nace