The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Aug. 12, 2025
Filed:
Mar. 16, 2022
Exxonmobil Technology and Engineering Company, Spring, TX (US);
P. Scott Northrop, Spring, TX (US);
Kevin A. Harnsberry, Beaumont, TX (US);
ExxonMobil Technology and Engineering Company, Spring, TX (US);
Abstract
Methods for utilizing and regenerating solvent mixtures for dissolving elemental sulfur within hydrocarbon wells are described herein. One method includes providing a solvent mixture including an elemental sulfur solvent fraction including disulfide compound(s), as well as an odorant fraction including a lactate ester solvent. The method also includes injecting the solvent mixture into a hydrocarbon well such that the elemental sulfur solvent fraction dissolves elemental sulfur deposited on well components, as well as collecting the resulting spent solvent mixture, which includes thiols and residual lactate ester solvent, within a spent solvent separator. The method further includes sparging the spent solvent mixture with oxidizer within the spent solvent separator to allow for oxidation of the thiols to produce the disulfide compound(s) using the residual lactate ester solvent (and, optionally, additional lactate ester solvent), as well as regenerating the solvent mixture using at least a portion of the produced disulfide compound(s).