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:
Dec. 17, 1985
Filed:
Dec. 24, 1984
Samir S Ashrawi, Houston, TX (US);
Gabriel Prukop, Houston, TX (US);
Texaco Inc., White Plains, NY (US);
Abstract
The invention extracts surfactants from produced emulsions of oil, water and surfactants from enhanced oil recovery operations and concentrates the surfactants into an aqueous solution. The produced emulsion is mixed with an alkali metal chloride salt, and butanol or pentanol, and allowed to separate into two phases, an oleic phase and an aqueous phase. The oleic phase is then mixed with fresh water containing about 1% to about 10% by weight of isopropanol, ethanol or methanol, and the mixture is allowed to separate into at least two phases, a substantially water-free and surfactant-free crude oil phase and an aqueous phase containing virtually all of the enhanced oil recovery surfactants originally within the produced emulsion. The surfactants in the aqueous phase may be reutilized for further enhanced oil recovery operations.