NOVEL COPOLYMERS FOR USE AS OILFIELD DEMULSIFIERS

摘要

Lactone/alkylene oxide polymers are useful as demulsifiers to break emulsions, e.g. water-in-oil and oil-in-water emulsions, particularly oilfield emulsions. These polymers are random or block polymer made from addition reactions of a hydroxyl- and/or amine-containing base compound with at least one lactone monomer and at least one alkylene oxide monomer.

主权项

1. A method of breaking an emulsion comprising oil and water, the method comprising:
adding to the emulsion comprising oil and water an effective amount of a polymer to break the emulsion, where the polymer consists of a random or block polymer made from addition reactions of a hydroxyl-containing base compound with at least one lactone monomer and at least one alkylene oxide monomer, where
the at least one lactone monomer is selected from the group of lactones of formula (I) having 3 to 7 carbon atoms in the central ring  where n is at least 1 and R′ are independently any hydrogen, alkyl, or cycloalkyl; andthe hydroxyl-containing base compound is selected from the group consisting of methanol; propylene glycol; glycerol; pentaerythritol; sucrose; glucose; sorbitol; fructose; maltitol; polyvinyl alcohol; polysaccharides selected from the group consisting of starch derivatives, hydroxyl ethyl cellulose (HEC), carboxy methyl cellulose (CMC) and cyclodextrin; polyesters; polyethers; polyacids; and combinations thereof; and where:
the weight ratio of at least one lactone monomer to the hydroxyl-containing base compound ranges from about 0.1:1 to about 99.9:1; andthe weight ratio of at least one alkylene oxide monomer to the hydroxyl-containing base compound ranges from about 99.9:1 to about 0.1:1; and where the polymer has an absence of phenol-formaldehyde resins and the polymer is not a dendrimer or dendritic.