Environmentally friendly bis-quaternary compounds for inhibiting corrosion and removing hydrocarbonaceous deposits in oil and gas applications
View Patent ↗Environmentally friendly compounds for corrosion inhibition and hydrocarbonaceous deposit removal and methods using such compounds are disclosed and claimed. The compounds are derivatives of heterocyclic bis-quaternary molecules having an amido moiety and are applicable to a variety of oil and gas operations.
1. A bis-quaternized compound for inhibiting corrosion and/or removing hydrocarbonaceous deposits in oil and gas applications, the compound having a net charge of zero and having a general formula:
(a) wherein R 1 , R 2 , R 3 , and R 4 are independently selected from the group consisting of: an unsubstituted branched, chain, or ring alkyl or alkenyl having from 1 to about 29 carbon atoms in its main chain; a partially or fully substituted branched, chain, or ring alkyl or alkenyl having from 1 to about 29 carbon atoms in its main chain, wherein said substitution includes being oxygenized, sulfurized, and/or phosphorylized; and combinations thereof;
(b) L 1 and L 2 is each a moiety independently selected from the group consisting of: —H, —CO 2 H, —SO 3 H, —PO 3 H 2 , —CO 2 R 5 , —CONH 2 , —CONHR 5 , —CON(R 5 ) 2 , and combinations thereof; wherein each R 5 is independently selected from the group consisting of: branched or unbranched alkyl, aryl, alkylaryl, cycloalkyl, and heteroaromatic groups having from 1 to about 10 carbon atoms, and combinations thereof;
(c) x is from 1 to about 10; and
(d) y is from 1 to about 5.
2. The bis-quaternized compound of claim 1 , wherein R 1 and R 2 are derived from a mixture of tall oil fatty acids and are predominantly a mixture of C 17 H 33 and C 17 H 31 .
3. The bis-quaternized compound of claim 2 , wherein x is 2, y is 1, R 3 and R 4 are C 2 H 2 , and L 1 and L 2 are —CO 2 H.
4. A method of improving production in an oil and/or gas application, the method comprising adding as either continuously or intermittently to a fluid in said application: (i) the compound of claim 1 in either pure or mixed solid form or (ii) a composition having from about 5 to about 50 weight percent of the compound of claim 1 dispersed or dissolved in one or more solvents; wherein the composition optionally includes one or more surfactants, polymers, acids, and/or bases.
5. The method of claim 4 , wherein improving production includes reducing a corrosion rate and/or removing hydrocarbonaceous deposits from metallic surfaces in contact with the fluid.
6. The method of claim 4 , wherein the composition includes from about 10 to about 50 weight percent of the compound.
7. The method of claim 4 , wherein the one or more solvents includes at least one organic solvent.
8. The method of claim 4 , wherein the one or more solvents are selected from the group consisting of: alcohols, glycols, aliphatic and aromatic hydrocarbons, and combinations thereof.
9. The method of claim 4 , wherein the fluid includes oil or gas and water.
10. The method of claim 4 , including improving water injectivity rates to optimize oil and gas production.
11. The method of claim 4 , including removing hydrocarbonaceous deposits from water injection systems.
12. The method of claim 4 , including removing hydrocarbonaceous deposits from components selected from the group consisting of: flowlines, pipelines, injection lines, wellbore surfaces, storage tanks, process equipment, vessels, and combinations thereof.
13. The method of claim 4 , including continuously adding from about 0.01 ppm to about 5,000 ppm of the compound and/or intermittently adding from about 10 ppm to about 400,000 ppm of the compound.
14. A method of producing a corrosion inhibiting and/or hydrocarbonaceous deposit removing composition for oil and gas applications, the composition including at least one bis-quaternized compound having the general formula of claim 1 , the method comprising:
(a) selecting a first organic acid from the group consisting of: unsubstituted saturated or mono- or poly unsaturated fatty acids having from 2 to about 30 carbon atoms in its main chain; partially or fully substituted saturated or mono- or poly unsaturated fatty acids having from 2 to about 30 carbon atoms in its main chain, wherein said substitution includes being oxygenized, sulfurized, and/or phosphorylized; and combinations thereof;
(b) selecting an alkyl polyamine from the group having a general formula: H 2 N—CH 2 —(CH 2 ) p —NH—(CH 2 ) q —NH 2 , wherein p is from 1 to about 5 and q is from 1 to about 10;
(c) selecting a second organic acid from the group consisting of: substituted and unsubstituted α, β unsaturated carboxylic fatty acids and amide and ester derivatives thereof, having from 3 to about 11 carbon atoms, or a salt thereof; substituted and unsubstituted α, β unsaturated sulfonic and phosphonic fatty acids having from 2 to about 11 carbon atoms, or a salt thereof; and combinations thereof;
(d) mixing the first organic acid and the alkyl polyamine to produce at least one intermediate compound of a general formula:
wherein R 1 and R 2 depend upon which first organic acid(s) is/are selected; and
(e) mixing the intermediate compound and the second organic acid to produce the composition.
15. The method of claim 14 , wherein the first organic acid includes from about 6 to about 30 carbon atoms in its main chain.
16. The method of claim 14 , wherein the first organic acid is derived from a mixture of tall oil fatty acids and is predominantly a mixture of C 18 H 34 O 2 and C 18 H 32 O 2 .
17. The method of claim 14 , wherein the alkyl polyamine is diethylenetriamine.
18. The method of claim 14 , wherein the second organic acid is acrylic acid or its salt.
19. The method of claim 14 , including mixing the first organic acid and the alkyl polyamine in an approximately 1.1:1 to 3:1 mole ratio and applying heat.
20. The method of claim 14 , including mixing the intermediate compound and the second organic acid in an approximately 1:2.0 to 1:2.5 molar ratio and applying heat.