Process for mineral oil production using surfactants from the class of the alkyl polyglucosides

Abstract

A process for mineral oil production, in which an aqueous surfactant formulation comprising at least one alkyl polyglucoside is injected into a mineral oil deposit through at least one injection borehole and crude oil is withdrawn from the deposit through at least one production borehole, wherein the formulation does not comprise any alcohols as cosolvents.

1 . A process for mineral oil production, in which an aqueous surfactant formulation is injected into a mineral oil deposit through at least one injection borehole and crude oil is withdrawn from the deposit through at least one production borehole, the interfacial tension between oil and water in the deposit being lowered to values of <0.1 mN/m in the presence of said surfactant formulation, and said aqueous surfactant formulation comprising at least
 50% by weight of water,   optionally non-water but water-miscible organic cosolvents, and   at least one nonionic surfactant of the general formula R 1 O—(A) m —H (I), where the surfactant may comprise proportions of monoalcohol R 1 OH (II), where
 R 1  in the formulae (I) and (II) is identical and is a linear or branched, saturated or unsaturated, aliphatic or aromatic-aliphatic hydrocarbyl radical having 8 to 24 carbon atoms, 
 A is a hexose or pentose, and 
 m is from 1 to 10, 
   
       where the amounts stated are each based on the total amount of all components of the formulation, wherein the cosolvents exclude the following compounds having OH groups:
 monoalcohols R 2 OH (III) different than alcohols of the formula R 1 OH, where R 2  is a straight-chain, branched or cyclic, aliphatic and/or aromatic hydrocarbyl radical having 3 to 24 carbon atoms, 
 alkyl ethers of the formula R 2 —(O—CH 2 —CH 2 ) n —H (IV), where R 2  is as already defined and n is from 1 to 3, 
 dialcohols of the general formula HO—R 3 —OH (V), where R 3  is a divalent, straight-chain or branched hydrocarbyl radical having 2 to 10 carbon atoms, 
 compounds of the general formula R 4 O—(A) m —H (VI), where R 4  is a hydrocarbyl radical having 3 to 6 carbon atoms, 
 
       and where the at least one surfactant R 1 O—(A) m —H (I) comprises not more than 3% by weight, based on the amount of the surfactant, of alcohols R 1 OH (II). 
     
     
         2 . The process according to  claim 1 , wherein no organic cosolvents are present in the formulation. 
     
     
         3 . The process according to  claim 1 , wherein
 R 1  is a linear or branched, saturated or unsaturated, aliphatic hydrocarbyl radical having 8 to 18 carbon atoms, and   m is from 1 to 3.   
     
     
         4 . The process according to  claim 1 , wherein
 R 1  is a linear saturated or unsaturated, aliphatic hydrocarbyl radical having 8 to 18 carbon atoms,   A is glucose, and   m is from 1 to 2.   
     
     
         5 . The process according to  claim 1 , wherein the concentration of all surfactants together is 0.01 to 5% by weight based on the total amount of the aqueous surfactant formulation. 
     
     
         6 . The process according to  claim 1 , wherein the concentration of all surfactants together is 0.01 to 2% by weight based on the total amount of the aqueous surfactant formulation. 
     
     
         7 . The process according to  claim 1 , wherein the amount of the surfactants of the general formula (I) is at least 50% by weight based on the total amount of all surfactants used. 
     
     
         8 . The process according to  claim 1 , wherein the surfactant formulation comprises, as a surfactant, exclusively at least one surfactant of the general formula (I). 
     
     
         9 . The process according to  claim 1 , wherein the at least one surfactant of the general formula (I) is used in combination with bases. 
     
     
         10 . The process according to  claim 9 , wherein the bases comprise one selected from the group of sodium hydroxide and sodium carbonate.