Patent ID: 9631139
Date: 2017-04-25
CPC Classifications: C09K,E21B

Claim:
1. A method for forming a polymer-encapsulated mineral acid solution, the method comprising the steps of: introducing a strong mineral acid solution to a monomer solution such that a primary emulsion forms, where the primary emulsion is a water-in-oil (W/O) type emulsion, where the strong mineral acid solution comprises a strong mineral acid that is in a range of from greater than 0 wt. % to 30 wt. % of the strong mineral acid solution, where the monomer solution comprises a monomer and a free-radical initiator, and where the monomer is hydrophobic and is operable to polymerize upon initiation of a free-radical chain polymerization reaction, where the strong mineral acid is selected from the group consisting of hydrochloric acid (HCl), hydrofluoric acid (HF), sulfuric acid (H introducing the primary emulsion to a second aqueous solution such that a secondary emulsion forms, where the second aqueous solution comprises water, where the secondary emulsion is a water-in-oil-in-water (W/O/W) type double emulsion; and converting the free-radical initiator in the monomer solution such that a free-radical chain polymerization reaction is initiated in the monomer solution, a polymerized shell forms, and the secondary emulsion converts into the polymer-encapsulated mineral acid solution, where the polymerized shell encapsulates the strong mineral acid solution and prevents interaction with the strong mineral acid solution until the polymerized shell degrades, and where the strong mineral acid solution does not degrade the polymerized shell.