Patent ID: 6100223
Filing Date: 2000-08-08
Classification: C07C,C09K

Abstract:
A method for preparing an invert drilling fluid comprising the steps of:(a) preparing a mixture comprising a carboxylic acid having from one to five carbon atoms or isomers or mixtures thereof with olefins selected from the group consisting of propene, butene, pentene, hexene, heptene, octene, nonene, decene, undecene, dodecene, tridecene, tetradecene, pentadecene, hexadecene, heptadecene, octadecene, nonadecene, eicosene, uneicosene, doeicosene and isomers and mixtures thereof, wherein the concentration of the carboxylic acid in the mixture is at least about 3 weight percent;(b) contacting the mixture of step (a) in the absence of water with an acid catalyst under reaction conditions and for a time sufficient to react said carboxylic acid and said olefins while maintaining the concentration of the carboxylic acid in the reaction mixture above about 3 weight percent to form a mixture of secondary esters; and(c) adding the mixture of secondary esters to an invert drilling mud as the continuous phase or part of the continuous phase of an invert drilling fluid.