Patent Description:
In a first aspect the product is prepared by mixing <NUM> of monoethylene glycol (MEG) and <NUM> of water, followed by adding <NUM> grams of fine Xanthan powder, which is thereafter shearmixed until completely solved, adding thinned hydrochloric acid until pH <NUM> is reached, mixing <NUM> of aluminum chloride with 650mml of water under pH <NUM>, which is then mixed with the Xanthan / MEG / Water mixture by shearmixing,.

In a second aspect the product is prepared by mixing <NUM> of monoethylene glycol (MEG) and <NUM> of water with <NUM> Xanthan, which is then pH adjusted to <NUM>, dissolving <NUM> of aluminum chloride in <NUM> of polyaluminium chloride with pH <NUM> (PAX), and blending said mixtures into a homogeneous mixture.

The product can be dosed and mixed into a contaminated liquid, preferably a contaminated water derived from well operations in connection with oil and gas production or drilling for oil and gas.

Preferably <NUM>-1000ppm, more preferably <NUM>-<NUM> ppm and most preferably <NUM>-<NUM> ppm of the product is dosed and mixed into the contaminated liquid.

The product helps separating oil/water and particles in waste liquid or fluid in and from oil and gas production from reservoirs, refineries or petrochemical industry.

It is known that there are a variety of polysaccharides / hydrocolloids that crosslink with multivalent cations. Including products from the groups; marine plants, terrestrial plants, microbial polysaccharides and polysaccharide derivatives such as Agar, Guar gum, Dextran, Carboxy Methyl cellulose, Alginates, Gum Arabic, Gellan gum, Methyl Hydroxypropyl cellulose, Carrageenan Gum Tragacanth, Rhamsan gum, Hydroxypropyl cellulose, Furcellaran, Karaya gum, Welan gum, Hydroxyethyl cellulose, Locust bean gum, Xanthan gum, Propylene Glycol Alginate, Pectin, Curdlan, Hydroxypropyl Guar, Tamarind seed gum and Pullulan.

It is known a number of these products are used to form viscosity and emulsion stability in various products in the food industry, cosmetics industry, oil industry as well as in a variety of general industrial applications.

It is also well-known that a method of avoiding clumping by dissolving polysaccharides in water is to disperse them in an oil or in an alcohol or glycerol.

Further, it is known that said polysaccharides can be crosslinked to gel using gelling agents, including multivalent cations.

From the oil industry it is known that polysaccharides can be used as viscosity promotional additives in fracturing liquids, drilling liquids and supplemental liquids. In drilling liquids they also function as emulsion stabilizers in oil-based drilling mud and, due to their tixotropic properties, have the ability to hold solids in suspension upon standing.

The applications in the oil industry mean that the polysaccharides are previously dissolved and stabilized by crosslinking in the drilling, completion and fracturing liquids.

It is also known that anionic polysaccharides / hydrocolloids can be used in process water treatment to improve separation of contaminants by adding them water hydrated in a dilute solution into a process water stream, after which they are reacted with multivalent cations for crosslinking, whereby flocculation into large easily separable conglomerates of contamination and polysaccharide takes place.

It is known that by strong water dilution and instantaneous mixing can avoid premature gelling, that is, crosslinking takes place before polysaccharide chains contact contaminants in the process water, in water where active multivalent cations are present. In particular, this is known from the use of alginates, carrageenan and pectin, which crosslink with divalent cations. It is also known that such divalent cations are present in most produced water compositions that relate to oil reservoir production of oil / gas / water mixtures.

It is also known that such premature gelling can be avoided by using retardant chemicals combined with injection, and that activating chemicals may be used in which inactivated multivalent cations are present in a contaminated production water stream.

It is also known that in water with a high content of cations and salts, high water dilution and pre-highly water-free polysaccharide are used by injection.

It is known that one can cause the various polysaccharides to be water-insulated to enclose contamination, then flocculate contamination by crosslinking by new injection and mixing of dissolved or insoluble water-soluble multivalent cation.

It is also known that many present components in produced water from an oil reservoir contain natural or added substances that inhibit crosslinking of water-solved polysaccharide by divalent cations. Typical natural inhibitors are hydrogen carbonate and typically added inhibitors are scale inhibitors. Both of these bind up one or more of the free valvences of the cations. For linking to a polysaccharide it is sufficient for <NUM> free valence in the cation, such as for example in Ca2 +, but to crosslink two polysaccharides, at least two valences must be free for crosslinking.

An example of a process for treating water with Xanthan/Aluminium solutions can be found in:
<NPL>.

Polyaluminium chloride is one of the most commonly used coagulants in water purification. It is used in different concentrations in both solid and liquid form. Prepolymerized aluminum does not cross-link polysaccharides. It is nevertheless known that polysaccharides are used as an assistant coagulant together with polyaluminum chloride. The polysaccharide chains adhere to particles and help coagulants to get something to bond to.

It is not known to mix loose, partially dissolved or loose natural polysaccharide in a liquid together with PAX / PAC and crosslinking liquid-soluble trivalent cations without crosslinking with polysaccharide prior to mixing into a contaminated process water stream.

Nor is it known that by lowering the pH in a solution of <NUM> for trivalent aluminum, and below <NUM> for trivalent iron and below <NUM> for trivalent chromium, up to saturated solution, mix this with high concentrated solved / partially dissolved or undissolved polysaccharide in a base liquid where the pH during mixing does not exceed these values. It was surprisingly found that at low pH, said trivalent dissolved crosslinking cations may be blended with polysaccharide without such crosslinking to occur, a crosslinking that normally take place at higher pH. It is not known that one can make such a mixture at low pH and dose and mix small amounts into a contaminated liquid where polysaccharide will bond to contaminants and trivalent cations then crosslink it all to large flocks and conglomerates as the pH of contaminated liquid is over threshold for inactivation of crosslinking. The threshold value is defined to pH <NUM> for trivalent aluminum solutions, and to pH <NUM> for trivalent iron solutions and pH <NUM> for trivalent chromium solutions.

Disclosed herein is a product for injection into a contaminated water stream for the removal of solved and / or unsolved organic and / or inorganic contaminants from a liquid, where the product consists of a base liquid of an alcohol or an alcohol / water mixture , or water in which it is dispersed, partially solved or solved one or more powdered natural polysaccharide which has the property of crosslinking with trivalent cations and wherein the pH is lowered to less than <NUM> before the addition of trivalent aluminum, or lowered to less than <NUM> before addition of trivalent iron, or to less than <NUM> before addition of trivalent chromium dissolved in water or by that polyaluminum chloride (PAX / PAC) is added. Such pH reduction may be carried out by that a base liquid with dispersed may be carried out by adding solid liquid with dispersed / fully / partially dissolved polysaccharide is added sufficient amounts of polyaluminum chloride which is highly acidic. In this way, the product is a coagulant assistant in the polysaccharide which coagulates with PAX / PAC and polysaccharide crosslinks to strong conglomerate.

Further disclosed herein is a product for injection into a contaminated water stream for the removal of dissolved and / or insoluble organic and / or inorganic impurities from a liquid stream in that the pulverized polysaccharide consists of one or more of Agar, Guar gum , Dextran, Carboxy Methyl cellulose, Alginates, Gum Arabic, Gellan gum, Methyl Hydroxypropyl cellulose, Carrageenan Gum Tragacanth, Rhamsan gum, Hydroxypropyl cellulose, Furcellaran, Karaya gum, Welan gum, Hydroxyethyl cellulose, Locust bean gum, Xanthan gum, Propylene Glycol Alginate , Pectin, Curdlan, Hydroxypropyl Guar, Tamarind seed gum and / or Pullulan.

Even further disclosed herein is a product for injection into a contaminated water stream for the removal of dissolved and / or insoluble organic and / or inorganic contaminants from a liquid stream where the product is comprising a trivalent cation in a liquid with a pH below the crosslinking threshold with polysaccharide where the product is consisting of one or more liquid-soluble trivalent cations which mixed into contaminated water with a pH above threshold for crosslinking, crosslinks solved polysaccharide, where the trivalent cation composition may be a composition of aluminum, iron or chromium.

Also disclosed herein is a process for the preparation and use of a product for the removal of dissolved and / or undissolved organic and / or inorganic contaminants from a liquid stream in which the product according to the invention is injected and mixed into a contaminated aqueous liquid stream whereby in the first time interval the required proportion water-solved polysaccharide bonds to contamination in water, where after in a second time interval a coagulation with PAX / PAC takes place, where after the cross-linking cations of the product crosslink followed by subsequent anglomeration of contamination and cross-linked polysaccharide.

Also disclosed herein is a process for the preparation and use of a product for the removal of dissolved and / or insoluble organic and / or inorganic impurities from a liquid stream, which product is injected and mixed at <NUM>-<NUM> ppm of the product in the contaminated liquid stream, where a preferred injection rate is <NUM>-<NUM> ppm, and yet another more preferred injection rate is <NUM>-<NUM> ppm.

Also disclosed herein is an application of the product and method as described above as a oil / water / particle separation promoting agent for a contaminated water stream where water comes from the oil production reservoir and is to be purified for discharge to the sea or purified for re-injection into the reservoir.

Also disclosed herein is an application of the product and method as described above to oil / water / particle separation promoting agent for a contaminated water stream where water comes from well operations in connection with oil and gas production or drilling for oil or gas.

Also disclosed herein is the application of the product and method as described above as a emulsion breaker in connection with oil and gas production to remove water in the oil phase.

Also disclosed herein is an application of the product and process as described above to oil / water / particle separation promoting agent from a contaminated water stream where water is waste water from drilling and / or production ships, floating or fixed platforms, or from oil-related land-based operations.

Also disclosed herein is an application of the product and method to oil / water / particle separation promoting agent in a contaminated water stream where water is waste water or process water in / from refineries or petrochemical industry.

Also disclosed herein is an application of the product and method as described above to a separating agent for the separation of organic and inorganic contamination in a contaminated water stream from industrial or municipal wastewater and in drinking water purification.

Also disclosed herein is an application of the product and method as described above to a separating agent for improved separation of organic and inorganic contamination in a water stream where the product is used prior to separation into one or more of hydro cyclones, flotation devices / processes, sedimentation devices / processes, mechanical filter devices / processes, media filter devices / processes, membrane filters / processes, reverse osmosis devices / processes, centrifuge devices / processes and / or decanter devices / processes, UV treatment devices / processes, evaporation devices / processes, electrolysis devices / processes.

The features of the invention are set forth in the annexed claims.

A product prepared according to the process of the invention has the advantage that it can be dosed highly concentrated into a large produced water stream or process water flow dispersed. A slurry of dispersed polysaccharide, PAX / PAC and trivalent cations in solved form in addition to dispersion liquid, could contain, for example, <NUM>% by weight of dry matter in alcohol dispersion. In this, a concentrated saturated mixture of trivalent cations can be shearmixed in water with a pH below the threshold value. Similarly, concentrated coagulant can be mixed in.

One will see one single slurry dosing point onboard a platform for the purification of oily produced water and <NUM><NUM> product will treat <NUM>,<NUM><NUM> of water.

Similarly, using water-soluble polysaccharide, such as Alginate, would involve large quantities of fresh water, as this should typically be diluted to a <NUM>% freshwater solution according to known technology. In the such case then <NUM><NUM> of fresh water would be consumed for dilution daily. This is for an oil platform very extensive water consumption, and in many countries unimaginable consumption of fresh water. The present invention does not use freshwater.

Further, by known technology, two dosing systems and dosage points and two mixing devices are required. In the oil industry, this is very extensive and logistically very undesirable.

The present invention reduces the need to <NUM> dosage and infusion system and significantly simplifies logistics in that both reactant and polysaccharide are present in one and the same dispersion liquid. In the present product composition, polysaccharides can be dissolved in high concentrations and multivalent cation content may be highly concentrated in the same mixture.

According to the invention Xanthan is used as Xanthan does not react with divalent cations in the produced water and it can be dissolved in high saline water. Up to <NUM>-<NUM>% solution can be dissolved in water or a mixture of water and alcohol or oil. By adding trivalent cations of aluminum according to the invention in the same mixture, Xanthan and cations will not react reactively before this mixture is dosed into water of higher pH and it will react with the bonding of particles and oil drops with subsequent crosslinking.

Of all natural polysaccharides, Xanthan is the most widely used in the oil industry, but exclusively used for other purposes a water purification. However, it is <NUM> times less expensive than the known polysaccharides used for water purification, and the present invention thus also represents major economic savings for the industry.

It is known that natural polysaccharides have a short life span due to biological activity when dissolving in water. A maximum of <NUM>-<NUM> weeks of shelf life for flocculating natural polysaccharide is common. In the present invention, Xanthan is not hydrated and durability is as in dry state or better. That is, more than a <NUM> year shelf life. In acid solution, durability is the same.

By the present invention there is produced a product and method which has great economic, practical, logistic, and environmental advantages over prior art.

The present invention has the advantage that the products are without adverse effect on the marine environment.

Furthermore, the present invention has the advantage that all injected products are reacted and separated by proper stoichiometric formulation of polysaccharide and crosslinking cationic reactant. That is, no emissions to the marine environment or no supply of surplus flocculant in the reservoir if water is reinjected under / in the oil reservoir. Conventional flocculants yield surpluses that follow the water phase at sea or to reservoir with potentially large adverse effects.

The solution comprising Xanthan and aluminium cations can be solved directly in water produced from oil reservoirs. This is a great advantage over the processes known from the prior art. Furthermore the aluminum cations are not inhibited by the other chemical additives commonly used in produced water or chemicals naturally present in the water. Cations present in the produced water have also no influence on the Xanthan.

The method of the invention will be further explained in the following description with reference to examples wherein:.

<NUM> of monoethylene glycol (MEG) was mixed with <NUM> of water, followed by adding <NUM> grams of fine Xanthan powder, which was shearmixed and completely solved. The viscous mixture was then added thinned hydrochloric acid until pH <NUM> was reached. Then <NUM> of aluminum chloride was mixed with 650mml of water under pH <NUM>. This solution was then mixed with the Xanthan / MEG / Water mixture by shearmix. One then got a homogeneously slightly viscous mixture pumpable in dosing pumps, without any kind of crosslinking. The product was then tested 10ppm in <NUM> liter of produced water from the oil industry where the pH was <NUM>. After <NUM> seconds a visual strong flocculation was observed and after <NUM> minute water was crystal clear with flocculated material on the top.

Product A was tested on <NUM> different water with different chemical compositions with regard to salinity, hydrogencarbonate content, scale inhibiting chemicals in the water, etc. without any reducing effect being observed.

Identical mixture for Experiment A was made, but without pH regulation of any of the solutions. The result was full crosslinking in trying to mix polysaccharide with trivalent cation.

Identical mixture to A was made but only with pH regulation of Xanthan / MEG / Water mixture and loose trivalent cation had pH7.

Upon mixing, one could see partial crosslinking and the mixture became unstable with excreted liquid. Attempting flocculation in <NUM> liter of produced water from the oil industry confirmed that the product was completely cross-linked prior to injection. <NUM> ppm injected product yielded almost no flocculation.

<NUM> of MEG and <NUM> of water were mixed with <NUM> of xanthan. The pH was then adjusted to <NUM>. <NUM> of aluminum chloride was dissolved in <NUM> of polyaluminum chloride with pH <NUM> (PAX). Everything was then blended into a homogeneous viscous mixture. At dosing of <NUM> in <NUM> liter of produced water extremely fast flocculation and crosslinking were achieved and one had clear water within <NUM> seconds. This repeated with <NUM> different water as in experiment A.

Claim 1:
A process for preparing a non-crosslinked product comprising Xanthan mixed with aluminum chloride and/or polyaluminium chloride, the product useful for dosing into and removing impurities from a liquid, characterized in that the process comprises the steps of either:
a. mixing <NUM> of monoethylene glycol (MEG) and <NUM> of water, followed by adding <NUM> grams of fine Xanthan powder, which is thereafter shearmixed until completely solved, adding thinned hydrochloric acid until pH <NUM> is reached, mixing <NUM> of aluminum chloride with 650mml of water under pH <NUM>, which is then mixed with the Xanthan / MEG / Water mixture by shearmixing, or
b. mixing <NUM> of monoethylene glycol (MEG) and <NUM> of water with <NUM> Xanthan, which is then pH adjusted to <NUM>, dissolving <NUM> of aluminum chloride in <NUM> of polyaluminium chloride with pH <NUM> (PAX), and blending said mixtures into a homogeneous mixture.