CA2004948A1 - Process and apparatus for cleaning high pressure water injection wells - Google Patents
Process and apparatus for cleaning high pressure water injection wellsInfo
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- CA2004948A1 CA2004948A1 CA 2004948 CA2004948A CA2004948A1 CA 2004948 A1 CA2004948 A1 CA 2004948A1 CA 2004948 CA2004948 CA 2004948 CA 2004948 A CA2004948 A CA 2004948A CA 2004948 A1 CA2004948 A1 CA 2004948A1
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Abstract
ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE
There is described an improved process and apparatus for cleaning a producing well, the process comprising the steps of stopping the pumping of oil out of the well, generating an aqueous solution of chlorine dioxide gas under pressure and injecting, under pressure, the solution of chlorine dioxide gas into a pumped water injection stream and thereafter under pressure into the well.
There is described an improved process and apparatus for cleaning a producing well, the process comprising the steps of stopping the pumping of oil out of the well, generating an aqueous solution of chlorine dioxide gas under pressure and injecting, under pressure, the solution of chlorine dioxide gas into a pumped water injection stream and thereafter under pressure into the well.
Description
The present invention relates to the treatment of high pressure water injection wells, and more particularly to a method of cleaning a producing well using an aqueous solution of chlorine dioxide gas.
The oil industry uses a variety of techniques to maximize the recovery of oil from any particular oil formation. One of the methods so used is the injection of water under high pressure ~t a point removed from the site of the oil removal. Large amounts of water are injected under high pressure into the oil-producing sands and are removed at the oil well site along with the resident oil.
Such methods typically require up to twenty parts water per part oil recovered. Given this large amount of required water, many oil producers utilize the nearest large source of water, which can be a surrounding ocean, nearby bay, or water produced with the oil.
Little care is taken to purify the injection water and, therefore, a wide variety of impurities are often injected in the water injection well.
The constant high volume flow of impure water and the warm, incubator-like environment of oil field water treatment systems encourages the uncontrolled growth of biomass -- the source of many costly problems. Bacterial growth, if left unchecked, causes: formation of hydrogen sulfide, a toxic and corrosive gas that eats through piping in water and vapor recovery systems;
accumulation of gummy biomass that adheres to surfaces and filter media and substantially reduces equipment .~
efficiency; formation oE abrasive iron sulfide that wears injection pumps, decreases injectivity, fouls flow lines and causes corrosion; all increasing operating costs and lowering oil production. The resultant build-up at the screen leading from the casing into the oil-producing sands constricts the flow of water through the tubing and screen. As the flow is constricted, less water can be pumped through the system, leading to decreased oil production. If the water lnjection tubing and screen are not cleaned out periodically, the screen can become entirely obstructed.
A conventional treatment against bacterial growth is to use such substances as glutaraldehyde, acrolein and quaternary amines which are nonoxidizing compounds. They are used to control biomass by altering the permeability of the cell membrane of the microorganisms and interfering with their vital life processes. The application of these products, however, does nothing for the plugging, fouling, deposits and corrosion that have been caused by the biomass and bacterial by-products.
Under the present state of the art, the commonly accepted procedure for cleaning out such water injection casings is to inject hydrochloric acid into the water injection well.
The hydrochloric acid, by keeping the pH of the system low, solubilizes some of the unwanted materials so that they can be washed out of the water injection well. This prior art method suffers from several problems. First, such mixtures can be highly corrosive and will corrode the water injection well. In addition, such a mixture has little or no efEect on any biomass that may have built up. Such biomass is often the primary obstructor. Finally, this method of clean-out is relatively expensive.
The oil industry uses a variety of techniques to maximize the recovery of oil from any particular oil formation. One of the methods so used is the injection of water under high pressure ~t a point removed from the site of the oil removal. Large amounts of water are injected under high pressure into the oil-producing sands and are removed at the oil well site along with the resident oil.
Such methods typically require up to twenty parts water per part oil recovered. Given this large amount of required water, many oil producers utilize the nearest large source of water, which can be a surrounding ocean, nearby bay, or water produced with the oil.
Little care is taken to purify the injection water and, therefore, a wide variety of impurities are often injected in the water injection well.
The constant high volume flow of impure water and the warm, incubator-like environment of oil field water treatment systems encourages the uncontrolled growth of biomass -- the source of many costly problems. Bacterial growth, if left unchecked, causes: formation of hydrogen sulfide, a toxic and corrosive gas that eats through piping in water and vapor recovery systems;
accumulation of gummy biomass that adheres to surfaces and filter media and substantially reduces equipment .~
efficiency; formation oE abrasive iron sulfide that wears injection pumps, decreases injectivity, fouls flow lines and causes corrosion; all increasing operating costs and lowering oil production. The resultant build-up at the screen leading from the casing into the oil-producing sands constricts the flow of water through the tubing and screen. As the flow is constricted, less water can be pumped through the system, leading to decreased oil production. If the water lnjection tubing and screen are not cleaned out periodically, the screen can become entirely obstructed.
A conventional treatment against bacterial growth is to use such substances as glutaraldehyde, acrolein and quaternary amines which are nonoxidizing compounds. They are used to control biomass by altering the permeability of the cell membrane of the microorganisms and interfering with their vital life processes. The application of these products, however, does nothing for the plugging, fouling, deposits and corrosion that have been caused by the biomass and bacterial by-products.
Under the present state of the art, the commonly accepted procedure for cleaning out such water injection casings is to inject hydrochloric acid into the water injection well.
The hydrochloric acid, by keeping the pH of the system low, solubilizes some of the unwanted materials so that they can be washed out of the water injection well. This prior art method suffers from several problems. First, such mixtures can be highly corrosive and will corrode the water injection well. In addition, such a mixture has little or no efEect on any biomass that may have built up. Such biomass is often the primary obstructor. Finally, this method of clean-out is relatively expensive.
Also relevant as background to the present process is an overview of the compound chlorine dioxide. Chlorine dioxide was discovered in 1814 and has achieved considerable commercial significance in the bleaching of pulp, textiles, flour, etc., water purification, etc. Chlorine dioxide is, under certian conditions, inherently explosive and has necessitated extensive controls on the reaction conditions and on the reaction effluent. In the gaseous state, chlorine dioxide is explosive at concentrations above about ten percent in air. Typically, where large amounts of chlorine dioxide are desired, sodium chlorate or sodium chlorite has been the source material. The sodium chlorate is contacted with chemicals such as sulfur dioxide, oxalic acid, hydrochloric acid, organic reducing agents, etc., under carefully controlled conditions to produce chlorine dioxide containing more or less chlorine depending on the particular conditions employed. For smaller quantities, sodium chlorite has been used to react with chlorine to generate more pure chlorine dioxide. Again, rather extensive safety precautions have been required in the past.
For a good review of the chemistry, physical properties, and uses of chlorine dioxide, see Masschelein, W. J. "Chlorine Dioxide - Chemistry and Environmental Impact of Oxychlorine Compounds", Ann Arbor Science Publishers, Inc- (1979) Given the explosive tendencies of both chlorine dioxide and sodium chlorite, prior art methods of production involved various precautions. For example, U.S. Patent No. 2,871,097 to Rapson discloses the use of inert gases "in an amount sufficient to maintain the effluent gases non-explosive".
Chlorine dioxide has found its way into limited use in the oil production industry. This material has been recognized for the treatment of oil field produced fluids. Reference is made to Canadian Patent No. 1,207,269, issued July 8, 1986.
`Reference is also made to Smeck, ~I S. Patent No. 4,077,879, issued March 7, 1978. In these processes, the chlorine dioxide is t~pically used for surface treatment of oil field produced fluids.
Therefore, there has existed the need for a process to treat water injection or oil-producing wells that will remove biomass as well as other deposits caused thereby and avoid excessive corrosion of the water casing and other parts without creating dangerous operating conditions.
The present invention is directed to a process for removing or controlling the build-up of deposits in a water injection or oil-producing well for enhanced oil recovery and the apparatus therefor. Chlorine dioxide is manufactured and then injected under high pressure into a high pressure water injection stream into a well. The chlorine dioxide in the water injection stream removes biomass and dissolves the resultant biomass and iron sulfides that may have built up within the water injection casing and at the screen leading to the oil-producing formation.
The pH of the combined injection stream is maintained at a level that avoids excessive corrosion of the injection casing, screen, or other well parts.
To make the chlorine dioxide, pressurized hydrochloric acid, sodium chlorate, sodium chlorite, and water may be mixed.
Other mineral acids or proton donors may be substituted for hydrochloric acid. With the source materials under pressure, the resulting chlorine dioxide may be employed under pressure for high pressure injection.
The process may also be employed for other cleaning uses.
For example, the flow of an oil-producing well can also be temporarily reversed so that chlorine dioxide can similarly, be injected to clean out any build-up therein.
The explosive tendencies of chlorine dioxide have been found to be virtually eliminated by maintaining the chlorine dioxide dissolved in a non-explosive liquid. At normal ambient temperatures, this can be accomplished by subjecting the liquid stream to an elevated pressure, thereby avoiding excessive vaporization of chlorine dioxide.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a process for removing or controlling the build up of biomass and deposits within a water injection or oil-producing well while avoiding excessive corrosion. It is an advantage of the present process that chlorine dioxide is produced safely and without the risk of explosion. Other and further objects and advantages will appear hereinafter.
According to the present invention, then, there is provided a process for cleaning a producing well, the process comprising the steps of stopping the pumping of oil out of the well; generating an aqueous solution of chlorine dioxide gas under pressure; and injecting under pressure the solution of chlorine dioxide gas into a pumped water injection stream and thereafter under pressure into the well.
According to a further aspect of the present invention there is also provided a process for cleaning a producing well, the process comprising the steps of stopping the pumping of oil out of the well; selecting an oxidant reactive with hydrogen sulfide under downhole conditions; and injecting said oxidant under pressure into a pumped water injection stream and thereafter under pressure into a well containing hydrogen sulfide.
According to yet another aspect of the present invention, there is also provided an apparatus for producing a chlorine dioxide product stream comprising: a source of water; a pump to pump the source of water at an elevated pressure; a source of a proton donor stream; a pump to pump the source of a proton donor stream at an elevated pressure; a source of a chlorine dioxide precursor mixture; a pump to pump the precursor mixture at an elevated pressure; and a high pressure reactor to receive said sources of water, a proton donor str~am, and precursor mixture and to mix said sources at an elevated pressure having an outlet for removing the resultant compounds of said mixing.
Preferred embodiments of the present invention will now be described in greater detail and will be better understood when read in conjunction with the following drawings in which:
Figure 1 illustrates schematically a process reactor of a first embodiment of the present invention; and Figure 2 illustrates schematically a process reactor of a second embodiment of the present invention;
There are two major problems in the oil field that are frequently interrelated, sulfides and microbial growth. The sulfides cause corrosion of metal in the system to metal sulfides which are insoluble. The microbial growth, particularly sulfate reducing bacteria (SRB's), can give rise to sulfides as products of their metabolism. They also cause problems due to the biomass -5a-A~
generated which will act as a binder with other solids in the system to cause deposit problems. The result is accelerated corrosion under the deposits. There are a number of other side effects that can occur, such as formation plugging, depending on where the problems occur.
The standard approach to control of corrosion problems due to sulfides and microbial growth has been prevention an~/or maintenance cleaning. For example, a biocide that will destroy SRB's will help to minimize sulfide generation and uncontrolled formation of bioresidue. Standard biocides such as quats, thiocarbamates, and amine salts have been used effectively as biostats. Due to the mutation ability of oil field bacteria, it is often necessary to use an alternating treatment of several different biocides to maintain effective control. However, these chemicals have no effect on the deposits already in place or on any sulfides already in the system.
Aldehyde-based biocides are also effective against SRB's found in the oil field. Typically, formaldehyde, acrolein, and glutaraldehyde have been used in these applications. In addition to their action as biocides, they will react with free hydrogen sulfide (H2S) in the system and serve as sulfide scavengers. The basic reaction is a condensation reaction involving the formation of sulfide linkages with the aldehyde splitting out water from the reaction. As these biocides tend to be rather expensive, the cost of their use as sulfide scavengers is often too high for other than low level applications. Also, they will have no effect on reacted sulfides and other deposits already in the system.
A second route to control is through control of the sulfides with chemicals that will react to scavenge mainly H2S.
These chemicals generally are classed as oxidizers since H2S is easily oxidized. Examples of such chemicals are:
Chemical Product Nitrites Sulfur, NO, NH3 Hydrogen Peroxide Sulfur, sulfates Peroxy compounds Sulfates Ferric ion (aq.) Sulfur Iodine (aq.) Sulfur Chlorine (aq.) Sulfur, sulfates These materials typically act on the sulfides, although they may have some biological activity as well. They can also cause problems due to formation of colloidal sulfur and/or generation of corrosive by-products. The sulfur can cause plugging in the system. Unless the~ are strong oxidizers, most of these chemicals will have no effect on deposits in-place in the system. If they are strong oxidizers, there can be associated hazards in handling the application of the chemicals in the reaction process.
Chlorine (C12) is a strong oxidizer that has been used for many years for treating water. The action of chlorine is well known and it is very effective at low levels. Chlorine, in aqueous solution, is a powerful oxidizer that will not only destroy bacteria, but also any other material in the system that can be oxidized. It is normally handled as a liquified gas and requires special handling and equipment for effective application. Without proper control, it can result in sulfur instead of sulfates.
There are a number of oxychlorine compounds available that are also powerful oxidizers and can be used in place of chlorine. These materials have the advantages of (1) biocidal activity, (2) ability to react with sulfides to form sulfates, and (3) ability to oxidize the deposits in place. Through proper product design and application, certain of these materials can be effectively applied to problems in the oil field to take advantage of their oxidizing power.
Chlorine~containing chemicals can be either oxidi~ers or reducing agents depending on the system involved. An oxidation reaction involves a transfer of electrons from the chemical that is oxidized to the chemical that is reduced. A chèmical that is oxidized will show an increase in positive valence or a decrease in negative valence. A chemical that is reduced shows a gain in electron(s) and will have a decrease in positive valence or an increase in negative valence. For example, in the reaction shown below, the sodium chlorite (NaC102) has a chlorine atom that shows an increase of positive valence due to loss of one electron.
(0) (+3) (-1) (f4) C12 + 2NaC102 ~ ------> 2 NaCl + 2 C102 The chlorite is said to be oxidized by the chlorine ~C12). The chlorine is reduced by the chlorite since it shows an increase in negative valence via a gain of one electron from the chlorite.
A nomenclature summary of chlorine compounds is provided below to serve as a reference for the`further discussion of oxychlorine compounds.
Cl- Chloride (ion) HCl Hydroch~o,Fic acid OCl Hypochlorite (ion) HOCl Hypochlorous acid C102 Chlorite (ion) HC102 Chlorous acid C103- Chlorate (ion) HC103 Chloric acid C104 Perchlorate (ion) HC104 Perchloric acid C102 Chlorine Dioxide Depending on the oxidation state of the chlorine compound and the reaction involved, the chlorine compound can either gain or lose electrons. It is also important to know whether the reaction is taking place in acidic or basic media. In aqueous media, this will determine the course of the reaction and the driving force. The half cell reactions for both acidic and basic -reactions are provided on the following table. All reactions are -reversible (<--->).
_____________________________________ __________________________ Oxidation EMF, State Reaction Volts _____________________________________________________________ __ -1 Cl- <-----------------> 1/2 C12 + e -1.36 +1 acidic 1/2 C12 + H20 <-------~ H+ +HOCl + e -1.63 - +3 acidic 1/2 C12 + 2 H20 <-----> 3 H+ + HC102 +3e -1.63 +5 acidic 1/2 C12 + 3 H20 ~-----> 6 H+ + C103- +5e -1.47 +7 acidic 1/2 C12 + 4 H20 c-----> 8 H+ + C104- + 7e -1.34 +1 basic Cl- + 2 OH- <---------> OCl- + H20 + 2e -0.94 +3 basic Cl- + 4 OH- <---------> C102- + 2 H20 + 4e -0.76 +5 basic Cl- + 6 OH- <---------> C103- + 3 H20 + 6e -0.62 +7 basic Cl- + 8 OH- <---------> C10~- + 4 H20 +8e -0.51 +4 acidic C102- <~~~~~~~~~~~~~--> C102 + e _0,95 2 C102 + H20 <--------> C102- + C103- + 2 H+
_________________________________________________ _______________ .
i~4 _9_ -The two most commonly known chlorine-containing oxidizers ` are chlorine and the hypochlorites. Chlorine is a gas that is slightly soluble in water, on the order of about 1% or about 10 g/liter. Since it is normally effective in the ppm range, the solubility limits are usually not a problem except at the point of application. There has been considerable development of equipment for the measurement and feeding of chlorine into aqueous media'.
The hypochlorites, commonly referred to as "bleach", represent chlorine in the aqueous form. The hypochlorites are the result of an equilibrium to produce hypochlorous and hydrochloric acids. The hydrochloric acid will be completely ionized in solution.
C12 + H20 <---------------------> HOC1 + H+ + Cl-HOCl <--------------------------> H+ + OCl-The hypochlorous acid will ionize as a function of the pH. As would be expected from its equilibrium equation, it ionizes only at the higher pH conditions (100% ionic at pH=10, 20% at pH=7, 0% at pH=4). As a result, hypochlorite solutions, such as sodium hypochlorite (NaOCl), are typically stored at highly alkaline pH's.
While chlorine is known as a strong oxidizing agent, in aqueous solution it is the hypochlorous acid that is the effective agent. The hypochlorite ion displays very little in terms of oxidative potential in aqueous solution. Thus, the effectiveness of chlorine in aqueous solution drops as the pH increases and the conversion of hypochlorite ion increases. Addition of large amounts of chlorine will decrease the pH dramatically due to the HC1. While the lower pH increases available oxidizing power, it also leads to corrosion problems.
- Chlorine dioxide, C102, is an unstable oxychlorine compound that is a stronger, more selective oxidizer than chlorine.
It has an appreciable solubility in water and is not subject to hydrolysis reaction of chlorine. Its oxidizing power is equivalent to about 2.6 times that of chlorine in aqueous systems, Chlorine dioxide gas is soluble in water to the extent that it can actually be separated from chlorine by stripping aqueous solutions of ,the two.
There are several industrial processes for generating chlorine dioxide on a continuous basis. Due to the unstable nature of the material, it is normally generated at the point of use as an aqueous solution that is directly applied. The largest industrial applications are in the pulp and paper industry where it is used for bleaching. Generally very large scale equipment designed for recycle operation is used so as to separate the chlorine dioxide from the chlorine and other by-products produced.
Equipment has been developed to manufacture small amounts of chlorine dio~ide containing solutions in the oil field for direct application to processes. Such systems deliver an oxidizer stream containing a predominant amount of chlorine dioxide. Such processes are discussed in more detail below.
The main objective for the application of chlorine-containing oxidizers in the oil field is con~rol of sulfides, h.;.omass ~Jrowth, and related corrosion. Their selective oxidizing ~5 pow2r can also b~ used to impro~2 proc2ss ef iciency.
f ~
General Properties C12 C1O2 Form, 77F, O psig Gas Gas Liquid Sp.Gr., 0 1.47 1.64 Melting Point, F -150 -74 Boiling Point, F -29 +52 Solubility in H2O, 1% 8-10%
77 F, 0 psig Chlorine is a gas that has a limited solubility in water. Above the solubility limits in water, chlorine is a gas at normal condition~.
Hypochlorous acid results from dissolving chlorine in water. It is a pH dependent equilibrium. Hypochlorite ion is normally preserved in alkaline solutions such as "bleach", or sodium hypochlorite.
Cl2 + 2 H2O <======> H+ + Cl- + HOCl HOCl <========-========> H+ + OCl-The alkaline hypochlorite form is stable in solution and can be made up in solution strengths of 15+~ at pH's of 11.0 or more.
Such materials are made by the absorption of chlorine in aqueous caustic so that the material is in the form of NaOCl and NaCl.
Since the oxidizing power of the chlorine is retained in the form of HOCl, it is necessary to lower the pH to obtain oxidation with "bleaches".
Chlorine dioxide dissolves to a limited extent in water as C102. At higher concentrations, it will form hydrates. The data below give some indication of the phase behavior of aqueous C102. Note that it will form liquid C102 at higher concentra-tions (~ 80 g/liter). It has, as a low boiling Temp., F C102,% Solid Phase 31 2.70 C102:8H2O ~ Ice 32 2.76 C102:8H2O
33 2.95 "
42 4.21 "
6.00 "
59 8.70 "
51 (triple pt) 10.79 C102:8H2O +liguid C102 11.67 liquid C102 57 10.79 liquid C102 gas, a significant vapor pressure. The solutions of C102 in water have an appreciable vapor pressure. These solutions will yield a significant concentration of C102 gas in the vapor phase. For example, a 1 ppm solution of C102 will generate a vapor pressure of 10 mm as C102 in the vapor phase at 0 psig at equilibrium.
In aqueous solution, the presence of chlorine does not affect the solubility of chlorine dioxide. In fact, solubility differences in water can be used to separate the two materials.
Note, however, that both materials can have a significant vapor pressure in dilute aqueous solution. Both of these gases are extremely reactive either in solution or in the gas phase. These materials can, in the gas phase, cause reactions that will liberate enough heat to cause autoignition. Chlorine dioxide gas is susceptible to spark ignitio-n and does not require oxygen to support combustion. For this reason, it is necessary to avoid situations that would allow these chemicals to accumulate in the gas phase since this can lead to local buildup of explosive concentrations.
~A -13-.. .. _ .. ...
Due to the limited solubility of both chlorlne and chlorine dioxide in water, systems used to generate the materials should be run under pressure. The aqueous solution from the reaction should be maintained and applied to the field process under pressure. Adequate mixing and dilution are required to insure that complete solution takes place.
- Both chemicals are photoreactive, i.e., will be affect~d by UV light. In both cases, UV light catalyzes decomposition of - the molecule. In the case of chlorine, it will react violently with anything available. In the case of chlorine dioxide, it will decompose to unstable species leading to the formation of chlGrine and oxygen.
Chlorine containing oxidizers are made from chlorates and/or chlorites. One manner of making such oxidizers is by a reaction of hydrochloric acid and a blended precursor containing both sodium chlorate and sodium chlorite. Other process options are available in which other precursors can be used. These alternate process options also involve the use of hydrochloric acid. Some competitive processes are available where liquified gases such as chlorine or sulfur dioxide are used to supply the acidity for the reactions.
The hydrochloric acid is a 30% minimum solution of HCl in water. Lower solution strengths will not support the process. In general, 30% hydrochloric acid is available throughout the oil field. The simplest check on solution strength is by Sp. Gravity of the solution. The 30% material has a freeze point of -50F. It is an extremely corrosive liquid that must be handled with plastic or plastic-lined equipment.
The two main precursors for control of biomass are chlorate/chlorite and chlorite precursor solutions. Both are ~A~C
' ~ -14-used in conjunction with hydrochloric acid. Special forms of either precursor are available for special applications. Both are strong oxidizer solutions and are highly alkaline. They must be kept separated from acids and oxidizable materials.
Such precursors often contain special corrosion inhibitors for use in surface applications. The inhibitors are typically formulated as an integral part of the product and are effective at use concentrations of the reacted product.
Extensive corrosion studies have been performed to verify corrosion inhibitor effectiveness.
The chlorite solutions are sometimes known as "stablilized chlorine dioxide." They can be applied directly to some systems for use as the oxidant. Dilution of the chlorite in the system lowers the pH to make the material active as an oxidizer which will undergo many of the same reactions as C102 ~ NaOH ~ -> NaClO2+ OH
NaC102 + H+ -----------> HClO2 + Na+
chlorine dioxide. Such precursors are formed from combinations of NaCl, NaClO2 and NaClO3.
-20 There are two basic routes that can be used to generate chlorine dioxide, acid reduction of chlorates and oxidation of chlorites. In the commercial practice of these reactions, many differences can be built into the process to enhance yieldsr reduce costs, or control by-product formation. All of these processes are run on a liquid/liquid basis and do not involve the use of dry solids or gases. Water is the diluent and reaction medium.
CIILORATE REDUCTIONS
EQ. 1. 2NaCl03 + 4HCl ~ -> 2ClO2 + Cl2 + 2NaCl + 2H20 EQ. 2. 2NaCl03 ~ S02 ---------> 2ClO2 + Na2S04 EQ. 2-A. 2NaCl03 + 2H2S04 + 2NaCl ---> 2ClO2 + Cl2 + 2Na2S04 + 2 H20 Chlorate reductions using acid are the most widely practiced industrially, particularly in the pulp/paper and textile industries. Solutions of chlorine dioxide, with or without chlorine, are used for bleaching fibers. The most co~mon applications use sulfuric acid and/or SO2 since the by-product NaSO4 can be used elsewhere in the process. Also, sulfuric acid is a stronger acid, and is cheaper than hydrochloric acid. For reasons discussed below, most of the processes also use sodium chloride to increase reaction efficiency.
Equation 2-A. is the basic R-2 Process widely practiced in the pulp and paper industry. The reaction sequence requires the formation of HCl as an intermediate during the reaction from NaCl which must be part of the process. A summary of the basic reaction equations is as follows-2 NaC103 I H2S04 ~ ---> 2 HC103 + Na2 4 2 NaCl + H2S04 ~ --> 2 HCl + Na2S04 HC103 + HCl -------> HC102 + HOCl HC103 + HC102 --------> 2 C102 + H20 HOCl + HCl -------> C12 + H20 ADDING, ---------------------------------------------------------------EQ- 2-A 2NaC103 + 2H2S04 + 2NaCl-> 2C102 + C12 + 2Na2S4 + 2H20 Equation 2., the OLIN Chlorate Process, is an extension of the R-2 Process shown in Equation 2-A. In simple form, it is as follows-2 NaC103 + H2S04 -----> 2 HC103 + Na2S04 2 HC103 + S02 ------> 2 C12 + H2S4 ADDING, ---------------------------------------------------------------EQ. 2: 2 NaC103 + S02 -> 2 C102 + 2 Na2S04 This reaction is also promoted by chlorides in the reaction mixture, probably via the following equations, based on the intermediate H2S04 step in the reaction sequence shown (or through bisulfite and bisulfates).
S2 + 2 H20 ~ -----_> H2S04 + H2 2 NaCl + H2S04 --------> 2 HCl + Na2S04 The literature indicates that a 1:1 to 1:1.15 mole ratio of chlorate:chloride provides about the optimum in yield on a commercial basis.
Although only chlorine dioxide is shown in the yield oE
Equation 2., it is found in commercial practice that this is only possible at very low efficiencies. In reality, some chlorine is produced at the expense of C102 in proces.ses using chlorides to promote the reaction. It probably takes place via the following reactions-HOCl + HCl ------------> C12 +H20 NaC103 + 6 HCl -------> 3 C12 + 3 H20 + NaCl With optimum operation, commercial processes with recycle operation still will produce about an 80/20 mixture of C102 / C12 - 20 as reaction yield. Chlorine output can be further effected by the concentration of S02 used -S2 + C12 + 2 H20 ------> 2 HCl + ~2S04 Hydrochloric acid reduction of chlorates is a viable process since the acid is readily available in operating areas of the oil field and the acid provides some benefits to the process. The actual acid reduction process is shown below to provide the summary reaction as Equation 1.
2 NaC103 ~ 2 HCl ------> 2 HC103 + 2 NaCl HC103 + HCl ------> HC102 + HOCl HC103 + HC102 ------> 2 C102 + H O
HOCl ~ HCl --------> C12 + H O
ADDING, ------------------------------------------------------------------EQ. 1.: 2 NaC103 + 4 HCl -------> 2 C102 + C12 + 2 H20 + 2 NaCl Without other considerations, the process of Equation 1 should perform similarly to that of Equation 2-A without the need for NaCl. There are some additional considerations regarding use of NaCl in the reaction which are discussed later. However, the HC103 and HC102 reaction will not occur in the absence of chlorides.
CHLORITE OXIDATIONS
EQ. 3. 5 NaC102 + 4 HCl -------> 4 C102 + 5 NaCl + 2 H20 EQ. 4. 2 NaC102 + C12 --------> 2 C102 ~ 2 NaCl Chlorite oxidation to produce chlorine dioxide is not widely practiced on an industrial scale due to the higher costs involved. These costs are due mainly to the fact that chlorite is obtained from chlorate via generation of chlorine dioxide as an intermediate step. Extensive processing is required to generate and separate the chlorite.
2 NaC103 + S02 ------> 2 C12 + Na S04 2 C102 + 2 NaOH ------> NaC102 + NaC103 + H20 _____________________________________________________ NaC103 + S02 + 2 NaOH ------> NaC102 + Na2S04 + H20 The most accepted basic reactions for Equation 3 are shown below. This reaction sequence requires the generation of chlorine as an intermediate in the process. Without other alterations to the process, the chlorite is completely consumed but the yield A
NaCl02 + HC1 ----------------> HCl02 + NaCl HCl02 + 3 HCl ---------------> 2 Cl2 + 2 H20 4 NaCl02 + 2 Cl2 ------------> 4 Cl02 + 4 NaCl EQ. 3.: 5 NaCl02 + 4 HC1 -------------> 4 Cl02 + 5 NaCl + 2 H20 does not exceed 80% of theoretical based on Eq. 3. The most accepted side reaction sequence is-4 NaC102 + 2 HCl -------------> 2 Cl02 + NaCl03 + 3 NaCl + H20 AND, 4 NaCl02+ 4 HCl ~ ---> 2 Cl2 + 3 2 + 2 H20 + 4 NaCl (3-e) Control of reaction parameters and reactant concentrations is critical as it plays a large role in the actual process output. In commercial practice, the reactor output is chlorine dioxide plus some chlorine and chlorate. Note that the last three reactions above represent a range of chlorite/acid mole ratios of only 1:1 to 2:1 with the optimum ratio being 1.2:1.
The basis for Equation 4 is very similar to Equation 3 since it involves directly the use of chlorine as the oxidant on the chlorite via the hypochlorite.
C12 + H20 -------------> HOCl + HCl NaCl02 + HCl ----------> HCl02 + NaCl NaCl02 + HOCl ---------> HCl03 + NaCl HCl03 + HCl02 ---------> 2 Cl02 + H20 ADDING,-----------------------------------------EQ. 4. 2 NaCl02 + Cl2 --------> 2 Cl02 + 2 NaCl Since the same side reactions can occur for Eq. 4 as for Eq. 3, there is a reasonable expectation of some chlorate by-product from this reaction. If conversion efficiency is not absolute, there will be some reacted chlorine also.
In summary, then, there are two routes to chlorine dioxide on a commercial scale, chlorate reduction with acids/chlorides and chlorite oxidation. Each of the reactions has technical advantages depending on what end result is required.
Prom the intermediate reactions, there are possible ways in which the reaction efficiency can be enhanced. Before considering means for enhancing yields from these reactions, it is useful to first examine the theoretical yields on an economic basis.
Application of chlorine dioxide containing oxidants in the oil field present a different challenge from the applications in the textile and pulp/paper industries. The major differences are constraints in size of the applications, materials handling, n economics, and simplicity of operation in remote locations. Most of the reaction technology as practiced in other industries is too complex and cumbersome to be adapted directly to the field.
~or example, in the typical pulp/paper process, the quantities involved are large (tons/day) and involve production of purified chlorine dioxide which is produced and stored in dilute solution for subsequent application in the bleaching process. Such an approach in the oil field would not be effective due to cost of facilities. Fortunately, such facilities and complexity need not be required for economic operation in the oil field.
To define practice in the oil field, it is useful to relate the different possible reaction schemes in terms of operating characteristics and costs from the previous discussion. The basic parameters are summarized in Table D
below. All fou~ processes are available in the oil field today.
EQ. 1. 2 NaClO3 + 4 HCl -----> 2 ClO2 + C12 + 2 NaCl + 2 H2O
EQ. 2. 2 NaClO3 + SO2 -------> 2 ClO + Na SO
EQ. 3. 5 NaClO2 + 4 HCl ~ --> 4 ClO2 + 5 NaCi + 2 H2O
EQ. 4. 2 NaClO2 + C12 --------> 2 ClO + 2 NaCl _________________________________________________________________ EQ. l EQ. 2 EQ. 3 EQ. 4 ________________ INP~T REACTANT-FORM CHLORATE CHLORATE CHLORITE CHLORITE
SOLUTION SOLUTION SOLUTION SOLUTION
INPUT CO-REACTANT-FORM ACID,HCl SO2 ACID,HCl Cl2 THEORETICAL YIELDS-ClO2/LB. INPUT 0.634 0.634 0.597 0.746 "TOTAL OXID"/L~. INPUT 0.967 0.634 0.597 0.746 BY-PRODUCTS FORMED- NaCl Na2S4 NaCl NaCl SI~E REACTIONS- ****CHLORINE CHLORINE CHLORINE
CHLORATE CHLORATE
_______________________ _________________~_________________________ EQ. l: Advantages-Cost of input chemicals and materials handling.
Disadvantages-can produce more chlorine than other processes.
EQ. 2: Advantages-cost of input chemicals and lower chlorine yield.
Disadvantages-requires handling liquidifed gas and produces sulfates.
EQ. 3: Advantages-good yield of chlorine dioxide and lower chlorine yield.
Disadvantages-cost of input chemicals and control needed to minimize by-product formation of chlorine and chlorate.
EQ. 4: Advantages-good yield of chlorine dioxide and lower chlorine content.
Disadvantages-cost of input chemicals, requries handling liquified gas, and by-product formation of chlorate.
A first example of chlorine dioxide preparation in commercial oil field practice is based on acid reduction of chlorate to produce an oxidant stream containing a predominant amount of chlorine dioxide as the oxidizer. The basic chemistry of Equation 1 has been modified to optimize yields and to minimize costs and chlorine content. The precursor for reaction is a mixture of chlorate/chlorite/chloride which is reacted with 30 hydrochloric acid. The approximate mole ratio of chlorate/-chlorite/chloride used is 8/1/4 with additional chloride being supplied by the hydrochloric acid. The effects of added chlorite on the chlorate process can be seen from the rection equations where Eq. 3 is fully stated using Ey. 4 to describe the chlorite/chlorine reactions following.
2 NaC103 + 2 HCl ~ ---> 2 HC103 + 2 NaCl HC103 + HCl ------------> HC102 + HOCl HC103 + HC102 ----------> 2 C10 + H O
HOCl + HCl -------------> C12 + H O
_________________________________________________________________ EQ. 1.: 2 NaC103 + 4 HCl -------> 2 C102 + C12 + 2 H20 + 2 NaCl 3 NaC102 + 3 HCl -------> 3 HC102 + 3 NaCl HC102 + 3 HCl ----------> 2 C12 + 2 H20 2 C12 + 2 H20 ----------> 2 HOCl + 2 HCl 2 NaC102 + 2 HOCl ------> 2 HC103 + 2 NaCl 2 HC103 + 2 HC102 ------> 4 C12 + 2 H20 _________________________________________________________________ EQ. 3.: 5 NaC102 + 4 HCl -------> 4 C102 + 5 NaCl +2 H20 If the chlorine is already generated via the process of EQ. 1., then only the process of EQ. 4 needs to be considered, i.e.-EQ. 4: 2 NaC102 + C12 -------> 2 C102 + 2 NaCl If the mole ratio is 8/1/4 chlorate/chlorite/chloride then the mole of NaC102 could use up 0.5 moles of C12 to produce one mole of C102 on a theoretical basis. The net reaction on this basis would be-8 NaC103 +16 HCl -----> 8 C102 + 4C12 + 8 H2O ~ 8 NaCl NaClO2 + 1/2 C12 ---> C102 + NaCl _________________________________________________________________ 8 NaC103 + NaC102 + 16 HCl ---> 9 ClO2 1 3-1/2 C12 ~ 8 H20 + 9 NaCl This does not take into account the effects of NaCl or side reations that can take place via either mechanism. the major thing to note is that the reactions overlap and feed each other in the two mechanisms.
If the typical volume ratio of precursor:acid:water is 1.0:1.1:0.9, this would be approximately at 8:1:21 mole ratio for chlorate:chlorite:acid. Excess acid is to drive the reaction. On this basisl the theoretical composition of the yield from one gallon of percursor would be-ClO2 = 2.2 lb.
C12 = 0.9 lb.
NaCl = 2.7 lb. (INPUT + YIELD) These results are achieved only if the reaction is 100% efficient, i.e., actual is equal to theoretical. In practice, even with the excess acid, the reaction cannot produce theoretical yields because it is being run in diluted solution phase on a once-through basis. Actual yield of total oxidant from currentreactors with the 1.0: 1.1:0.9 volume ratio is about 0.5 lb.
Compared with the theoretical yield, this is an efficiency of about 16.2~ (i.e. 0.5/3.09).
There are several factors that effect operating efficiencies. These include reactor residence time, input water, and precursor:acid ratios. Longer residence time, lowering water input, and increasing acid will all tend to increase yields of oxidant from the reaction (make a "hotter" product) to yield up to three times as much oxidant. However, it should be noted there are practical limits that must be observed since there are also practical limits on how much oxidant that can be handled in the reactor effluent stream. At nominal output of 0.5 lb/gal precursor, oxidant in the effluent stream would be about 20 g/liter ( 14 g/l ClO2 and 6 9/1 C12). Even at this level, there is considerable tendency to develop a gas phase in the reactor effluent.
Looking to a second example, chlorate reduction with sulfur dioxide is the process of EQ. 2 where SO2 and NaCl are used to generate chlorine dioxide via a modified R-2 process where EQ.
2-A represents the reac~ion chemistry to some degree. Although not shown as products f~om EQ. 2, the reaction must yield by-product chlorine.
S2 + 2 H20 ~ ~~~> H2~04 H2S04 + 2 NaCl ------------> 2 HCl + Na2S04 2 NaC103 + H2S04---------- > 2 HC103 + Na2S04 2 NaCl + ~12S04 ------------> 2 HCl + Na2SO4 HC103 + HCl ---------------> HC102 + HOCl HC103 + HC102 -------------> 2 ClO2 + H2O
- HOCl + HCl ~ -----------> C12 + H20 ______________________________________________________________________ 10 EQ. 2-A: 2 NaC103 + 2 H2S04 + 2 NaCl--> 2 C102 + C12 + 2 Na2S04 + 2H20 2 NaC103 +H2S04 -----------> 2 HC103 + Na S04 2 HC103 + S02 -------------> 2 C102 + H2S04 _____________________________________________________ ________________ EQ. 2.: 2 NaC103 + S02 ------------> 2 C102 + Na2S04 As it turns out, this is the case in actual operation and approximates EQ. 2-A unless extensive recycle equipment is used as in the pulp/paper industry.
3~
Assuming use of a 25% solution of NaC103 and S02 from liquified gas, the yields from EQ. 2 would be - yields from EQ. 2-A would be-C102 1.6 lb. C102 1.6 lb.
C12 lb. C12 0.8 lb.
Na2S04 1.7 lb. Na2S4 3-4 lb-The yield from EQ. 2 is only 52% of the theoretical yield of ~he foregoing example. The efficiency would have to be twice that of the foregoing example to yield the same amount of material. For EQ. 2-A, the yield is 78% of the foregoing example so that the efficiency of EQ. 2-A must be 1.3X to deliver the same amount of material.
EQ. 2 and 2 A produce a considerable amount of sulfate in the reactor effluent and this would require dilution water to prevent salting up the reactor. The addition of dilution water to any of these reactions tends to quench the reaction and lower the yields.
In terms of economics, this example could be competitive with the prior example. Handling S02 in the field, however, would present some significant materials problems. S02 is a liquified gas (b.p. +14F). In an aqueous system, it is extremely corrosive. It would require heating under certain circumstances.
A third example is based on the acid oxidation of a 25%
sodium chlorite solution by the process of EQ. 3.
3 NaC102 + 3 HCl --------> 3 HC102 + 3 NaCl HC102 + 3 HC1 -----------> 2 C12 + 2 H20 2 C12 + 2 H20 -----------> 2 HOCl + 2 HCl 2 NaC102 + 2 HOC1 -------> 2 HC103 + 2 NaC1 2 HC103 + 2 ~C102 -------> 4 C102 + 2 H20 __ ________________________________________ EQ. 3.: 5 NaC102 + 4 HCl ------> 4 CI02 +~5 NaCl +2 H20 ~A -25-As shown in the combined mechanisms the process involves the internal generation of both chlorine and chlorate to produce the chlorine dioxide as yield. In actual practice, the yield is mainly chlorine dioxide with some chlorine and chlorate as the by-products. Assuming use of a 25% solution of NaC102 ~2.5 lbs.) and 30~ HCl as the acid, the yield feom one gallon of precursor would be-C102 1.5 lb.
C12 0 lb.
NaCl 1.6 lb.
The volume ratio of precursor acid would be 1.0:0.1. In actual practice, more acid is used and the theoretical yield is not obtained. It is of interest to note that the theoretical yield from this process is about one-half that of the first example. On this basis, the chlorite process efficiency would have to be twice that of the first example to yield the same amount of material.
The chlorite/chlorine process of EQ. 4 is available to the oil field. It has the same drawbacks as the just prior process in that it is very costly. In addition, it re~uires the handling of liquified chlorine as one of the reactants. This reaction is more cost effective than the just prior process, but it will tend to yield the same by-products. Residual chlorine can also be expected to be in the reactor effluent. Chlorine is corrosive and the process has the same materials handling disadvantages as the chlorate/S02 process.
C12 + H20 ~ --->~OCl + HCl NaC102 + HCl ----> HC102 + NaCl NaC102 + HOCl ---> HC103 + NaCl HC103 + HC102 ---> 2 C102 + H20 ___________________________________________ EQ. 4. 2 NaC10~ + C12 --> 2 C102 + 2 NaCl ~A
The expected yields of the process using a 25~ NaC102 precursor would be-C102 1.9 lb.
C12 0 lb.
NaCl 1.6 lb.
An initial phase of the process of a preferred embodiment of the present process involves mixing water, hydrochloric acid, sodium chlorate, sodium chlorite, and, optionally, sodium chloride, the mixing typically occurring under pressure. These ingredients may be mixed in a continuous flow reactor system which has three feed streams and one product stream. One feed stream is water. The second feed stream is composed of hydrochloric acid.
The third contains the precursor stream comprised of sodium chlorate, sodium chlorite, and optional sodium chloride in a water stream.
Turning in detail to the drawing, a schematic of a preferrejd embodiment of the process reactor system is illus-trated in Figure 1. A tank 10 contains a precursor comprised of sodium chlorate, sodium chlorite, and optional so~ium chloride in a water base. This mixture is pumpea by a precursor pump 12 in a precursor ~eedstream 14 through a check valve 16. A tank 18 contains water which is pumped by a water pump 20 in a feedstream 22 and combined with the feedstream 14 to form feedstream 24.
Another tank 26 contains hydrochloric acid, which is pumped by an acid pump 28 in a feedstream 30. The feedstream 24 is pumped past a check valve 32 and the ~eedstream 30 is pumped past a check valve 34 where they are combined to form a reaction stream 36.
The reaction stream 36 passes into a high pressure reactor 38 that is equipped with an in-line mixer.
- A product stream 40 contains the resultant compounds, including a large proportion of chlorine dioxide. The pressure of ~A
the entire system is to be maintained at a level sufficient to keep the chlorine dioxide dissolved within the reaction mixture in a product stream 40. A pressure gauge 42 may be located near a reactor 38 or at any other convenient location. Normal pressures exceed 500 psi. The reactor 38 preferably operates at a pressure between 500 and 5000 pounds per square inch so that it may be readily used for downstream injection, either directly or through a booster pump, into the water injection well with a typical temperature of about 130F.
The hydrochloric acid stream 30 advantageously may be approximately 30~ hydrogen chloride by weight, and a chlorine dioxide precursor stream 14 contains more than 10~ sodium chlorate and/or sodium chlorite. At levels above 35~, the capacity to solubilize can be exceeded. In a more preferred embodiment, the precursor stream 14 contains approximately 28~ sodium chlorate, approximately 3% sodium chlorite and about 7% sodium chloride. It would be obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to optimize the feed rate of the various feed streams to obtain the most effi-cient and economical result. Given the streams just described, the preferred embodiment would continuously feed equal parts of each of the three feed streams 14, 22 and 30. Such a reaction would produce a product stream 40 containing roughly one pound of chlorine dioxide for every gallon of precursor feed stream 14 and the product stream 40 would have a pH of approximately 0.5.
While the use of sodium chloride is optional, it tends to increase the chlorine dioxide yield. On the other hand, it also results in increased salt formation and, therefore, requires additional water to adequately flush the reactor system. One optimization embodiment may involve the use of a slightly larger ratio of hydrochloric acid to the other two feed streams, resulting in a ratio of hydrochloric acid stream 30 to the water .~
stream 22 to the precursor feed stream 14 of approximately 1.0/0.5/0.5. Of course, the optional ratio will vary depending on the conditions present at each individual site.
In addition, any strong mineral acid or other proton ` donor ~e.g., sulfuric acid, nitric acid, or oxalic acid) can be - used as a substitute for hydrochloric acid. For various reasons, such~as the relative expense of the component or the resulting salt or other deposit formations, however, hydrochloric acid is the component of choice.
Given the low p~ of the reaction product, it is important to construct the reactor system of material not subject to excess-ive corrosion. One preferred embodiment of the present process utilizes a high pressure reactor system composed of, for example, molybyenum alloy such as one of the family ofl~ASTELLOY alloys manufactured by Cabot Stellite Division, Rokomo, Indiana, for all items downstream from check valve 32.
Given the generally explosi~e nature of chlorine dioxide, or the need to maintain it in a dissolved, pressurized state, it is preferable that the chlorine dioxide be manufactured on-site.
Such a reactor system, producing sufficient amounts of chlorine dioxide to service a typical water injection well, can be readily constructed on a truck or trailer to be transported to the site of the well.
At the well site, the product stream 40 is fed to the well. Several possible applications are possible. A stinger, also constructed of non-corrosive material s~ch as one of the ' "HASTELLO~" materials discussed above, may be inserted into the injection well tubing. The stinger should be inserted to a depth such that any product stream emanating from the stinger tip will readily mix with the injection water and, thus, flow down into the injection well casing. To serve the same purpose of adequate and * Trade-~ar~
quick mixing, the stinger may be equipped with centralizers-to maintain the tip of the stinger in the center of the injection well tubing. For increased adaptability, a preferred embodiment has a section of flexible hose or tubing 44 connecting the reactor system to the stinger apparatus. This tubing 44 should have a non-corrodable inner surface such as TEFLON . Alternatively, a spool` may be employed~ Of course, the spool must also be of noncorrosive material. A coiled tube may also be used which is inserted through the well head to the depth of the perforations downhole. As such coiled tubing is not typically made of corrosion-resistant material, care must be taken to insure effective corrosion control throughout the treatment.
If the production process reactor is maintained at a sufficient pressure, injection into the injection well tubing will be easily accomplished. Standard water injection wells are designed to operate in the range of one thousand to four thousand psi and a higher pressure in the reactor system will enable simple injection.
The range of injection concentration as well as the amount of time during which the chlorine dioxide stream is injected can be varied to optimize the particular system. To avoid excessive corrosion of the injection well tubing or casing, it is preferable to maintain the rate of chlorine dioxide stream injection at a level so that the pH of the combined water injection and ~hlorine dioxide streams remains at 4.5 or above.
A second embodiment employed with the present system is illustrated in Figure 2. In this system, a low pressure generator is used with a high pressure booster. Equipment costs and safety considerations suggest the use of such a low pressure generator system with a booster to achieve well head pressures. Looking to Figure 2, a precursor pump 50 delivers precursor from tank 52 to * Trade-mark ~ .
` the low pressure reactor 54. The reactor may be maintained at about 500 psi. An acid pump 56 similarly delivers acid from a tank 58 and a water pump 60 delivers water from a souce 62.
Injection water is taken from a source 64. Inhibitor is added from a tank 66 by a pump 68 to the water stream. A
recirculating pump 70 drives the water/inhibitor mixture to a high pressure booster pump 72. The product from the low pressure reactor 54 joins the water before the high pressure booster pump 72. The high pressure stream is then injected into the well.
A corrosion inhibitor is preferably employed. Injection rates are such that the pH of the effluent stream into the well are low and in the acid corrosion regime. Standard inhibitors used in surface applications are not effective in this type of application. The surface applications are normally at~low dosages (< 0.05% as precursor) and metal-containing inhibitors are effective. Chromium, from sodium dichromate, is a good example.
Standard surface inhibitors actually accelerate the corrosion. So inhibitors which inhibit both the oxidizer and acid corrosion experienced at high dosages of oxidant stream are needed. A
preferred inhibitor is to be effective at the lower pH ranges and is preferably similar to a standard acid corrosion inhibitor as could be used in acidizing. It must not contain, however, components that would be reactive with the oxidant stream.
A typical clean-out procedure might involve setting up the chlorine dioxide injection system of the present invention when the flow rate of the water injection oil well has decreased to 25 to 50 percent of its original pumping capacity. If the well is a typical 1000-2000 barrel per day water injection well, the standard clean-out procedure might involve processing 30 gallons per hour of the precursor stream and injecting the resultant product stream into the Wi211 for a per~od of somewhere between 1 ! -31-and 24 hours. After an appropriate treatment, typically more than 75% of the original pumping capacity of the well is restored.
In a specific example, water injection well treatment at a depth 1500 to 1600 feet into unconsolidated~sand formations has been undertaken for six to twelve hours while the well continues to take water with no shut down. One to two drums of precursor and one to two drums of 30% HCl have been used to create an oxidant stream over the course of the pumping time. Results from such testing indicates that such a process is comparable for clearing wells to a normal acid job consisting of treatment with 1000 gal. of 15% HCl. Such a normal treatment involves shutting in the well, treating the well and leavinq it shut in for up to 24 hours. The precursor has been a 9/1 mixture of sodium chlorate/sodium chlorite which is reacted with HC1. Sodium chlorite may also be used as an alternative precursor.
Under proper conditions where reactive material is present in the well, sodium chlorite may be injected by itself.
Such reactive materials would inc,lude hydrogen sulfide. Reaction with the sodium chlorite would then OCC~Iin situ to create the oxidant. Such surface treatment with sodium chloride is typically referred to as "stabilized chlorine dioxide" treatment. The sodium chlorite may be made by absorbing a stream of chlorin~
dioxide in an aqueous sodium hydroxide solution.
While the emphasis of this specification has been on improving the flow rate in an injection well, the principles can easily be applied to oil-producing wells as well. The process would be the same except that, during the treatment period, the direction of flow in the oil-producing well would have to be reversed so that water and the chlorine dioxide mixture are injected into the oil-producing~well.
The product stream injected into the well causes irreversible oxidation and hydrolysis of protein groups in the microorganisms and in the polysaccharide exopolymers that cover and bind the biomass to equipment surfaces. This process denatures enzymes such as triosephosphate dehydrogenase. The treatment of the present invention has a higher contact effective-ness than non-oxidizing compounds because it breaks down the ' bacterium's protective glycocalyx. The process of the present invention is capable of rapidly controlling both aerobic and anaerobic biomass as well as eliminating the accompanying biomass that plugs the equipment. Further, it can eliminate corrosive hydrogen sulfide and dissolve abrasive iron sulfide deposits. The process will control build-up and can open up the screen, thereby allowing the well to inject more water. This clean-out process also leads to a marked decrease in casing and tubing corrosion over certain other practices.
One of the primary advantages of the present invention is that it can allow for the utilization of the entire product stream from the chlorine dioxide production process. Because the water used in water injection oil wells often contains a wide variety of impurities, there is no need to purify the chlorine dioxide prior to injection. The entire effluent of the reaction process is injected into the water injection stream.
The ultimate result of being able to inject the entire effluent is a dramatic cost improvement over the clean-out methods of the prior art. The prior art methods of injecting hydrochloric acid or other materials can cost up to $100,000 per procedure.
Even with this high cost, these methods are unable to achieve the results attainable by the present process. Further, the present process costs less than half of that amount.
r~
~ ~ ~ -33-Thus, a chlorine dioxide production process is disclosed for injection into a water injection or oil-producing oil well for controlling and removing the build-up of biomass and resulting iron sulfide that would decrease the water flow into the injection system. While embodiments and applications of this invention have been shown and described, it would be apparent to those skilled in the art that many more modifications are possible without depart-ing from the inventive concepts herein. For example; it is contemplated that the chlorine dioxide product stream could be injected into the oil well water system at a variety of locations.
; The invention, therefore, is not to be restricted except in the spirit of the appended claims.
For a good review of the chemistry, physical properties, and uses of chlorine dioxide, see Masschelein, W. J. "Chlorine Dioxide - Chemistry and Environmental Impact of Oxychlorine Compounds", Ann Arbor Science Publishers, Inc- (1979) Given the explosive tendencies of both chlorine dioxide and sodium chlorite, prior art methods of production involved various precautions. For example, U.S. Patent No. 2,871,097 to Rapson discloses the use of inert gases "in an amount sufficient to maintain the effluent gases non-explosive".
Chlorine dioxide has found its way into limited use in the oil production industry. This material has been recognized for the treatment of oil field produced fluids. Reference is made to Canadian Patent No. 1,207,269, issued July 8, 1986.
`Reference is also made to Smeck, ~I S. Patent No. 4,077,879, issued March 7, 1978. In these processes, the chlorine dioxide is t~pically used for surface treatment of oil field produced fluids.
Therefore, there has existed the need for a process to treat water injection or oil-producing wells that will remove biomass as well as other deposits caused thereby and avoid excessive corrosion of the water casing and other parts without creating dangerous operating conditions.
The present invention is directed to a process for removing or controlling the build-up of deposits in a water injection or oil-producing well for enhanced oil recovery and the apparatus therefor. Chlorine dioxide is manufactured and then injected under high pressure into a high pressure water injection stream into a well. The chlorine dioxide in the water injection stream removes biomass and dissolves the resultant biomass and iron sulfides that may have built up within the water injection casing and at the screen leading to the oil-producing formation.
The pH of the combined injection stream is maintained at a level that avoids excessive corrosion of the injection casing, screen, or other well parts.
To make the chlorine dioxide, pressurized hydrochloric acid, sodium chlorate, sodium chlorite, and water may be mixed.
Other mineral acids or proton donors may be substituted for hydrochloric acid. With the source materials under pressure, the resulting chlorine dioxide may be employed under pressure for high pressure injection.
The process may also be employed for other cleaning uses.
For example, the flow of an oil-producing well can also be temporarily reversed so that chlorine dioxide can similarly, be injected to clean out any build-up therein.
The explosive tendencies of chlorine dioxide have been found to be virtually eliminated by maintaining the chlorine dioxide dissolved in a non-explosive liquid. At normal ambient temperatures, this can be accomplished by subjecting the liquid stream to an elevated pressure, thereby avoiding excessive vaporization of chlorine dioxide.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a process for removing or controlling the build up of biomass and deposits within a water injection or oil-producing well while avoiding excessive corrosion. It is an advantage of the present process that chlorine dioxide is produced safely and without the risk of explosion. Other and further objects and advantages will appear hereinafter.
According to the present invention, then, there is provided a process for cleaning a producing well, the process comprising the steps of stopping the pumping of oil out of the well; generating an aqueous solution of chlorine dioxide gas under pressure; and injecting under pressure the solution of chlorine dioxide gas into a pumped water injection stream and thereafter under pressure into the well.
According to a further aspect of the present invention there is also provided a process for cleaning a producing well, the process comprising the steps of stopping the pumping of oil out of the well; selecting an oxidant reactive with hydrogen sulfide under downhole conditions; and injecting said oxidant under pressure into a pumped water injection stream and thereafter under pressure into a well containing hydrogen sulfide.
According to yet another aspect of the present invention, there is also provided an apparatus for producing a chlorine dioxide product stream comprising: a source of water; a pump to pump the source of water at an elevated pressure; a source of a proton donor stream; a pump to pump the source of a proton donor stream at an elevated pressure; a source of a chlorine dioxide precursor mixture; a pump to pump the precursor mixture at an elevated pressure; and a high pressure reactor to receive said sources of water, a proton donor str~am, and precursor mixture and to mix said sources at an elevated pressure having an outlet for removing the resultant compounds of said mixing.
Preferred embodiments of the present invention will now be described in greater detail and will be better understood when read in conjunction with the following drawings in which:
Figure 1 illustrates schematically a process reactor of a first embodiment of the present invention; and Figure 2 illustrates schematically a process reactor of a second embodiment of the present invention;
There are two major problems in the oil field that are frequently interrelated, sulfides and microbial growth. The sulfides cause corrosion of metal in the system to metal sulfides which are insoluble. The microbial growth, particularly sulfate reducing bacteria (SRB's), can give rise to sulfides as products of their metabolism. They also cause problems due to the biomass -5a-A~
generated which will act as a binder with other solids in the system to cause deposit problems. The result is accelerated corrosion under the deposits. There are a number of other side effects that can occur, such as formation plugging, depending on where the problems occur.
The standard approach to control of corrosion problems due to sulfides and microbial growth has been prevention an~/or maintenance cleaning. For example, a biocide that will destroy SRB's will help to minimize sulfide generation and uncontrolled formation of bioresidue. Standard biocides such as quats, thiocarbamates, and amine salts have been used effectively as biostats. Due to the mutation ability of oil field bacteria, it is often necessary to use an alternating treatment of several different biocides to maintain effective control. However, these chemicals have no effect on the deposits already in place or on any sulfides already in the system.
Aldehyde-based biocides are also effective against SRB's found in the oil field. Typically, formaldehyde, acrolein, and glutaraldehyde have been used in these applications. In addition to their action as biocides, they will react with free hydrogen sulfide (H2S) in the system and serve as sulfide scavengers. The basic reaction is a condensation reaction involving the formation of sulfide linkages with the aldehyde splitting out water from the reaction. As these biocides tend to be rather expensive, the cost of their use as sulfide scavengers is often too high for other than low level applications. Also, they will have no effect on reacted sulfides and other deposits already in the system.
A second route to control is through control of the sulfides with chemicals that will react to scavenge mainly H2S.
These chemicals generally are classed as oxidizers since H2S is easily oxidized. Examples of such chemicals are:
Chemical Product Nitrites Sulfur, NO, NH3 Hydrogen Peroxide Sulfur, sulfates Peroxy compounds Sulfates Ferric ion (aq.) Sulfur Iodine (aq.) Sulfur Chlorine (aq.) Sulfur, sulfates These materials typically act on the sulfides, although they may have some biological activity as well. They can also cause problems due to formation of colloidal sulfur and/or generation of corrosive by-products. The sulfur can cause plugging in the system. Unless the~ are strong oxidizers, most of these chemicals will have no effect on deposits in-place in the system. If they are strong oxidizers, there can be associated hazards in handling the application of the chemicals in the reaction process.
Chlorine (C12) is a strong oxidizer that has been used for many years for treating water. The action of chlorine is well known and it is very effective at low levels. Chlorine, in aqueous solution, is a powerful oxidizer that will not only destroy bacteria, but also any other material in the system that can be oxidized. It is normally handled as a liquified gas and requires special handling and equipment for effective application. Without proper control, it can result in sulfur instead of sulfates.
There are a number of oxychlorine compounds available that are also powerful oxidizers and can be used in place of chlorine. These materials have the advantages of (1) biocidal activity, (2) ability to react with sulfides to form sulfates, and (3) ability to oxidize the deposits in place. Through proper product design and application, certain of these materials can be effectively applied to problems in the oil field to take advantage of their oxidizing power.
Chlorine~containing chemicals can be either oxidi~ers or reducing agents depending on the system involved. An oxidation reaction involves a transfer of electrons from the chemical that is oxidized to the chemical that is reduced. A chèmical that is oxidized will show an increase in positive valence or a decrease in negative valence. A chemical that is reduced shows a gain in electron(s) and will have a decrease in positive valence or an increase in negative valence. For example, in the reaction shown below, the sodium chlorite (NaC102) has a chlorine atom that shows an increase of positive valence due to loss of one electron.
(0) (+3) (-1) (f4) C12 + 2NaC102 ~ ------> 2 NaCl + 2 C102 The chlorite is said to be oxidized by the chlorine ~C12). The chlorine is reduced by the chlorite since it shows an increase in negative valence via a gain of one electron from the chlorite.
A nomenclature summary of chlorine compounds is provided below to serve as a reference for the`further discussion of oxychlorine compounds.
Cl- Chloride (ion) HCl Hydroch~o,Fic acid OCl Hypochlorite (ion) HOCl Hypochlorous acid C102 Chlorite (ion) HC102 Chlorous acid C103- Chlorate (ion) HC103 Chloric acid C104 Perchlorate (ion) HC104 Perchloric acid C102 Chlorine Dioxide Depending on the oxidation state of the chlorine compound and the reaction involved, the chlorine compound can either gain or lose electrons. It is also important to know whether the reaction is taking place in acidic or basic media. In aqueous media, this will determine the course of the reaction and the driving force. The half cell reactions for both acidic and basic -reactions are provided on the following table. All reactions are -reversible (<--->).
_____________________________________ __________________________ Oxidation EMF, State Reaction Volts _____________________________________________________________ __ -1 Cl- <-----------------> 1/2 C12 + e -1.36 +1 acidic 1/2 C12 + H20 <-------~ H+ +HOCl + e -1.63 - +3 acidic 1/2 C12 + 2 H20 <-----> 3 H+ + HC102 +3e -1.63 +5 acidic 1/2 C12 + 3 H20 ~-----> 6 H+ + C103- +5e -1.47 +7 acidic 1/2 C12 + 4 H20 c-----> 8 H+ + C104- + 7e -1.34 +1 basic Cl- + 2 OH- <---------> OCl- + H20 + 2e -0.94 +3 basic Cl- + 4 OH- <---------> C102- + 2 H20 + 4e -0.76 +5 basic Cl- + 6 OH- <---------> C103- + 3 H20 + 6e -0.62 +7 basic Cl- + 8 OH- <---------> C10~- + 4 H20 +8e -0.51 +4 acidic C102- <~~~~~~~~~~~~~--> C102 + e _0,95 2 C102 + H20 <--------> C102- + C103- + 2 H+
_________________________________________________ _______________ .
i~4 _9_ -The two most commonly known chlorine-containing oxidizers ` are chlorine and the hypochlorites. Chlorine is a gas that is slightly soluble in water, on the order of about 1% or about 10 g/liter. Since it is normally effective in the ppm range, the solubility limits are usually not a problem except at the point of application. There has been considerable development of equipment for the measurement and feeding of chlorine into aqueous media'.
The hypochlorites, commonly referred to as "bleach", represent chlorine in the aqueous form. The hypochlorites are the result of an equilibrium to produce hypochlorous and hydrochloric acids. The hydrochloric acid will be completely ionized in solution.
C12 + H20 <---------------------> HOC1 + H+ + Cl-HOCl <--------------------------> H+ + OCl-The hypochlorous acid will ionize as a function of the pH. As would be expected from its equilibrium equation, it ionizes only at the higher pH conditions (100% ionic at pH=10, 20% at pH=7, 0% at pH=4). As a result, hypochlorite solutions, such as sodium hypochlorite (NaOCl), are typically stored at highly alkaline pH's.
While chlorine is known as a strong oxidizing agent, in aqueous solution it is the hypochlorous acid that is the effective agent. The hypochlorite ion displays very little in terms of oxidative potential in aqueous solution. Thus, the effectiveness of chlorine in aqueous solution drops as the pH increases and the conversion of hypochlorite ion increases. Addition of large amounts of chlorine will decrease the pH dramatically due to the HC1. While the lower pH increases available oxidizing power, it also leads to corrosion problems.
- Chlorine dioxide, C102, is an unstable oxychlorine compound that is a stronger, more selective oxidizer than chlorine.
It has an appreciable solubility in water and is not subject to hydrolysis reaction of chlorine. Its oxidizing power is equivalent to about 2.6 times that of chlorine in aqueous systems, Chlorine dioxide gas is soluble in water to the extent that it can actually be separated from chlorine by stripping aqueous solutions of ,the two.
There are several industrial processes for generating chlorine dioxide on a continuous basis. Due to the unstable nature of the material, it is normally generated at the point of use as an aqueous solution that is directly applied. The largest industrial applications are in the pulp and paper industry where it is used for bleaching. Generally very large scale equipment designed for recycle operation is used so as to separate the chlorine dioxide from the chlorine and other by-products produced.
Equipment has been developed to manufacture small amounts of chlorine dio~ide containing solutions in the oil field for direct application to processes. Such systems deliver an oxidizer stream containing a predominant amount of chlorine dioxide. Such processes are discussed in more detail below.
The main objective for the application of chlorine-containing oxidizers in the oil field is con~rol of sulfides, h.;.omass ~Jrowth, and related corrosion. Their selective oxidizing ~5 pow2r can also b~ used to impro~2 proc2ss ef iciency.
f ~
General Properties C12 C1O2 Form, 77F, O psig Gas Gas Liquid Sp.Gr., 0 1.47 1.64 Melting Point, F -150 -74 Boiling Point, F -29 +52 Solubility in H2O, 1% 8-10%
77 F, 0 psig Chlorine is a gas that has a limited solubility in water. Above the solubility limits in water, chlorine is a gas at normal condition~.
Hypochlorous acid results from dissolving chlorine in water. It is a pH dependent equilibrium. Hypochlorite ion is normally preserved in alkaline solutions such as "bleach", or sodium hypochlorite.
Cl2 + 2 H2O <======> H+ + Cl- + HOCl HOCl <========-========> H+ + OCl-The alkaline hypochlorite form is stable in solution and can be made up in solution strengths of 15+~ at pH's of 11.0 or more.
Such materials are made by the absorption of chlorine in aqueous caustic so that the material is in the form of NaOCl and NaCl.
Since the oxidizing power of the chlorine is retained in the form of HOCl, it is necessary to lower the pH to obtain oxidation with "bleaches".
Chlorine dioxide dissolves to a limited extent in water as C102. At higher concentrations, it will form hydrates. The data below give some indication of the phase behavior of aqueous C102. Note that it will form liquid C102 at higher concentra-tions (~ 80 g/liter). It has, as a low boiling Temp., F C102,% Solid Phase 31 2.70 C102:8H2O ~ Ice 32 2.76 C102:8H2O
33 2.95 "
42 4.21 "
6.00 "
59 8.70 "
51 (triple pt) 10.79 C102:8H2O +liguid C102 11.67 liquid C102 57 10.79 liquid C102 gas, a significant vapor pressure. The solutions of C102 in water have an appreciable vapor pressure. These solutions will yield a significant concentration of C102 gas in the vapor phase. For example, a 1 ppm solution of C102 will generate a vapor pressure of 10 mm as C102 in the vapor phase at 0 psig at equilibrium.
In aqueous solution, the presence of chlorine does not affect the solubility of chlorine dioxide. In fact, solubility differences in water can be used to separate the two materials.
Note, however, that both materials can have a significant vapor pressure in dilute aqueous solution. Both of these gases are extremely reactive either in solution or in the gas phase. These materials can, in the gas phase, cause reactions that will liberate enough heat to cause autoignition. Chlorine dioxide gas is susceptible to spark ignitio-n and does not require oxygen to support combustion. For this reason, it is necessary to avoid situations that would allow these chemicals to accumulate in the gas phase since this can lead to local buildup of explosive concentrations.
~A -13-.. .. _ .. ...
Due to the limited solubility of both chlorlne and chlorine dioxide in water, systems used to generate the materials should be run under pressure. The aqueous solution from the reaction should be maintained and applied to the field process under pressure. Adequate mixing and dilution are required to insure that complete solution takes place.
- Both chemicals are photoreactive, i.e., will be affect~d by UV light. In both cases, UV light catalyzes decomposition of - the molecule. In the case of chlorine, it will react violently with anything available. In the case of chlorine dioxide, it will decompose to unstable species leading to the formation of chlGrine and oxygen.
Chlorine containing oxidizers are made from chlorates and/or chlorites. One manner of making such oxidizers is by a reaction of hydrochloric acid and a blended precursor containing both sodium chlorate and sodium chlorite. Other process options are available in which other precursors can be used. These alternate process options also involve the use of hydrochloric acid. Some competitive processes are available where liquified gases such as chlorine or sulfur dioxide are used to supply the acidity for the reactions.
The hydrochloric acid is a 30% minimum solution of HCl in water. Lower solution strengths will not support the process. In general, 30% hydrochloric acid is available throughout the oil field. The simplest check on solution strength is by Sp. Gravity of the solution. The 30% material has a freeze point of -50F. It is an extremely corrosive liquid that must be handled with plastic or plastic-lined equipment.
The two main precursors for control of biomass are chlorate/chlorite and chlorite precursor solutions. Both are ~A~C
' ~ -14-used in conjunction with hydrochloric acid. Special forms of either precursor are available for special applications. Both are strong oxidizer solutions and are highly alkaline. They must be kept separated from acids and oxidizable materials.
Such precursors often contain special corrosion inhibitors for use in surface applications. The inhibitors are typically formulated as an integral part of the product and are effective at use concentrations of the reacted product.
Extensive corrosion studies have been performed to verify corrosion inhibitor effectiveness.
The chlorite solutions are sometimes known as "stablilized chlorine dioxide." They can be applied directly to some systems for use as the oxidant. Dilution of the chlorite in the system lowers the pH to make the material active as an oxidizer which will undergo many of the same reactions as C102 ~ NaOH ~ -> NaClO2+ OH
NaC102 + H+ -----------> HClO2 + Na+
chlorine dioxide. Such precursors are formed from combinations of NaCl, NaClO2 and NaClO3.
-20 There are two basic routes that can be used to generate chlorine dioxide, acid reduction of chlorates and oxidation of chlorites. In the commercial practice of these reactions, many differences can be built into the process to enhance yieldsr reduce costs, or control by-product formation. All of these processes are run on a liquid/liquid basis and do not involve the use of dry solids or gases. Water is the diluent and reaction medium.
CIILORATE REDUCTIONS
EQ. 1. 2NaCl03 + 4HCl ~ -> 2ClO2 + Cl2 + 2NaCl + 2H20 EQ. 2. 2NaCl03 ~ S02 ---------> 2ClO2 + Na2S04 EQ. 2-A. 2NaCl03 + 2H2S04 + 2NaCl ---> 2ClO2 + Cl2 + 2Na2S04 + 2 H20 Chlorate reductions using acid are the most widely practiced industrially, particularly in the pulp/paper and textile industries. Solutions of chlorine dioxide, with or without chlorine, are used for bleaching fibers. The most co~mon applications use sulfuric acid and/or SO2 since the by-product NaSO4 can be used elsewhere in the process. Also, sulfuric acid is a stronger acid, and is cheaper than hydrochloric acid. For reasons discussed below, most of the processes also use sodium chloride to increase reaction efficiency.
Equation 2-A. is the basic R-2 Process widely practiced in the pulp and paper industry. The reaction sequence requires the formation of HCl as an intermediate during the reaction from NaCl which must be part of the process. A summary of the basic reaction equations is as follows-2 NaC103 I H2S04 ~ ---> 2 HC103 + Na2 4 2 NaCl + H2S04 ~ --> 2 HCl + Na2S04 HC103 + HCl -------> HC102 + HOCl HC103 + HC102 --------> 2 C102 + H20 HOCl + HCl -------> C12 + H20 ADDING, ---------------------------------------------------------------EQ- 2-A 2NaC103 + 2H2S04 + 2NaCl-> 2C102 + C12 + 2Na2S4 + 2H20 Equation 2., the OLIN Chlorate Process, is an extension of the R-2 Process shown in Equation 2-A. In simple form, it is as follows-2 NaC103 + H2S04 -----> 2 HC103 + Na2S04 2 HC103 + S02 ------> 2 C12 + H2S4 ADDING, ---------------------------------------------------------------EQ. 2: 2 NaC103 + S02 -> 2 C102 + 2 Na2S04 This reaction is also promoted by chlorides in the reaction mixture, probably via the following equations, based on the intermediate H2S04 step in the reaction sequence shown (or through bisulfite and bisulfates).
S2 + 2 H20 ~ -----_> H2S04 + H2 2 NaCl + H2S04 --------> 2 HCl + Na2S04 The literature indicates that a 1:1 to 1:1.15 mole ratio of chlorate:chloride provides about the optimum in yield on a commercial basis.
Although only chlorine dioxide is shown in the yield oE
Equation 2., it is found in commercial practice that this is only possible at very low efficiencies. In reality, some chlorine is produced at the expense of C102 in proces.ses using chlorides to promote the reaction. It probably takes place via the following reactions-HOCl + HCl ------------> C12 +H20 NaC103 + 6 HCl -------> 3 C12 + 3 H20 + NaCl With optimum operation, commercial processes with recycle operation still will produce about an 80/20 mixture of C102 / C12 - 20 as reaction yield. Chlorine output can be further effected by the concentration of S02 used -S2 + C12 + 2 H20 ------> 2 HCl + ~2S04 Hydrochloric acid reduction of chlorates is a viable process since the acid is readily available in operating areas of the oil field and the acid provides some benefits to the process. The actual acid reduction process is shown below to provide the summary reaction as Equation 1.
2 NaC103 ~ 2 HCl ------> 2 HC103 + 2 NaCl HC103 + HCl ------> HC102 + HOCl HC103 + HC102 ------> 2 C102 + H O
HOCl ~ HCl --------> C12 + H O
ADDING, ------------------------------------------------------------------EQ. 1.: 2 NaC103 + 4 HCl -------> 2 C102 + C12 + 2 H20 + 2 NaCl Without other considerations, the process of Equation 1 should perform similarly to that of Equation 2-A without the need for NaCl. There are some additional considerations regarding use of NaCl in the reaction which are discussed later. However, the HC103 and HC102 reaction will not occur in the absence of chlorides.
CHLORITE OXIDATIONS
EQ. 3. 5 NaC102 + 4 HCl -------> 4 C102 + 5 NaCl + 2 H20 EQ. 4. 2 NaC102 + C12 --------> 2 C102 ~ 2 NaCl Chlorite oxidation to produce chlorine dioxide is not widely practiced on an industrial scale due to the higher costs involved. These costs are due mainly to the fact that chlorite is obtained from chlorate via generation of chlorine dioxide as an intermediate step. Extensive processing is required to generate and separate the chlorite.
2 NaC103 + S02 ------> 2 C12 + Na S04 2 C102 + 2 NaOH ------> NaC102 + NaC103 + H20 _____________________________________________________ NaC103 + S02 + 2 NaOH ------> NaC102 + Na2S04 + H20 The most accepted basic reactions for Equation 3 are shown below. This reaction sequence requires the generation of chlorine as an intermediate in the process. Without other alterations to the process, the chlorite is completely consumed but the yield A
NaCl02 + HC1 ----------------> HCl02 + NaCl HCl02 + 3 HCl ---------------> 2 Cl2 + 2 H20 4 NaCl02 + 2 Cl2 ------------> 4 Cl02 + 4 NaCl EQ. 3.: 5 NaCl02 + 4 HC1 -------------> 4 Cl02 + 5 NaCl + 2 H20 does not exceed 80% of theoretical based on Eq. 3. The most accepted side reaction sequence is-4 NaC102 + 2 HCl -------------> 2 Cl02 + NaCl03 + 3 NaCl + H20 AND, 4 NaCl02+ 4 HCl ~ ---> 2 Cl2 + 3 2 + 2 H20 + 4 NaCl (3-e) Control of reaction parameters and reactant concentrations is critical as it plays a large role in the actual process output. In commercial practice, the reactor output is chlorine dioxide plus some chlorine and chlorate. Note that the last three reactions above represent a range of chlorite/acid mole ratios of only 1:1 to 2:1 with the optimum ratio being 1.2:1.
The basis for Equation 4 is very similar to Equation 3 since it involves directly the use of chlorine as the oxidant on the chlorite via the hypochlorite.
C12 + H20 -------------> HOCl + HCl NaCl02 + HCl ----------> HCl02 + NaCl NaCl02 + HOCl ---------> HCl03 + NaCl HCl03 + HCl02 ---------> 2 Cl02 + H20 ADDING,-----------------------------------------EQ. 4. 2 NaCl02 + Cl2 --------> 2 Cl02 + 2 NaCl Since the same side reactions can occur for Eq. 4 as for Eq. 3, there is a reasonable expectation of some chlorate by-product from this reaction. If conversion efficiency is not absolute, there will be some reacted chlorine also.
In summary, then, there are two routes to chlorine dioxide on a commercial scale, chlorate reduction with acids/chlorides and chlorite oxidation. Each of the reactions has technical advantages depending on what end result is required.
Prom the intermediate reactions, there are possible ways in which the reaction efficiency can be enhanced. Before considering means for enhancing yields from these reactions, it is useful to first examine the theoretical yields on an economic basis.
Application of chlorine dioxide containing oxidants in the oil field present a different challenge from the applications in the textile and pulp/paper industries. The major differences are constraints in size of the applications, materials handling, n economics, and simplicity of operation in remote locations. Most of the reaction technology as practiced in other industries is too complex and cumbersome to be adapted directly to the field.
~or example, in the typical pulp/paper process, the quantities involved are large (tons/day) and involve production of purified chlorine dioxide which is produced and stored in dilute solution for subsequent application in the bleaching process. Such an approach in the oil field would not be effective due to cost of facilities. Fortunately, such facilities and complexity need not be required for economic operation in the oil field.
To define practice in the oil field, it is useful to relate the different possible reaction schemes in terms of operating characteristics and costs from the previous discussion. The basic parameters are summarized in Table D
below. All fou~ processes are available in the oil field today.
EQ. 1. 2 NaClO3 + 4 HCl -----> 2 ClO2 + C12 + 2 NaCl + 2 H2O
EQ. 2. 2 NaClO3 + SO2 -------> 2 ClO + Na SO
EQ. 3. 5 NaClO2 + 4 HCl ~ --> 4 ClO2 + 5 NaCi + 2 H2O
EQ. 4. 2 NaClO2 + C12 --------> 2 ClO + 2 NaCl _________________________________________________________________ EQ. l EQ. 2 EQ. 3 EQ. 4 ________________ INP~T REACTANT-FORM CHLORATE CHLORATE CHLORITE CHLORITE
SOLUTION SOLUTION SOLUTION SOLUTION
INPUT CO-REACTANT-FORM ACID,HCl SO2 ACID,HCl Cl2 THEORETICAL YIELDS-ClO2/LB. INPUT 0.634 0.634 0.597 0.746 "TOTAL OXID"/L~. INPUT 0.967 0.634 0.597 0.746 BY-PRODUCTS FORMED- NaCl Na2S4 NaCl NaCl SI~E REACTIONS- ****CHLORINE CHLORINE CHLORINE
CHLORATE CHLORATE
_______________________ _________________~_________________________ EQ. l: Advantages-Cost of input chemicals and materials handling.
Disadvantages-can produce more chlorine than other processes.
EQ. 2: Advantages-cost of input chemicals and lower chlorine yield.
Disadvantages-requires handling liquidifed gas and produces sulfates.
EQ. 3: Advantages-good yield of chlorine dioxide and lower chlorine yield.
Disadvantages-cost of input chemicals and control needed to minimize by-product formation of chlorine and chlorate.
EQ. 4: Advantages-good yield of chlorine dioxide and lower chlorine content.
Disadvantages-cost of input chemicals, requries handling liquified gas, and by-product formation of chlorate.
A first example of chlorine dioxide preparation in commercial oil field practice is based on acid reduction of chlorate to produce an oxidant stream containing a predominant amount of chlorine dioxide as the oxidizer. The basic chemistry of Equation 1 has been modified to optimize yields and to minimize costs and chlorine content. The precursor for reaction is a mixture of chlorate/chlorite/chloride which is reacted with 30 hydrochloric acid. The approximate mole ratio of chlorate/-chlorite/chloride used is 8/1/4 with additional chloride being supplied by the hydrochloric acid. The effects of added chlorite on the chlorate process can be seen from the rection equations where Eq. 3 is fully stated using Ey. 4 to describe the chlorite/chlorine reactions following.
2 NaC103 + 2 HCl ~ ---> 2 HC103 + 2 NaCl HC103 + HCl ------------> HC102 + HOCl HC103 + HC102 ----------> 2 C10 + H O
HOCl + HCl -------------> C12 + H O
_________________________________________________________________ EQ. 1.: 2 NaC103 + 4 HCl -------> 2 C102 + C12 + 2 H20 + 2 NaCl 3 NaC102 + 3 HCl -------> 3 HC102 + 3 NaCl HC102 + 3 HCl ----------> 2 C12 + 2 H20 2 C12 + 2 H20 ----------> 2 HOCl + 2 HCl 2 NaC102 + 2 HOCl ------> 2 HC103 + 2 NaCl 2 HC103 + 2 HC102 ------> 4 C12 + 2 H20 _________________________________________________________________ EQ. 3.: 5 NaC102 + 4 HCl -------> 4 C102 + 5 NaCl +2 H20 If the chlorine is already generated via the process of EQ. 1., then only the process of EQ. 4 needs to be considered, i.e.-EQ. 4: 2 NaC102 + C12 -------> 2 C102 + 2 NaCl If the mole ratio is 8/1/4 chlorate/chlorite/chloride then the mole of NaC102 could use up 0.5 moles of C12 to produce one mole of C102 on a theoretical basis. The net reaction on this basis would be-8 NaC103 +16 HCl -----> 8 C102 + 4C12 + 8 H2O ~ 8 NaCl NaClO2 + 1/2 C12 ---> C102 + NaCl _________________________________________________________________ 8 NaC103 + NaC102 + 16 HCl ---> 9 ClO2 1 3-1/2 C12 ~ 8 H20 + 9 NaCl This does not take into account the effects of NaCl or side reations that can take place via either mechanism. the major thing to note is that the reactions overlap and feed each other in the two mechanisms.
If the typical volume ratio of precursor:acid:water is 1.0:1.1:0.9, this would be approximately at 8:1:21 mole ratio for chlorate:chlorite:acid. Excess acid is to drive the reaction. On this basisl the theoretical composition of the yield from one gallon of percursor would be-ClO2 = 2.2 lb.
C12 = 0.9 lb.
NaCl = 2.7 lb. (INPUT + YIELD) These results are achieved only if the reaction is 100% efficient, i.e., actual is equal to theoretical. In practice, even with the excess acid, the reaction cannot produce theoretical yields because it is being run in diluted solution phase on a once-through basis. Actual yield of total oxidant from currentreactors with the 1.0: 1.1:0.9 volume ratio is about 0.5 lb.
Compared with the theoretical yield, this is an efficiency of about 16.2~ (i.e. 0.5/3.09).
There are several factors that effect operating efficiencies. These include reactor residence time, input water, and precursor:acid ratios. Longer residence time, lowering water input, and increasing acid will all tend to increase yields of oxidant from the reaction (make a "hotter" product) to yield up to three times as much oxidant. However, it should be noted there are practical limits that must be observed since there are also practical limits on how much oxidant that can be handled in the reactor effluent stream. At nominal output of 0.5 lb/gal precursor, oxidant in the effluent stream would be about 20 g/liter ( 14 g/l ClO2 and 6 9/1 C12). Even at this level, there is considerable tendency to develop a gas phase in the reactor effluent.
Looking to a second example, chlorate reduction with sulfur dioxide is the process of EQ. 2 where SO2 and NaCl are used to generate chlorine dioxide via a modified R-2 process where EQ.
2-A represents the reac~ion chemistry to some degree. Although not shown as products f~om EQ. 2, the reaction must yield by-product chlorine.
S2 + 2 H20 ~ ~~~> H2~04 H2S04 + 2 NaCl ------------> 2 HCl + Na2S04 2 NaC103 + H2S04---------- > 2 HC103 + Na2S04 2 NaCl + ~12S04 ------------> 2 HCl + Na2SO4 HC103 + HCl ---------------> HC102 + HOCl HC103 + HC102 -------------> 2 ClO2 + H2O
- HOCl + HCl ~ -----------> C12 + H20 ______________________________________________________________________ 10 EQ. 2-A: 2 NaC103 + 2 H2S04 + 2 NaCl--> 2 C102 + C12 + 2 Na2S04 + 2H20 2 NaC103 +H2S04 -----------> 2 HC103 + Na S04 2 HC103 + S02 -------------> 2 C102 + H2S04 _____________________________________________________ ________________ EQ. 2.: 2 NaC103 + S02 ------------> 2 C102 + Na2S04 As it turns out, this is the case in actual operation and approximates EQ. 2-A unless extensive recycle equipment is used as in the pulp/paper industry.
3~
Assuming use of a 25% solution of NaC103 and S02 from liquified gas, the yields from EQ. 2 would be - yields from EQ. 2-A would be-C102 1.6 lb. C102 1.6 lb.
C12 lb. C12 0.8 lb.
Na2S04 1.7 lb. Na2S4 3-4 lb-The yield from EQ. 2 is only 52% of the theoretical yield of ~he foregoing example. The efficiency would have to be twice that of the foregoing example to yield the same amount of material. For EQ. 2-A, the yield is 78% of the foregoing example so that the efficiency of EQ. 2-A must be 1.3X to deliver the same amount of material.
EQ. 2 and 2 A produce a considerable amount of sulfate in the reactor effluent and this would require dilution water to prevent salting up the reactor. The addition of dilution water to any of these reactions tends to quench the reaction and lower the yields.
In terms of economics, this example could be competitive with the prior example. Handling S02 in the field, however, would present some significant materials problems. S02 is a liquified gas (b.p. +14F). In an aqueous system, it is extremely corrosive. It would require heating under certain circumstances.
A third example is based on the acid oxidation of a 25%
sodium chlorite solution by the process of EQ. 3.
3 NaC102 + 3 HCl --------> 3 HC102 + 3 NaCl HC102 + 3 HC1 -----------> 2 C12 + 2 H20 2 C12 + 2 H20 -----------> 2 HOCl + 2 HCl 2 NaC102 + 2 HOC1 -------> 2 HC103 + 2 NaC1 2 HC103 + 2 ~C102 -------> 4 C102 + 2 H20 __ ________________________________________ EQ. 3.: 5 NaC102 + 4 HCl ------> 4 CI02 +~5 NaCl +2 H20 ~A -25-As shown in the combined mechanisms the process involves the internal generation of both chlorine and chlorate to produce the chlorine dioxide as yield. In actual practice, the yield is mainly chlorine dioxide with some chlorine and chlorate as the by-products. Assuming use of a 25% solution of NaC102 ~2.5 lbs.) and 30~ HCl as the acid, the yield feom one gallon of precursor would be-C102 1.5 lb.
C12 0 lb.
NaCl 1.6 lb.
The volume ratio of precursor acid would be 1.0:0.1. In actual practice, more acid is used and the theoretical yield is not obtained. It is of interest to note that the theoretical yield from this process is about one-half that of the first example. On this basis, the chlorite process efficiency would have to be twice that of the first example to yield the same amount of material.
The chlorite/chlorine process of EQ. 4 is available to the oil field. It has the same drawbacks as the just prior process in that it is very costly. In addition, it re~uires the handling of liquified chlorine as one of the reactants. This reaction is more cost effective than the just prior process, but it will tend to yield the same by-products. Residual chlorine can also be expected to be in the reactor effluent. Chlorine is corrosive and the process has the same materials handling disadvantages as the chlorate/S02 process.
C12 + H20 ~ --->~OCl + HCl NaC102 + HCl ----> HC102 + NaCl NaC102 + HOCl ---> HC103 + NaCl HC103 + HC102 ---> 2 C102 + H20 ___________________________________________ EQ. 4. 2 NaC10~ + C12 --> 2 C102 + 2 NaCl ~A
The expected yields of the process using a 25~ NaC102 precursor would be-C102 1.9 lb.
C12 0 lb.
NaCl 1.6 lb.
An initial phase of the process of a preferred embodiment of the present process involves mixing water, hydrochloric acid, sodium chlorate, sodium chlorite, and, optionally, sodium chloride, the mixing typically occurring under pressure. These ingredients may be mixed in a continuous flow reactor system which has three feed streams and one product stream. One feed stream is water. The second feed stream is composed of hydrochloric acid.
The third contains the precursor stream comprised of sodium chlorate, sodium chlorite, and optional sodium chloride in a water stream.
Turning in detail to the drawing, a schematic of a preferrejd embodiment of the process reactor system is illus-trated in Figure 1. A tank 10 contains a precursor comprised of sodium chlorate, sodium chlorite, and optional so~ium chloride in a water base. This mixture is pumpea by a precursor pump 12 in a precursor ~eedstream 14 through a check valve 16. A tank 18 contains water which is pumped by a water pump 20 in a feedstream 22 and combined with the feedstream 14 to form feedstream 24.
Another tank 26 contains hydrochloric acid, which is pumped by an acid pump 28 in a feedstream 30. The feedstream 24 is pumped past a check valve 32 and the ~eedstream 30 is pumped past a check valve 34 where they are combined to form a reaction stream 36.
The reaction stream 36 passes into a high pressure reactor 38 that is equipped with an in-line mixer.
- A product stream 40 contains the resultant compounds, including a large proportion of chlorine dioxide. The pressure of ~A
the entire system is to be maintained at a level sufficient to keep the chlorine dioxide dissolved within the reaction mixture in a product stream 40. A pressure gauge 42 may be located near a reactor 38 or at any other convenient location. Normal pressures exceed 500 psi. The reactor 38 preferably operates at a pressure between 500 and 5000 pounds per square inch so that it may be readily used for downstream injection, either directly or through a booster pump, into the water injection well with a typical temperature of about 130F.
The hydrochloric acid stream 30 advantageously may be approximately 30~ hydrogen chloride by weight, and a chlorine dioxide precursor stream 14 contains more than 10~ sodium chlorate and/or sodium chlorite. At levels above 35~, the capacity to solubilize can be exceeded. In a more preferred embodiment, the precursor stream 14 contains approximately 28~ sodium chlorate, approximately 3% sodium chlorite and about 7% sodium chloride. It would be obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art to optimize the feed rate of the various feed streams to obtain the most effi-cient and economical result. Given the streams just described, the preferred embodiment would continuously feed equal parts of each of the three feed streams 14, 22 and 30. Such a reaction would produce a product stream 40 containing roughly one pound of chlorine dioxide for every gallon of precursor feed stream 14 and the product stream 40 would have a pH of approximately 0.5.
While the use of sodium chloride is optional, it tends to increase the chlorine dioxide yield. On the other hand, it also results in increased salt formation and, therefore, requires additional water to adequately flush the reactor system. One optimization embodiment may involve the use of a slightly larger ratio of hydrochloric acid to the other two feed streams, resulting in a ratio of hydrochloric acid stream 30 to the water .~
stream 22 to the precursor feed stream 14 of approximately 1.0/0.5/0.5. Of course, the optional ratio will vary depending on the conditions present at each individual site.
In addition, any strong mineral acid or other proton ` donor ~e.g., sulfuric acid, nitric acid, or oxalic acid) can be - used as a substitute for hydrochloric acid. For various reasons, such~as the relative expense of the component or the resulting salt or other deposit formations, however, hydrochloric acid is the component of choice.
Given the low p~ of the reaction product, it is important to construct the reactor system of material not subject to excess-ive corrosion. One preferred embodiment of the present process utilizes a high pressure reactor system composed of, for example, molybyenum alloy such as one of the family ofl~ASTELLOY alloys manufactured by Cabot Stellite Division, Rokomo, Indiana, for all items downstream from check valve 32.
Given the generally explosi~e nature of chlorine dioxide, or the need to maintain it in a dissolved, pressurized state, it is preferable that the chlorine dioxide be manufactured on-site.
Such a reactor system, producing sufficient amounts of chlorine dioxide to service a typical water injection well, can be readily constructed on a truck or trailer to be transported to the site of the well.
At the well site, the product stream 40 is fed to the well. Several possible applications are possible. A stinger, also constructed of non-corrosive material s~ch as one of the ' "HASTELLO~" materials discussed above, may be inserted into the injection well tubing. The stinger should be inserted to a depth such that any product stream emanating from the stinger tip will readily mix with the injection water and, thus, flow down into the injection well casing. To serve the same purpose of adequate and * Trade-~ar~
quick mixing, the stinger may be equipped with centralizers-to maintain the tip of the stinger in the center of the injection well tubing. For increased adaptability, a preferred embodiment has a section of flexible hose or tubing 44 connecting the reactor system to the stinger apparatus. This tubing 44 should have a non-corrodable inner surface such as TEFLON . Alternatively, a spool` may be employed~ Of course, the spool must also be of noncorrosive material. A coiled tube may also be used which is inserted through the well head to the depth of the perforations downhole. As such coiled tubing is not typically made of corrosion-resistant material, care must be taken to insure effective corrosion control throughout the treatment.
If the production process reactor is maintained at a sufficient pressure, injection into the injection well tubing will be easily accomplished. Standard water injection wells are designed to operate in the range of one thousand to four thousand psi and a higher pressure in the reactor system will enable simple injection.
The range of injection concentration as well as the amount of time during which the chlorine dioxide stream is injected can be varied to optimize the particular system. To avoid excessive corrosion of the injection well tubing or casing, it is preferable to maintain the rate of chlorine dioxide stream injection at a level so that the pH of the combined water injection and ~hlorine dioxide streams remains at 4.5 or above.
A second embodiment employed with the present system is illustrated in Figure 2. In this system, a low pressure generator is used with a high pressure booster. Equipment costs and safety considerations suggest the use of such a low pressure generator system with a booster to achieve well head pressures. Looking to Figure 2, a precursor pump 50 delivers precursor from tank 52 to * Trade-mark ~ .
` the low pressure reactor 54. The reactor may be maintained at about 500 psi. An acid pump 56 similarly delivers acid from a tank 58 and a water pump 60 delivers water from a souce 62.
Injection water is taken from a source 64. Inhibitor is added from a tank 66 by a pump 68 to the water stream. A
recirculating pump 70 drives the water/inhibitor mixture to a high pressure booster pump 72. The product from the low pressure reactor 54 joins the water before the high pressure booster pump 72. The high pressure stream is then injected into the well.
A corrosion inhibitor is preferably employed. Injection rates are such that the pH of the effluent stream into the well are low and in the acid corrosion regime. Standard inhibitors used in surface applications are not effective in this type of application. The surface applications are normally at~low dosages (< 0.05% as precursor) and metal-containing inhibitors are effective. Chromium, from sodium dichromate, is a good example.
Standard surface inhibitors actually accelerate the corrosion. So inhibitors which inhibit both the oxidizer and acid corrosion experienced at high dosages of oxidant stream are needed. A
preferred inhibitor is to be effective at the lower pH ranges and is preferably similar to a standard acid corrosion inhibitor as could be used in acidizing. It must not contain, however, components that would be reactive with the oxidant stream.
A typical clean-out procedure might involve setting up the chlorine dioxide injection system of the present invention when the flow rate of the water injection oil well has decreased to 25 to 50 percent of its original pumping capacity. If the well is a typical 1000-2000 barrel per day water injection well, the standard clean-out procedure might involve processing 30 gallons per hour of the precursor stream and injecting the resultant product stream into the Wi211 for a per~od of somewhere between 1 ! -31-and 24 hours. After an appropriate treatment, typically more than 75% of the original pumping capacity of the well is restored.
In a specific example, water injection well treatment at a depth 1500 to 1600 feet into unconsolidated~sand formations has been undertaken for six to twelve hours while the well continues to take water with no shut down. One to two drums of precursor and one to two drums of 30% HCl have been used to create an oxidant stream over the course of the pumping time. Results from such testing indicates that such a process is comparable for clearing wells to a normal acid job consisting of treatment with 1000 gal. of 15% HCl. Such a normal treatment involves shutting in the well, treating the well and leavinq it shut in for up to 24 hours. The precursor has been a 9/1 mixture of sodium chlorate/sodium chlorite which is reacted with HC1. Sodium chlorite may also be used as an alternative precursor.
Under proper conditions where reactive material is present in the well, sodium chlorite may be injected by itself.
Such reactive materials would inc,lude hydrogen sulfide. Reaction with the sodium chlorite would then OCC~Iin situ to create the oxidant. Such surface treatment with sodium chloride is typically referred to as "stabilized chlorine dioxide" treatment. The sodium chlorite may be made by absorbing a stream of chlorin~
dioxide in an aqueous sodium hydroxide solution.
While the emphasis of this specification has been on improving the flow rate in an injection well, the principles can easily be applied to oil-producing wells as well. The process would be the same except that, during the treatment period, the direction of flow in the oil-producing well would have to be reversed so that water and the chlorine dioxide mixture are injected into the oil-producing~well.
The product stream injected into the well causes irreversible oxidation and hydrolysis of protein groups in the microorganisms and in the polysaccharide exopolymers that cover and bind the biomass to equipment surfaces. This process denatures enzymes such as triosephosphate dehydrogenase. The treatment of the present invention has a higher contact effective-ness than non-oxidizing compounds because it breaks down the ' bacterium's protective glycocalyx. The process of the present invention is capable of rapidly controlling both aerobic and anaerobic biomass as well as eliminating the accompanying biomass that plugs the equipment. Further, it can eliminate corrosive hydrogen sulfide and dissolve abrasive iron sulfide deposits. The process will control build-up and can open up the screen, thereby allowing the well to inject more water. This clean-out process also leads to a marked decrease in casing and tubing corrosion over certain other practices.
One of the primary advantages of the present invention is that it can allow for the utilization of the entire product stream from the chlorine dioxide production process. Because the water used in water injection oil wells often contains a wide variety of impurities, there is no need to purify the chlorine dioxide prior to injection. The entire effluent of the reaction process is injected into the water injection stream.
The ultimate result of being able to inject the entire effluent is a dramatic cost improvement over the clean-out methods of the prior art. The prior art methods of injecting hydrochloric acid or other materials can cost up to $100,000 per procedure.
Even with this high cost, these methods are unable to achieve the results attainable by the present process. Further, the present process costs less than half of that amount.
r~
~ ~ ~ -33-Thus, a chlorine dioxide production process is disclosed for injection into a water injection or oil-producing oil well for controlling and removing the build-up of biomass and resulting iron sulfide that would decrease the water flow into the injection system. While embodiments and applications of this invention have been shown and described, it would be apparent to those skilled in the art that many more modifications are possible without depart-ing from the inventive concepts herein. For example; it is contemplated that the chlorine dioxide product stream could be injected into the oil well water system at a variety of locations.
; The invention, therefore, is not to be restricted except in the spirit of the appended claims.
Claims (39)
1. A process for cleaning a producing well, the process comprising the steps of stopping the pumping of oil out of the well;
generating an aqueous solution of chlorine dioxide gas under pressure; and injecting under pressure the solution of chlorine dioxide gas into a pumped water injection stream and thereafter under pressure into the well.
generating an aqueous solution of chlorine dioxide gas under pressure; and injecting under pressure the solution of chlorine dioxide gas into a pumped water injection stream and thereafter under pressure into the well.
2. The process of claim 1 wherein the chlorine dioxide is generated at a pressure of at least about 500 psi.
3. The process of claim 1 wherein the step of injecting the chlorine dioxide includes pumping the chlorine dioxide generated to at least the pressure of the pumped water injection stream.
4. The process of claim 1 wherein said step of generating chlorine dioxide is at a pressure equal to or greater than the pressure of the pumped water injection stream.
5. A process for controlling the build-up of biomass, its resultant iron sulfides and other accumulations within a water injection or oil-producing well, the process comprising:
injecting chlorine dioxide gas dissolved in a stream containing at least water into a pumped water injection stream and thereafter under pressure into a water injection or oil-producing well.
injecting chlorine dioxide gas dissolved in a stream containing at least water into a pumped water injection stream and thereafter under pressure into a water injection or oil-producing well.
6. The process of claim 5 wherein the chlorine dioxide is injected at a rate such that the pH of the pumped water injection stream after the chlorine dioxide is injected remains equal to or about 4.5.
7. The process of claim 6 wherein the chlorine dioxide is injected for a period of 1 to 24 hours.
8. The process of claim 5 wherein the chlorine dioxide is injected for a period sufficient to restore the water injection or oil-producing well to at least 75% of its original capacity.
9. The process of claim 5 wherein the chlorine dioxide is injected into the pumped water injection stream in the water injection or oil-producing well at a point sufficient to ensure adequate mixing of the chlorine dioxide in the pumped water injection stream.
10. A process for controlling the build-up of sulfides, biomass and other accumulations within a water injection or oil-producing well having a pumped water injection stream, the process comprising the steps of a) mixing the following feed streams:
1) a proton donor stream; and 2) a stream containing a chlorine dioxide precursor and water to thereby generate an aqueous solution of chlorine dioxide gas;
b) maintaining the resulting aqueous chlorine dioxide gas stream at a pressure sufficient to keep the chlorine dioxide gas dissolved; and c) injecting under pressure the aqueous chlorine dioxide gas stream into the pumped water injection stream and thereafter under pressure into the water injection or oil-producing well.
1) a proton donor stream; and 2) a stream containing a chlorine dioxide precursor and water to thereby generate an aqueous solution of chlorine dioxide gas;
b) maintaining the resulting aqueous chlorine dioxide gas stream at a pressure sufficient to keep the chlorine dioxide gas dissolved; and c) injecting under pressure the aqueous chlorine dioxide gas stream into the pumped water injection stream and thereafter under pressure into the water injection or oil-producing well.
11. The process of claim 10 wherein the step of mixing feed streams further includes a water stream.
12. The process of claim 10 wherein the chlorine dioxide precursor contains sodium chlorate and water.
13. The process of claim 10 wherein the chlorine dioxide precursor contains sodium chlorite and water.
14. The process of claim 10 wherein the chlorine dioxide precursor contains sodium chlorate, sodium chlorite, sodium chloride and water.
15. The process of claim 10 wherein the proton donor stream is a hydrochloric acid feed stream which comprises about 30% by weight HC1.
16. The process of claim 15 wherein the chlorine dioxide precursor contains about 28% by weight sodium chlorate, about 3% by weight sodium chlorite, about 7% by weight sodium chloride, and water.
17. The process of claim 10 wherein the chlorine dioxide precursor contains at least 25% by weight sodium chlorate, at least 2% by weight sodium chlorite and water.
18. The process of claim 17 wherein the three feed streams are mixed in substantially equal amounts.
19. The process of claim 18 wherein the amount of the proton donor mixed in the process exceeds the amount of sodium chlorate mixed in the process.
20. The process of claim 10 wherein the feed streams are mixed in a ratio that makes the pH of the product stream about 0.5.
21. A process for cleaning a producing well, the process comprising the steps of stopping the pumping of oil out of the well;
selecting an oxidant with hydrogen sulfide under downhole conditions; and injecting said oxidant under pressure into a pumped water injection stream and thereafter under pressure into a well containing hydrogen sulfide.
selecting an oxidant with hydrogen sulfide under downhole conditions; and injecting said oxidant under pressure into a pumped water injection stream and thereafter under pressure into a well containing hydrogen sulfide.
22. The process of claim 21 wherein said oxidant is sodium chlorite.
23. A process for -cleaning an oil-producing or water injection well, the process comprising the steps of:
generating chlorine dioxide gas;
mixing the chlorine dioxide gas with water under pressure sufficient to form an aqueous solution of chlorine dioxide;
injecting under pressure the aqueous solution of chlorine dioxide gas into the well.
generating chlorine dioxide gas;
mixing the chlorine dioxide gas with water under pressure sufficient to form an aqueous solution of chlorine dioxide;
injecting under pressure the aqueous solution of chlorine dioxide gas into the well.
24. The process according to claim 23 wherein the aqueous solution of chlorine dioxide is injected into the water injection or oil-producing well at a pressure greater than the pressure sufficient to form the aqueous solution of chlorine dioxide gas.
25. The process of claim 5 wherein the process is also used for controlling the build-up of synthetic and organic polymers within a water injection or oil-producing well.
26. The process according to claim 1 wherein the chlorine dioxide gas is generated at a pressure ranging from 500 to 5000 psi.
27. The process according to claim 23 wherein the chlorine dioxide gas is generated at a pressure ranging from 500 to 5000 psi.
28. The process of claim 10 wherein the chlorine dioxide gas is injected into the water stream at a pressure ranging from 500 to 5000 psi.
29. A process for facilitating the removal of biomass and other deposits from injection wells, the process including the following steps:
generating free chlorine dioxide gas in a liquid media to thereby form a solution of chlorine dioxide in the liquid media under a pressure sufficient to dissolve the chlorine dioxide;
providing a high pressure water stream;
injecting the solution of chlorine dioxide into the high pressure water stream to thereby form a high pressure water-liquid media chlorine dioxide gas solution;
directing the high pressure water-liquid media chlorine dioxide solution into a first water injection well; and removing water and liquid media through a different well at a site remote from the site of the first water injection well.
generating free chlorine dioxide gas in a liquid media to thereby form a solution of chlorine dioxide in the liquid media under a pressure sufficient to dissolve the chlorine dioxide;
providing a high pressure water stream;
injecting the solution of chlorine dioxide into the high pressure water stream to thereby form a high pressure water-liquid media chlorine dioxide gas solution;
directing the high pressure water-liquid media chlorine dioxide solution into a first water injection well; and removing water and liquid media through a different well at a site remote from the site of the first water injection well.
30. A process according to claim 29 wherein the liquid media is water and the chlorine dioxide solution is an aqueous solution of chlorine dioxide.
31. A process according to claim 29 wherein the chlorine dioxide solution is generated at a pressure ranging from 500 psi to 5000 psi.
32. A process according to claim 29 wherein the high pressure water-liquid media solution of chlorine dioxide has ph equal to or about 4.5.
33. An apparatus for producing a chlorine dioxide product stream comprising:
a source of water;
a pump to pump the source of water at an elevated pressure;
a source of a proton donor stream;
a pump to pump the source of a proton donor stream at an elevated pressure;
a source of a chlorine dioxide precursor mixture;
a pump to pump the precursor mixture at an elevated pressure; and a high pressure reactor to receive said sources of water, a proton donor stream, and precursor mixture and to mix said sources at an elevated pressure having an outlet for removing the resultant compounds of said mixing.
a source of water;
a pump to pump the source of water at an elevated pressure;
a source of a proton donor stream;
a pump to pump the source of a proton donor stream at an elevated pressure;
a source of a chlorine dioxide precursor mixture;
a pump to pump the precursor mixture at an elevated pressure; and a high pressure reactor to receive said sources of water, a proton donor stream, and precursor mixture and to mix said sources at an elevated pressure having an outlet for removing the resultant compounds of said mixing.
34. The apparatus of claim 33 wherein the proton donor stream is hydrochloric acid.
35. The apparatus of claim 33 wherein the chlorine dioxide precursor mixture is of at least sodium chlorate, sodium chlorite and water.
36. The apparatus of claim 33 wherein the pressure of the reactor is maintained at at least about 500 psi.
37. The appartus of claim 33 wherein the sources of water, a proton donor stream, and precursor mixture are each tanks.
38. The apparatus of claim 37 wherein the apparatus is mounted on a truck or a trailer.
39. The apparatus of claim 33, 37 or 38 further comprising:
a flexible hose having a non-corrodable inner surface attached to the outlet of the high pressure reactor; and a stinger that can be inserted into a water injection oil well injection stream connected to the felxible hose.
a flexible hose having a non-corrodable inner surface attached to the outlet of the high pressure reactor; and a stinger that can be inserted into a water injection oil well injection stream connected to the felxible hose.
Priority Applications (1)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA 2004948 CA2004948A1 (en) | 1989-12-08 | 1989-12-08 | Process and apparatus for cleaning high pressure water injection wells |
Applications Claiming Priority (1)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA 2004948 CA2004948A1 (en) | 1989-12-08 | 1989-12-08 | Process and apparatus for cleaning high pressure water injection wells |
Publications (1)
| Publication Number | Publication Date |
|---|---|
| CA2004948A1 true CA2004948A1 (en) | 1991-06-08 |
Family
ID=4143753
Family Applications (1)
| Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA 2004948 Abandoned CA2004948A1 (en) | 1989-12-08 | 1989-12-08 | Process and apparatus for cleaning high pressure water injection wells |
Country Status (1)
| Country | Link |
|---|---|
| CA (1) | CA2004948A1 (en) |
-
1989
- 1989-12-08 CA CA 2004948 patent/CA2004948A1/en not_active Abandoned
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