Classifications

• • C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
  • C10—PETROLEUM, GAS OR COKE INDUSTRIES; TECHNICAL GASES CONTAINING CARBON MONOXIDE; FUELS; LUBRICANTS; PEAT
  • C10M—LUBRICATING COMPOSITIONS; USE OF CHEMICAL SUBSTANCES EITHER ALONE OR AS LUBRICATING INGREDIENTS IN A LUBRICATING COMPOSITION
  • C10M3/00—Liquid compositions essentially based on lubricating components other than mineral lubricating oils or fatty oils and their use as lubricants; Use as lubricants of single liquid substances
• • C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
  • C23—COATING METALLIC MATERIAL; COATING MATERIAL WITH METALLIC MATERIAL; CHEMICAL SURFACE TREATMENT; DIFFUSION TREATMENT OF METALLIC MATERIAL; COATING BY VACUUM EVAPORATION, BY SPUTTERING, BY ION IMPLANTATION OR BY CHEMICAL VAPOUR DEPOSITION, IN GENERAL; INHIBITING CORROSION OF METALLIC MATERIAL OR INCRUSTATION IN GENERAL
  • C23F—NON-MECHANICAL REMOVAL OF METALLIC MATERIAL FROM SURFACE; INHIBITING CORROSION OF METALLIC MATERIAL OR INCRUSTATION IN GENERAL; MULTI-STEP PROCESSES FOR SURFACE TREATMENT OF METALLIC MATERIAL INVOLVING AT LEAST ONE PROCESS PROVIDED FOR IN CLASS C23 AND AT LEAST ONE PROCESS COVERED BY SUBCLASS C21D OR C22F OR CLASS C25
  • C23F11/00—Inhibiting corrosion of metallic material by applying inhibitors to the surface in danger of corrosion or adding them to the corrosive agent
  • C23F11/08—Inhibiting corrosion of metallic material by applying inhibitors to the surface in danger of corrosion or adding them to the corrosive agent in other liquids
  • C23F11/10—Inhibiting corrosion of metallic material by applying inhibitors to the surface in danger of corrosion or adding them to the corrosive agent in other liquids using organic inhibitors
  • C23F11/16—Sulfur-containing compounds
  • C23F11/163—Sulfonic acids
• • C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
  • C10—PETROLEUM, GAS OR COKE INDUSTRIES; TECHNICAL GASES CONTAINING CARBON MONOXIDE; FUELS; LUBRICANTS; PEAT
  • C10M—LUBRICATING COMPOSITIONS; USE OF CHEMICAL SUBSTANCES EITHER ALONE OR AS LUBRICATING INGREDIENTS IN A LUBRICATING COMPOSITION
  • C10M2201/00—Inorganic compounds or elements as ingredients in lubricant compositions
  • C10M2201/02—Water
• • C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
  • C10—PETROLEUM, GAS OR COKE INDUSTRIES; TECHNICAL GASES CONTAINING CARBON MONOXIDE; FUELS; LUBRICANTS; PEAT
  • C10M—LUBRICATING COMPOSITIONS; USE OF CHEMICAL SUBSTANCES EITHER ALONE OR AS LUBRICATING INGREDIENTS IN A LUBRICATING COMPOSITION
  • C10M2219/00—Organic non-macromolecular compounds containing sulfur, selenium or tellurium as ingredients in lubricant compositions
  • C10M2219/04—Organic non-macromolecular compounds containing sulfur, selenium or tellurium as ingredients in lubricant compositions containing sulfur-to-oxygen bonds, i.e. sulfones, sulfoxides
  • C10M2219/044—Sulfonic acids, Derivatives thereof, e.g. neutral salts
• • C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
  • C10—PETROLEUM, GAS OR COKE INDUSTRIES; TECHNICAL GASES CONTAINING CARBON MONOXIDE; FUELS; LUBRICANTS; PEAT
  • C10N—INDEXING SCHEME ASSOCIATED WITH SUBCLASS C10M RELATING TO LUBRICATING COMPOSITIONS
  • C10N2040/00—Specified use or application for which the lubricating composition is intended
  • C10N2040/08—Hydraulic fluids, e.g. brake-fluids

Definitions

• Chemical agents for use in lubricating submersible oil well pumps should be water-soluble or dispersible so that they can be introduced into the aqueous hydraulic fluid at the surface of the well, and the chemical agent must be adsorbed on the metal surfaces to be lubricated at the hydraulic fluid circulates over these surfaces.
• the chemical agent, after adsorption on the metal surfaces must function as a highly effective lubricant, that is, it must reduce abrasive wear between the surfaces.
• the lubricant should also have the property of remaining on the metal surfaces under a high applied pressure or torque, as would be generated between the relative moving metal surfaces of the pumps.
• the lubricant should have good boundary properties to minimize wear and to prevent any increase in the tolerances of the contacting parts, and it should also be effective as an extreme pressure lubricant so that it is not squeezed off of the surfaces or desorbed at torques of greater than 60 to 80 inch-pounds.
• This invention provides a method of lubricating metal surfaces wherein the lubricating agent possesses all of I 3,414,517 Patented Dec. 3, 1968 abrasive wear by depositing a coating on the metal surface of an ester of a sulfonated fatty acid.
• the sulfonated fatty acid esters contain the sulfur as a CS linkage as distinguished from .a CO-S linkage which characterizes organic sulfates.
• the coating is in the form of a thin film, which may be substantially a monomolecular layer, and this film or layer is formed by contacting the metal surface with an aqueous solution or dispersion of the sulfonated fatty acid ester.
• the lubricating agent forms a coordination compound with the negatively charged metal surface.
• the method is not limited to ferrous metal surfaces, but can be applied to all structural metals and metal alloys.
• the sulfonatecl fatty acid esters useful in practicing the present invention are those which can be prepared from naturally occurring fatty acids and fatty acid mixtures.
• the fatty acid group will therefore contain from 8 to 22 carbon atoms.
• fatty acids or fatty acid mixtures composed predominantly of fatty acids having from 12 to 18 carbon atoms are especially desirable, particularly the fatty acids containing 16 or 18 carbon atoms.
• the fatty acid groups may be palmityl, stearyl, or oleyl. While both saturated and unsaturated fatty acid groups can be employed, the saturated fatty acids are preferred.
• tallow can be hydrogenated to convert the oleic acid therein to stearic acid, thereby resulting in a fatty acid mixture composed primarily of stearic acid, together with a lesser proportion of palmitic acid.
• the lubricating agents of this invention will contain at least one sulfonate group, such as can be introduced into a fatty acid by treatment under appropriate conditions with sulphur trioxide, as is well known in the sulfonation art.
• Sulfonated fatty acids are available commercially. For saturated fatty acids, the sulfonate group is bonded to the alpha carbon, while for unsaturated fatty acids, the sulfonate group is attached to one of the double bonded carbon atoms.
• the sulfonated fatty acid esters contain the sulfur as a CS linkage. Thus the compounds are quite distinct from sulfated fats which contain the sulfur in a C-OS linkage. Sulfated fats are formed by reaction with sulfuric acid rather than sulfur trioxide.
• the sulfonated fatty acids are in the form of water-soluble or water-dispersible esters.
• Esters of short chain alcohols or glycols are preferred, but esters of polyethylene glycol can be employed where the ester group has a longer chain length.
• the ester group may be an aliphatic hydrocarbon containing 1 to 6 carbon atoms, or the ester may be a hydroxysubstituted aliphatic hydrocarbon containing from 2 to 6 carbon atoms.
• the ester group may be methyl, ethyl, propyl, monoethylene glycol, or propylene glycol.
• the alkyl or hydroxyalkyl ester group advantageously can contain less than 3 carbons; viz., the methyl, ethyl and hydroxyethyl esters.
• the ester group is a polyethylene glycol chain or residue
• the polyethylene glycol group should have a molecular weight of less than 2,000, and optimally not over 1,000.
• the ester group should not be so hydrophobic as to make the lubricating agent water-insoluble or non-dispersible.
• the sulfonate group may be in its free acid form or in a salt form.
• the sodium, calcium or ammonium salts are particularly desirable because of their relatively low cost, but other salts can be used, such as the salts of the alkali metals, the alkaline earth metals, etc.
• the salt form can be advantageous in providing increased water solubility.
• Particularly desirable compounds for use in the method of this invention are the alpha-sulfo esters of saturated fatty acids containing from 12 to 18 carbon atoms, particularly the palmitic C and the stearic acid C derivatives.
• the methyl or ethyl ester and the mono ethylene glycol hydroxyethyl ester of such compounds meet superlatively well the exacting specifications of lubricants for subsurface hydraulic oil well pumps.
• the sodium salts of alpha-sulfo stearic or palmitic acids are outstandingly effective, especially when employed as their methyl or hydroxyethyl esters.
• the lubricating compound is dissolved or dispersed in water or in a saline brine, or more generally in the aqueous phase of a fluid medium, which may consist of an oil and brine mixture, or a pumpable drilling mud having an aqueous phase, etc.
• concentration of the lubricating agent in the water or the aqueous phase of the fluid medium should be sufficient to provide for the coating of the metal surfaces to be protected against abrasive wear.
• the water or aqueous phase should contain at least 50 p.p.m. (parts per million) of the lubricating compound, and in most applications, it will usually be preferable to employ at least 80 ppm. of the lubricating compound.
• concentrations greater than 500 to 1000 p.p.m. For use in oil well subsurface pumps where the lubricating compound is introduced into the brine employed as the hydraulic fluid, concentrations of from 50 to 500 ppm. are satisfactory. For example, good results have been obtained in such applications with concentrations ranging from 100 to 200 ppm. of the sulfonated fatty acid ester.
• the aqueous phase containing the lubricating compound is contacted with, or preferably circulated over, the metal surface to be protected against abrasion. If desired, the surface may be continually treated with the water or aqueous phase containing the lubricating compound, thereby tending to maintain the desired protective layer or film of the lubricating compound during operation of the pump or similar apparatus.
• R is an ester group such as a straight or branched chain aliphatic hydrocarbon having from 1 to 6 carbon atoms, or the residue derived from a glycol having from 2 to 6 atoms, or the residue derived from a polyethylene glycol moiety of not over 2,000 molecular weight and preferably not over 1,000 molecular weight
• M is hydrogen or a salt forming radical such as an alkali metal, an alkaline earth metal and ammonium.
• the lubricating agent of this invention is derived from unsaturated fatty acids, such as oleic acid
• the compounds may be represented by the following structural formulas:
• x and y are integers from 1 to 17 and preferably from 1 to 13, the total or x+y equalling 4 to 18 and preferably 12 to 14.
• R and M have the same meanings previously assigned with respect to Formula 1. Since the carbon atoms on either side of the double bond are susceptible to sulfonation, the sulfonation of an unsaturated fatty acid, such as oleic acid, will usually result in a mixture of compounds having the Formulas 2 and 3. While the unsaturated linkage for oleic acid is usually regarded as being between the 9 and 10 carbon atoms, the double bond is not entirely fixed in this location, and may migrate to other positions over the range indicated.
• the mixed sulfonated product will contain at least small proportions of compounds where the sulfonate radical is attached to carbons other than the 9 or 10 carbons.
• sullo stearic acid 0.01%
• Polyethylene glycol ester (200 0.1 0. 3 0.4 at 180. Galls at 240.
• alpha-sulfo stearic acid 0.02%
• Lubricating agents derived from saturated fatty acids usable in the present invention can be represented by the 70 following structural formula:
• the method of this invention is further illustrated by its application to the lubrication of subsurface hydraulic pumps in oil well production operations.
• the methyl ester of alpha-sulfo stearic acid either as the free acid or as its sodium salt, is employed as a lubricant in the aqueous power fluid at a concentration of from 150 to 200 p.p.m.
• the power fluid may be salt water or fresh water.
• the power fluid will be kept in one or more surface tanks, and is therefore convenient to introduce thelubricating agent into the fluid while it is under surface storage.
• the fluid will only be circulated once, and therefore it is a simple matter to achieve the desired concentration introducing the lubricating agent into the fluid before it is circulated.
• a closed system Where the aqueous hydraulic fluid is recirculated after it has been separated from the oil, there may be some residual lubricating agent in the fluid, and it may be desirable to add only suflicient lubricating agent to make up the concentration to the desired level before the fluid is recirculated.
• a higher than necessary concentration can be employed for the initial circulation, such as a concentration of 500 to 600 p.p.m., and the fluid can be recirculated until the concentration drops below the desired level for maximum lubricating protection.
• a method of lubricating metal surfaces subject to abrasion wherein a fluid medium providing an aqueous phase is contacted with said surfaces, the steps comprising introducing into the aqueous phase of said medium from to 500 p.p.m. of a water-soluble ester of an alphasulfo fatty acid wherein the fatty acid groups are saturated and contain from 16 to 18 carbons, the ester groups thereof being selected from the class consisting of aliphatic hydrocarbon groups containing from 1 to 6 carbons, hydroxy-substituted aliphatic hydrocarbon groups containing from 2 to 6 carbon atoms, and polyethylene glycol groups having a molecular weight of less than 2,000, and contacting said aqueous phase with said metal surfaces.
• metal surfaces are the wear surfaces of a submersible oil well pump, and said fluid medium is circulated over said surfaces.
• ester is the methyl ester of alpha-sulfo stearic acid, the sulfonate group thereof being in its sodium salt form.
• a method of lubricating metal surfaces subject to abrasion wherein a fluid medium providing an aqueous phase is contacted with said surfaces, the steps comprising introducing into the aqueous phase of said medium a Water-soluble ester of an alpha-sulfo fatty acid wherein the fatty acid groups are saturated and contain from 16 to 18 carbons, said ester being present in said aqueous phase in a dilute concentration effective for coating said metal surfaces and the ester groups thereof being selected from the class consisting of aliphatic hydrocarbon groups containing from 1 to 6 carbons, hydroxy-substituted aliphatic hydrocarbon groups containing from 2 to 6 carbon atoms, and polyethylene glycol groups having a molecular weight of less than 2,000, and contacting said aqueous phase with said metal surfaces.

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• Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
• Organic Chemistry (AREA)
• Chemical Kinetics & Catalysis (AREA)
• General Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
• Oil, Petroleum & Natural Gas (AREA)
• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Materials Engineering (AREA)
• Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
• Metallurgy (AREA)
• Pharmaceuticals Containing Other Organic And Inorganic Compounds (AREA)
• Lubricants (AREA)

Priority Applications (2)

Applications Claiming Priority (1)

Publications (1)

Family

ID=24408948

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (2)

Cited By (8)

Citations (1)

• 1966
  • 1966-12-15 US US601833A patent/US3414517A/en not_active Expired - Lifetime
• 1967
  • 1967-12-14 NO NO170987A patent/NO120370B/no unknown

Patent Citations (1)

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