Solid Emulsifier Composition for Drilling Fluids
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing emulsifiers for invert emulsion drilling fluids face issues with tackiness, clumping, and the need for solid supports, which dilute their effectiveness and require additional additives, increasing costs and impacting performance, especially in cold temperatures.
Innovation Solution
A blend of first and second emulsifiers, produced by reacting fatty acids with poly(alkylamine) and acid/anhydride compositions, resulting in a stable, free-flowing powder without the need for solid supports or additional additives, using a fatty acid composition with at least 60% C16-18 fatty acids and 65% saturated fatty acids.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If powdered emulsifiers are used to avoid cold temperature issues, then flowability is improved, but solid support materials are required which dilute the emulsifier activity
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts and eliminates the solid support material (silica) from the emulsifier composition, achieving a 100% active emulsifier product. The emulsifier is formulated to be inherently free-flowing without requiring any diluent or support material, thus resolving the contradiction between flowability and emulsifier activity concentration.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the physical and chemical parameters of the emulsifier composition by using specific fatty acid compositions (at least 60% C16-18 fatty acids and at least 65% saturated fatty acids) and controlled reaction conditions to produce a powder that is inherently free-flowing without solid supports, eliminating the need for diluents and maintaining 100% active emulsifier content.
2Ease of operation
If solid support materials are incorporated to maintain free-flowing nature, then flowability is improved, but settling and abrasion issues occur in drilling operations
Solution Approach 1:
The invention completely removes solid support materials (such as silica) from the emulsifier composition. The emulsifier is formulated to achieve free-flowing properties through its chemical composition and structure alone, eliminating the harmful effects of solid supports including settling in mud pits and abrasion during drilling operations.
3Ease of manufacture
If liquid emulsifiers are used with additives to address high viscosity, then processability is improved, but emulsifier activity is diluted by required additives
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts and eliminates the need for additives (diluents, pour point depressants, etc.) that are typically required with liquid emulsifiers. The emulsifier composition is formulated to be inherently processable and free-flowing without any additional substances, achieving 100% active emulsifier content without dilution.
4Stability of the object's composition
If emulsifiers are formulated for cold temperature performance, then low temperature stability is improved, but formulation complexity increases requiring special equipment
Solution Approach 1:
The invention changes the chemical composition parameters by using specific fatty acid compositions (at least 60% C16-18 fatty acids and at least 65% saturated fatty acids) to inherently provide cold temperature stability. This eliminates the need for special heating equipment or complex formulation adjustments, allowing the emulsifier to remain free-flowing and effective at low temperatures through its molecular structure alone.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution provides a fully active, stable emulsifier composition that maintains its free-flowing nature, reducing processing requirements and eliminating tackiness and clumping issues, while maintaining high performance without the need for solid supports or additives.
Implementation Method 1
reacting (A) a fatty acid composition with (B) one or more (e.g., 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, or more) poly(alkylamine) to produce a partial amide
Implementation Method 2
reacting (a) the partial amide with (b) an acid and/or anhydride composition that includes or is a dicarboxylic acid, di-anhydride, tricarboxylic acid, tri-anhydride, or a mixture thereof, to produce the second emulsifier
Implementation Method 3
The emulsifier composition of the present disclosure maintains its form as a free-flowing powder
Data Source
AI summary
The present disclosure describes an emulsifier composition and methods of making and using the same. The emulsifier composition includes a blend of a first emulsifier and a second emulsifier made by reacting (A) a fatty acid composition with (B) one or more (e.g., 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, or more) poly(alkylamine) to produce a partial amide, and reacting (a) the partial amide with (b) an acid and/or anhydride composition that includes or is a dicarboxylic acid, di-anhydride, tricarboxylic acid, tri-anhydride, or a mixture thereof, to produce the emulsifier, wherein the fatty acid composition comprises at least about 60% C16-18 fatty acids and at least 65% saturated fatty acids (e.g., at least 85% saturated fatty acids). The present disclosure further describes a drilling fluid including the emulsifier composition of the present disclosure, as well as methods of making and using the same.