US 11,965,131 B2
Treatment of produced hydrocarbons
Ingvild Johanne Haug, Stavanger (NO); Børre Tore Børresen, Heimdal (NO); Heidi Mediaas, Heimdal (NO); Hege Kummernes, Stavanger (NO); and Ivar Øystein Larsen, Stavanger (NO)
Assigned to EQUINOR ENERGY AS, Stavanger (NO)
Appl. No. 17/415,946
Filed by Equinor Energy AS, Stavanger (NO)
PCT Filed Dec. 20, 2019, PCT No. PCT/NO2019/050288
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Jun. 18, 2021,
PCT Pub. No. WO2020/130852, PCT Pub. Date Jun. 25, 2020.
Claims priority of application No. 1821117 (GB), filed on Dec. 21, 2018.
Prior Publication US 2022/0064515 A1, Mar. 3, 2022
Int. Cl. C09K 8/524 (2006.01); C09K 8/536 (2006.01)
CPC C09K 8/524 (2013.01) [C09K 8/536 (2013.01)] 16 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method for preventing or mitigating the formation of, and/or removing, metal naphthenates in produced hydrocarbons during an artificial lift procedure, the method comprising:
injecting acid and sour gas simultaneously into produced hydrocarbons in a production well to facilitate lift of the produced hydrocarbons and to control the pH of fluids contained in the produced hydrocarbons to prevent an increase in the pH above a threshold pH value,
to thereby, as a result of said preventing an increase in the pH above the threshold pH value, prevent or mitigate the formation of, and/or remove, metal naphthenates in the produced hydrocarbons,
wherein the threshold pH value is the pH value at which metal naphthenates would otherwise form.