1. A mixture comprising:
(a) a macrocyclic polyester oligomer; and
(b) a filler comprising magnesium silicate.
2. The mixture of claim 1, wherein the filler dissolves in the mixture.
3. The mixture of claim 1, wherein the mixture is an intimate physical mixture.
4. The mixture of claim 1, wherein the mixture is a nanocomposite.
5. The mixture of claim 1, wherein the filler comprises anhydrous magnesium silicate.
6. The mixture of claim 1, wherein the filler is present in the mixture in an amount of at least about 10 weight percent.
7. The mixture of claim 1, wherein the filler is present in the mixture in an amount of at least about 20 weight percent.
8. The mixture of claim 1, wherein the filler is present in the mixture in an amount of at least about 30 weight percent.
9. A polymer composition resulting from the polymerization of at least one component of the mixture of claim 1, wherein the polymer composition exhibits a higher elastic modulus than a polymer resulting from the polymerization of the macrocyclic polyester oligomer without the filler at least over a temperature range from about 10\xb0 C. to about 50\xb0 C.
10. A polymer composition resulting from the polymerization of at least one component of the mixture of claim 1, wherein the polymer composition exhibits a higher elastic modulus than a polymer resulting from the polymerization of the macrocyclic polyester oligomer without the filler at least over a temperature range from about 10\xb0 C. to about 100\xb0 C.
11. A polymer composition resulting from the polymerization of at least one component of the mixture of claim 1, wherein the polymer composition exhibits a higher elastic modulus than a polymer resulting from the polymerization of the macrocyclic polyester oligomer without the filler at least over a temperature range from about 10\xb0 C. to about 150\xb0 C.
12. A polymer composition resulting from the polymerization of at least one component of the mixture of claim 1, wherein the polymer composition exhibits a higher heat deflection temperature (HDT) than a polymer resulting from the polymerization of the macrocyclic polyester oligomer without the filler.
13. The mixture of claim 1, wherein the macrocyclic polyester oligomer comprises a plurality of species.
14. The mixture of claim 13, wherein the macrocyclic polyester oligomer comprises species having different degrees of polymerization.
15. The mixture of claim 1, wherein the macrocyclic polyester oligomer comprises butylene terephthalate units and ethylene terephthalate units.
16. The mixture of claim 1, wherein the mixture further comprises a catalyst.
17. The mixture of claim 16, wherein the catalyst comprises a tin compound.
18. The mixture of claim 16, wherein the catalyst comprises a titanate compound.
19. The mixture of claim 16, wherein the catalyst comprises butyltin chloride dihydroxide.
20. The mixture of claim 16, wherein the mixture is stable at ambient conditions for at least one week.
21. The mixture of claim 16, wherein the mixture is stable at ambient conditions for at least one month.
22. A polymer composition resulting from the polymerization of at least one component of the mixture of claim 1.
23. The polymer composition of claim 22, wherein the polymer composition is a nanocomposite.
24. A method for preparing an intimate physical mixture, the method comprising the step of:
contacting a macrocyclic polyester oligomer and an anhydrous magnesium silicate at a temperature at which the macrocyclic polyester oligomer is at least partially melted.
25. The method of claim 24, wherein the macrocyclic polyester oligomer is at least partially melted prior to the contacting step.
26. The method of claim 24, wherein the anhydrous magnesium silicate dissolves.
27. The method of claim 24, wherein the temperature is within a range from about 150\xb0 C. to about 190\xb0 C.
28. A method for polymerizing a macrocyclic polyester oligomer, the method comprising the steps of:
(a) providing an intimate physical mixture stable at ambient conditions for at least one week, the mixture comprising:
(i) a macrocyclic polyester oligomer;
(ii) a polymerization catalyst; and
(iii) a layered mineral; and
(b) heating the mixture to polymerize the macrocyclic polyester oligomer.
29. The method of claim 28, wherein the layered mineral comprises a silicate.
30. The method of claim 28, wherein the layered mineral comprises magnesium silicate.
31. The method of claim 28, wherein the layered mineral is present in the mixture in an amount of at least about 10 weight percent.
32. The method of claim 28, wherein the method produces a polymer composition that exhibits a higher heat deflection temperature (HDT) than a polymer resulting from the polymerization of the macrocyclic polyester oligomer without the filler.
33. An intimate physical mixture comprising:
(a) a macrocyclic polyester oligomer; and
(b) a layered mineral, the layered mineral comprising a substantially non-polar, substantially charge-neutral surface.
34. The mixture of claim 33, wherein the layered mineral comprises a layered silicate.
35. The mixture of claim 33, wherein the layered mineral comprises at least one member selected from the group consisting of molybdenum sulfide, graphite, magnesium, iron, calcium, potassium, sodium, manganese, titanium, zirconium, copper, berylium, and zinc.
36. The mixture of claim 33, wherein the mixture further comprises a catalyst.
37. The mixture of claim 36, wherein the mixture is stable at ambient conditions for at least one week.
38. The mixture of claim 36, wherein the mixture is stable at ambient conditions for at least one month.
39. The mixture of claim 33, wherein the filler is present in the mixture in an amount of greater than about 10 weight percent.
40. The mixture of claim 33, wherein the filler is present in the mixture in an amount of greater than about 30 weight percent.
41. The mixture of claim 33, wherein the filler is present in the mixture in an amount of greater than about 40 weight percent.
42. The mixture of claim 33, wherein the filler is present in the mixture in an amount of greater than about 60 weight percent.
43. The mixture of claim 1, wherein the filler is present in the mixture in an amount of greater than about 40 weight percent.
44. The mixture of claim 1, wherein the filler is present in the mixture in an amount of greater than about 60 weight percent.
The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.
1. A method of forecasting asphaltic precipitation when injecting a viscosity reducing diluent into a reservoir formation to assist oil recovery therefrom, the method comprising:
determining a relationship between the magnitude of asphaltic precipitation and a solubility parameter for the oil when diluted;
utilizing the relationship to forecast the magnitude of asphaltic precipitation within the formation consequent upon injecting a predetermined viscosity reducing diluent into the formation; and
injecting a viscosity reducing diluent into the reservoir formation to assist oil recovery from the reservoir formation.
2. A method according to claim 1 wherein the viscosity reducing diluent comprises carbon dioxide which is in supercritical form within the reservoir formation.
3. A method according to claim 1 wherein determining a relationship comprises determining a solubility parameter corresponding to the onset of asphaltene precipitation.
4. A method according to claim 1 wherein determining a relationship comprises performing a series of experiments each comprising mixing a measured amount of oil from the reservoir with a measured amount of a liquid which is at least partially miscible with the oil, where the experiments in the series differ from one another in the proportions of oil and liquid andor solubility parameter of the liquid, obtaining as a result of each experiment an observation whether asphaltene separation occurs, and a measurement of the amount of separated asphaltene, and utilizing the experimental results together with the amounts of the oil and liquids and the solubility parameters of the liquid(s) to determine the relationship between the magnitude of asphaltic precipitation and a solubility parameter for the oil when diluted and the solubility parameter of diluted oil at the onset of asphaltene precipitation.
5. A method according to claim 1 wherein utilization of a relationship between asphaltic precipitation and a solubility parameter for the diluted oil is carried out by a computer programmed to simulate changes in a reservoir formation when a viscosity reducing diluent is injected into the formation.
6. A method according to claim 1 comprising utilizing the said relationship to forecast the magnitude of asphaltic precipitation within the formation when injecting each of a plurality of predetermined viscosity reducing diluents into the formation.
7. A method according to claim 1 comprising utilizing the said relationship to predetermine proportions of constituents in a viscosity reducing diluent mixture forecast to avoid asphaltic precipitation within the formation when injected into the formation.
8. A method according to claim 1 wherein the viscosity reducing diluent mixture contains carbon dioxide and a of at least one added substance which takes a liquid form when it is at 20 deg.C and one bar pressure, the proportion by weight of carbon dioxide being larger than the proportion by weight of the at least one added substance and wherein, when the viscosity reducing diluent mixture is within the reservoir formation, the carbon dioxide is in supercriticial form with the added substance(s) dissolved therein.
9. A method according to claim 2 wherein the viscosity reducing diluent also comprises a liquid or liquid mixture which is more polar that the carbon dioxide, the proportion by volume of carbon dioxide being larger than the proportion by volume of the liquid or liquid mixture.
10. A method according to claim 3 which comprises performing a series of experiments each comprising mixing a measured amount of oil from the reservoir with a measured amount of a liquid which is partially miscible with the oil, where the experiments in the series differ from one another in the solubility parameter of the liquid and a result of each experiment is a measurement of the amount of separated asphaltene or an observation that no precipitation has occurred and also performing a series of experiments each comprising mixing a measured amount of oil from the reservoir with a measured amount of a liquid which is partially miscible with the oil, where the experiments in the series differ from one another in the proportions of oil and liquid and a result of each experiment is an observation whether asphaltene separation occurs, and utilizing the results from both series of experiments together with the amounts of the oil and liquids and the solubility parameters of the liquids to determine the solubility parameter of diluted oil at the onset of asphaltene precipitation and also a relationship between solubility parameter and the amount of asphaltene precipitated.
11. A method according to claim 9 wherein the carbon dioxide and the more polar liquid or liquid mixture are conveyed separately down a wellbore towards the reservoir formation and are mixed together after the carbon dioxide has reached a supercritical state.
12. A method according to claim 9 wherein the liquid or liquid mixture comprises at least one aliphatic compound which includes at least one of the following: a cycloaliphatic ring, an olefinic unsaturation, a ester, an ether group.
13. A method of forecasting asphaltic precipitation when injecting a viscosity reducing diluent into a reservoir formation, the method comprising:
performing a series of experiments each comprising mixing a measured amount of oil from the reservoir with a measured amount of a liquid which is at least partially miscible with the oil, where the experiments in the series differ from one another in the proportions of oil and liquid andor solubility parameter of the liquid, obtaining as a result of each experiment an observation whether asphaltene separation occurs, and a measurement of the amount of any separated asphaltene;
determining a relationship between the magnitude of asphaltic precipitation and a solubility parameter for diluted oil from the experimental results;
utilizing the relationship to forecast the magnitude of asphaltic precipitation within the formation consequent upon injecting each of a plurality of candidate predetermined viscosity reducing diluents into the formation, each candidate diluent comprising carbon dioxide and at least one candidate diluent also comprising at least one added substance which takes a liquid form when it is at 20 deg.C and one bar pressure, the proportion by weight of carbon dioxide being larger than the proportion by weight of the at least one added substance; and
injecting a viscosity reducing diluent into a reservoir formation to assist oil recovery from the reservoir formation, where the injected diluent comprises carbon dioxide and the temperature and pressure within the reservoir formation are such that the carbon dioxide is in supercritical form within the reservoir formation.