Patents by Inventor Catherine S. H. Chen

Catherine S. H. Chen has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 4922047
    Abstract: Bicyclic and monocyclic terpenes are oligomerized by contact over a zeolite catalyst to produce high boiling lube oil traction fluid having a high traction coefficient. The traction fluid comprises dimers, trimers and tetramers of the bicyclic and monocyclic terpenes. The lube oil is catalytically hydrogenated to obtain a saturated cycloparaffin hydrocarbon oil traction fluid.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 22, 1988
    Date of Patent: May 1, 1990
    Assignee: Mobil Oil Corporation
    Inventors: Catherine S. H. Chen, Thomas R. Forbus, Jr.
  • Patent number: 4716135
    Abstract: High VI lube oils are obtained in high yields when lower olefins are polymerized over an aluminosilicate HZSM-5 type catalyst or zeolite beta whose surface Bronsted acid sites have been inactivated with a sterically hindered basic organophosphorus compound.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 18, 1986
    Date of Patent: December 29, 1987
    Assignee: Mobil Oil Corporation
    Inventor: Catherine S. H. Chen
  • Patent number: 4658079
    Abstract: High VI lube oils are obtained in high yields when lower olefins are polymerized over an aluminosilicate HZSM-5 type catalyst or zeolite beta whose surface Bronsted acid sites have been inactivated with a sterically hindered basic organophosphorus compound.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 16, 1985
    Date of Patent: April 14, 1987
    Assignee: Mobil Oil Corporation
    Inventor: Catherine S. H. Chen
  • Patent number: 4577000
    Abstract: Certain water-soluble polymers retain their viscosities in high brine environments and are highly useful as surfactant-mobility control agents in oil recovery processes. These polymers have stiff backbone chains which are poly-2,6-dimethyl-p-phenylene oxide, polysulfone or poly(p-phenylene ether-sulfone) and side chains which may be formed by halomethylating phenyl rings of these backbone chains followed by quaternizing the halomethyl groups. For more thickening power, the molecular weight of the polymer can be increased by controlled cross-linking with a calculated amount of difunctional amine.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 29, 1982
    Date of Patent: March 18, 1986
    Assignee: Mobil Oil Corporation
    Inventors: Catherine S. H. Chen, Albert L. Williams
  • Patent number: 4479894
    Abstract: Waterflooding process for the recovery of oil from a subterranean formation in which at least a portion of the injected water preferably may contain a preferentially oil-soluble alcohol, a sulfobetaine, a quaternary ammonium compound containing at least one long chain hydrocarbyl group and a quaternary ammonium compound with short chain hydrocarbyl groups. This formulation serves both as a surfactant and a mobility control agent.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 23, 1982
    Date of Patent: October 30, 1984
    Assignee: Mobil Oil Corporation
    Inventors: Catherine S. H. Chen, Yuhshi Luh
  • Patent number: 4468342
    Abstract: This invention provides a blend of at least two homologous surfactants having the formula: ##STR1## in which R.sup.1 and R.sup.2 are the same or different C.sub.4 -C.sub.24 alkyl, the total number of carbon atoms in R is between 10 and 30, and n is between 2 and 6; the molar ratio of the homologs in the blend being between about 9:1 and 1:9.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 13, 1981
    Date of Patent: August 28, 1984
    Assignee: Mobil Oil Corporation
    Inventor: Catherine S. H. Chen
  • Patent number: 4468335
    Abstract: Novel branched alkylpolyethoxypropane sulfonate surfactants which have low interfacial tension at high salinity, and their use in enhanced oil recovery are disclosed. The surfactants have the formulaRO(C.sub.2 H.sub.4).sub.x CH.sub.2 CH.sub.2 CH.sub.2 SO.sub.3 Nain which R is a branched aliphatic radical of 10 to 30 carbon atoms, and x is 2 to 6.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 30, 1982
    Date of Patent: August 28, 1984
    Assignee: Mobil Oil Corporation
    Inventors: Catherine S. H. Chen, Albert L. Williams
  • Patent number: 4451623
    Abstract: Certain water-soluble substituted phenol formaldehyde type copolymers retain their viscosities in high brine environments and are highly useful as surfactant-mobility control agents in oil recovery processes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 22, 1982
    Date of Patent: May 29, 1984
    Assignee: Mobil Oil Corporation
    Inventor: Catherine S. H. Chen
  • Patent number: 4374740
    Abstract: Certain water-soluble substituted phenol formaldehyde type copolymers retain their viscosities in high brine environments and are highly useful as surfactant-mobility control agents in oil recovery processes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 16, 1981
    Date of Patent: February 22, 1983
    Assignee: Mobil Oil Corporation
    Inventor: Catherine S. H. Chen
  • Patent number: 4370243
    Abstract: Waterflooding process for the recovery of oil from a subterranean formation in which at least a portion of the injected water preferably comprises a preferentially oil-soluble alcohol, a sulfobetaine, a quaternary ammonium compound containing at least one long chain hydrocarbyl group and a quaternary ammonium compound with short chain hydrocarbyl groups. This formulation serves both as a surfactant and a mobility control agent.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 9, 1981
    Date of Patent: January 25, 1983
    Assignee: Mobil Oil Corporation
    Inventors: Catherine S. H. Chen, Yuhshi Luh
  • Patent number: 4317893
    Abstract: A method for the recovery of oil from an oil-containing subterranean formation by waterflooding employing as an injection medium an aqueous solution of an anionic polymeric surfactant formed by reacting a polymer including succinic anhydride moieties with a primary amine to provide a polymeric reaction product in which at least 20 mol percent of the anhydride moieties have been converted, by reaction with said amine, to succinimide or succinamide groups. The polymeric anionic surfactants of the invention exhibit good physical and chemical stability, are shear stable, are effective in maintaining the salt stability of other surfactants (such as petroleum sulfonates) and also function as viscosifiers, even in the presence of significant concentrations of divalent metal ions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 24, 1980
    Date of Patent: March 2, 1982
    Assignee: Mobil Oil Corporation
    Inventors: Catherine S. H. Chen, Edward W. Sheppard
  • Patent number: 4303411
    Abstract: There is disclosed a method for determining flow patterns within a subterranean formation by injecting as a tracer a water soluble alkaline metal salt of inorganic or organic compounds having fluorine in the anion. The tracer compounds of the invention are identified by FNMR spectroscopy.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 31, 1980
    Date of Patent: December 1, 1981
    Assignee: Mobil Oil Corporation
    Inventors: Catherine S. H. Chen, Yuhshi Luh, Kirk D. Schmitt
  • Patent number: 4284517
    Abstract: A method for the recovery of oil from an oil-containing subterranean formation by waterflooding employing as an injection medium an aqueous solution of an anionic polymeric surfactant formed by reacting a polymer including succinic anhydride moieties with a primary amine to provide a polymeric reaction product in which at least 20 mol percent of the anhydride moieties have been converted, by reaction with said amine, to succinimide or succinamide groups. The polymeric anionic surfactants of the invention exhibit good physical and chemical stability, are shear stable, are effective in maintaining the salt stability of other surfactants (such as petroleum sulfonates) and also function as viscosifiers, even in the presence of significant concentrations of divalent metal ions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 26, 1978
    Date of Patent: August 18, 1981
    Assignee: Mobil Oil Corporation
    Inventors: Catherine S. H. Chen, Edward W. Sheppard
  • Patent number: 4267123
    Abstract: An improved method for preparing propane sulfonates by the addition of metal bisulfites to allyl ethers, amines and sulfides is provided wherein a substantial amount of the desired product is added to the reaction mixture.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 23, 1979
    Date of Patent: May 12, 1981
    Assignee: Mobil Oil Corporation
    Inventors: Catherine S. H. Chen, Kirk D. Schmitt, Albert L. Williams
  • Patent number: 4222881
    Abstract: Waterflood oil recovery process involving the use of an amphoteric polyelectrolyte as a thickening agent for mobility control. The amphoteric polyelectrolyte is a copolymer of a quaternary vinyl pyridinium sulfonate and a water-insoluble alpha olefin or hydrogenated diene. Specifically disclosed are vinyl pyridinium sulfonate-styrene block copolymers. The amphoteric polyelectrolytes are stable in high temperature and high brine environments.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 1, 1978
    Date of Patent: September 16, 1980
    Assignee: Mobil Oil Corporation
    Inventors: Don E. Byham, Edward W. Sheppard, Catherine S. H. Chen
  • Patent number: 4120801
    Abstract: This specification discloses a waterflooding process for producing oil from an oil-containing subterranean formation that is penetrated by an injection well and a production well. An aqueous solution of a water soluble copolymer having segments formed of blocks of an aromatic monomer and blocks of an olefinic monomer chemically modified to have an anionic function on the olefinic segments is injected into the formation to improve the recovery of oil therefrom.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 23, 1977
    Date of Patent: October 17, 1978
    Assignee: Mobil Oil Corporation
    Inventors: Catherine S. H. Chen, Frederick C. Schwab, Edward W. Sheppard
  • Patent number: 4110232
    Abstract: This specification discloses a waterflooding process for producing oil from an oil-containing subterranean formation penetrated by an injection well and a production well. An aqueous solution of a copolymer formed of hydrophobic olefinic segments and cationic aromatic hydrophilic segments is injected into and driven through the formation in the production of oil therefrom.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 15, 1977
    Date of Patent: August 29, 1978
    Assignee: Mobil Oil Corporation
    Inventors: Frederick C. Schwab, Edward W. Sheppard, Catherine S. H. Chen