CA1291957C - Treatment of froth form oil sands hot water recovery process - Google Patents
Treatment of froth form oil sands hot water recovery processInfo
- Publication number
- CA1291957C CA1291957C CA000559978A CA559978A CA1291957C CA 1291957 C CA1291957 C CA 1291957C CA 000559978 A CA000559978 A CA 000559978A CA 559978 A CA559978 A CA 559978A CA 1291957 C CA1291957 C CA 1291957C
- Authority
- CA
- Canada
- Prior art keywords
- bitumen
- phase
- solvent
- mixture
- clay
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Expired - Fee Related
Links
Classifications
-
- C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
- C10—PETROLEUM, GAS OR COKE INDUSTRIES; TECHNICAL GASES CONTAINING CARBON MONOXIDE; FUELS; LUBRICANTS; PEAT
- C10G—CRACKING HYDROCARBON OILS; PRODUCTION OF LIQUID HYDROCARBON MIXTURES, e.g. BY DESTRUCTIVE HYDROGENATION, OLIGOMERISATION, POLYMERISATION; RECOVERY OF HYDROCARBON OILS FROM OIL-SHALE, OIL-SAND, OR GASES; REFINING MIXTURES MAINLY CONSISTING OF HYDROCARBONS; REFORMING OF NAPHTHA; MINERAL WAXES
- C10G1/00—Production of liquid hydrocarbon mixtures from oil-shale, oil-sand, or non-melting solid carbonaceous or similar materials, e.g. wood, coal
- C10G1/04—Production of liquid hydrocarbon mixtures from oil-shale, oil-sand, or non-melting solid carbonaceous or similar materials, e.g. wood, coal by extraction
- C10G1/047—Hot water or cold water extraction processes
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B03—SEPARATION OF SOLID MATERIALS USING LIQUIDS OR USING PNEUMATIC TABLES OR JIGS; MAGNETIC OR ELECTROSTATIC SEPARATION OF SOLID MATERIALS FROM SOLID MATERIALS OR FLUIDS; SEPARATION BY HIGH-VOLTAGE ELECTRIC FIELDS
- B03B—SEPARATING SOLID MATERIALS USING LIQUIDS OR USING PNEUMATIC TABLES OR JIGS
- B03B9/00—General arrangement of separating plant, e.g. flow sheets
- B03B9/02—General arrangement of separating plant, e.g. flow sheets specially adapted for oil-sand, oil-chalk, oil-shales, ozokerite, bitumen, or the like
Landscapes
- Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
- Oil, Petroleum & Natural Gas (AREA)
- Life Sciences & Earth Sciences (AREA)
- Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
- Wood Science & Technology (AREA)
- Chemical Kinetics & Catalysis (AREA)
- General Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
- Organic Chemistry (AREA)
- Geology (AREA)
- Production Of Liquid Hydrocarbon Mixture For Refining Petroleum (AREA)
Abstract
Abstract of the Disclosure Solvent-diluted bitumen froths formed in the hot-water process for the recovery of bitumen from oil sands, either individually or combined, are treated with slaked lime to break the emulsion and to destabilize the clay suspensions. In this way, a clean separation of a solvent-solution layer, an aqueous sodium hydroxide solution layer and a compact clay layer is achieved.
Description
1~9~95'7 TREATMENT OF FROTH FROM OIL SANDS
HOT WATER RECOVERY PROCESS
The present invention relates to improvements in the hot water process for the recovery of bitumen from oil sands.
Oil sands are a complex combination of bitumen, water and minerals, predominantly quartz, and are found at a number of global locations. Those surficial deposits in the Athabasca region of Alberta, Canada are being exploited on a commercial scale. In such deposits, the bitumen content varies up to about 18 wt.%
and averages about 12 wt.~, the water content is usually about 3 to about 6 wt.% and the mineral content ranges from about 84 to about 86 wt.%.
Commercial exploitation involves employment of the so-called "hot water" process, which includes interconnected steps of feed conditioning, bitumen separation, waste disposal and bitumen concentrate cleaning and recovery. The oil sand is conditioned with sodium hydroxide solution in a rotating drum at 180F at a pH of about 8.0 to 8.5. The conditioned pulp at about 70% solids is discharged to a feed sump to which middlings recycle and water are added to provide the required consistency of material for pumping to separation cells.
In the separation cells, sand settles to the bottom as tailings and bitumen rises to the top in the form of an oil froth. An aqueous middlings layer containing predominantly clay minerals and some bitumen is formed between these layers. Some of this middlings layer is used for recycle to the feed sump and the major part thereof is passed through a scavenging step to recover additional amounts of bitumen by air flotation.
The oil froths from the primary separation step and the middlings scavenging step, in conventional processing, are combined, diluted with solvent to dissolve the bitumen, the bitumen-solvent solution is separated from the aqueous phase usually by . ~
.~
1~9195'7 centrifugation, and removed. The solvent is removed from the bitumen for recycle and the bitumen is forwarded to the upgrading plant.
The sand tailings from the separation cell, the middlings tailings from the scavenging step and the tailings from the centrifuge step are usually combined in tne conventional procedure and pumped to a settling pond. In our Canadian Patent No. 1,138,361, we have described a process whereby the combined tailings stream is treated directly with slaked lime to effect separation of residual bitumen in the form of a water-in-oil emulsion, separation of clay particles as a compact mass for easy disposal and recovery of most of the aqueous phase of the tailings stream in the form of lS an aqueous sodium hydroxide solution for recycle. The separated water-in-oil emulsion may be returned to the oil froth treatment for dewatering the emulsion and the recovery of the bitumen therein.
Alio as described in the aforesaid Canadian Patent No. 1,138,361, the major portion of the middlings stream from the primary flotation step, instead of passing directly to the flotation scavenging operation, first is rapidly mixed with slaked lime. This lime addition improves th- separation of bitumen from the aqueous phase in th- flotation scavenging operation, in the form of a water-in-oil emulsion.
As noted earlier, in the conventional process, oil froths from the primary separation step and from the middling~ scavenging step are diluted with solvent, usually naphtha, to dissolve the bitumen therein. To separate the bitumen-solvent solution from the aqueous phase, the mixture is subjected to centrifugation in a two-stage process involving solid bowl and disc centrifuges.
In accordance with the present invention, the bitumQn-solvent solution separation step is rendered more effective and efficient by the addition of slaked lime to the mixture. The process is applicable not only to the solvent-diluted mixture of primary and secondary 1~919S7 froths but also to solvent-diluted primary froth or to solvent-diluted secondary froth.
Accordingly, in one aspect, the present invention provides a method for the processing of an emulsified mixture of water, bitumen-solvent and clay particles formed in the hot water process for the recovery of bitumen from oil sands, which comprises mixing sufficient slaked lime with the mixture to cause separation of the mixture into a clear aqueous solution phase, a bitumen-solvent solution phase and a compact clay phase.
Usually, when the process of the invention is carried out on the solvent-diluted froths, lime addition to the middlings stream prior to the flotation tank as disclosed in Canadian Patent No. 1,138,361 is omitted, although it may be adopted, if desired.
The lime addition to the solvent-diluted froth destablizes the emulsion and permits settling to provide a bitumen-solvent layer, a clear aqueous layer containing sodium hydroxide and a compact clay layer.
Settling may be enhanced by centrifugation but the vigorous two step centrifugation used in the conventional process may not be required.
The separation of the three layers from the treated mixture may be enhanced by the addition of a high molecular weight polyacrylamide, prior to, simultaneously with or subsequent to the lime addition.
The polyacrylamide which is used may have cationic, anionic and/or non-ionic functional groups, according to which is found most effective for a particular system.
The polyacrylamide used should have a molecular weight high enough to provide bridging through functional groups on the polymer, whether cationic, anionic or non-ionic. A number of such polymers are commercially available, examples being the line of produc~s known as "Percols".
The quantity of slaked lime which is employed is relatively small and usually varies from about 0.02 to about 1 wt.% of bitumen present in the diluted froth, A
1~3195~
preferably about O.OS to about 0.5 wt.%. The quantity of polyacrylamide which may be added to assist in phase separation may vary widely, for example, about 0.5 to about 30 mg/l or higher. The processing steps effected on the diluted froth may be effected at any desired temperature, usually the ambient temperature of the diluted froth.
A relatively small amount of calcium hydroxide (slaked lime) causes emulsion to break by neutralizing the effect of surfactants or soaps that stabilize them.
A larger amount also destabilizes clay suspensions by converting the clays to the calcium form, which continue to dehydrate as a result of their low affinity for water.
In a mixed system, such as the solvent-diluted primary and/or secondary froths treated in this invention, these effects occur sequentially, with the bitumen emulsion being destabilized first. The effects are further enhanced by the preferred presence of the polyacrylamide, which substantially completely eliminates any residual surface activity of the froth compounds. The use of three-phase solid bowl centrifuges to dewater the diluted and treated froth produces cleanly-separated water and oil streams and sub~tantially d-watored clay solids. The water stream contain~ recov-red alkali, which can be reused in the initial oil ~and~ treatment.
Th- soparated bitumen-solvent solution may be processed conventionally to recover solvent for reuse and bitumen for upgrading. The clay suspension may be disposed of.
The present invention has particular application to the conventional hot water proces~ for the recovery of bitumen from tar sands. Accordingly, in one preferred embodiment, there i8 provided a method for the recovery of bitumen from oil sands, which comprises slurrying the oil sands with an aqueous medium at an elevated temperature; separating the resulting slurry into a primary oil froth phase containing most of the bitumen 1~91~57 from the tar sands, an aqueous phase containing clay minerals and some bitumen and a sand phase; recycling part of the aqueous phase to slurry formation; effecting additional bitumen recovery from the remainder of the aqueous phase in the form of a secondary oil froth;
combining the primary and secondary oil froths and adding a solvent for bitumen thereto to form a mixture of bitumen-solvent and aqueous clay suspension; adding slaked lime to the mixture in an amount sufficient to effect clean separation of the mixture into an aqueous phase, a bitumen-solvent solution phase and a compact sand phase; recycling the aqueous phase to the slurrying step: discharging the compact sand phase; recovering the solvent from the bitumen-solvent solution phase and recycling the recovered solvent to the solvent addition step; and recovering the bitumen.
The invention is described further, by way of illustration, with reference to the accompanying drawing, which is a flow sheet of the hot water process for recovering bitumen from oil sands, modified in accordance with the present invention.
Referring to the drawing, oil sands and water and steam and sodium hydroxide are fed respectively by lines 10 and 12 to a conditioning tank 14. The pulp so formed i8 forwarded by line 16 to a feed sump 18, wherein it is mixed with water possibly containing a small amount of sodium hydroxide fed by line 20 and with recycle middlings fed by line 22 to the desired consistency and then passed by line 24 to a primary separator 26.
In the primary separator 26, the mixture is separated into a lower sand layer which is removed by line 28 for disposal, an upper oil froth layer which is removed by line 30 for bitumen recovery and an intermediate middlings layer, which is partly recycled by line 22 and partially forwarded by line 32 to a flotation tank 34.
In the flotation tank, the intermediate middlings layer is subjected to air flotation to remove further quantities of oil froth which is forwarded by line 36 to 6 ~2915~5 7 a mixing tank 38 to which the oil froth in line 30 also is passed. A clay suspension is discharged from the flotation tank 34 by line 40. As noted earlier, the intermediate middlings in line 32 may be treated with slaked lime as described in Canadian Patent No.
1,138,361 prior to passage to the flotation tank 34.
The oil froths fed to the mixing tank 38 are contacted with a water-immiscible solvent for the bitumen fed by line 42 to form a solution of the bitumen in the solvent. The solvent typically is a naphtha. In accordance with the present invention, the bitumen-solvent solution is forwarded by line 44 to a further mixing tank 46 wherein it is contacted with slaked lime fed by line 48. The addition of the slaked lime destabilizes the emulsion and permits subsequent separation.
The lime-treated material is forwarded by line 50 to a settling tank or the settling may be allowed to occur in the same tank as the line addition occurred in.
The lime-treated mixture separates into a bitumen-solvent layer, a clear aqueous layer containing sodium hydroxide and a compact clay layer. Enhanced separation may be achieved by the addition of polyacrylamides and settling of the clay solids may be enhanced by centrifugation.
The bitumen-solvent layer is forwarded by line 54 to a solvent recovery unit 56 wherein the solvent is removed, such as by distillation, and is recycled by line 5~ to the solvent feed line 42, with make-up quantities of solvent being fed by line 60. The bitumen remaining after solvent removal is passed by line 62 to an upgrading plant.
The aqueous sodium hydroxide solution layer is recycled by line 64 to the water feed line 20, or to the feed line 12, where make-up quantities of sodium hydroxide solution are added by line 66.
The compact clay layer is removed by line 68 and is of a consistency that it can be readily disposed of without further processing.
~2919s~7 In summary of this disclosure, the present invention relates to an improvement in the processing of froth from the hot water process oil sands treatment process to effect more efficient and rapid recovery of bitumen. Modifications are possible within the scope of the invention.
HOT WATER RECOVERY PROCESS
The present invention relates to improvements in the hot water process for the recovery of bitumen from oil sands.
Oil sands are a complex combination of bitumen, water and minerals, predominantly quartz, and are found at a number of global locations. Those surficial deposits in the Athabasca region of Alberta, Canada are being exploited on a commercial scale. In such deposits, the bitumen content varies up to about 18 wt.%
and averages about 12 wt.~, the water content is usually about 3 to about 6 wt.% and the mineral content ranges from about 84 to about 86 wt.%.
Commercial exploitation involves employment of the so-called "hot water" process, which includes interconnected steps of feed conditioning, bitumen separation, waste disposal and bitumen concentrate cleaning and recovery. The oil sand is conditioned with sodium hydroxide solution in a rotating drum at 180F at a pH of about 8.0 to 8.5. The conditioned pulp at about 70% solids is discharged to a feed sump to which middlings recycle and water are added to provide the required consistency of material for pumping to separation cells.
In the separation cells, sand settles to the bottom as tailings and bitumen rises to the top in the form of an oil froth. An aqueous middlings layer containing predominantly clay minerals and some bitumen is formed between these layers. Some of this middlings layer is used for recycle to the feed sump and the major part thereof is passed through a scavenging step to recover additional amounts of bitumen by air flotation.
The oil froths from the primary separation step and the middlings scavenging step, in conventional processing, are combined, diluted with solvent to dissolve the bitumen, the bitumen-solvent solution is separated from the aqueous phase usually by . ~
.~
1~9195'7 centrifugation, and removed. The solvent is removed from the bitumen for recycle and the bitumen is forwarded to the upgrading plant.
The sand tailings from the separation cell, the middlings tailings from the scavenging step and the tailings from the centrifuge step are usually combined in tne conventional procedure and pumped to a settling pond. In our Canadian Patent No. 1,138,361, we have described a process whereby the combined tailings stream is treated directly with slaked lime to effect separation of residual bitumen in the form of a water-in-oil emulsion, separation of clay particles as a compact mass for easy disposal and recovery of most of the aqueous phase of the tailings stream in the form of lS an aqueous sodium hydroxide solution for recycle. The separated water-in-oil emulsion may be returned to the oil froth treatment for dewatering the emulsion and the recovery of the bitumen therein.
Alio as described in the aforesaid Canadian Patent No. 1,138,361, the major portion of the middlings stream from the primary flotation step, instead of passing directly to the flotation scavenging operation, first is rapidly mixed with slaked lime. This lime addition improves th- separation of bitumen from the aqueous phase in th- flotation scavenging operation, in the form of a water-in-oil emulsion.
As noted earlier, in the conventional process, oil froths from the primary separation step and from the middling~ scavenging step are diluted with solvent, usually naphtha, to dissolve the bitumen therein. To separate the bitumen-solvent solution from the aqueous phase, the mixture is subjected to centrifugation in a two-stage process involving solid bowl and disc centrifuges.
In accordance with the present invention, the bitumQn-solvent solution separation step is rendered more effective and efficient by the addition of slaked lime to the mixture. The process is applicable not only to the solvent-diluted mixture of primary and secondary 1~919S7 froths but also to solvent-diluted primary froth or to solvent-diluted secondary froth.
Accordingly, in one aspect, the present invention provides a method for the processing of an emulsified mixture of water, bitumen-solvent and clay particles formed in the hot water process for the recovery of bitumen from oil sands, which comprises mixing sufficient slaked lime with the mixture to cause separation of the mixture into a clear aqueous solution phase, a bitumen-solvent solution phase and a compact clay phase.
Usually, when the process of the invention is carried out on the solvent-diluted froths, lime addition to the middlings stream prior to the flotation tank as disclosed in Canadian Patent No. 1,138,361 is omitted, although it may be adopted, if desired.
The lime addition to the solvent-diluted froth destablizes the emulsion and permits settling to provide a bitumen-solvent layer, a clear aqueous layer containing sodium hydroxide and a compact clay layer.
Settling may be enhanced by centrifugation but the vigorous two step centrifugation used in the conventional process may not be required.
The separation of the three layers from the treated mixture may be enhanced by the addition of a high molecular weight polyacrylamide, prior to, simultaneously with or subsequent to the lime addition.
The polyacrylamide which is used may have cationic, anionic and/or non-ionic functional groups, according to which is found most effective for a particular system.
The polyacrylamide used should have a molecular weight high enough to provide bridging through functional groups on the polymer, whether cationic, anionic or non-ionic. A number of such polymers are commercially available, examples being the line of produc~s known as "Percols".
The quantity of slaked lime which is employed is relatively small and usually varies from about 0.02 to about 1 wt.% of bitumen present in the diluted froth, A
1~3195~
preferably about O.OS to about 0.5 wt.%. The quantity of polyacrylamide which may be added to assist in phase separation may vary widely, for example, about 0.5 to about 30 mg/l or higher. The processing steps effected on the diluted froth may be effected at any desired temperature, usually the ambient temperature of the diluted froth.
A relatively small amount of calcium hydroxide (slaked lime) causes emulsion to break by neutralizing the effect of surfactants or soaps that stabilize them.
A larger amount also destabilizes clay suspensions by converting the clays to the calcium form, which continue to dehydrate as a result of their low affinity for water.
In a mixed system, such as the solvent-diluted primary and/or secondary froths treated in this invention, these effects occur sequentially, with the bitumen emulsion being destabilized first. The effects are further enhanced by the preferred presence of the polyacrylamide, which substantially completely eliminates any residual surface activity of the froth compounds. The use of three-phase solid bowl centrifuges to dewater the diluted and treated froth produces cleanly-separated water and oil streams and sub~tantially d-watored clay solids. The water stream contain~ recov-red alkali, which can be reused in the initial oil ~and~ treatment.
Th- soparated bitumen-solvent solution may be processed conventionally to recover solvent for reuse and bitumen for upgrading. The clay suspension may be disposed of.
The present invention has particular application to the conventional hot water proces~ for the recovery of bitumen from tar sands. Accordingly, in one preferred embodiment, there i8 provided a method for the recovery of bitumen from oil sands, which comprises slurrying the oil sands with an aqueous medium at an elevated temperature; separating the resulting slurry into a primary oil froth phase containing most of the bitumen 1~91~57 from the tar sands, an aqueous phase containing clay minerals and some bitumen and a sand phase; recycling part of the aqueous phase to slurry formation; effecting additional bitumen recovery from the remainder of the aqueous phase in the form of a secondary oil froth;
combining the primary and secondary oil froths and adding a solvent for bitumen thereto to form a mixture of bitumen-solvent and aqueous clay suspension; adding slaked lime to the mixture in an amount sufficient to effect clean separation of the mixture into an aqueous phase, a bitumen-solvent solution phase and a compact sand phase; recycling the aqueous phase to the slurrying step: discharging the compact sand phase; recovering the solvent from the bitumen-solvent solution phase and recycling the recovered solvent to the solvent addition step; and recovering the bitumen.
The invention is described further, by way of illustration, with reference to the accompanying drawing, which is a flow sheet of the hot water process for recovering bitumen from oil sands, modified in accordance with the present invention.
Referring to the drawing, oil sands and water and steam and sodium hydroxide are fed respectively by lines 10 and 12 to a conditioning tank 14. The pulp so formed i8 forwarded by line 16 to a feed sump 18, wherein it is mixed with water possibly containing a small amount of sodium hydroxide fed by line 20 and with recycle middlings fed by line 22 to the desired consistency and then passed by line 24 to a primary separator 26.
In the primary separator 26, the mixture is separated into a lower sand layer which is removed by line 28 for disposal, an upper oil froth layer which is removed by line 30 for bitumen recovery and an intermediate middlings layer, which is partly recycled by line 22 and partially forwarded by line 32 to a flotation tank 34.
In the flotation tank, the intermediate middlings layer is subjected to air flotation to remove further quantities of oil froth which is forwarded by line 36 to 6 ~2915~5 7 a mixing tank 38 to which the oil froth in line 30 also is passed. A clay suspension is discharged from the flotation tank 34 by line 40. As noted earlier, the intermediate middlings in line 32 may be treated with slaked lime as described in Canadian Patent No.
1,138,361 prior to passage to the flotation tank 34.
The oil froths fed to the mixing tank 38 are contacted with a water-immiscible solvent for the bitumen fed by line 42 to form a solution of the bitumen in the solvent. The solvent typically is a naphtha. In accordance with the present invention, the bitumen-solvent solution is forwarded by line 44 to a further mixing tank 46 wherein it is contacted with slaked lime fed by line 48. The addition of the slaked lime destabilizes the emulsion and permits subsequent separation.
The lime-treated material is forwarded by line 50 to a settling tank or the settling may be allowed to occur in the same tank as the line addition occurred in.
The lime-treated mixture separates into a bitumen-solvent layer, a clear aqueous layer containing sodium hydroxide and a compact clay layer. Enhanced separation may be achieved by the addition of polyacrylamides and settling of the clay solids may be enhanced by centrifugation.
The bitumen-solvent layer is forwarded by line 54 to a solvent recovery unit 56 wherein the solvent is removed, such as by distillation, and is recycled by line 5~ to the solvent feed line 42, with make-up quantities of solvent being fed by line 60. The bitumen remaining after solvent removal is passed by line 62 to an upgrading plant.
The aqueous sodium hydroxide solution layer is recycled by line 64 to the water feed line 20, or to the feed line 12, where make-up quantities of sodium hydroxide solution are added by line 66.
The compact clay layer is removed by line 68 and is of a consistency that it can be readily disposed of without further processing.
~2919s~7 In summary of this disclosure, the present invention relates to an improvement in the processing of froth from the hot water process oil sands treatment process to effect more efficient and rapid recovery of bitumen. Modifications are possible within the scope of the invention.
Claims (10)
1. A method for the processing of an emulsified mixture of water, bitumen-solvent and clay particles formed in the hot water process for the recovery of bitumen from oil sands, which comprises mixing sufficient slaked lime with said mixture to cause separation of said mixture into a clear aqueous solution phase, a bitumen-solvent solution phase and a compact clay phase.
2. The method of claim 1 wherein the quantity of slaked lime employed is about 0.02 to about 1 wt.% of bitumen present in the emulsified mixture.
3. The method of claim 1 or 2 wherein a phase separation enhancing amount of a polyacrylamide also is added to said mixture.
4. A method for the recovery of bitumen from oil sands, which comprises:
slurrying said oil sands with an aqueous medium at an elevated temperature;
separating the resulting slurry into a primary oil froth phase containing most of the bitumen from the tar sands, an aqueous phase containing clay minerals and some bitumen and a sand phase;
recycling part of the aqueous phase to slurry formation;
effecting additional bitumen recovery from the remainder of said aqueous phase in the form of a secondary oil froth;
combining said primary and secondary oil froths and adding a solvent for bitumen thereto to form a mixture of bitumen-solvent and aqueous clay suspension;
adding slaked lime to said mixture in an amount sufficient to effect clean separation of said mixture into an aqueous phase, a bitumen-solvent solution phase and a compact clay phase;
recycling said aqueous phase to said slurrying step;
discharging said compact clay phase;
recovering said solvent from the bitumen-solvent solution phase and recycling said recovered solvent to said solvent addition step; and recovering said bitumen.
slurrying said oil sands with an aqueous medium at an elevated temperature;
separating the resulting slurry into a primary oil froth phase containing most of the bitumen from the tar sands, an aqueous phase containing clay minerals and some bitumen and a sand phase;
recycling part of the aqueous phase to slurry formation;
effecting additional bitumen recovery from the remainder of said aqueous phase in the form of a secondary oil froth;
combining said primary and secondary oil froths and adding a solvent for bitumen thereto to form a mixture of bitumen-solvent and aqueous clay suspension;
adding slaked lime to said mixture in an amount sufficient to effect clean separation of said mixture into an aqueous phase, a bitumen-solvent solution phase and a compact clay phase;
recycling said aqueous phase to said slurrying step;
discharging said compact clay phase;
recovering said solvent from the bitumen-solvent solution phase and recycling said recovered solvent to said solvent addition step; and recovering said bitumen.
5. The method of claim 4 wherein said slaked lime is employed in an amount of about 0.02 to about 1 wt.% of the bitumen present in said mixture.
6. The method of claim 5 wherein the quantity of slaked lime employed is about 0.05 to about 0.5 wt.% of the bitumen.
7. The method of claim 4, 5 or 6 wherein a phase-separation enhancing amount of a polyacrylamide also is added to said mixture.
8. The method of claim 4, 5 or 6, wherein a phase-separation enhancing amount of a polyacrylamide which includes cationic, anionic and/or non-ionic functional groups also is added to said mixture.
9. The method of claim 5 or 6 wherein at least 0.5 mg/l of a polyacrylamide also is added to said mixture.
10. The method of claim 4 wherein said bitumen solvent is a naphtha.
Applications Claiming Priority (2)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| GB8704532 | 1987-02-26 | ||
| GB878704532A GB8704532D0 (en) | 1987-02-26 | 1987-02-26 | Treatment of froth |
Publications (1)
| Publication Number | Publication Date |
|---|---|
| CA1291957C true CA1291957C (en) | 1991-11-12 |
Family
ID=10612987
Family Applications (1)
| Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA000559978A Expired - Fee Related CA1291957C (en) | 1987-02-26 | 1988-02-26 | Treatment of froth form oil sands hot water recovery process |
Country Status (2)
| Country | Link |
|---|---|
| CA (1) | CA1291957C (en) |
| GB (1) | GB8704532D0 (en) |
Cited By (12)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US7931800B2 (en) | 2007-03-14 | 2011-04-26 | Apex Engineering Inc. | Method for extraction of bitumen from oil sands using lime |
| US9207019B2 (en) | 2011-04-15 | 2015-12-08 | Fort Hills Energy L.P. | Heat recovery for bitumen froth treatment plant integration with sealed closed-loop cooling circuit |
| US9546323B2 (en) | 2011-01-27 | 2017-01-17 | Fort Hills Energy L.P. | Process for integration of paraffinic froth treatment hub and a bitumen ore mining and extraction facility |
| US9587176B2 (en) | 2011-02-25 | 2017-03-07 | Fort Hills Energy L.P. | Process for treating high paraffin diluted bitumen |
| US9676684B2 (en) | 2011-03-01 | 2017-06-13 | Fort Hills Energy L.P. | Process and unit for solvent recovery from solvent diluted tailings derived from bitumen froth treatment |
| US9791170B2 (en) | 2011-03-22 | 2017-10-17 | Fort Hills Energy L.P. | Process for direct steam injection heating of oil sands slurry streams such as bitumen froth |
| US10041005B2 (en) | 2011-03-04 | 2018-08-07 | Fort Hills Energy L.P. | Process and system for solvent addition to bitumen froth |
| US10226717B2 (en) | 2011-04-28 | 2019-03-12 | Fort Hills Energy L.P. | Method of recovering solvent from tailings by flashing under choked flow conditions |
| US10647606B2 (en) | 2017-08-18 | 2020-05-12 | Graymont Western Canada Inc. | Treatment of oil sands tailings with lime at elevated pH levels |
| US10894730B2 (en) | 2018-09-11 | 2021-01-19 | Graymont (Pa) Inc. | Geotechnical characteristics of tailings via lime addition |
| US11027995B2 (en) | 2017-11-08 | 2021-06-08 | Graymont Western Canada Inc | Treatment of tailings streams with one or more dosages of lime, and associated systems and methods |
| US11261383B2 (en) | 2011-05-18 | 2022-03-01 | Fort Hills Energy L.P. | Enhanced temperature control of bitumen froth treatment process |
-
1987
- 1987-02-26 GB GB878704532A patent/GB8704532D0/en active Pending
-
1988
- 1988-02-26 CA CA000559978A patent/CA1291957C/en not_active Expired - Fee Related
Cited By (19)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US7931800B2 (en) | 2007-03-14 | 2011-04-26 | Apex Engineering Inc. | Method for extraction of bitumen from oil sands using lime |
| US9546323B2 (en) | 2011-01-27 | 2017-01-17 | Fort Hills Energy L.P. | Process for integration of paraffinic froth treatment hub and a bitumen ore mining and extraction facility |
| US9587176B2 (en) | 2011-02-25 | 2017-03-07 | Fort Hills Energy L.P. | Process for treating high paraffin diluted bitumen |
| US10125325B2 (en) | 2011-02-25 | 2018-11-13 | Fort Hills Energy L.P. | Process for treating high paraffin diluted bitumen |
| US9676684B2 (en) | 2011-03-01 | 2017-06-13 | Fort Hills Energy L.P. | Process and unit for solvent recovery from solvent diluted tailings derived from bitumen froth treatment |
| US10988695B2 (en) | 2011-03-04 | 2021-04-27 | Fort Hills Energy L.P. | Process and system for solvent addition to bitumen froth |
| US10041005B2 (en) | 2011-03-04 | 2018-08-07 | Fort Hills Energy L.P. | Process and system for solvent addition to bitumen froth |
| US9791170B2 (en) | 2011-03-22 | 2017-10-17 | Fort Hills Energy L.P. | Process for direct steam injection heating of oil sands slurry streams such as bitumen froth |
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| US10226717B2 (en) | 2011-04-28 | 2019-03-12 | Fort Hills Energy L.P. | Method of recovering solvent from tailings by flashing under choked flow conditions |
| US11261383B2 (en) | 2011-05-18 | 2022-03-01 | Fort Hills Energy L.P. | Enhanced temperature control of bitumen froth treatment process |
| US10647606B2 (en) | 2017-08-18 | 2020-05-12 | Graymont Western Canada Inc. | Treatment of oil sands tailings with lime at elevated pH levels |
| US11390550B2 (en) | 2017-08-18 | 2022-07-19 | Graymont Western Canada Inc. | Treatment of oil sands tailings with lime at elevated PH levels |
| US11613485B2 (en) | 2017-08-18 | 2023-03-28 | Graymont Western Canada Inc. | Treatment of tailings with lime at elevated PH levels |
| US11027995B2 (en) | 2017-11-08 | 2021-06-08 | Graymont Western Canada Inc | Treatment of tailings streams with one or more dosages of lime, and associated systems and methods |
| US11618697B2 (en) | 2017-11-08 | 2023-04-04 | Graymont Western Canada Inc. | Treatment of tailings streams with one or more dosages of lime, and associated systems and methods |
| US10894730B2 (en) | 2018-09-11 | 2021-01-19 | Graymont (Pa) Inc. | Geotechnical characteristics of tailings via lime addition |
| US11718543B2 (en) | 2018-09-11 | 2023-08-08 | Graymont Western Canada Inc. | Geotechnical characteristics of tailings via lime addition |
| US11724946B2 (en) | 2018-09-11 | 2023-08-15 | Graymont Western Canada Inc. | Geotechnical characteristics of tailings via lime addition |
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