CA2000068A1 - Process for oil sands processing - Google Patents
Process for oil sands processingInfo
- Publication number
- CA2000068A1 CA2000068A1 CA 2000068 CA2000068A CA2000068A1 CA 2000068 A1 CA2000068 A1 CA 2000068A1 CA 2000068 CA2000068 CA 2000068 CA 2000068 A CA2000068 A CA 2000068A CA 2000068 A1 CA2000068 A1 CA 2000068A1
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- Prior art keywords
- bitumen
- water
- froth
- settler
- improvement
- 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.)
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- Production Of Liquid Hydrocarbon Mixture For Refining Petroleum (AREA)
Abstract
ABSTRACT
An improved process for the recovery of bitument from the bitumen froth of the hot water extraction process of oil sands which eliminates the diluent centrifugation or other dilution technique of such bitumen froth by subjecting the bitumen froth-aqueous solids mixture to a gravity separation at a temperature of between about 250°F. and about 450°F. and at a pressure sufficient to prevent vaporization of water and bitumen.
An improved process for the recovery of bitument from the bitumen froth of the hot water extraction process of oil sands which eliminates the diluent centrifugation or other dilution technique of such bitumen froth by subjecting the bitumen froth-aqueous solids mixture to a gravity separation at a temperature of between about 250°F. and about 450°F. and at a pressure sufficient to prevent vaporization of water and bitumen.
Description
` ZOOOQ6~
IMPROVED PROCESS FOR OIL SANDS PROCESSING
Thls ln~ention ls dlrected to an lmprovement ln a processlng step ln the recovery of bltumen from oll ~ands, partlcularly, whereln centrlfugatlon of a hydrocarbon-dlluted bltumen froth or other dllutlon technlque ls replaced by an aqueous ba6ed gravlty separatlon of the bltumen from the lnorganlc mlnerals and water ln the syEtem.
BACKGROUND OE THE INVENTION
Tar 6and~ ~whlch are alco known a~ oll cand6 and bl~umlnous Eands) are 6and depo61ts whlch are lmpregnated wlth den~e, v16cou~, petroleum. Tar 6ands are ~ound throughout the world, often ln the same geographlcal area~ a6 conventlonal petroleum. The large6t depo61t, and the only one o~ pre6ent commerclal lmportance, ls ln the Athabasca reglon ln the northea~t of the provlnce o~ Alberta, Canada.
Whlle much o~ the Athaba6ca depo61t 16 not economlcally recoverable on a commerclal 6cale wlth current technology, nonetheleE~, a ~ubstantlal portlon 1E ~ltuated at, or very near, the 6urface where lt may ~alrly readlly be mlned and processed lnto ~ynthetlc crude oll, and thl6 procedure ls belng carrled out commerclally on a very large Ecale by Suncor, Inc., 011 Sandc Dlvl610n and Syncrude near Fort NcMurray, Alberta.
Athaba6ca tar sands 1 E a three-component mlxture o~
bltumen, mlneral and water. Bltumen 1E the valuable component for the extractlon o$ whlch tar Eand6 are mlned and proceE6ed. The bltumen content 1~ varlable, averaglng 12 wt~
Z000~68 of the dep~lt, but ranglng from zero to lB wt~. Water typically runE 3 to 6 wt~ of the mlxture, and generally lncrease6 a~ the bltumen content decreaEeE. The mlneral content 1~ relatlvely con~tant, ranglng from 84 to 86 wt~.
Whlle several ba61c extractlon method~ to 6eparate the bltumen from the Eand have been known ~or many year~, the "hot water~ proceEE 1E the only one o~ preEent commerclal Elgnlflcance and 16 employed by both Suncor and Syncrude.
The hot water proce66 ~or achlevlng prlmary extractlon o~
bltumen from oll 6andE lnvolveE (a) Mlnlng the oll sandE for dellvery to the extractlon plant; (b) Hot Water Extractlon whereln the tar Eand6 are heated wlth ~team, ~looded wlth water and charged to a Eeparatlon veOEEel where the maJorlty of the water and mlneral are removed from the veEEel bottom a6 a tallE product and Eent to dlEpo6al, and the bltumen ~loatE to the top and 1E recovered a6 a ~froth." The ~roth compo61tlon may vary wlth the quallty o~ the tar Eand6 belng mlned and the extractlon condltlonE, however, typlcally, -froth i~ about 55% bltumen, 35~ water, and 10~ mlneral;
~c) Dllutlon Centrlfuqlng - u6ed becau6e bltumen and water have eEsentlally the same Epeclflc gravltleE and for that rea60n dlluent (naphtha) 1E added to the froth to reduce the vlEcoslty o~ the bltumen and reduce the Epecl~lc gravlty of the bltumen-naphtha mlxture to about 0.9. The froth-naphtha mlxture 1~ charged to centri~uglng Etages whlch remove mo~t o~ the water and mlneral and produceE a naphtha-bltumen product typlcally contalnlng 0.4 to 0.8 wt% mlneral and 4.0 -- ;, ~; - . :j : . , . , ~ :
.: . ; :
Z000(~6~
to 6.0 wt~ water; and ~d) Diluent Recovery wherein the dlluted bltumen is heated and the water and naphtha are removed by vaporlzatlon to produce a hot dry bltumen containlng about 1.0~ mlneral and up to about 2~ naphtha.
The bltumen product 1~ charged to the up-grading unlt~ for further proces~lng lnto synthetic crude. The naphtha and water are conden~ed and allowed to ~eparate. The water ls 6ent to dl6po6al and the naphtha re-u6ed a~ dlluent ln 6tep ~c) above. Some make up naphtha 1~ added to the recycle to account ~or the amount 106t wlth the water and bitumen.
Thi~ lnvention 16 directed to replaclng 6teps (c) li.e.
dllutlon centrlfuging or other dllutlon technlgue) and td) wlth a llguld-llquld gravlty separatlon of the bltumen from ';
the water-mlneral pha6e and by dolng EO obtaln~ ceveral advantage6 over the pre6ent practlce.
A maJor advantage of the proceE6 o~ the lnventlon 16 ln 61gnl~1cantly lncrea6ed safety ~lnce the low bolllng hydrocarbon dlluent (naphtha) 16 ellmlnated a6 1E the hlgh 6peed rotating mechanlcal egulpment (centrlfuge6), Secondly, operatlng c06t6 are reduced ae no make up dlluent 16 needed to replace the lo&se6 whlch occur ln the preEent practlce.
Egulpment malntenance 18 aleo reduced by the proce66 of the lnventlon and the energy requlrement 18 slgnlflcantly reduced 61nce the energy needed to operate the centrl~ugeE and vaporlze the naphtha dlluent for separating naphtha and water ~rom bltumen 16 replaced by a slmple gravlty 6ettler. A
Etlll ~urther advantage 1E an envlronmental bene~lt 61nce no : : , , . .. .. , , . , :
2000(~6~3 ` .
dlluent ~oeE ta the t~ilingE pand whi~h dilu~nt w~uld th~n evaporate to the atmosphere.
DISCUSSION OF THE PRIOR ART
It 1B known ln the art of petroleum processlng, a~ :
dl6cloEed ln U.S. 1,028,G39, to separate water ~rom oll by heatlng the oil under pre6~ure somewhat above the bolllng polnt o~ water, allowlng the oll to rl~e ln a body or mase of oll at the elevated temperature and, whlle gradually reduclng the pres6ure, allow the water to evaporate. A1BO~ U.S.
IMPROVED PROCESS FOR OIL SANDS PROCESSING
Thls ln~ention ls dlrected to an lmprovement ln a processlng step ln the recovery of bltumen from oll ~ands, partlcularly, whereln centrlfugatlon of a hydrocarbon-dlluted bltumen froth or other dllutlon technlque ls replaced by an aqueous ba6ed gravlty separatlon of the bltumen from the lnorganlc mlnerals and water ln the syEtem.
BACKGROUND OE THE INVENTION
Tar 6and~ ~whlch are alco known a~ oll cand6 and bl~umlnous Eands) are 6and depo61ts whlch are lmpregnated wlth den~e, v16cou~, petroleum. Tar 6ands are ~ound throughout the world, often ln the same geographlcal area~ a6 conventlonal petroleum. The large6t depo61t, and the only one o~ pre6ent commerclal lmportance, ls ln the Athabasca reglon ln the northea~t of the provlnce o~ Alberta, Canada.
Whlle much o~ the Athaba6ca depo61t 16 not economlcally recoverable on a commerclal 6cale wlth current technology, nonetheleE~, a ~ubstantlal portlon 1E ~ltuated at, or very near, the 6urface where lt may ~alrly readlly be mlned and processed lnto ~ynthetlc crude oll, and thl6 procedure ls belng carrled out commerclally on a very large Ecale by Suncor, Inc., 011 Sandc Dlvl610n and Syncrude near Fort NcMurray, Alberta.
Athaba6ca tar sands 1 E a three-component mlxture o~
bltumen, mlneral and water. Bltumen 1E the valuable component for the extractlon o$ whlch tar Eand6 are mlned and proceE6ed. The bltumen content 1~ varlable, averaglng 12 wt~
Z000~68 of the dep~lt, but ranglng from zero to lB wt~. Water typically runE 3 to 6 wt~ of the mlxture, and generally lncrease6 a~ the bltumen content decreaEeE. The mlneral content 1~ relatlvely con~tant, ranglng from 84 to 86 wt~.
Whlle several ba61c extractlon method~ to 6eparate the bltumen from the Eand have been known ~or many year~, the "hot water~ proceEE 1E the only one o~ preEent commerclal Elgnlflcance and 16 employed by both Suncor and Syncrude.
The hot water proce66 ~or achlevlng prlmary extractlon o~
bltumen from oll 6andE lnvolveE (a) Mlnlng the oll sandE for dellvery to the extractlon plant; (b) Hot Water Extractlon whereln the tar Eand6 are heated wlth ~team, ~looded wlth water and charged to a Eeparatlon veOEEel where the maJorlty of the water and mlneral are removed from the veEEel bottom a6 a tallE product and Eent to dlEpo6al, and the bltumen ~loatE to the top and 1E recovered a6 a ~froth." The ~roth compo61tlon may vary wlth the quallty o~ the tar Eand6 belng mlned and the extractlon condltlonE, however, typlcally, -froth i~ about 55% bltumen, 35~ water, and 10~ mlneral;
~c) Dllutlon Centrlfuqlng - u6ed becau6e bltumen and water have eEsentlally the same Epeclflc gravltleE and for that rea60n dlluent (naphtha) 1E added to the froth to reduce the vlEcoslty o~ the bltumen and reduce the Epecl~lc gravlty of the bltumen-naphtha mlxture to about 0.9. The froth-naphtha mlxture 1~ charged to centri~uglng Etages whlch remove mo~t o~ the water and mlneral and produceE a naphtha-bltumen product typlcally contalnlng 0.4 to 0.8 wt% mlneral and 4.0 -- ;, ~; - . :j : . , . , ~ :
.: . ; :
Z000(~6~
to 6.0 wt~ water; and ~d) Diluent Recovery wherein the dlluted bltumen is heated and the water and naphtha are removed by vaporlzatlon to produce a hot dry bltumen containlng about 1.0~ mlneral and up to about 2~ naphtha.
The bltumen product 1~ charged to the up-grading unlt~ for further proces~lng lnto synthetic crude. The naphtha and water are conden~ed and allowed to ~eparate. The water ls 6ent to dl6po6al and the naphtha re-u6ed a~ dlluent ln 6tep ~c) above. Some make up naphtha 1~ added to the recycle to account ~or the amount 106t wlth the water and bitumen.
Thi~ lnvention 16 directed to replaclng 6teps (c) li.e.
dllutlon centrlfuging or other dllutlon technlgue) and td) wlth a llguld-llquld gravlty separatlon of the bltumen from ';
the water-mlneral pha6e and by dolng EO obtaln~ ceveral advantage6 over the pre6ent practlce.
A maJor advantage of the proceE6 o~ the lnventlon 16 ln 61gnl~1cantly lncrea6ed safety ~lnce the low bolllng hydrocarbon dlluent (naphtha) 16 ellmlnated a6 1E the hlgh 6peed rotating mechanlcal egulpment (centrlfuge6), Secondly, operatlng c06t6 are reduced ae no make up dlluent 16 needed to replace the lo&se6 whlch occur ln the preEent practlce.
Egulpment malntenance 18 aleo reduced by the proce66 of the lnventlon and the energy requlrement 18 slgnlflcantly reduced 61nce the energy needed to operate the centrl~ugeE and vaporlze the naphtha dlluent for separating naphtha and water ~rom bltumen 16 replaced by a slmple gravlty 6ettler. A
Etlll ~urther advantage 1E an envlronmental bene~lt 61nce no : : , , . .. .. , , . , :
2000(~6~3 ` .
dlluent ~oeE ta the t~ilingE pand whi~h dilu~nt w~uld th~n evaporate to the atmosphere.
DISCUSSION OF THE PRIOR ART
It 1B known ln the art of petroleum processlng, a~ :
dl6cloEed ln U.S. 1,028,G39, to separate water ~rom oll by heatlng the oil under pre6~ure somewhat above the bolllng polnt o~ water, allowlng the oll to rl~e ln a body or mase of oll at the elevated temperature and, whlle gradually reduclng the pres6ure, allow the water to evaporate. A1BO~ U.S.
2,231,544 dl~closes an emul~lon breaklng proce6s by heatlng an agueou~ emulslon o~ oll to above the bolllng polnt of water and under su~lclent pres6ure to prevent vaporlzatlon o~ the water and then expandlng the emulslon through an or~lce whereby a foam 1~ ~ormed whlch on standlng ~eparates lnto oll and 6team.
Nelther of theee dlsclosure~, however, relateE to a llguld-llquld gravlty separatlon of water from heavy, vl~cou~
bltumen whlch ha~ ~pecl~lc gravltles 80 close to water that gravlty separatlons have hereto~ore been consldered lmpractlcal wlthout the addltlon of a dlluent to reduce the ;~
bltumen gravlty and vlscoslty.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
The proce~ o~ ~hls lnventlon comprlses the Eteps of ~1) heatlng the bitumen ~roth ~rom the hot water extractlon step o~ an oll sand~ process ~or bltumen recovery ln a gravlty settler to a temperature o~ from about 250F. to about ~50F. to reduce the vlsco~lty o~ the bltumen and :
..
- . . - ; . . . - . -, ~ , . .
~ ' ' ' ' ' ' ' . ' ' ' : ' :' ' - , ' ' 2000(~68 malntalnlng the froth under sufi'lclent pre~sure to prevent vaporization of water and bltumen; t2) whlle malntalnlng the elevated temperature and pres6ure, removing the bltumen from the settler a6 a llght phase from a heavler water-mlneral pha~e; and, optlonally, ~3) rapldly reduclng pre66ure on the 6eparated bltumen product to remove any residual water and llght hydrocarbon~ by i'laEh drying.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Flgure 1 16 a ~low dlagram of the proceE6 of the lnventlon.
Flgure 2 16 a ~low dlagram oi' the inventlon 6howlng aIternate detall~ useful under certain speclal condltion&.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
In the recovery oi' bltumen from oll Eand6, the bltumen i'roth obtalned ~rom the hot water extractlon 6tep conslsts of a mlxture of water, sand, sllt, flnes, and other component~
whl~h form a complex havlng a 6pecl~1c gravlty hlgher than elther water alone or bltumen. Thl6 complex 16 6tsble ln that the 6teps oP pumplng, heatlng, or other proce6~1ng condltlon6 encountered ln the hot water extraction proce6s do not break down thie den~e water-mlneral phase. Thu6, ln accord wlth thls lnventlon, a~ter heatlng the froth to between about 250~F. and about 450F. to reduce the bltumen v16c061ty, the bltumen and the water-mlneral pha6e can be 6eparated by gravlty 6ettllng, becau6e, aOE haOE been ~ound, the water and mlneral6 act aE a 61ngle pha6e and the bitumen act6 a6 a 6econd pha6e whlch, becau6e o~ lt~ lower denslty .
than the water-mlneral phase, rlEe~ to the top.
In srder to deEcrlbe the proce~s ln more detall, re~erence 16 now made to Flgure 1 whlch 1E a 61mpll~1ed flow dlagram ~or the proceE~ o~ the lnventlon. A6 Ehown ln Fl~ure 1, ~roth from the hot water extractlon plant iE taken by llne 11 to one or mor~ ~entrli~e~ o ~ep~ e f~ee Eand or other partl~leE and then taken thraugh llne 15 to one or more optlonal ~llter6 17 to remove any tra~h, 6uch as leave6, root6, and the llke whlch may be pre6ent ln the ~roth stream. The i~roth emul610n 1E then taken by llne 19 to an optlonal Etorage tank 21 ~rom whlch lt 1E pumped through llne 23 to a heat exchanger 25 where lt 1E heated wlth 6team or other mean6 to reduce the v16coElty of the bltumen. The heated ~roth 1E taken through llne 27 to one or more gravity 6ettlerE 2g where the ~roth 1E held at a temperature between about 250F. and about ~50F. (preferably about 300F. to about 350F.) and 1E malntalned under a preEEure Euf~lclent to prevent vaporlzatlon of the water and bltumen (uEually between about 110 and 170 lbe./Eq. in.). AE the bltumen ln the Eettler rl6eE to the top lt may be taken by da6hed llne 31a at the elevated preEEure and temperature ~or further proce~Elng or, optlonally, and pre~erably, the bitumen 1E
taken by llne 31b to a ~la6h drum 33 where the preeEure 1 releaEed to ~laEh o~i' any llght hydrocarbonE and any resldual water ln the bltumen. The dry bltumen 1E then removed from the ~laEh drum through llne 35 and taken to storage or dlrectly to ~urther proce~slng. The aqueouE phaEe contalning . . , ,, ,: - . - ~ : . : , .
: . : , . .. . .
- -- ` Z~)0006~ ~
the m~neralE i~ taken from the bottom of the settler 29 through line ~7 and, after coollng and reduclng the pres~ure, 1E sent to dlEposal.
The gravlty Eettler~ uEed ln the proCeEOE o~ the lnventlon may be and, preforably are, augmented ln thelr operatlon by use o~ a hlgh voltage electroEtatlc ~leld ln~lde the settllng veE6el. TheEe electroEtatlc unit~ are well known and are used ln crude oll electroEtatic deEalting proces6eE whereby water dropletE are cau6ed to agglomerate and 6ettle ln the bottom oi' the ve6OEel. The use o~ 6uch electro6tatlc deviceE, while not es~entlal to the process, may 6ignli'1cantly increaEe the efflclency of the proce~6 o~
the inventlon.
AE indicated above, the bitumen ~roth compoEition may vary with the quallty of oll EandE mlned and, in æome ca~es, the agueouE ~roth ~ay have in6u~iclent Eolld6 to make the proce66 rui'i~lclently ei'ficlent. That is, there may be lnEui'ficient ~ollds to provide a 6011dE-water mlxture whlch haE a 6pecl~1c gravity above that of water alone. Such situation6 may be remedled by uslng a mineral~-contalning ~ake-up slurry which 16 i'ed lnto the low solids bltumen froth input. Figure 2 illu6trateE how OEuch a procedure may he u6ed !`
employlng the aqueouE pha6e removed from the Eettllng veE6el ~or recycle. AE can be seen, Flgure 2 1E Elmllar to Flgure 1, but the aqueou6 phaEe removed from the Eettler through llne 41 1E pa6Eed through one or more cycloneE ~3 to obtain an agueouE dlsperEion oi~ mineral ~ine6 a6 the e$fluent ~rom Z000(~6F~
the cyclone6 ~llne 45~ which ie fed di~ectly ta the inp~
etream of low EolldE froth aE a Eolld6 make-up. Al60 employed ln thlE technlgue 1E a make-up slurry ~llne 47) whlch 1~ a ~lne mlneral dlsper610n ~clay and sllt) whlch may be uEed wlth the cyclone e~fluent or uEed alone lf the cyclone e~fluent ls lnadequate or not used for any reason.
It wlll be understood that various technlques can be uEed ln the process. For example, lamlnar flow on an lncllned plane to coaleEce the water withln the Eeparator may be used wlth or wlthout the electroEtatlc coaleEcer. Other syetem& to produce lamlnar ~low wlthln the eeparator may also be uEed.
- , :. , . ' : :
; ~ ,. :
: . : , . :~ ~ :
Nelther of theee dlsclosure~, however, relateE to a llguld-llquld gravlty separatlon of water from heavy, vl~cou~
bltumen whlch ha~ ~pecl~lc gravltles 80 close to water that gravlty separatlons have hereto~ore been consldered lmpractlcal wlthout the addltlon of a dlluent to reduce the ;~
bltumen gravlty and vlscoslty.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
The proce~ o~ ~hls lnventlon comprlses the Eteps of ~1) heatlng the bitumen ~roth ~rom the hot water extractlon step o~ an oll sand~ process ~or bltumen recovery ln a gravlty settler to a temperature o~ from about 250F. to about ~50F. to reduce the vlsco~lty o~ the bltumen and :
..
- . . - ; . . . - . -, ~ , . .
~ ' ' ' ' ' ' ' . ' ' ' : ' :' ' - , ' ' 2000(~68 malntalnlng the froth under sufi'lclent pre~sure to prevent vaporization of water and bltumen; t2) whlle malntalnlng the elevated temperature and pres6ure, removing the bltumen from the settler a6 a llght phase from a heavler water-mlneral pha~e; and, optlonally, ~3) rapldly reduclng pre66ure on the 6eparated bltumen product to remove any residual water and llght hydrocarbon~ by i'laEh drying.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Flgure 1 16 a ~low dlagram of the proceE6 of the lnventlon.
Flgure 2 16 a ~low dlagram oi' the inventlon 6howlng aIternate detall~ useful under certain speclal condltion&.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
In the recovery oi' bltumen from oll Eand6, the bltumen i'roth obtalned ~rom the hot water extractlon 6tep conslsts of a mlxture of water, sand, sllt, flnes, and other component~
whl~h form a complex havlng a 6pecl~1c gravlty hlgher than elther water alone or bltumen. Thl6 complex 16 6tsble ln that the 6teps oP pumplng, heatlng, or other proce6~1ng condltlon6 encountered ln the hot water extraction proce6s do not break down thie den~e water-mlneral phase. Thu6, ln accord wlth thls lnventlon, a~ter heatlng the froth to between about 250~F. and about 450F. to reduce the bltumen v16c061ty, the bltumen and the water-mlneral pha6e can be 6eparated by gravlty 6ettllng, becau6e, aOE haOE been ~ound, the water and mlneral6 act aE a 61ngle pha6e and the bitumen act6 a6 a 6econd pha6e whlch, becau6e o~ lt~ lower denslty .
than the water-mlneral phase, rlEe~ to the top.
In srder to deEcrlbe the proce~s ln more detall, re~erence 16 now made to Flgure 1 whlch 1E a 61mpll~1ed flow dlagram ~or the proceE~ o~ the lnventlon. A6 Ehown ln Fl~ure 1, ~roth from the hot water extractlon plant iE taken by llne 11 to one or mor~ ~entrli~e~ o ~ep~ e f~ee Eand or other partl~leE and then taken thraugh llne 15 to one or more optlonal ~llter6 17 to remove any tra~h, 6uch as leave6, root6, and the llke whlch may be pre6ent ln the ~roth stream. The i~roth emul610n 1E then taken by llne 19 to an optlonal Etorage tank 21 ~rom whlch lt 1E pumped through llne 23 to a heat exchanger 25 where lt 1E heated wlth 6team or other mean6 to reduce the v16coElty of the bltumen. The heated ~roth 1E taken through llne 27 to one or more gravity 6ettlerE 2g where the ~roth 1E held at a temperature between about 250F. and about ~50F. (preferably about 300F. to about 350F.) and 1E malntalned under a preEEure Euf~lclent to prevent vaporlzatlon of the water and bltumen (uEually between about 110 and 170 lbe./Eq. in.). AE the bltumen ln the Eettler rl6eE to the top lt may be taken by da6hed llne 31a at the elevated preEEure and temperature ~or further proce~Elng or, optlonally, and pre~erably, the bitumen 1E
taken by llne 31b to a ~la6h drum 33 where the preeEure 1 releaEed to ~laEh o~i' any llght hydrocarbonE and any resldual water ln the bltumen. The dry bltumen 1E then removed from the ~laEh drum through llne 35 and taken to storage or dlrectly to ~urther proce~slng. The aqueouE phaEe contalning . . , ,, ,: - . - ~ : . : , .
: . : , . .. . .
- -- ` Z~)0006~ ~
the m~neralE i~ taken from the bottom of the settler 29 through line ~7 and, after coollng and reduclng the pres~ure, 1E sent to dlEposal.
The gravlty Eettler~ uEed ln the proCeEOE o~ the lnventlon may be and, preforably are, augmented ln thelr operatlon by use o~ a hlgh voltage electroEtatlc ~leld ln~lde the settllng veE6el. TheEe electroEtatlc unit~ are well known and are used ln crude oll electroEtatic deEalting proces6eE whereby water dropletE are cau6ed to agglomerate and 6ettle ln the bottom oi' the ve6OEel. The use o~ 6uch electro6tatlc deviceE, while not es~entlal to the process, may 6ignli'1cantly increaEe the efflclency of the proce~6 o~
the inventlon.
AE indicated above, the bitumen ~roth compoEition may vary with the quallty of oll EandE mlned and, in æome ca~es, the agueouE ~roth ~ay have in6u~iclent Eolld6 to make the proce66 rui'i~lclently ei'ficlent. That is, there may be lnEui'ficient ~ollds to provide a 6011dE-water mlxture whlch haE a 6pecl~1c gravity above that of water alone. Such situation6 may be remedled by uslng a mineral~-contalning ~ake-up slurry which 16 i'ed lnto the low solids bltumen froth input. Figure 2 illu6trateE how OEuch a procedure may he u6ed !`
employlng the aqueouE pha6e removed from the Eettllng veE6el ~or recycle. AE can be seen, Flgure 2 1E Elmllar to Flgure 1, but the aqueou6 phaEe removed from the Eettler through llne 41 1E pa6Eed through one or more cycloneE ~3 to obtain an agueouE dlsperEion oi~ mineral ~ine6 a6 the e$fluent ~rom Z000(~6F~
the cyclone6 ~llne 45~ which ie fed di~ectly ta the inp~
etream of low EolldE froth aE a Eolld6 make-up. Al60 employed ln thlE technlgue 1E a make-up slurry ~llne 47) whlch 1~ a ~lne mlneral dlsper610n ~clay and sllt) whlch may be uEed wlth the cyclone e~fluent or uEed alone lf the cyclone e~fluent ls lnadequate or not used for any reason.
It wlll be understood that various technlques can be uEed ln the process. For example, lamlnar flow on an lncllned plane to coaleEce the water withln the Eeparator may be used wlth or wlthout the electroEtatlc coaleEcer. Other syetem& to produce lamlnar ~low wlthln the eeparator may also be uEed.
- , :. , . ' : :
; ~ ,. :
: . : , . :~ ~ :
Claims (6)
1. In the hot water process of extracting oil sands to recover bitumen therefrom the improvement of eliminating a diluent separation step to recover bitumen from the hot water extraction froth which comprises the steps of (1) heating said bitumen froth to a temperature between about 250°F. and about 450°F. and maintaining said froth under a pressure sufficient to prevent vaporization of water and bitumen;
(2) feeding said heated and pressurized bitumen to one or more gravity settlers;
(3) maintaining the elevated temperature and pressure within said settlers while separating the bitumen from the water and minerals in said settler as a light bitumen phase and a heavier water-minerals phase in said settler;
(4) removing said light bitumen phase for further processing and (5) disposing of the heavier water-mineral phase.
(2) feeding said heated and pressurized bitumen to one or more gravity settlers;
(3) maintaining the elevated temperature and pressure within said settlers while separating the bitumen from the water and minerals in said settler as a light bitumen phase and a heavier water-minerals phase in said settler;
(4) removing said light bitumen phase for further processing and (5) disposing of the heavier water-mineral phase.
2. In the hot water process of extracting oil sands to recover bitumen therefrom the improvement of eliminating a diluent separation step to recover bitumen from the hot water extraction froth which comprises the steps of (1) heating said bitumen froth to a temperature between about 250°F. and about 450°F. and maintaining said froth under a pressure sufficient to prevent vaporization of water and bitumen;
(2) feeding said heated and pressurized froth to or more gravity settlers;
(3) maintaining the elevated temperature and pressure while separating the bitumen from the water and minerals in said settler as a light bitumen phase and a heavier water-mineral phase;
(4) removing the separated bitumen from the settler and reducing the pressure on the separated bitumen product to remove any residual water and light hydrocarbons by flash drying and removing the dried bitumen for further handling and (5) removing the heavier water-mineral phase from the separator.
(2) feeding said heated and pressurized froth to or more gravity settlers;
(3) maintaining the elevated temperature and pressure while separating the bitumen from the water and minerals in said settler as a light bitumen phase and a heavier water-mineral phase;
(4) removing the separated bitumen from the settler and reducing the pressure on the separated bitumen product to remove any residual water and light hydrocarbons by flash drying and removing the dried bitumen for further handling and (5) removing the heavier water-mineral phase from the separator.
3. The improvement of Claim 2 wherein the temperature of the contents of the separator is held at about 300°F. to about 350°F. and the pressure is between about 110 and about 170 lbs./sq. in..
4. The improvement of Claim 3 wherein the separator contains an electrostatic coalescer for water-mineral droplets.
5. The improvement of Claim 3 wherein the separator contains a laminar flow gravity settler.
6. The improvement of Claim 3 wherein the separator contains both an electrostatic coalescer and a laminar flow gravity settler.
Priority Applications (1)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA 2000068 CA2000068A1 (en) | 1989-10-02 | 1989-10-02 | Process for oil sands processing |
Applications Claiming Priority (1)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA 2000068 CA2000068A1 (en) | 1989-10-02 | 1989-10-02 | Process for oil sands processing |
Publications (1)
| Publication Number | Publication Date |
|---|---|
| CA2000068A1 true CA2000068A1 (en) | 1991-04-02 |
Family
ID=4143258
Family Applications (1)
| Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA 2000068 Abandoned CA2000068A1 (en) | 1989-10-02 | 1989-10-02 | Process for oil sands processing |
Country Status (1)
| Country | Link |
|---|---|
| CA (1) | CA2000068A1 (en) |
Cited By (2)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US8382976B2 (en) | 2009-04-09 | 2013-02-26 | Titanium Corporation Inc. | Recovery of bitumen from froth treatment tailings |
| US9719022B2 (en) | 2009-04-09 | 2017-08-01 | Titanium Corporation Inc. | Methods for separating a feed material derived from a process for recovering bitumen from oil sands |
-
1989
- 1989-10-02 CA CA 2000068 patent/CA2000068A1/en not_active Abandoned
Cited By (3)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US8382976B2 (en) | 2009-04-09 | 2013-02-26 | Titanium Corporation Inc. | Recovery of bitumen from froth treatment tailings |
| US9719022B2 (en) | 2009-04-09 | 2017-08-01 | Titanium Corporation Inc. | Methods for separating a feed material derived from a process for recovering bitumen from oil sands |
| US10087372B2 (en) | 2009-04-09 | 2018-10-02 | Titanium Corporation Inc. | Methods for separating a feed material derived from a process for recovering bitumen from oil sands |
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