CA2677479A1 - Heat and water recovery from oil sands waste streams - Google Patents

Heat and water recovery from oil sands waste streams Download PDF

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Publication number
CA2677479A1
CA2677479A1 CA002677479A CA2677479A CA2677479A1 CA 2677479 A1 CA2677479 A1 CA 2677479A1 CA 002677479 A CA002677479 A CA 002677479A CA 2677479 A CA2677479 A CA 2677479A CA 2677479 A1 CA2677479 A1 CA 2677479A1
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CA
Canada
Prior art keywords
tailings
steam
dryer
stream
tailings stream
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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.)
Granted
Application number
CA002677479A
Other languages
French (fr)
Other versions
CA2677479C (en
Inventor
Brian C. Speirs
Payman Esmaeili
James A. Dunn
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Imperial Oil Resources Ltd
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Imperial Oil Resources Ltd
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Publication date
Application filed by Imperial Oil Resources Ltd filed Critical Imperial Oil Resources Ltd
Priority to CA2677479A priority Critical patent/CA2677479C/en
Publication of CA2677479A1 publication Critical patent/CA2677479A1/en
Priority to US12/851,250 priority patent/US20110061610A1/en
Application granted granted Critical
Publication of CA2677479C publication Critical patent/CA2677479C/en
Active legal-status Critical Current
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Classifications

    • FMECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F26DRYING
    • F26BDRYING SOLID MATERIALS OR OBJECTS BY REMOVING LIQUID THEREFROM
    • F26B1/00Preliminary treatment of solid materials or objects to facilitate drying, e.g. mixing or backmixing the materials to be dried with predominantly dry solids
    • CCHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
    • C10PETROLEUM, GAS OR COKE INDUSTRIES; TECHNICAL GASES CONTAINING CARBON MONOXIDE; FUELS; LUBRICANTS; PEAT
    • C10GCRACKING 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
    • C10G1/00Production of liquid hydrocarbon mixtures from oil-shale, oil-sand, or non-melting solid carbonaceous or similar materials, e.g. wood, coal
    • C10G1/04Production of liquid hydrocarbon mixtures from oil-shale, oil-sand, or non-melting solid carbonaceous or similar materials, e.g. wood, coal by extraction
    • C10G1/045Separation of insoluble materials
    • CCHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
    • C10PETROLEUM, GAS OR COKE INDUSTRIES; TECHNICAL GASES CONTAINING CARBON MONOXIDE; FUELS; LUBRICANTS; PEAT
    • C10GCRACKING 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
    • C10G1/00Production of liquid hydrocarbon mixtures from oil-shale, oil-sand, or non-melting solid carbonaceous or similar materials, e.g. wood, coal
    • C10G1/04Production of liquid hydrocarbon mixtures from oil-shale, oil-sand, or non-melting solid carbonaceous or similar materials, e.g. wood, coal by extraction
    • C10G1/047Hot water or cold water extraction processes
    • FMECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F26DRYING
    • F26BDRYING SOLID MATERIALS OR OBJECTS BY REMOVING LIQUID THEREFROM
    • F26B23/00Heating arrangements
    • F26B23/001Heating arrangements using waste heat
    • F26B23/002Heating arrangements using waste heat recovered from dryer exhaust gases
    • FMECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
    • F26DRYING
    • F26BDRYING SOLID MATERIALS OR OBJECTS BY REMOVING LIQUID THEREFROM
    • F26B2200/00Drying processes and machines for solid materials characterised by the specific requirements of the drying good
    • F26B2200/14Sand
    • YGENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
    • Y02TECHNOLOGIES OR APPLICATIONS FOR MITIGATION OR ADAPTATION AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE
    • Y02PCLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES IN THE PRODUCTION OR PROCESSING OF GOODS
    • Y02P70/00Climate change mitigation technologies in the production process for final industrial or consumer products
    • Y02P70/10Greenhouse gas [GHG] capture, material saving, heat recovery or other energy efficient measures, e.g. motor control, characterised by manufacturing processes, e.g. for rolling metal or metal working

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  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
  • Oil, Petroleum & Natural Gas (AREA)
  • Life Sciences & Earth Sciences (AREA)
  • Wood Science & Technology (AREA)
  • Chemical Kinetics & Catalysis (AREA)
  • General Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
  • Organic Chemistry (AREA)
  • Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
  • General Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Sustainable Development (AREA)
  • Production Of Liquid Hydrocarbon Mixture For Refining Petroleum (AREA)
  • Manufacture And Refinement Of Metals (AREA)
  • Vaporization, Distillation, Condensation, Sublimation, And Cold Traps (AREA)

Abstract

Methods and systems for recovering heat and water from waste streams produced during oil sands extraction to form dry, stackable tailings. A tailings stream is preheated in a heat exchanger, thereby reducing the energy required to dry the tailings. The preheated tailings are then dried, thereby reducing the tailings to dry stackable tailings or thickened tailings suitable for mine backfill. Heat and high-quality water are recovered from the drying operation and re-used in the preheat operation, or in other steps of oil sands extraction or treatment processes, thereby reducing the overall heat and water requirements.

Claims (55)

1. A method for treating a tailings stream produced during extraction of bitumen from oil sands, comprising:
drying the tailings stream in a dryer using input steam in indirect thermal contact with the tailings stream to produce a dried tailings stream, whereby the input steam and evaporated water from the tailings evaporated during drying convert to a condensed water effluent; and recycling steam produced from the dryer back into the dryer, wherein the input steam comprises the recycled steam and optionally make-up steam.
2. The method of claim 1, further comprising, prior to drying the tailings stream, introducing the tailings stream into a heat exchanger to preheat the tailings stream and produce a preheated tailings stream which is then fed into the dryer.
3. The method of claim 2, wherein the preheating in the heat exchanger is by indirect contact with the condensed water effluent which is passed from the dryer
4. The method of claim 2 or 3, wherein the heat exchanger is a self-cleaning heat exchanger.
5. The method of any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the input steam comprises the recycled steam and the make-up steam.
6. The method of any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the tailings stream comprises at least one the following: coarse tailings, fine tailings, froth separation tailings, and tailings solvent recovery unit tailings.
7. The method of claim 6, wherein the fine tailings comprise a middling stream, flotation tailings, or mature fine tailings.
8. The method of any one of claims 1 to 7, further comprising increasing a solid content of the tailings stream fed to the dryer by introducing a portion of the dried tailings stream into the tailings stream.
9. The method of any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the step of drying the tailings stream is carried out below atmospheric pressure, such that the boiling point of water is reduced, leading to a lower temperature of the dried tailings.
10. The method of claim 9, wherein the dryer pressure is controlled by an ejector, the ejector also serving to remove produced steam from the dryer, and to mix the steam produced from the dryer with make-up steam.
11. The method of claim 1, wherein the input steam comprises a combination of recycled steam and makeup steam passed through a compressor.
12. The method of any one of claims 1 to 11, further comprising recovering at least one heavy mineral from the dried tailings stream.
13. The method of claim 12, wherein the at least one heavy minerals comprises zirconium oxide or titanium oxide.
14. The method of any one of claims 1 to 13, further comprising mixing the dried tailings with a bypass stream of untreated tailings.
15. The method of any one of claims 1 to 14, wherein the condensed water effluent from the dryer is processed in a separation step to recover condensed hydrocarbons.
16. A system for treating a tailings stream produced during extraction of bitumen from oil sands, comprising:
a dryer for receiving the tailings stream and input steam, drying the tailings stream using heat from the input steam, and producing a condensed water effluent; and a steam recycling unit for recycling steam produced from the dryer back into the dryer, wherein the input steam comprises the recycled steam and optionally make-up steam.
17 17. The system of claim 16, further comprising a heat exchanger for receiving the tailings stream and the condensed water effluent from the dryer in indirect thermal contact with one another, and preheating the tailings stream using heat from the condensed water effluent, prior to drying.
18. The system of claim 16 or 17, further comprising an ejector for providing the input steam.
19. The system of claim 18, wherein the ejector is also for controlling a pressure environment in the dryer.
20. The system of any one of claim 16 to 19, wherein the input steam comprises steam removed from the dryer and passed through a compressor, with makeup steam as required.
21. The system of claim 20, wherein the makeup steam is combined with the steam removed from the dryer before the compressor.
22. The system of claim 20, wherein the makeup steam is combined with the steam removed from the dryer after the compressor.
23. The system of any one of claims 16 to 22, wherein the dryer comprises a shell for receiving the input steam and a cavity for receiving the preheated tailings stream, the shell and the cavity being distinct compartments in thermal communication with one another.
24. The system of any one of claims 16 to 23, further comprising a mixer for adding a bypass stream of untreated tailings to dried tailings exiting the dryer.
25. A method for treating a tailings stream produced during extraction of bitumen from oil sands, comprising:
a) introducing the tailings stream and a flue gas into a first heat exchanger to preheat the tailings stream, b) introducing the tailings stream into a second heat exchanger to preheat the tailing stream, wherein step a) is performed before step b) or step b) is performed before step a), to produce a preheated tailings stream, c) drying the preheated tailings stream in a dryer using input steam and evaporated water from the preheated tailings evaporated during drying produced vapor in indirect thermal contact with the preheated tailings stream to produce a dried tailings stream, whereby the input steam and the evaporated water from the preheated tailings convert to a condensed water effluent, and d) passing the condensed water effluent from the dryer to the second heat exchanger to preheat the tailings stream.
26. The method of claim 25, wherein the tailings stream comprises at least one the following: coarse tailings, fine tailings, mature fine tailings, froth separation tailings, and tailings solvent recovery unit tailings.
27. The method of claim 26, wherein the fine tailings comprises a middling stream, flotation tailings, or mature fine tailings.
28. The method of any one of claims 25 to 27, wherein the flue gas is sourced from a steam generator, bitumen extraction process, or a bitumen processing step.
29. The method of claim 28, further comprising introducing the flue gas into a fan or a compressor for increasing the pressure of the flue gas.
30. The method of any one of claims 25 to 29, further comprising separating condensed water contained in the flue gas in a separator.
31. The method of any one of claims 25 to 30, further comprising recycling steam produced from the dryer back into the dryer.
32. The method of any one of claims 25 to 30 wherein at least one of the first heat exchanger and the second heat exchanger is a self-cleaning heat exchanger.
33. The method of any one of claims 25 to 32, further comprising increasing a solid content of the preheated tailings stream by introducing a portion of the dried tailings stream into the preheated tailings stream to mitigate fouling in the dryer and to increase efficiency in the dryer.
34. The method of any one of claims 25 to 33, wherein drying the preheated tailings stream in the dryer is carried out below atmospheric pressure.
35. The method of any one of claims 25 to 34, wherein pressure in the dryer is controlled by an ejector or compressor.
36. The method of any one of claims 25 to 35, further comprising recovering at least one heavy mineral from the dried tailings stream.
37. The method of claim 36, wherein the at least one heavy mineral comprises zirconium or titanium oxides.
38. The method of any one of claims 25 to 37, further comprising mixing the dried tailings with a bypass stream of untreated tailings.
39. A system for treating a tailings stream produced during extraction of bitumen from oil sands, comprising:
a first heat exchanger for receiving the tailings stream and a flue gas, and preheating the tailings stream using heat from the flue gas;
a second heat exchanger for receiving the tailings stream and a condensed water effluent and preheating the tailings stream using heat from the condensed water effluent, wherein the first or the second heat exchanged is placed upstream of the other; and a dryer for receiving the preheated tailings stream and input steam, heating the preheated tailings stream using heat from the input steam to produce a dried tailings stream, and producing the condensed water effluent produced in the second heat exchanger.
40. The system of claim 39, wherein the flue gas is sourced from a steam generator, bitumen extraction processor, or a bitumen processing step.
41. The system of claim 39, further comprising a fan or a compressor for increasing the pressure of the flue gas.
42. The system of claim 39, further comprising a separator for separating condensed water contained in the flue gas.
43. The system of claim 39, further comprising an ejector for providing the input steam and receiving steam released from the preheated tailings stream in the dryer.
44. The system of claim 43, wherein the ejector is also for controlling a pressure environment in the dryer.
45. The system of any one of claims 39 to 44, wherein the input steam comprises the recycled steam and optionally make-up steam.
46. The system of any one of claims 39 to 45, wherein the dryer comprises a shell for receiving the input steam and a cavity for receiving the preheated tailings stream, the shell and the cavity being distinct compartments in the thermal communication with one another.
47. The system of any one of claims 39 to 46, further comprising a mixer for adding a bypass stream of untreated tailings to the dried tailings stream exiting the dryer.
48. The method of any one of claims 2 to 4, and 25 to 38, wherein water passed through the heat exchanger to preheat the tailings stream is reused in a bitumen extraction operation.
49. The method of any one of claims 2 to 4, and 25 to 38, wherein water passed through the heat exchanger to preheat the tailings stream is used in a thermal bitumen production operation as boiler feed water.
50. The system of any one of claims 16 to 24, and 39 to 47, wherein the dryer comprises one or more dryers, in series on in parallel, at least one of which uses indirect steam heating
51. The system of claim 50, wherein another of the one or more dryers uses electrical heating.
52. The method of any one of claims 1 to 15 and 25 to 38, wherein the input steam is superheated.
53. The method of any one of claims 1 to 15, and 25 to 38, wherein the dried tailings stream has a water content of below 60 percent by mass.
54. The method of any one of claims 1 to 15, and 25 to 38, wherein the dried tailings stream has a water content of 40 to 60 percent by mass.
55. The method of any one of claims 1 to 15, and 25 to 38, wherein the dried tailings stream has a water content of 0 to 40 percent by mass.
CA2677479A 2009-09-16 2009-09-16 Heat and water recovery from oil sands waste streams Active CA2677479C (en)

Priority Applications (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
CA2677479A CA2677479C (en) 2009-09-16 2009-09-16 Heat and water recovery from oil sands waste streams
US12/851,250 US20110061610A1 (en) 2009-09-16 2010-08-05 Heat and Water Recovery From Oil Sands Waste Streams

Applications Claiming Priority (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
CA2677479A CA2677479C (en) 2009-09-16 2009-09-16 Heat and water recovery from oil sands waste streams

Publications (2)

Publication Number Publication Date
CA2677479A1 true CA2677479A1 (en) 2010-01-20
CA2677479C CA2677479C (en) 2011-05-17

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US (1) US20110061610A1 (en)
CA (1) CA2677479C (en)

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Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
US20110061610A1 (en) 2011-03-17
CA2677479C (en) 2011-05-17

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