Classifications

• • E—FIXED CONSTRUCTIONS
  • E21—EARTH OR ROCK DRILLING; MINING
  • E21B—EARTH OR ROCK DRILLING; OBTAINING OIL, GAS, WATER, SOLUBLE OR MELTABLE MATERIALS OR A SLURRY OF MINERALS FROM WELLS
  • E21B43/00—Methods or apparatus for obtaining oil, gas, water, soluble or meltable materials or a slurry of minerals from wells
  • E21B43/16—Enhanced recovery methods for obtaining hydrocarbons
  • E21B43/24—Enhanced recovery methods for obtaining hydrocarbons using heat, e.g. steam injection
• • C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
  • C09—DYES; PAINTS; POLISHES; NATURAL RESINS; ADHESIVES; COMPOSITIONS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; APPLICATIONS OF MATERIALS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
  • C09K—MATERIALS FOR MISCELLANEOUS APPLICATIONS, NOT PROVIDED FOR ELSEWHERE
  • C09K8/00—Compositions for drilling of boreholes or wells; Compositions for treating boreholes or wells, e.g. for completion or for remedial operations
  • C09K8/58—Compositions for enhanced recovery methods for obtaining hydrocarbons, i.e. for improving the mobility of the oil, e.g. displacing fluids
  • C09K8/592—Compositions used in combination with generated heat, e.g. by steam injection
• • C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
  • C09—DYES; PAINTS; POLISHES; NATURAL RESINS; ADHESIVES; COMPOSITIONS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; APPLICATIONS OF MATERIALS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
  • C09K—MATERIALS FOR MISCELLANEOUS APPLICATIONS, NOT PROVIDED FOR ELSEWHERE
  • C09K8/00—Compositions for drilling of boreholes or wells; Compositions for treating boreholes or wells, e.g. for completion or for remedial operations
  • C09K8/58—Compositions for enhanced recovery methods for obtaining hydrocarbons, i.e. for improving the mobility of the oil, e.g. displacing fluids
  • C09K8/594—Compositions used in combination with injected gas, e.g. CO2 orcarbonated gas
• • 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
• • 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
  • C10G1/045—Separation of insoluble materials
• • E—FIXED CONSTRUCTIONS
  • E21—EARTH OR ROCK DRILLING; MINING
  • E21B—EARTH OR ROCK DRILLING; OBTAINING OIL, GAS, WATER, SOLUBLE OR MELTABLE MATERIALS OR A SLURRY OF MINERALS FROM WELLS
  • E21B43/00—Methods or apparatus for obtaining oil, gas, water, soluble or meltable materials or a slurry of minerals from wells
  • E21B43/34—Arrangements for separating materials produced by the well

Definitions

• the present invention relates to the extraction of heavy oils.
• Oil sands are a mixture of primarily sand, bitumen and water. Each grain of oil sand may have three layers: an "envelope" of water surrounding a grain of sand, with bitumen surrounding the water to form the outer layer. Hence, “oil-wetted” and conversely it can also be “water-wetted”. Other materials, such as clay, may be present among the sand, bitumen and water. Bitumen, in its raw state, is a heavy, viscous crude oil that frequently contains high amounts of sulfur. Bitumen found in Utah is known to generally contain lower amounts of sulfur.
• Oil shale is a sedimentary rock that contains solid bituminous materials.
• the bitumen may be released through the process of pyrolysis when the rock is heated.
• bitumen is sold in two general forms: raw and synthetic crude oil (“SCO"). In its raw form, the bitumen is blended with a diluent to produce a "bitumen blend" because in its raw form, bitumen is too viscous to transport by conventional pipeline.
• SCO synthetic crude oil
• Diluents used for the blend are often less viscous hydrocarbons, most commonly a very light natural gas condensate (C5+ or "pentanes plus”). Furthermore, the diluent is a costly, fully processed, light crude oil.
• the bitumen blend is sold to refineries and competes with conventional heavy oils. As SCO, the bitumen has been upgraded. SCO is also sold to conventional refineries and competes with conventional medium and light oils.
• crude oil development and production may include three phases: primary recovery, secondary recovery and tertiary (also known as enhanced) recovery.
• Primary recovery involves the utilization of the natural pressure of an oil reservoir or gravity to drive oil into the wellbore and lift technologies, (e.g., pumps) to bring the oil to the surface. However, only a small percentage (about 10%) of an oil reservoir's oil is typically produced during this phase.
• secondary recovery techniques such as injecting water or gas to displace the oil and to drive it to a wellbore are used.
• Secondary recovery may result in recovering about 20-40% of the original oil.
• Tertiary or enhanced oil recovery techniques have been used and may result in the recovery of about 30-60% of the original oil.
• CO 2 carbon dioxide
• CO 2 floods frequently have poor sweeping efficiency caused by gas fingering and gravity override. Poor sweep efficiency results from a high mobility ratio caused by the low viscosity of high-density C ⁇ 2 ⁇ ompared to that of water or oil
• Water injection alternating with gas is a common process used for mobility control during C ⁇ 2 floods.
• the effectiveness of this alternation is reduced by gravity segregation between water and C ⁇ 2 and by permeability differences.
• One embodiment of the present invention provides for a method for extracting heavy oil from an oil reservoir, comprising: providing a solvent comprising sodium silicate, a salt or an equivalent thereof; injecting the solvent into the oil reservoir; and extracting the heavy oil from the oil reservoir.
• the heavy oil may comprise bitumen.
• the solvent may further comprise soy flour, lignin flour and/or citrus pectin.
• the solvent may further comprise detergent-like surfactants.
• the method may further comprise heating the solvent prior to injecting the solvent.
• the method may further comprise injecting steam into the oil reservoir.
• Another embodiment of the present invention provides for a method for extracting bitumen from an oil sands reservoir, comprising: providing a solvent comprising sodium silicate, a salt or an equivalent thereof; injecting the solvent into the oil sands reservoir; extracting a slurry comprising oil sands from the oil sands reservoir; and extracting the bitumen from the slurry.
• the solvent may further comprise soy flour, lignin flour and/or citrus pectin.
• the method may further comprise heating the solvent prior to injecting the solvent.
• the method may further comprise injecting steam into the oil reservoir.
• extracting the bitumen may comprise separating the bitumen from an inorganic material that exists in the slurry. In one embodiment, separating the bitumen from the inorganic material may comprise adding a quantity of air to the slurry. In another embodiment separating the bitumen from the inorganic material may comprise adding a quantity of the solvent to the slurry. In another embodiment, the method may further comprise passing the slurry through a stripper to remove air bubbles. In another embodiment, the method may further comprise separating the bitumen from the solvent. In one embodiment, separating the bitumen from the solvent may comprise placing the slurry through a counter-current decantation circuit.
• Another embodiment of the present invention provides for a method for extracting bitumen from terrain oil sands or oil shale, comprising: removing the oil sands or oil shale from the terrain; providing a solvent comprising sodium silicate, a salt or an equivalent thereof; adding the solvent to the removed oil sands or oil shale to create a slurry; and extracting bitumen from the slurry.
• the solvent may further comprise soy flour, lignin flour and/or citrus pectin.
• the method may further comprise reducing the size of the removed oil sands or oil shale.
• extracting the bitumen may comprise separating the bitumen from an inorganic material that exists in the slurry. In one embodiment, separating the bitumen from the inorganic material may comprise adding a quantity of air to the slurry. In another embodiment, separating the bitumen from the inorganic material may comprise adding a quantity of the solvent to the slurry. In another embodiment, the method may further comprise passing the slurry through a stripper to remove air bubbles. In another embodiment, the method may further comprise separating the bitumen from the solvent. In one embodiment, separating the bitumen from the solvent may comprise placing the slurry through a counter-current decantation circuit.
• removing the oil sands or oil shale may comprise: providing a solvent comprising sodium silicate, a salt or an equivalent thereof; using the solvent to fluidize the oil sands or oil shale; and pumping the fluidized oil sands or oil shale out of the terrain.
• Figure 1 depicts an oil sands processing flow diagram in accordance with various embodiments of the present invention.
• Figure 2 depicts a terrain mining flow diagram in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.
• Figure 3 depicts sub-terrain mining with heated steam, in accordance with various embodiments of the present invention.
• Figure 4 depicts a flow diagram detailing the extraction of the bitumen from oil sands mined from the terrain in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. In one embodiment the violent agitation of the slurry is optional.
• Figure 5 depicts a flow diagram showing the process for the separation of bitumen from the froth in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.
• “Beneficial microbe” as used herein refers to microorganisms that have capabilities to impart beneficial properties to their surrounding environment. “Beneficial capabilities” include, but are not limited to the ability digest, dissolve, break up, remove, decompose, or degrade materials. Examples of materials include but are not limited to arsenic, metals in tailings, methyl tertiary butyl ether (“MTBE”), waste material and hydrocarbon-based material, such as oil. Examples of such microbes include, but are not limited to probiotics, bacteria, fungus, yeast and algae. "Probiotics” as used herein refers to beneficial bacteria or yeast.
• probiotics include but are not limited to Bifidobacterium, including, Bifidobacterium bifidum, Bifidobacterium breve, Bifidobacterium infantis, Bifidobacterium longum; Lactobacillus, including, Lactobacillus acidophilus, Lactobacillus bulgaricus, Lactobacillus casei, Lactobacillus plantarum, Lactobacillus rhamnosus, Lactobacillus GG; Streptococcus thermophilus, Enterococcus and Saccharomyces boulardii.
• Degreasing composition refers to an organic or inorganic composition that is able to dissolve, break up, remove, decompose, or degrade hydrocarbon-based substances.
• the degreasing composition may exist as a solid, liquid or gas.
• Fluidize refers to enabling the non cohesion of a mass and its ability to flow, even if such flow is of non-uniform size or lumpy. Fluidize does not necessarily mean that the oil sands or oil shale are reduced to a particular size. Indeed, it is contemplated that large lumps may exist within what is referred to as fluidized.
• Heavy oil refers to crude oil with high viscosity and high specific gravity.
• heavy oils typically have low hydrogen to carbon ratios, high asphaltene, sulfur, nitrogen, heavy-metal content, and/or acid numbers.
• heavy oils typically have a viscosity above 1OcP and a specific gravity below 22.3° API.
• Waterflood refers to a method of extracting oil from a reservoir where water and/or a liquid is injected into the reservoir to displace the oil in the reservoir.
• Wellbore refers to the open portion of an oil well where the oil from the reservoir may enter.
• the oil is heavy oil.
• the oil is bitumen.
• a waterflood with a solvent is utilized to extract the oil.
• the method comprises providing a solvent; injecting the solvent into an oil reservoir; and extracting the oil from the oil reservoir. Extracting the oil from the oil reservoir may be performed by any known technology in the art; for example, by utilizing lifting technologies (e.g., pumps). While not wishing to be bound by any particular theory, the inventors believe that the solvent reduces the viscosity of the oil and allows it to move more easily toward production wells.
• the solvent may comprise a degreasing composition.
• the solvent may comprise sodium silicate, a salt and/or an equivalent thereof.
• the concentration of the sodium silicate in the solvent may vary to correspond to the conditions of the oil reservoir.
• An oil reservoir may contain liquids such as water or brine, which may dilute the solvent.
• a solvent comprising a higher concentration of sodium silicate may be advantageous.
• the exact concentration of sodium silicate in the solvent may depend on the anticipated amount of liquid that already exists in the oil reservoir.
• the concentration of sodium silicate may be a concentration that will bring the concentration of sodium silicate in the liquid in the reservoir to about 1% (by weight) when the solvent comes in contact with the liquid in the reservoir.
• the concentration of sodium silicate may be a concentration that will bring the concentration of sodium silicate in the liquid in the reservoir to less than 2% when the solvent comes in contact with the liquid in the reservoir.
• the concentration of sodium silicate may be a concentration that will bring the concentration of sodium silicate in the liquid in the reservoir to about 10% when the solvent comes in contact with the liquid in the reservoir.
• the concentration of sodium silicate may be a concentration that will bring the concentration of sodium silicate in the liquid in the reservoir to about 2%, 3%, 4%, 5%, 6%, 7%, 8% or 9% when the solvent comes in contact with the liquid in the reservoir.
• a solvent with a high concentration of sodium silicate e.g., a concentration of greater than about 60% by weight
• the concentration of sodium silicate may be between about 60% and 70% by weight. In another embodiment, the concentration of sodium silicate may be between about 70% and 80% by weight. In another embodiment, the concentration of sodium silicate may be between about 80% and 90% by weight. In another embodiment, the concentration of sodium silicate may be between about 90% and 99% by weight.
• the solvent may comprise a lower concentration of sodium silicate (e.g., a concentration of less than 5%, 4%, 3%, 2% or 1% by weight). In another particular embodiment, the solvent may further comprise soy flour, lignin flour and/or citrus pectin. In another embodiment, the solvent may be a degreasing composition or a dispersion solution described in U.S. Patent No.
• the method may further comprise the use of gas injection to extract the oil.
• the method may comprise providing a solvent and a quantity of gas; injecting the solvent into an oil reservoir; injecting the quantity of gas into the oil reservoir; and extracting the oil from the oil reservoir. Extracting the oil from the oil reservoir may be made by any known technology in the art; for example, by utilizing lifting technologies (e.g., pumps).
• the injection of the solvent and the gas may be performed in any order and may be performed simultaneously or concurrently.
• the gas may be a gas capable of expanding in an oil reservoir to push oil into a wellbore.
• the gas may be a gas capable of dissolving in the oil to lower its viscosity and improve its flow rate.
• gases may be natural gas, nitrogen, carbon dioxide (CO2), or combinations thereof.
• CO2 carbon dioxide
• One of skill in the art will recognize other gases capable of expanding in an oil reservoir and/or capable of dissolving in oil, and which may be appropriate to use for oil extraction.
• gases may be from a naturally occurring reservoir, produced from industrial applications (e.g., natural gas processing, fertilizer, ethanol, and hydrogen plants), or produced specifically for use in oil extraction.
• the method may comprise the use of heat to extract the oil.
• the introduction of heat may serve to lower the viscosity of the oil and may improve its ability to flow.
• Heat may be introduced by any method known in the art.
• heat may be introduced by heating the solvent prior to injecting the solvent into the oil reservoir.
• the method may comprise providing a solvent; heating the solvent; injecting the heated solvent into the oil reservoir; and extracting the oil from the oil reservoir.
• the heat may be introduced by injecting steam into the oil reservoir.
• the method may comprise providing a solvent; injecting the solvent into the oil reservoir; injecting the steam into an oil reservoir; and extracting the oil from the oil reservoir.
• the method may also further comprise the use of heat and injecting a quantity of gas into the oil reservoir.
• the method may comprise providing a solvent and a gas; heating the solvent; injecting the heated solvent into the oil reservoir; injecting the gas into the oil reservoir; and extracting the oil from the oil reservoir.
• the method may comprise providing a solvent and a gas; injecting the solvent into the oil reservoir; injecting the steam into an oil reservoir; and extracting the oil from the oit reservoir.
• the injection of the solvent, steam and/or gas may be performed in any order and may be performed simultaneously or concurrently.
• the method may further comprise the use detergent- like surfactants to lower the surface tension.
• the surfactants may be added to the solvent. Surface tension may prevent oil droplets from moving through a reservoir and thus lowering the surface tension may assist the flow of the oil through a reservoir.
• oils sands or oil shale may exist in a variety of sizes. In one particular embodiment the oil is bitumen.
• Oil Sands/Oil Shale Mining In one embodiment of the present invention the oil sands or oil shale are mined from the terrain.
• hydraulic and/or electric shovels and/or hydraulic excavators may be used to remove the oil sands or oil shale from the mining pit.
• the removed oil sands or oil shale may be placed in a crusher where its size is reduced. The pieces may be further reduced to about two inch pieces by use of rotary breakers.
• Hot or warm water may be added to create a slurry.
• a solvent may be used in addition to or in place of the water.
• the solvent may comprise a degreasing composition.
• the solvent may comprise sodium silicate.
• the solvent may further comprise soy flour, lignin flour and/or citrus pectin.
• the solvent may be a degreasing composition or a dispersion solution described in U.S. Patent No. 5,306,351. (See figure 2.)
• the slurry may be further processed at an on-site extraction plant, or it may be transported to an off-site extraction plant. Transporting the slurry may be performed by any method; for example, through a pipeline or by vehicles to the extraction plant.
• a solvent may be used to fluidize oil sands or oil shale pits and the oil sands or oil shale may be pumped and transported to an extraction facility.
• the solvent may comprise a degreasing composition.
• the solvent may comprise sodium silicate.
• the solvent may further comprise soy flour, lignin flour and/or citrus pectin.
• the solvent may be a degreasing composition or a dispersion solution described in U.S. Patent No. 5,306,351.
• the solvent may be injected at pressures of about 4000 to about 8000 psi to fluidize the oil sands or oil shale.
• the use of higher or lower pressure or mixing may aid the separation of bitumen from the oil sands or oil shale.
• the resulting slurry may be vacuumed and transported to an oil extraction facility; at the oil extraction facility, the oil may be extracted by methods known in the art or in accordance with various embodiments of the present invention.
• sub-terrain mining may be performed by drilling a pair of horizontal wells in the oil sands reservoir for use in extracting the oil sands from the reservoir.
• a waterflood with a solvent is utilized to extract the oil sands.
• the method comprises providing a solvent; injecting the solvent into an oil sands reservoir; and extracting the oil sands from the oil sands reservoir.
• the solvent may comprise a degreasing composition.
• the solvent may comprise sodium silicate.
• the solvent may further comprise soy flour, lignin flour and/or citrus pectin.
• the solvent may be a degreasing composition or a dispersion solution described in U.S. Patent No. 5,306,351.
• the method may further comprise the use of gas injection to extract the oil sands.
• the method may comprise providing a solvent and a quantity of gas; injecting the solvent into an oil sands reservoir; injecting the quantity of gas into the oil sands reservoir; and extracting the oil sands from the oil reservoir.
• the injection of the solvent and the gas may be performed in any order and may be performed simultaneously or concurrently.
• the gas may be a gas that is capable of expanding in an oil sands reservoir to push oil sands to a wellbore.
• the gas may be a gas that is capable of dissolving in the oil sands to lower its viscosity and improve its flow rate.
• gases may be natural gas, nitrogen, carbon dioxide (CO2), or combinations thereof.
• gases may be natural gas, nitrogen, carbon dioxide (CO2), or combinations thereof.
• gases may be from a naturally occurring reservoir, produced from industrial applications (e.g., natural gas processing, fertilizer, ethanol, and hydrogen plants), or produced specifically for use in oil extraction.
• the method may comprise the use of heat to extract the oil sands. The introduction of heat may serve to lower the viscosity of the oil sands and may improve its ability to flow.
• heat may be introduced by heating the solvent prior to injecting the solvent into the oil sands reservoir.
• the method may comprise providing a solvent; heating the solvent; injecting the heated solvent into the oil sands reservoir; and extracting the oil sands from the oil sands reservoir.
• the heat may be introduced by injecting steam into the oil sands reservoir.
• the method may comprise providing a solvent; injecting the solvent into the oil sands reservoir; injecting the steam into an oil sands reservoir; and extracting the oil sands from the oil sands reservoir.
• the method may also further comprise the use of heat and injecting a quantity of gas into the oil sands reservoir.
• the method may comprise providing a solvent and a gas; heating the solvent; injecting the heated solvent into the oil sands reservoir; injecting the gas into the oil sands reservoir; and extracting the oil sands from the oil sands reservoir.
• the method may comprise providing a solvent and a gas; injecting the solvent into the oil sands reservoir; injecting the steam into an oil sands reservoir; and extracting the oil sands from the oil sands reservoir.
• the injection of the solvent, steam and/or gas may be performed in any order and may be performed simultaneously or concurrently.
• steam may be injected into the upper well and the steam contacts the bitumen and heats the bitumen.
• the length of the wells may depend on the oil sands reservoir site. In various embodiments, the pair of wells may be about 750 to about 1000 meters in length. The pair of wells may be drilled parallel to one another and spaced about 100 to about 200 meters apart.
• the method may further comprise the use detergent- like surfactants to lower the surface tension.
• the surface tension may prevent oil droplets from moving through a reservoir and thus lowering the surface tension may assist the flow of the oil through a reservoir.
• bitumen in the bitumen mixture removed from the sub-terrain mines may be extracted in accordance with various embodiments of the present invention.
• bitumen Extraction During the oil extraction process, a quantity of bitumen is separated from the rock, sand, clay and/or other materials.
• the process may be performed at a high temperature to allow for extraction of the bitumen by the process of pyrolysis.
• air may be added to the slurry and transported to a gravity separation vessel. Due to the density differences, the bitumen will float atop and/or the bitumen will attach to the air bubbles and rise to the top to form a bitumen-rich froth. The inorganic contaminants, along with sand, dirt, silt, clay, etc., will settle to the bottom.
• the solvent may be used to separate the bitumen from the rock, sand, clay and/or other materials.
• the solvent may comprise a degreasing composition.
• the solvent may comprise sodium silicate.
• the solvent may further comprise soy flour, lignin flour and/or citrus pectin.
• the solvent may be a degreasing composition or a dispersion solution described in U.S. Patent No. 5,306,351.
• the addition of air is optional for the separation process. Materials such as sand, dirt, silt, clay, etc. may have a greater affinity for the solvent thus may fall out of solution and settle to the bottom, and the bitumen will rise to the top.
• bitumen and the solvent may separate from each other, there may be a reduction or elimination of the formation of froth. In instances where there are additional organic materials and/or contaminants, froth may still form.
• the materials that settle at the bottom are pumped to a tailing processing system. This settling action can be enhanced with the use violent agitation before allowing it to settle.
• the solvent can be redrawn from the middle of a settling tank and reused one or more times. (See figure 4.)
• the froth may be passed through a stripper, which removes the air bubbles and allows the bitumen froth to be further processed.
• the bitumen froth may be placed through a counter-current decantation circuit.
• a solvent may be added to separate any remaining solids and water.
• the solvent may comprise a degreasing composition.
• the solvent may comprise sodium silicate.
• the solvent may further comprise soy flour, lignin flour and citrus pectin.
• the solvent may be a degreasing composition or a dispersion solution described in U.S. Patent No. 5,306,351. This process may yield diluted bitumen that is at an appropriate viscosity to be transported by pipeline. (See figure 5.)
• the bitumen mixture from the sub-terrain mining may be subjected to this water/oil separation process.
• the bitumen mixture may be sent through a counter-current decantation circuit.
• a solvent may be added to separate any remaining solids and water.
• the solvent may comprise sodium silicate.
• the solvent may further comprise soy flour, lignin flour and/or citrus pectin.
• the solvent may be a degreasing composition or a dispersion solution described in U.S. Patent No. 5,306,351. This process may also yield diluted bitumen that is at an appropriate viscosity to be transported by pipeline.
• the tailings from the crushing process may contain about 8% bitumen.
• a solvent may be added to the tailings to extract additional bitumen.
• the solvent may comprise sodium silicate.
• the solvent may further comprise soy flour, lignin flour and citrus pectin.
• the solvent may be a degreasing composition or a dispersion solution described in U.S. Patent No. 5,306,351.
• the resulting mixture can be processed through a high pressure mixer to assist in separating the bitumen from the sand.
• beneficial microbes may be added to the tailings for treatment or remediation of the tailings.
• the solvent may comprise sodium silicate.
• the solvent may further comprise soy flour, lignin flour and citrus pectin.
• the solvent may be a degreasing composition or a dispersion solution described in U.S. Patent No. 5,306,351.
• the addition of the solvent may create a bitumen blend.
• the bitumen blend may be at an appropriate viscosity to enable transportation of the bitumen by conventional pipelines.
• Example 1 is provided to better illustrate the claimed invention and are not to be interpreted as limiting the scope of the invention. To the extent that specific materials are mentioned, it is merely for purposes of illustration and is not intended to limit the invention. One skilled in the art may develop equivalent means or reactants without the exercise of inventive capacity and without departing from the scope of the invention.
• Example 1 is provided to better illustrate the claimed invention and are not to be interpreted as limiting the scope of the invention. To the extent that specific materials are mentioned, it is merely for purposes of illustration and is not intended to limit the invention. One skilled in the art may develop equivalent means or reactants without the exercise of inventive capacity and without departing from the scope of the invention.
• Example 1 is provided to better illustrate the claimed invention and are not to be interpreted as limiting the scope of the invention. To the extent that specific materials are mentioned, it is merely for purposes of illustration and is not intended to limit the invention. One skilled in the art may develop equivalent means or reactants without the exercise of inventive capacity and without departing from the scope of the invention.
• Example 1 is provided to
• This example illustrates the preparation of a dispersion solution which may be utilized in various embodiments of the present invention.
• the manufacture of the dispersion solution occurs in three steps, first, five gallons of a natural concentrate is made, followed by the formation of a one hundred gallon completed concentrate, and then followed by the formation of an eighteen hundred gallon dispersion solution.
• a concentrated five gallon solution of soy flour, lignin flour and citrus pectin is prepared.
• Into a six gallon vessel, preferably having mechanical mixing capability is first placed about four gallons of water.
• the additive components which will be used are as follows:
• the one pound quantity of soy flour is added to the four gallon quantity of water and mixed until smooth.
• the one half pound of lignin flour is slowly added and mixed until the mixture is smooth.
• the one half pound of citrus pectin is slowly added and mixed until the mixture is smooth.
• To the mixture is then added more water until the total liquid volume reaches five gallons.
• This mixture will be hereinafter referred to as the natural concentrate.
• the natural concentrate is then allowed to sit for 72 hours.
• the soy flour may be commercially available from the A. E. Staley Company of
• the lignin flour may be commercially obtained from Georgia Pacific Corporation of Atlanta, Ga.
• the citrus pectin may be obtained from Pectogel of Great Neck, N.Y., 11021.
• the natural concentrate solution has the following composition:
• a silicate solution is formulated by first adding about forty gallons of water to a container (e.g., 125 gallon container). Next, fifty five gallons of sodium silicate is added to the forty gallons of water.
• the sodium silicate is commercially available under the trademarked name OXYCHEM, from Occidental Chemical Corporation, Niagra Falls, N.Y. 14302. This sodium silicate is a liquid having a density of about 11.67 pounds per gallon. The sodium silicate and water are mixed for about three minutes to form a sodium silicate— water mixture.
• the natural concentrate is added to the sodium silicate - water mixture, and mixed for about seven minutes to form one hundred gallons of the completed concentrate.
• the completed concentrate has a composition by weight which is as follows:
• the completed dispersion solution has a composition by weight which is as follows:
• Citrus Pectin (powdered) 0.0032%
• sodium phosphate (powder) Na 3 PO 4 which may be obtained from the Monsanto Chemical Company of St. Louis, Mo.
• soda ash Na 2 COs obtainable commercially from Van Waters & Rogers of San Mateo, CA, 94403.
• a surfactant also known as non- ionic TRITON X100 which has a formula C33H60O10.5, and which is available from Union Carbide of Danbury, Conn. Indeed other ingredients may be added to alter the performance of the dispersion solution.
• the sodium phosphate powder may be added in an amount of about ten pounds dry weight per 1800 gallons of dispersion solution.
• the soda ash may be added in an amount of about ten pounds dry weight per 1800 gallons of dispersion solution.
• the TRITON X100 may be added in an amount of about one gallon of X100 per 1800 gallons of dispersion solution. In addition, it is permissible to add one, two, or all three of the above optional components per single 1800 gallon dispersion solution batch.

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• General Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
• Materials Engineering (AREA)
• Production Of Liquid Hydrocarbon Mixture For Refining Petroleum (AREA)

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• 2007
  • 2007-01-29 AU AU2007211109A patent/AU2007211109A1/en not_active Abandoned
  • 2007-01-29 BR BRPI0706789-5A patent/BRPI0706789A2/pt not_active Application Discontinuation
  • 2007-01-29 CN CNA200780008514XA patent/CN101454422A/zh active Pending
  • 2007-01-29 EA EA200870220A patent/EA200870220A1/ru unknown
  • 2007-01-29 WO PCT/US2007/061248 patent/WO2007090099A2/en active Application Filing
  • 2007-01-29 EP EP07762662A patent/EP1981952A2/en not_active Withdrawn
  • 2007-01-29 MX MX2008009707A patent/MX2008009707A/es unknown
  • 2007-01-29 CA CA002640005A patent/CA2640005A1/en not_active Abandoned
• 2008
  • 2008-08-28 EC EC2008008705A patent/ECSP088705A/es unknown

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