GB2589931A

GB2589931A - Renewable processing of mature fine tailings

Info

Publication number: GB2589931A
Application number: GB1918430.8A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Pavlin Peter
Original assignee: Weir Canada Inc
Current assignee: Weir Canada Inc
Priority date: 2019-12-13
Filing date: 2019-12-13
Publication date: 2021-06-16
Anticipated expiration: 2039-12-13
Also published as: GB2589931B; CA3102201C; GB201918430D0; CA3102201A1

Abstract

Mature fine tailings (MFT) are extracted from a tailings pool (such as those in oil sands) and supplied to an MFT processing facility for processing. The MFT may be extracted using one or more barges that support submersible pumps for pumping up the MFT or include a trapping mechanism (e.g. net, grate, fence) for capturing larger masses of MFT at or near a surface of the pool and either transporting them to shore for further processing or further processing them on the barge and then pumping the homogenized MFT to the shore based terminal for final processing. The processing facility breaks, heats, compresses and separates the captured MFT into a methane-rich gas mixture that may be used to: (1) both generate electricity or liquid fuel (e.g. diesel, ethanol, methanol etc.) and (2) possibly power portions of the MFT processing facility. The processing facility also produces an inorganic solids stream suitable for disposal to landfill.

Description

RENEWABLE PROCESSING OF MATURE FINE TAILINGS

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present disclosure generally relates to extracting mature fine tailings (MFT) from tailings ponds-such as those in oil sands-and converting the entrained hydrocarbon and biomass into electricity or liquid fuels and inorganic solids suitable for disposal to landfill

BACKGROUND

[0002] Oil sand deposits naturally contain significant amounts of fines, ranging from 10-30% depending on the deposit geology. Fines are defined as solid particles with diameters less than 44 microns and are comprised mostly of clay and silt material. As tailings are poured into the pond, coarse sand sinks to the bottom, trapping up to 30% of the fines. These fines are trapped within the voids of the coarse tailings stream, which is mostly silica sand. This mixture of coarse silica sand and fines settles easily and has good shear strength, making the material ideal for the construction of beaches and dykes. The remaining fines are suspended in the tailings pond water and tend to form a sludge-like substance termed fine fluid tailings (FFT). If left unprocessed, this layer of fines eventually degrades into mature fine tailings (MFT) with up to 30% water by volume which is very difficult to dewater. It is estimated that MFT left undisturbed can take up to 150 years to fully dewater and settle out.

[0003] Generally, MFT reclaimed from the tailings pond is over 99% water with up to 1-2% bitumen. The solids are generally composed of very fine clays that do not settle easily in the tailings pond. Additionally energy-rich hydrocarbons may also be found in the MFT in concentrations of up to 1-2%.

SUMMARY

[0004] The disclosed examples are described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawing figures listed below. The following summary is provided to illustrate some examples disclosed herein. These examples are supplied for illustrative purposes, and it is not meant to limit the scope of the invention to any particular configuration or sequence of operations disclosed herein.

[0005] Some aspects disclosed herein generally relate to a system for processing MFT located in a pool. The system includes a barge coupled to a submersible pump configured to pump the MFT from the pool and an MFT processing facility. The MFT processing facility is configured to use the MFT pumped by the submersible to generate a methane-rich gas mixture for use in generating electricity or for conversion to a liquid fuel.

[0006] In some aspects, the submersible pump includes at least one wall defining a chamber for enclosing the submersible pump; and at least one opening in the at least one wall permitting passage of material in the pool to be pumped.

[0007] In some aspects, the methane-rich gas mixture is made up of 10-20% hydrogen and the rest methane.

[0008] In some aspects, the barge includes a trapping mechanism for capturing MFT masses floating at or near a surface of the pool.

[0009] In some aspects, the trapping mechanism is at least one of a net, a fence, or a grate positioned, at least partially, along a bottom side of barge.

[0010] In some aspects, the barge includes one or more shredders, pulverizers, or macerators for breaking up the MFT masses.

[0011] In some aspects, the MFT processing facility includes a grinder for breaking down the MFT masses captured by the trapping mechanism of the barge.

[0012] In some aspects, the MFT processing facility includes: a grinder for breaking down the MFT pumped by the submersible pump or the MFT masses captured by the trapping mechanism into an MFT feed; a vaporizer for vaporizing the MFT feed to separate inorganic material from organic material of the MFT feed; and a reactor to convert the organic material of the MFT feed into methane gas.

[0013] In some aspects, the MFT processing facility includes: a grinder for breaking down the MFT pumped by the submersible pump or the MFT masses captured by the trapping mechanism into an MFT feed; a vaporizer for vaporizing the MFT feed to separate inorganic material from organic material of the MFT feed; a reactor to convert the organic material of the MFT feed into methane gas; a primary scrubber configured to cool the methane gas heated out of the MFT feed; a secondary scrubber configured to remove residual acid and water from the cooled methane gas from the primary scrubber; a compressor to compress the methane gas from the secondary scrubber into a compressed gas mixture; and a hydrogen separator to separate the compressed gas mixture into a hydrogen stream and a methane-rich gas mixture stream, wherein the separated methane-rich gas mixture is supplied to an electric generator or a fuel cell to generate the electricity.

[0014] In some aspects, the electric generator includes a gas turbine.

[0015] In some aspects, the MFT processing facility includes: a grinder for breaking down the MFT pumped by the submersible pump or the MFT masses captured by the trapping mechanism into an MFT feed; a vaporizer for vaporizing the MFT feed to separate inorganic material from organic material of the MFT feed; a reactor to convert the organic material of the MFT feed into methane gas; a primary scrubber configured to cool the methane gas heated out of the MFT feed; a secondary scrubber configured to remove residual acid and water from the cooled methane gas from the primary scrubber; a compressor to compress the methane gas from the secondary scrubber into a compressed gas mixture; and a hydrogen separator to separate the methane-rich gas mixture from the compressed gas mixture, wherein the separated methane-rich gas mixture is supplied to a liquid fuel plant to generate the liquid fuel.

[0016] In some aspects, a pipe delivers the MFT from the barge to the MFT processing facility.

[0017] In some aspects, the liquid fuel includes at least one of diesel fuel, ethanol, or methanol.

[0018] Some aspects are directed to methods for generating electricity or liquid fuel from MFT. The methods involve: receiving MFT extracted from a pool containing a suspension of MFT in water; processing the MFT at an MFT processing facility to generate a methane gas from the MFT; and supplying the methane gas from the MFT processing facility to an electric generator or fuel cell for generating the electricity or to a liquid fuel plant for generating the liquid fuel.

[0019] Some aspects extract the MFT from the pool containing the suspension of MFT using a submersible pump.

[0020] Some aspects extract the MFT from the pool containing the suspension of MFT using a trapping mechanism coupled to a barge.

[0021] In some aspects, generating the methane gas from the MFT includes: grinding the MFT into an MFT feed; vaporizing the MFT feed to separate organic gas from inorganic material of the MFT; mixing the organic gas of the vaporized MFT feed with hydrogen gas to create a vaporized hydrogen-methane gas mixture that includes the organic gas of the vaporized MFT feed; removing acid, water and particulate matter from the hydrogen-methane gas mixture using one or more scrubbers; compressing the hydrogen-methane gas mixture after the one or more scrubbers; separating hydrogen from the hydrogen-methane gas mixture to create a methane-rich gas mixture; and supplying the methane-rich gas mixture to either an electric generator for generating the electricity, a fuel cell for generating the electricity, or a liquid fuel plan for generating the liquid fuel.

[0022] Some aspects are directed to a system for generating electricity or liquid fuel from MFT. Specifically, the system includes one or more barges configured with either a submersible pump or a trapping mechanism for capturing the MFT and an MFT processing facility. The MFT processing facility includes: a grinder for grinding the MFT captured by the one or more barges into an MFT feed, a vaporizer for vaporizing the MFT feed to separate organic gas from inorganic material of the MFT, a mixer for mixing the organic gas of the vaporized MFT feed with hydrogen gas to create a vaporized hydrogen-methane gas mixture that includes the organic gas of the vaporized MFT feed, one or more scrubbers for removing acid and water from the hydrogen-methane gas mixture, a separator for separating hydrogen from the hydrogen-methane gas mixture to create a methane-rich gas mixture; and a tank for storing methane-rich gas mixture for use in generating the electricity or the liquid fuel.

[0023] In some aspects, the electricity is generated by an electric generator being supplied with the methane-rich gas mixture.

[0024] In some aspects, the electricity is generated by a fuel cell being supplied with the methane-rich gas mixture.

[0025] In some aspects, the liquid fuel is generated by a liquid power plant from the methane-rich gas mixture [0026] In some aspects, the methane-rich gas mixture includes 10-20% hydrogen.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0027] The disclosed examples are described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawing figures listed below: [0028] Figure 1 is a side view of a barge with a submersible pump for removing MFT from a pool.

[0029] Figure 2A is a perspective view of a barge with a submersible pump for removing MFT from a pool.

[0030] Figure 2B is a perspective view of a pump enclosure for a submersible pump usable in removing MFT from a pool.

[0031] Figures 3-6A are perspective views of alternative barges with submersible pumps for use in extracting MFT from a pool.

[0032] Figure 6B is a cross-sectional view of a pump enclosure of a submersible pump usable for removing MFT from a pool.

[0033] Figure 7 is a side view of a barge with a trapping mechanism for capturing MFT masses in a pool [0034] Figure 8 is a perspective view of a barge with a trapping mechanism for capturing MFT masses in a pool.

[0035] Figure 9 is a side view of a barge with a trapping mechanism and a submersible pump for extracting MFT in a pool.

[0036] Figure 10 is a block diagram of a processing facility for generating electricity or liquid fuel from MFT extracted from a pool by one or more barges.

[0037] Figures 11-12 are flow charts of workflows for processing MFT into electricity or liquid fuel.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0038] The various embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Wherever possible, the same reference numbers will be used throughout the drawings to refer to the same or like parts. References made throughout this disclosure relating to specific examples and implementations are provided solely for illustrative purposes but, unless indicated to the contrary, are not meant to limit all examples.

[0039] Disclosed herein are embodiments and examples that remove MFT from water bodies (e.g., tailings ponds) and then convert the hydrocarbon and biomass entrained in the MFT into usable electricity or liquid fuels (e.g., diesel, ethanol, methanol). Using the disclosed embodiments, environmentally hazardous MFT are both removed from tailings ponds (or other water bodies) and converted into electricity or fuel, which may then be (at least partially) used to power the entire process. Thus, the disclosed embodiments demonstrate a greener way to extract MFT and generate electricity or fuel therefrom.

[0040] Several embodiments are disclosed for removing MFT from water bodies, such as tailing ponds. As discussed below, this may be done using submersible pumps, some of which include various screens to filter out entrained vegetation and debris (e.g., branches) that could damage pumping or processing equipment. A further embodiment of this disclosure includes a maceration function which homogenizes the debris further increasing the biomass component of the MFT media. Solidified masses of MFT, with higher bitumen concentrations, typically float at or near the surface of the water body, and thus, some embodiments use barges or other sea vessels to skim these denser masses of MFT from or near the water's surface, and the so-retrieved masses may be pulverized before being processed into reusable electricity, fuel liquids, or other renewables. These solidified masses of MFT consist of higher concentrations of hydrocarbons than aqueous MFT, and therefore yield higher levels of electricity/fuel production. After MFT extraction, the removed MFT is sent to a processing facility to be converted into electricity or fuel.

[0041] Before proceedings, some key definitions are provided below to aid the reader in understanding the disclosed embodiments.

[0042] The term "mixing" and "sufficiently mixed" refers to the homogenous mixing of the vaporized organic material with an excess of hydrogen and superheated steam so that the organic material is completely dehalogenated and reduced by the hydrogen gas. Thorough mixing allows hydrogen gas to bombard the organic compounds in the MFT from all directions and helps the dehalogenation, desulfurization and reduction reactions to near completion. If the vaporized MFT is not sufficiently mixed with the excess amount of hydrogen gas and superheated steam, the compounds in the organic material will not be completely dehalogenated and reduced, resulting in the formation and condensation of a tarry material. Mixing is accomplished using any known means, for example, a static mixer or ensuring conditions that produce turbulent flow.

[0043] The term "tarry material" as used herein refers to condensed polyaromatic hydrocarbons that results from insufficient mixing of the MFT with an excess amount of hydrogen gas and superheated steam. In some embodiments, when the MFT is not sufficiently mixed with an excess amount of hydrogen gas and superheated steam, the MFT is incompletely dehalogenated and/or desulfurized and are subsequently incompletely reduced. As a result, aromatic compounds in the MFT condense and form tarry material that accumulates in the process reactor causing the process to be shut down.

[0044] The term "superheated steam" as used herein refers to water that has been heated to a temperature of about 600°C to 900°C at a pressure greater than 0-2ATM.

[0045] The term "vaporized" as used herein refers to a liquid that has been converted to its vapor form by the application of heat.

[0046] FIG. 1 illustrates a pump system 100 for use in a body of fluid 104. The body of fluid 104 can contain any one of, or any combination of, used or unused process water, treated wastewater effluent, mature fine tailings (MFT), slurry and the like, resulting from mining operations and related activities. In some embodiments, the body of fluid 104 contains a bed of MFT 108 adjacent to a bottom 112 of the body of fluid 104. In addition, the MFT 108 or any other portion of the body of fluid 104 can contain debris 116, such as vegetation (e.g. tree branches). In operation, the pump system 100 reclaims the MFT 108 from the body of fluid 104 and delivers the reclaimed MFT to other equipment (not shown) for processing into reusable energy (e.g., electricity, diesel fuel, ethanol, methanol, or the like).

[0047] In some embodiments, the pump system 100 includes a barge 120, with a pump support, configured to float at a surface 124 of the body of fluid 104. The barge 120 supports a pump 128, such as a submersible centrifugal pump, from a line 132. The line 132 may include a fluid discharge hose from the pump 128, as well as one or more conduits for supplying power and control to the pump 128. In other embodiments, the fluid discharge hose can be separated from the line 132.

[0048] Additionally or alternatively, the pump system 100 may include a pump enclosure 136. The pump enclosure 136 includes one or more walls defining a chamber 138 for enclosing the pump 128. At least one of the walls defining the chamber 138 includes at least one opening therein for permitting the entry of material (such as MFT) into the chamber 138, to be collected by the pump 128 and delivered to the barge 120 or other equipment for processing. The opening may also be configured to reduce or eliminate the entry of debris 116 or other material into the pump enclosure 136 that may damage the pump 128 or interrupt the operation of the pump 128. Furthermore, when the pump enclosure 136 is installed around the pump 128, the distance between at least a portion of the walls of the pump enclosure 136 and an inlet of the pump 128 is greater than a predefined threshold.

[0049] In operation, the pump 128, exerts suction pressure on material surrounding the inlet. The suction pressure exerted by the pump 128 causes the material to move towards the inlet at an increasing radial velocity. In some embodiments, this fluid velocity is proportional to the distance from the pump suction and decreases radially from the pump inlet. The filtering action of the walls of the pump enclosure 136, in the relatively low velocity field, located at some radial distance from the pump suction, effectively increases the filtration efficiency of the present invention over that of a simple pump strainer for two reasons. First, the lower transit velocity of the media through the screen of the pump enclosure reduces the pressure drop across the screen. Second, the larger surface area of the pump enclosure screen, as compared to the pump suction strainer, provides a larger surface area than the pump strainer, thereby reducing the possibility of total flow blockage.

[0050] The threshold distance is selected such that beyond the threshold distance, the velocity of material that is pulled towards the inlet of the pump 128 is reduced sufficiently to reduce or eliminate the likelihood of material (e.g., debris 116) clogging the above-mentioned opening in the walls of the pump enclosure 136. Various embodiments of the pump enclosure 136 are described in greater detail below.

[0051] Referring now to Figure 2A, the barge 120 is illustrated with two pumps 128 suspended therefrom into the body of fluid 104 by respective lines 132. In other embodiments, more than two pumps 128 can be suspended from the barge 120. In further embodiments, a single pump 128 can be suspended from the barge 120.

[0052] One of the pumps 128 suspended from the barge 120 is enclosed in pump enclosure 136. In other embodiments, both pumps 128 suspended from the barge 120 can be enclosed in respective pump enclosures. More generally, in some embodiments every pump 128 suspended from the barge 120 can be enclosed in a pump enclosure 136.

[0053] The chamber 138 of the pump enclosure 136 is defined by a side wall 200, a lower wall 204 and an upper wall 208. The side wall 200 is a substantially cylindrical side wall in the present example. In other embodiments, the side wall 200 can have the shape of a rectangular prism. The side wall 200 is connected at a lower end to the lower wall 204, and at an opposite, upper end to the upper wall 208.

[0054] As mentioned earlier, the pump enclosure 136 includes at least one opening to allow entry of material from the body of fluid 104 into the pump enclosure 136 for collection by the pump 128. In the present example, the side wall 200 includes a plurality of spaced apart rods 212 (see Figure 2B) extending between the upper wall 208 and the lower wall 204. The at least one opening thus includes a plurality of openings, each opening being defined by the space between two adjacent rods 212. In other embodiments, the side wall 200 can include a mesh instead of the set of rods 212 shown in Figures 2A and 2B.

[0055] The pump enclosure 136 can include further openings in addition to those defined in the side wall 200. For example, the lower wall 204 of the pump enclosure 136 can also include additional openings. In the example illustrated in Figures 2A and 2B, the lower wall 204 includes a ring 216 and a plurality of rods 220 extending along chords of the ring 216 (that is, from one point on an inner side of the ring 216 to another point on the inner side). The spaces between adjacent ones of the rods 220 are openings in the lower wall 204.

[0056] In some embodiments, the upper wall 208 can also include an opening therein. For example, as seen in Figure 2A, the upper wall 208 includes an opening 224 therethrough to allow passage of the line 132. In some embodiments, the opening 224 can also be large enough to allow passage of the pump 128 therethrough. In such embodiments, the enclosure 136 can be installed in the body of fluid 104, for example by anchoring the enclosure (e.g. via the lower wall 204 and/or upper wall 208) to the bottom 112 of the body of fluid 104. One or both of the lower wall 204 and the upper wall 208 can be buoyant, to maintain the orientation of the enclosure 136 relative to the bottom 112. Once the enclosure 136 is installed, the pump 128 can be lowered from the barge 120 into the enclosure 136 via the opening 224. The position of the pump 128 can also be adjusted within the chamber 138 during operation by spooling or unspooling the line 132 from the barge 120.

[0057] The pump enclosure 136 can also include further openings defined in the side wall 200. In particular, as seen in Figures 2A and 2B, a plurality of openings in the side wall 200 can each accommodate a macerator 228. In the present embodiment, the pump enclosure 136 includes four macerators 228. In other embodiments, more than four macerators 228 can be included. In further embodiments, as few as zero macerators 228 can be included in the pump enclosure 136 (that is, the macerators 228 can be omitted entirely). Further, the position of the macerators 228 can be varied. In the present embodiment, the macerators 228 protrude through the side wall 200 adjacent to the lower wall 204. In other embodiments, the macerators 228 can be placed in the side wall 200 at any suitable location intermediate to the lower wall 204 and the upper wall 208. In further embodiments, each macerator 228 can be placed at a different height in the side wall 200 from the other macerators 228.

[0058] Each of the macerators 228 includes an inlet for receiving material from the body of fluid 104, one or more grinding or cutting mechanisms for reducing breaking the material received at the inlet into pieces, and an outlet for discharging the pieces into the chamber 138. Power supply and control signals for the macerators 228 can travel along the line 132 or be supplied from a separate floating companion barge. As also mentioned earlier, the distance between at least a portion of the walls 200, 204 and 208 and an inlet 232 of the pump 128 is greater than a predetermined threshold. In the present example, the predetermined threshold distance is a fraction or multiple of the diameter "D" of an inlet 232 of the pump 128. In some embodiments, the threshold is equivalent to at least one inlet diameter. Thus, for a pump inlet diameter of about eight inches, the threshold distance is about eight inches from the pump inlet. In further embodiments, the threshold is equivalent to at least two inlet diameters. Thus, for a pump inlet diameter of about eight inches, the threshold distance is about sixteen inches from the pump inlet. In other embodiments, the threshold is equivalent to a greater multiple of the inlet diameter than two. In further embodiments, the threshold is equivalent to a multiple of the inlet diameter that is between one and two.

[0059] Thus, at least a portion of at least one of the side wall 200, the lower wall 204 and the upper wall 208 is farther from the inlet 232 than the threshold distance as defined above. In the present embodiment, the entirety of each of the walls 200, 204 and 208 are further from the inlet 232 than the threshold distance as defined above. Maintaining at least the threshold distance between the inlet 232 and at least a portion of the walls of the enclosure 136 reduces the velocity of material (imparted by the pump 128) at the openings in the walls of the enclosure 136, and therefore can reduce the likelihood of the openings becoming clogged with debris. In addition, the outlets of each the macerators 228 are preferably further from the inlet 232 than the threshold distance as defined above. This allows the macerated flow stream to blend and normalize prior to passage through the pump suction strainer reducing the possibility of pump suction blockage.

[0060] Figure 3 illustrates an example of a pump enclosure 336. The pump enclosure 336 defines a chamber 338 within a side wall 300 connected between a lower wall 304 and an upper wall 308. The side wall 300 is substantially cylindrical in the present embodiment. In other embodiments, the side wall 300 can have other configurations, including the shape of a rectangular prism. The side wall 300 includes a plurality of spaced apart rods 312, and thus defines openings between adjacent rods 312. The lower wall 304 includes a ring 316 and a plurality of rods 320 extending along chords of the inner side of the ring 316, thus forming additional openings between the chamber 338 and the exterior of the chamber 338.

[0061] In addition, the upper wall 308 defines an opening 324 therein. While the pump enclosure 136 illustrated in Figures 2A and 2B enclosed a single pump 128, the pump enclosure 336 encloses a plurality of pumps 128. In particular, the opening 324 in the upper wall 308 is sufficiently large to surround the entirety of the barge 120. The chamber 338 defined by the upper wall 308, the side wall 300 and the lower wall 304 is sufficiently large to enclose the plurality of pumps 128 suspended from the barge 120.

[0062] In the installed position, the pump enclosure 336 can be anchored to the bottom 112 of the body of fluid 104, for example by anchor lines connected to the lower wall 304 and/or the upper wall 308. The upper wall 308, the lower wall 304, or both, can be buoyant to assist in maintaining the orientation of the pump enclosure 336. The upper wall 308 can lie below the surface 124 in the installed position in some embodiments. In other embodiments, a portion of the upper wall 308 can rise above the surface 124 of the body of fluid 104. In such embodiments, the portion of the upper wall 308 that rises above the surface 124 may provide protection for the barge 120 from waves and debris floating on the surface 124.

[0063] As seen in Figure 3, the distance from the inlet of each pump 128 enclosed within the pump enclosure 336 exceeds the above-mentioned threshold distance of the inlet diameter "D" of the pump 128.

[0064] Referring now to Figure 4, a further embodiment is illustrated in the form of a pump enclosure 436. Certain components of the pump enclosure 436 are as described above in connection with the pump enclosure 336. Those components bear similar reference characters to the components of the pump enclosure 336, but with a leading '4' rather than a leading '3'. Thus, the chamber 438, the side wall 400, the lower wall 404, the upper wall 408, are as described above in connection with the chamber 338, the side wall 300, the lower wall 304, the upper wall 308, respectively. The same principle applies to the ring 416, the rods 412 and 420, and the opening 424.

[0065] In addition, the pump enclosure 436 includes a plurality of macerators 428 mounted in the side wall 400. As described in connection with the macerators 228 shown in Figure 2, the macerators 428 collect material from outside the chamber 438, grind or cut the material, and discharge the ground or cut material into the chamber 438. In the present embodiment, the pump enclosure 436 includes ten macerators 428 (eight macerators 428 are visible in Figure 4). In other embodiments, fewer than ten macerators 428 can be provided, including zero macerators, as seen in the embodiment of Figure 3. In further embodiments, a number of macerators 428 greater than ten may be provided. The positions of the macerators 428 can also be varied within the side wall 400.

[0066] Referring to Figure 5, another pump enclosure 536 is illustrated. The pump enclosure 536 includes a chamber 538 defined by a side wall 500, a lower wall 504 and an upper wall 508. As in the embodiments of Figures 3 and 4, the pump enclosure 536 surrounds the barge 120 and thus the chamber 538 encloses all the pumps 128 suspended from the barge 120. However, the walls 500, 504 and 508 of the pump enclosure 536 are solid and impermeable, rather than made of rods or mesh as in the embodiments described above. The upper wall 508 preferably extends above the surface 124 of the body of fluid 104.

[0067] The pump enclosure 536 includes at least one opening in the side wall 500, in the form of a plurality of macerators in the side wall 500. In the present embodiment, in which the upper wall 508 extends above the surface 124 of the body of fluid 104, the macerators 528 provide the only openings from within the body of fluid 104 into the chamber 538.

[0068] In the embodiments of Figures 3, 4 and 5, the installation of the pump enclosures 336, 436 and 536 can be performed by, for example, floating the pump enclosure to the planned location of operation of the barge 120 in the body of fluid, and then sinking the pump enclosures into the body of fluid to the desired depth and anchoring the pump enclosures. The barge 120 can then be floated over the pump enclosures. In other embodiments, the pump enclosures and the barge 120 can be floated out to the desired position within the body of fluid 104 together (with the barge 120 already surrounded by the pump enclosure). The pump enclosure can then be sunk and anchored. Following placement of the pump enclosure and the barge 120, the pumps 128 can be deployed from the barge 120 into the chamber 338, 438 or 538.

[0069] Referring now to Figures 6A and 6B, a further pump enclosure 636 is illustrated. The pump enclosure 636 defines a chamber 638 that encloses at least a portion of a pump 128. At least the portion of the pump 128 that bears the inlet 232 is enclosed within the chamber 638. The chamber 638 can be defined by a side wall 600 connected between a lower wall 604 and an upper wall 608. At least one of the walls 600, 604 and 608 includes at least one opening. For example, the side wall 600 can be made of a mesh or grating, and can therefore include a plurality of openings therein for material to enter the chamber 638 from the body of fluid 104.

The side wall 600 is illustrated as being substantially cylindrical in shape in Figure 6A. In other embodiments, the side wall 600 can have other shapes, including the shape of a rectangular prism [0070] The lower wall 604 and the upper wall 608 can be substantially disc-shaped walls, with the exception of a slot cut into each of the walls 604 and 608 to allow for the passage of a discharge hose 650 from the pump 128. The side wall 600 can also protrude inwardly to form a channel allowing the passage of the discharge hose 650. In other embodiments, the discharge hose 650 can rest on the upper wall 608 and travel along the outermost extent of the side wall 600 before returning to the barge 120. In such embodiments, the walls 600, 604 and 608 can omit the above-mentioned slots and channels.

[0071] In some embodiments, the upper wall 608 may be sufficiently buoyant to support the pump enclosure 636, without the pump 128, at or near the surface 124 of the body of fluid 104. Thus, to install the pump 128 within the enclosure 636, the enclosure 636 may be floated adjacent to the barge 120, and the pump 128 may be lowered into the upper wall 608. In some embodiments, the upper wall 608 may include a coupling mechanism for securing the pump 128 to the upper wall 608. Upon insertion of the pump 128, the pump 128 and the enclosure 636 together may be lowered from the barge 120 via the line 132 to the desired depth within the body of fluid. The additional weight of the pump 128 may be greater than the buoyancy provided by the upper wall 608, thus allowing the assembled pump enclosure 636 and pump 128 to descend into the body of fluid 104.

[0072] In some embodiments (not shown), the pump enclosure 636 may also include one or more macerators mounted in the side wall 600. For example, in some embodiments four macerators may be mounted in the side wall 600 adjacent to the lower wall 604.

[0073] Variations to the above embodiments are contemplated. For example, the pump 128 can include a cage or strainer at the inlet 232 in any of the above embodiments, to prevent any debris that reaches the interior of the pump enclosures from entering the inlet 232 and damaging or interrupting the operation of the pump 128.

[0074] In additional embodiments, the alternative configurations are contemplated for the macerators 228 and 428, as well as the macerators mentioned in connection with the embodiment illustrated in Figures 6A and 6B. As discussed above, each macerator has a flow path (from inlet, to grinding or cutting elements, to outlet) that travels from the exterior of the pump enclosures to the interior of the pump enclosures (the chambers 238, 438, 638). In other embodiments, each macerator can instead have a flow path that is substantially parallel to the side wall of the pump enclosure. That is, the macerator can be mounted outside the side wall of the pump enclosure, and both ingest debris and discharge cut or ground debris outside the side wall. Such macerators can also be movably connected to the exterior of the pump enclosures. For example, referring to Figure 4, one or more of the macerators 428 can be mounted on a track on the ring 416 and can travel on the track around the exterior of the side wall 400 to clear accumulated debris.

[0075] In further embodiments, the pump enclosures can include additional pumping devices adjacent to the inlets of the macerators. For example, an eductor, or water dredge, may be placed near the inlet of each macerator to increase the flow of material (e.g. MFT) into the macerator.

[0076] Various advantages to the embodiments described herein will now be apparent. For example, by reducing or preventing the entry of debris to within at least a threshold distance of the pump inlet, the enclosures described above not only reduce the likelihood of suction blockage and/or damage to the pump, but also restrain any debris in the body of fluid at a sufficient distance from the pump inlet that the likelihood of the debris impinging against the outside of the enclosure and clogging one or more openings in the enclosure is reduced. In addition, in embodiments that include macerators, debris that may otherwise impede the operation of pumps is not only prevented from impeding the operation of the pumps, but can also be reduced in size sufficiently to be removed from the body of fluid 104 by the pumps.

[0077] The barge 120 may also be connected to one or more pipes that transport pumped MFT back to shore for processing. For example, these pipes may be used to transport MFT from the barges 120 to the MFT processing facility 1000 discussed below in FIG. 10. In large pools 124, such piping may stretch several kilometers long across the surface 124 of the pool and be attached to barges supporting the pump system 120. This allows for the barges to pump up MFT using the disclosed submersible pumps and pipe the extracted MFT back to land for transport to the processing facilities disclosed below that, in turn, process such MFT into electricity and/or fuel liquids (e.g., diesel, ethanol, methanol, or the like) [0078] The disclosed embodiments may retrieve MFT using other sea vessels, some of which do not use a submersible pump. As previously mentioned, some of the most hydrocarbon-rich MFT has a high bitumen concentration and floats as masses at or near the surface 124 of the body 104. Some embodiments use a barge with a net or other trapping mechanism for collecting these masses of MFT. An example of such a barge is shown in Figures 7 and 8.

[0079] Figure 7 illustrates a side view 700 of an MFT-collecting barge 720 with a trapping mechanism 730 underneath for capturing MFT masses 710 that are floating at or near (e.g., within 10 meters) the surface 124 of the pool 104. The trapping mechanism 730 may be a net, fence, grate, or other compartment that allows water to pass through while catching and holding the MFT masses 710 as the barge 720 moves through the pool 740 (as shown by arrow 740). Though not shown, the barge 720 may also include one or more shredders, pulverisers, or macerators that operate to break up the MFT masses 710 for easier transport to the processing facilities described in more detail below.

[0080] Figure 8 illustrates a perspective view of the barge 720 with the trapping mechanism 730. As the barge 720 moves across the surface 124 of the pool 104 in direction 740, MFT masses 710 are collected in the trapping mechanism 730 between barge arms 810 and 820. Arms 810 and 820 form an inlet spanning distance 830 for the MFT masses 710 to be captured. Captured MFT masses 710 may be carried by the barge 720 back to shore for transport to the processing facilities mentioned below. For instance, the trapping mechanism 730 may be unloaded into a truck or carried by a crane to a bed of a processing facility that uses the disclosed techniques to process the MFT masses 710 into electricity or fuel liquids.

[0081] While the barge 720 in Figures 7-8 is shown without a submersible pump, embodiments may include both the submersible pumps described in Figures 1-6B in addition to the trapping mechanism 730 shown in Figures 7-8. Figure 9 shows a side view 900 of a barge 920 that includes both the trapping mechanism 730 (not identified in Fig. 9) (e.g., an underside net) for capturing larger MFT masses 710 floating at or near the surface 124 and the submersible pump 128 for pumping up smaller or liquified MFT from the pool 104. Barge 902 provides the ability to both pump MFT from depths of the pool 104 (while separating out some debris) and also skim MFT masses 710 that are at or just under the surface 124 of the pool 104. In some embodiments, the MFT masses 710 may be crushed on the barge 920 and piped back with the MFT collected by the submersible pump 128 back to shore for processing into electricity/liquid fuel. Alternatively, in some embodiments, the MFT masses 710 are collected and transported back to shore by the barge 702 without crushing.

[0082] Figure 10 illustrates an MFT processing facility 1000 used to process the MFT and/or the MFT masses 710 into electricity and/or liquid fuel (e.g., diesel, ethanol, methanol, or the like). To do so, the MFT processing facility 1000 includes a grinder 1002, a vaporizer 1004, a mixer 1006, a reactor 1008, a primary scrubber 1010, a secondary scrubber 1012, a compressor 1014, a hydrogen separator 1016, a gas tank 1018, an electric generator or fuel cell 1020, and a liquid fuel power plant 1022. The depicted embodiment is but one example of a processing facility for generating electricity or liquid fuel from the MFT and MFT masses 710 that are extracted from the pools 100. Also, some of the depicted components may reside outside of the MFT processing facility 1000. For example, the electric generator or fuel cell 1020 or the liquid power plant 1022 may be located at a different plant than the MFT processing facility 1000. Moreover, for the sake of clarity, no distinction is made in the following discussion of the MFT processing facility between "MFT" and "MFT masses." Both are referred to below simply as "MFT." [0083] As shown, the MFT extracted by any of the previously discussed barges 120, 720, or 920 are supplied to the MFT processing facility 1000-either directly from the barges themselves (e.g., through a pipeline), via truck, or some other conveyance. In some embodiments, the MFT is ground in the grinder 1002 into a uniform and easily conveyable MFT feed. Put another way, the grinder 1002 breaks down the masses formed from the higher bitumen concentrations of MFT. In operation, the grinder 1002 grinds the material to a uniform size and allows for transferring the material through the MFT processing facility 1000. Alternative embodiments do not use the grinder 1002, and instead directly supply the MFT to the vaporizer 1004, because the MFT is uniform enough, or liquefied, that grinding is not necessary. Thus, the MFT feed mentioned below may be a ground version of the MFT captured by the barges 120, 720, 920 (in some embodiments) or a just the MFT without being ground (in other embodiments).

[0084] The vaporizer 1004 receives and vaporizes the MFT feed into its constituent gasses. In some embodiments, the vaporizer 1004 is a rotatable reaction, mixing and/or milling apparatus that is heated and therefore vaporizes the MFT feed. The MFT feed, in addition to organic compounds that can be vaporized, may also contain inorganic material that does not vaporize. In an embodiment, the inorganic material that does not vaporize in the vaporizer 1004 may be collected from the vaporizer 1004 as solid inorganic waste. Examples of inorganic waste include any type of material which will not vaporize in the heat of the vaporizer 1004, including, without limitation, metals, minerals, stones, sand or silica. Such inorganic waste, being free of organic material, may be suitable for recycling or disposal in a landfill.

[0085] The vaporized organic material of the MFT is conveyed from the vaporizer 1004 to the mixer 1006 where the vaporized organic material of the MFT is thoroughly mixed with an excess amount of hydrogen gas and superheated steam. Thorough mixing of the vaporized organic material from the MFT with the excess amount of hydrogen gas and superheated steam allows for the components of the mixture to be sufficiently mixed and reduce the formation of tarry material Mixing may also be accomplished using any other known means.

[0086] The mixed and heated vaporized organic material, hydrogen gas, and superheated steam are conveyed to the reactor 1008. In some embodiments, the reactor 1008 is a tubular gas phase reduction (GPR) (or other arcuately shaped) reactor that is substantially free of oxygen. In operation, the vaporized organic material, hydrogen gas, and superheated steam are further heated in the reactor 1008 to produce methane gas.

[0087] This methane gas is directed from the reactor 1008 to the primary scrubber 1010, where the methane gas mixture is cooled, and acid, water, and any particulate matter are removed. In a further embodiment, the gas mixture enters a secondary scrubber 1012 to remove residual acid and water. Additional scrubbers may be used to continue removing water and acid. Water is a by-product of the reactions occurring in the process reactors, and exits the process as stream from the primary scrubber 1010 and the secondary scrubber 1012. These steam byproducts may be combined and then treated, in some embodiments, before exiting the process as effluent.

[0088] After the scrubbers, the gas mixture predominantly comprises hydrogen gas and methane. This hydrogen-methane gas mixture is directed to the compressor 1014, which compresses and cools the hydrogen-methane gas mixture. Any suitable type of compressor may be used, e.g., a centrifugal, diagonal, axial-flow, reciprocating, rotary screw, or other type of compressor.

[0089] The compressed gas mixture is directed from the compressor 1014 to the hydrogen separator 1016. In some embodiments, the hydrogen separator 1016 may be a membrane type separator that separates the hydrogen gas from the compressed gas mixture with about 85% efficiency to form two separate gas streams 1016a and 1016b. Stream 1016a is substantially hydrogen gas recovered from the compressed gas mixture that is recycled to be used again in the process. In some embodiments, the hydrogen gas of stream 1016b is directed back to the vaporizer 1004 (or, optionally, to the mixer 1006) as an energy or heat source. Recycling this hydrogen gas in such a manner makes the MFT processing facility 1000 operate in a greener and more efficient manner.

[0090] Stream 1016b is a methane-rich gas stream that contains 10-20% hydrogen, which can subsequently be used, for example, as a clean burning fuel, for the generation of heat or electricity or for any other known use for methane. In a further embodiment the methane-rich gas stream 1016b stored in gas tank 1018 and may be directed to the electric generator or fuel cell 1020 or to the liquid fuel power plant 1022. Along these lines, it is one benefit of present disclosure that the gases produced in the MFT processing facility 1000 are used as clean-burning fuels. For example, the methane-rich gas mixture may be used as a fuel sources in any known energy-generating system, for example, but not limited to gas-fired turbines, steam-fired turbines, and other engines. The methane can also be converted to hydrogen using known carbon dioxide reforming and water gas shift processes and the hydrogen subsequently used as a fuel in known hydrogen power generation systems, for example, fuel cells. The methane and/or hydrogen are either collected and transported to the energy generating system or can be fed directly into such systems, that in one embodiment of the disclosure, are in close proximity to or in combination with the process apparatus.

[0091] Figure. 11 illustrates a flowchart diagram depicting an example workflow 1100 for generating electricity or liquid fuel from MFT extracted from a pool. As shown at 1102, the MFT is extracted from the pool, e.g., using barge with submersible pumps pump the MFT from the pool or using barges with trapping mechanisms that capture MFT masses on or near (e.g., within 10 meters) of a surface of the pool. The captured MFT (including the MFT masses) are transported to an MFT processing facility, such as the one illustrated in Figure 10, as referenced at 1104. The MFT processing facility performs generates a hydrogen-methane gas mixture (e.g., methane and 10-20% hydrogen) from the MFT through various grinding, heating, compressing, and separating components, as shown at 1106. An example workflow 1200 detailing one example of processing the MFT into the methane gas is shown in Figure 12 and described in more detail below.

[0092] The methane gas generated from the MFT may then be supplied to an electric generator, fuel cell, or liquid fuel plant, as shown at 1108, 1110, and 1112, respectively. As shown at 1114, the electric generator-which, in some embodiments, is a include a gas-powered turbine-and the fuel cell generate electricity using the methane gas. As shown at 1116, the liquid fuel plan generates a liquid fuel (e.g., diesel, ethanol, methanol, or the like) from the methane gas.

[0093] Figures 12A and 12B illustrates a flowchart diagrams depicting an example workflow 1200 of an MFT processing facility processing extracted MET into electricity or liquid fuel. Looking initially at Figure 12A, MFT is received at the processing facility, e.g., through piping from the barges mentioned herein or from a truck, tanker, pipeline, or other transport, as shown at 1202. The received MFT is shredded, ground, or pulverized by a grinder into a uniform MFT feed that may easily be supplied to other components in the MFT processing facility, as shown at 1204. Some MFT masses of higher bitumen concentration captured in the pool (e.g., using barges 720 or 920) may be larger masses that must be ground down to a certain consistency in order to be processes.

[0094] In some embodiments, the ground MFT feed is supplied to a vaporizer that vaporizes the MFT into it constituent gasses, separating constituent organic gas(ses) from inorganic material, as shown at 1206. The inorganic material may then be collected and safely discarded. The organic gas(ses) are mixed with hydrogen gas and steam, as shown at 1208. The mixed organic material, hydrogen gas, and steam are conveyed to a reactor that heats this mixture again to release methane gas, as shown at 1210.

[0095] This methane gas is directed from the reactor to the primary scrubber, where the methane gas mixture is cooled, and acid, water, and any particulate matter are removed, as shown at 1212. In a further embodiment, the gas mixture enters a secondary scrubber to remove residual acid and water, as shown at 1214, leaving a cooled hydrogen-methane gas mixture.

[0096] Turning attention to Figure 12B, the hydrogen-methane gas mixture is compressed by a compressor and cooled, as shown at 1216. As shown at 1218, a hydrogen separator separates hydrogen from the hydrogen-methane gas mixture (e.g., methane and 10-20% hydrogen), producing two streams: one of hydrogen and one of the hydrogen-methane gas mixture. The hydrogen is recycled back into the MFT processing facility for use in heating the vaporizer (or, optionally, the mixer), as show at 1220. And the methane-rich gas mixture is collected in a tank, or other receptacle, for use in generating electricity or liquid fuel, as shown at 1222. In some embodiments, the methane-rich gas mixture is 10-20% hydrogen and the rest methane.

[0097] As previously mentioned, the methane-rich gas mixture generated from the MFT may then be supplied to an electric generator, fuel cell, or liquid fuel plant, as shown at 1224, 1226, and 1228, respectively. As shown at 1230, the electric generator and the fuel cell generate electricity using the methane-rich gas mixture. As shown at 1232, the liquid fuel plan generates a liquid fuel (e.g., diesel, ethanol, methanol, or the like) from the methane gas.

[0098] It is to be understood that the above description is intended to be illustrative, and not restrictive. For example, the above-described embodiments (and/or aspects thereof) may be used in combination with each other. Furthermore, invention(s) have been described in connection with what are presently considered to be the most practical and preferred embodiments, it is to be understood that the invention is not to be limited to the disclosed embodiments, but on the contrary, is intended to cover various modifications and equivalent arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the invention(s). Further, each independent feature or component of any given assembly may constitute an additional embodiment. In addition, many modifications may be made to adapt a particular situation or material to the teachings of the disclosure without departing from its scope. Dimensions, types of materials, orientations of the various components, and the number and positions of the various components described herein are intended to define parameters of certain embodiments, and are by no means limiting and are merely exemplary embodiments. Many other embodiments and modifications within the spirit and scope of the claims will be apparent to those of skill in the art upon reviewing the above description. The scope of the disclosure should, therefore, be determined with reference to the appended claims, along with the full scope of equivalents to which such claims are entitled.

[0099] While the aspects of the disclosure have been described in terms of various examples with their associated operations, a person skilled in the art would appreciate that a combination of operations from any number of different examples is also within scope of the aspects of the disclosure.

[00100] When introducing elements of aspects of the disclosure or the examples thereof, the articles "a," "an," "the," and "said" are intended to mean that there are one or more of the elements. The terms "comprising," "including," and "having" are intended to be inclusive and mean that there may be additional elements other than the listed elements. The term "exemplary" is intended to mean "an example of." The phrase "one or more of the following: A, B, and C" means "at least one of A and/or at least one of B and/or at least one of C." [00101] Having described aspects of the disclosure in detail, it will be apparent that modifications and variations are possible without departing from the scope of aspects of the disclosure as defined in the appended claims. As various changes could be made in the above constructions, products, and methods without departing from the scope of aspects of the disclosure, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description and shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

Claims

CLAIMS1. A system for processing mature fine tailings (MFT) located in a pool, the system comprising: a barge coupled to a submersible pump configured to pump the MFT from the pool; and an MFT processing facility configured to use the MFT pumped by the submersible to generate a methane-rich gas mixture for use in generating electricity or liquid fuel.
2. The system of claim 1, wherein the submersible pump comprises: at least one wall defining a chamber for enclosing the submersible pump; and at least one opening in the at least one wall permitting passage of material in the pool to be pumped.
3. The system of claim 2, wherein the methane-rich gas mixture is made up of 10-20% hydrogen and the rest methane.
4. The system of any preceding claim, wherein the barge further comprises a trapping mechanism for capturing MFT masses floating at or near a surface of the pool.
5. The system of claim 4, wherein the trapping mechanism comprises at least one of a net, a fence, or a grate positioned, at least partially, along a bottom side of barge.
6. The system of claim 4, wherein the barge further comprises one or more shredders, pulverizers, or macerators for breaking up the MFT masses.
7. The system of any of claims 1, 4, and 5, wherein the MFT processing facility comprises a grinder for breaking down the MFT masses captured by the trapping mechanism of the barge.
8. The system of any of claims 1, 4, and 5, wherein the MFT processing facility comprises: a grinder for breaking down the MFT pumped by the submersible pump or the MFT masses captured by the trapping mechanism into an MFT feed; a vaporizer for vaporizing the MFT feed to separate inorganic material from organic material of the MFT feed; and a reactor to convert the organic material of the MFT feed into methane gas.
9. The system of any of claims 1, 4, and 5, wherein the MFT processing facility comprises: a grinder for breaking down the MFT pumped by the submersible pump or the MFT masses captured by the trapping mechanism into an MFT feed; a vaporizer for vaporizing the MFT feed to separate inorganic material from organic material of the MFT feed; a reactor to convert the organic material of the MFT feed into methane gas; a primary scrubber configured to cool the methane gas heated out of the MFT feed; a secondary scrubber configured to remove residual acid and water from the cooled methane gas from the primary scrubber; a compressor to compress the methane gas from the secondary scrubber into a compressed gas mixture; and a hydrogen separator to separate the compressed gas mixture into a hydrogen stream and a methane-rich gas mixture stream, wherein the separated methane-rich gas mixture is supplied to an electric generator or a fuel cell to generate the electricity.
10. The system of any of claims 1, 4, and 5, wherein the MFT processing facility comprises: a grinder for breaking down the MFT pumped by the submersible pump or the MFT masses captured by the trapping mechanism into an MFT feed; a vaporizer for vaporizing the MFT feed to separate inorganic material from organic material of the MFT feed; a reactor to convert the organic material of the MFT feed into methane gas; a primary scrubber configured to cool the methane gas heated out of the MFT feed; a secondary scrubber configured to remove residual acid and water from the cooled methane gas from the primary scrubber; a compressor to compress the methane gas from the secondary scrubber into a compressed gas mixture; and a hydrogen separator to separate the methane-rich gas mixture from the compressed gas mixture, wherein the separated methane-rich gas mixture is supplied to a liquid fuel plant to generate the liquid fuel.
11. The system of claim 1, wherein the liquid fuel comprises at least one of diesel fuel, ethanol, or methanol.
12. A method for generating electricity or liquid fuel from mature fine tailings (MFT), the method comprising: receiving MFT extracted from a pool containing a suspension of MFT in water; processing the MFT at an MFT processing facility to generate a methane gas from the MFT; and supplying the methane gas from the MFT processing facility to an electric generator or fuel cell for generating the electricity or to a liquid fuel plant for generating the liquid fuel.
13. The method of claim 12, further comprising extracting the MFT from the pool containing the suspension of MFT using a submersible pump.
14. The method of claim 12, further comprising extracting the MFT from the pool containing the suspension of MFT using a trapping mechanism coupled to a barge.
15. The method of claim 12, wherein said generation of the methane gas from the MFT comprises: grinding the MFT into an MFT feed; vaporizing the MFT feed to separate organic gas from inorganic material of the MET; mixing the organic gas of the vaporized MFT feed with hydrogen gas to create a vaporized hydrogen-methane gas mixture comprising the organic gas of the vaporized MFT feed; removing acid, water and particulate matter from the hydrogen-methane gas mixture using one or more scrubbers; compressing the hydrogen-methane gas mixture after the one or more scrubbers; separating hydrogen from the hydrogen-methane gas mixture to create a methane-rich gas mixture; and supplying the methane-rich gas mixture to either an electric generator for generating the electricity, a fuel cell for generating the electricity, or a liquid fuel plan for generating the liquid fuel.
16. A system for generating electricity or liquid fuel from mature fine tailings (MFT), the system comprising: one or more barges configured with either a submersible pump or a trapping mechanism for capturing the MFT; and a an MFT processing facility comprising: a grinder for grinding the MFT captured by the one or more barges into an MFT feed, a vaporizer for vaporizing the MFT feed to separate organic gas from inorganic material of the MFT, a mixer for mixing the organic gas of the vaporized MFT feed with hydrogen gas to create a vaporized hydrogen-methane gas mixture comprising the organic gas of the vaporized MFT feed, one or more scrubbers for removing acid and water from the hydrogen-methane gas mixture, a separator for separating hydrogen from the hydrogen-methane gas mixture to create a methane-rich gas mixture; and a tank for storing methane-rich gas mixture for use in generating the electricity or the liquid fuel.
17. The system of claim 16, wherein the electricity is generated by an electric generator being supplied with the methane-rich gas mixture.
18. The system of claim 16, wherein the electricity is generated by a fuel cell being supplied with the methane-rich gas mixture.
19. The system of claim 16, wherein the liquid fuel is generated by a liquid power plant from the methane-rich gas mixture.
20. The system of any of claims 16 to 19, wherein the methane-rich gas mixture comprises 10-20% hydrogen.