WO2004015244A1 - Procédé d'exploitation de sables pétrolifères au moyen de barges - Google Patents

Procédé d'exploitation de sables pétrolifères au moyen de barges Download PDF

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Publication number
WO2004015244A1
WO2004015244A1 PCT/CA2003/001193 CA0301193W WO2004015244A1 WO 2004015244 A1 WO2004015244 A1 WO 2004015244A1 CA 0301193 W CA0301193 W CA 0301193W WO 2004015244 A1 WO2004015244 A1 WO 2004015244A1
Authority
WO
WIPO (PCT)
Prior art keywords
sand
slurry
bitumen
pumped
oil sands
Prior art date
Application number
PCT/CA2003/001193
Other languages
English (en)
Inventor
Glenn Walsh
Douglas E. Coulter
Michael R. Tarbotton
Original Assignee
Red Maple Limited
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Red Maple Limited filed Critical Red Maple Limited
Priority to AU2003254678A priority Critical patent/AU2003254678A1/en
Publication of WO2004015244A1 publication Critical patent/WO2004015244A1/fr

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Classifications

    • E—FIXED CONSTRUCTIONS
    • E21—EARTH OR ROCK DRILLING; MINING
    • E21C—MINING OR QUARRYING
    • E21C50/00—Obtaining minerals from underwater, not otherwise provided for
    • E—FIXED CONSTRUCTIONS
    • E21—EARTH OR ROCK DRILLING; MINING
    • E21C—MINING OR QUARRYING
    • E21C41/00—Methods of underground or surface mining; Layouts therefor
    • E21C41/26—Methods of surface mining; Layouts therefor
    • E21C41/31—Methods of surface mining; Layouts therefor for oil-bearing deposits

Definitions

  • This invention relates to the mining of oil sands for the purpose of extracting oil therefrom.
  • the Athabasca oil sands consist of vast areas of sand infused with bitumen.
  • the bitumen is recoverable where it is present as a bitumen film on the surface of wet grains of sand.
  • the sand is often overlain by various types of overburden such as muskeg, clay, sand, gravel, fill and lean oil sand.
  • Limestone bedrock typically lies underneath the oil sand, but sometimes coal, mud, stone or other substance is the underlying material.
  • oil sand deposits are harvested by open-pit mining.
  • the overburden is stripped off and used for various purposes.
  • Muskeg is often stockpiled separately for future land reclamation, some materials are used to construct haul roads or dykes for tailing ponds, and the remaining materials are placed in waste dumps.
  • the oil sands are excavated using shovels and delivered by diesel-powered trucks to hoppers, crushers and sizers that break down any large lumps.
  • the ore is then conveyed to a coarse ore stockpile, or surge. It is fed from the surge via a reclaim conveyer to a preparation plant, where it is blended with hot water, steam, caustic, and naturally entrained air, and agitated to form a slurry having a temperature of 80°C.
  • the slurry is pumped to an extraction plant that is often several kilometres away from the excavation site.
  • a conditioning agent comprising a flotation agent and a frother may be added to the slurry to improve recovery of bitumen.
  • the surge may be eliminated; the sized material is fed directly to the preparation plant via a conveyer.
  • bitumen is separated from the sand.
  • the bitumen is then pumped to an upgrader for processing, while the sand and water are pumped back to tailing ponds, usually mined-out pits.
  • the Athabasca oil sands comprise water-wetted sand grains having viscous bitumen flecks trapped between the grains.
  • the bitumen-infused sand lends itself to the separation or dispersion of the bitumen from the sand grains by slurrying the as-mined sand in water so that the bitumen flecks move into the aqueous phase.
  • U.S. Patent No. 5,264,118 to Cymerman et al discloses a pipeline conditioning process for mined oil-sand wherein the oil sand slurry is pumped through a pipeline of at least 2500 metres long so that, in the course of being pumped therethrough, sufficient coalescence and aeration of bitumen occurs so that, when subsequently retained in the gravity separation vessel under quiescent conditions, a viable amount of bitumen floats, forms froth, and is recovered.
  • the slurry may be introduced directly into the primary separation vessel of a conventional separation circuit, wherein spontaneous flotation takes place to yield total recovery, underflow loss, and froth quality values that are comparable to those obtained by a conventional extraction train involving a tumbler and separation circuit.
  • the slurry may be at a relatively low temperature, and yet conditioning may still be successfully completed.
  • the completely conditioned slurry is subjected to separation of the coarse solids (as by settling by gravity or enhanced settling, such as with cyclones) part way along its passage through the pipeline, it is found that the solids will readily separate in a substantially clean condition.
  • the remaining slurry may then be pumped through the pipeline for the remainder of the distance to the primary separation plant.
  • U.S. Patent No.4,110,195 to Hardin discloses an apparatus and process for extracting oil or bitumen from oil sands.
  • the process is essentially an abrading and controlled separation process.
  • the process can be operated with "cold" water that need only be heated during the winter months, may include the use of lime but does not require solvents, and may use neutral pH water so that the clay in the oil sands does not form a gel and can be removed, to a large extent, in a settling tank. It is possible to cause the bitumen to be substantially entirely separated from the sand particles (excepting fines) by a mechanism which is wholly or very largely mechanical.
  • Oil sands are difficult to drive on once disturbed, since they have little shear strength and tend to become badly rutted. Trucks have trouble getting through even in good weather, and in wet weather they often become stuck. Sand and limestone are often used to strengthen frequently-travelled areas; this is not only costly, but has only limited success.
  • Oil sands are very abrasive, and often tightly packed. Digging can therefore be very costly, as ground-engaging tools must be frequently replaced.
  • a typical excavation might require seven 40-cubic metre electric or diesel- powered shovels and twenty-five 3OO-400-tonne diesel trucks to haul 220,000 cubic metres of oil sands to the sizers.
  • This operation including support equipment for building haul roads, drilling and ripping frost, handling oversize ore, and crushing, requires up to some 130,000 HP or perhaps more. This works out to approximately one billion HP-hours per year.
  • the use of heavy equipment also results in the production of significant C0 2 emissions.
  • An object of the present invention is to provide a reduced-cost method for mining oil . sands.
  • the oil sand pits are flooded with water and mined in a series of cells with dredging barges rather than shovels and trucks.
  • the overburden may be stripped prior to the flooding by traditional methods, or after flooding, by dredging.
  • the low permeability of oil sand minimizes leakage and reduces the likelihood of environmental damage. If necessary, permeable areas can be sealed with membranes, grout or even bitumen.
  • the barges are fitted with conventional dredging equipment, such as a cutter-head system for loosening tightly packed material.
  • the excavation proceeds in horizontal layers at the bottom of the pond, the water level being regulated by pumping water back 5 arid forth between the mining pond and tailing ponds.
  • each cell Once each cell has been mined down to the bedrock level, it is reflooded to allow the barge to navigate into the next cell and begin excavation.
  • a number of cells may j operate concurrently at various stages of completion, with one or more dredges operating in each cell. In this way, ore grade may be controlled by adjusting and blending flows from different depths, and throughput can be maintained by having spare capacity to handle moves, breakdowns and refits. Berms left between cells may be mined later by truck and shovel or by dredge. Completed cells are used for tailings and waste disposal.
  • Discharge pipes from the dredges are floated in the ponds during the summer months, and carried by the ice during the winter, i As the oil sand and water are pumped out of the cell, an oil sand and water slurry is created and pumped via pipeline for further processing. Some initial separation of sand and oil particles occurs in the pipeline en route to the extraction plant.
  • the slurry is pumped to a floating treatment plant where excess water and cleaned sand are removed, and from there to an extraction plant via a pipeline downstream of the treatment plant.
  • the excess water is returned to the pond, and cleaned sand is pumped to previously excavated cells.
  • hot water and conditioning agents may be added to the slurry at the treatment plant.
  • warm tailings water may be piped directly to the cutter head, or a reduced-scale heating and mixing system may be installed on the barge. The warming of the slurry allows for sand and oil particle separation in the pipeline, and this effect is enhanced by increasing the distance of slurry travel from the pit itself all the way to the extraction plant.
  • An alternative process includes the location of a floating extraction plant on a barge.
  • the dredge includes sufficient space to allow for the addition of the required conditioning agents to the slurry.
  • the pipeline from the dredge to the extraction plant may be much less than 2500 metres, provided that the extraction plant is of sufficient size to allow the enhanced settling out of sand to take place.
  • the floating extraction plant includes typical primary separation plant equipment, as well as means for separating the oil from the sand, and a bitumen frothing plant and pumping systems. These are all located on a floating barge which may be moved with little effort to the required location within the mine site. Since the extraction plant requires a uniform grade of oil sand to operate efficiently, multiple dredges may be required to process oil sands of varying bitumen content.
  • the bitumen froth is pumped directly from the floating extraction plant to an upgrader plant, while the cleaned sand effluent is pumped from the floating extraction plant to previously excavated areas within the mine site. Sludge from the upgrader plant is then pumped back to the primary separation plant where it is integrated with the pumped clean sand effluent.
  • the oil sands may be drilled -or blasted, or sprayed with high-pressure water jets prior to excavation. This loosens the oil sands and reduces the difficulty of excavating hard ore zones.
  • dredge slurry and pipeline eliminates the need for an ore preparation plant and the hoppers, crusher-sizers, conveyors, and other equipment that are typically located in the ore preparation plant.
  • a distinct cost advantage of the process is the delivery of warm material during the winter.
  • the ore being mined will be kept flooded with water, so that its temperature will never be lower than 0°C. This may make a difference of up to 30 or 40°C compared to current practices. There is a reduction in energy costs due to the higher average ore temperature.
  • the process also reduces the need for machinery used in excavating, hauling and crushing, and therefore requires far less energy than prior art processes. Reduced need for equipment also results in lower CO 2 emissions - an important consideration in light of the Kyoto Protocol.
  • Figure 1 is a flow chart illustrating the traditional open-pit mining method (prior art).
  • Figure 2 is a flow chart illustrating a first, embodiment of the flooded-pit dredge mining method.
  • Figure 3 is a flow chart illustrating a second embodiment of the flooded-pit dredge mining method.
  • Figure 4 is a flow chart illustrating the operating of the extraction plant.
  • the pit (1 ) is excavated with heavy-duty ground-engaging equipment (2). Ore is transported by trucks (3) to a sizer (4) for breakage of large ore lumps. The ore is conveyed to a surge (5), and then is conveyed to a preparation plant (6) where it is mixed with water to form a slurry. The slurry is pumped to an extraction plant (7), where sand and bitumen are separated. Bitumen is pumped to an upgrader for processing, while sand and water are pumped to tailing ponds.
  • the pit (1 ) is filled with water (8) and excavated with a dredge (9).
  • the ore, along with some water, is conveyed directly to a preparation plant (6), where the cooler water may be replaced with hot water.
  • the slurry is pumped to an extraction plant (7), where sand and bitumen are separated. Bitumen is pumped to an upgrader for processing, while sand and water are pumped to tailing ponds.
  • the pit (1 ) is filled with water (8) and excavated with a dredge (9).
  • a slurry is created by mixing the ore with water and conditioning agents on the dredge.
  • the slurry is then transported via pipeline (10) to an extraction plant (7) located on a floating barge (11).
  • the bitumen is then pumped to an upgrader for processing, while sand and water are pumped to tailing ponds.
  • the slurry arrives at the extraction plant (7) through a pipeline (10) from the dredge, and is first processed in a first separation circuit (12) to remove sand.
  • Coarse tailings (13) including sand are removed and pumped to the tailings pond.
  • the remaining froth is then further processed in a second separation circuit (14) to remove fine tailings (15) which are pumped to a tailings pond.
  • the bitumen-containing froth (16) is then pumped to an upgrader for processing.

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  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Mining & Mineral Resources (AREA)
  • Life Sciences & Earth Sciences (AREA)
  • General Life Sciences & Earth Sciences (AREA)
  • Geochemistry & Mineralogy (AREA)
  • Geology (AREA)
  • Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
  • Oil, Petroleum & Natural Gas (AREA)
  • Remote Sensing (AREA)
  • Production Of Liquid Hydrocarbon Mixture For Refining Petroleum (AREA)
  • Separation Of Solids By Using Liquids Or Pneumatic Power (AREA)

Abstract

Selon l'invention, des sables pétrolières sont noyés et puis exploités au moyen de dragues par l'intermédiaire de barges. Le minerai exploité et l'eau forment une bouillie pompée vers une usine flottante où elle peut être traitée ou le bitume peut être extrait. Le procédé permet de garantir que les sables pétrolifères ne se congèlent pas, facilitant une excavation pendant les mois d'hiver et réduisant des ralentissements engendrés par des blocs gelés. Le procédé permet également d'éliminer l'utilisation de pelles et de camions dans les puits d'exploitation, réduisant ainsi globalement les coûts et des émissions de dioxyde de carbone.
PCT/CA2003/001193 2002-08-12 2003-08-12 Procédé d'exploitation de sables pétrolifères au moyen de barges WO2004015244A1 (fr)

Priority Applications (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
AU2003254678A AU2003254678A1 (en) 2002-08-12 2003-08-12 Method of barge mining oil sands

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
CA2,397,574 2002-08-12
CA002397574A CA2397574A1 (fr) 2002-08-12 2002-08-12 Methode d'extraction des sables bitumineux a l'aide de barges

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
WO2004015244A1 true WO2004015244A1 (fr) 2004-02-19

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PCT/CA2003/001193 WO2004015244A1 (fr) 2002-08-12 2003-08-12 Procédé d'exploitation de sables pétrolifères au moyen de barges

Country Status (3)

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AU (1) AU2003254678A1 (fr)
CA (1) CA2397574A1 (fr)
WO (1) WO2004015244A1 (fr)

Cited By (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
RU2466274C1 (ru) * 2011-05-10 2012-11-10 Государственное образовательное учреждение высшего профессионального образования "Санкт-Петербургский государственный горный институт имени Г.В. Плеханова (технический университет)" Способ разработки хвостохранилища

Citations (5)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US1864926A (en) * 1930-02-12 1932-06-28 Samuel A Moss Method of producing from natural gravel deposits a gravel aggregate for use in concrete
US2880981A (en) * 1958-01-30 1959-04-07 Socony Mobil Oil Co Inc Method and system for producing oil tenaciously held in porous formations using a dredging operation
GB1441518A (en) * 1973-12-20 1976-07-07 Shell Int Research Method of recovering a non-alluvial deposit situated on land
US4501446A (en) * 1981-12-23 1985-02-26 Ed. Zublin Aktiengesellschaft Removal of fine-grained sediments from water bodies
US4585274A (en) * 1984-05-18 1986-04-29 Grable Donovan B Mineral and metal particle recovery apparatus and method

Patent Citations (5)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US1864926A (en) * 1930-02-12 1932-06-28 Samuel A Moss Method of producing from natural gravel deposits a gravel aggregate for use in concrete
US2880981A (en) * 1958-01-30 1959-04-07 Socony Mobil Oil Co Inc Method and system for producing oil tenaciously held in porous formations using a dredging operation
GB1441518A (en) * 1973-12-20 1976-07-07 Shell Int Research Method of recovering a non-alluvial deposit situated on land
US4501446A (en) * 1981-12-23 1985-02-26 Ed. Zublin Aktiengesellschaft Removal of fine-grained sediments from water bodies
US4585274A (en) * 1984-05-18 1986-04-29 Grable Donovan B Mineral and metal particle recovery apparatus and method

Cited By (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
RU2466274C1 (ru) * 2011-05-10 2012-11-10 Государственное образовательное учреждение высшего профессионального образования "Санкт-Петербургский государственный горный институт имени Г.В. Плеханова (технический университет)" Способ разработки хвостохранилища

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Publication number Publication date
AU2003254678A1 (en) 2004-02-25
CA2397574A1 (fr) 2004-02-12

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