Shell Oil Comapny

Fort Hills Energy L.p.

Chevron Canada Limited

Canadian Natural Upgrading Limited

John Patrick Ringstrom

Julian Robert Kift

Peter Kirkwood House

Alexander William Hyndman

John Sharpe

Douglas Robert Bartlett

W Scott Hindle

Chris L Grant

The present invention provides a method for extracting bitumen from an oil sand stream, the method including at least the steps of: (a) providing an oil sand stream; (b) contacting the oil sand stream with a liquid comprising a non-aqueous solvent thereby obtaining a solvent-diluted oil sand slurry; (c) screening the solvent-diluted oil sand slurry thereby obtaining a screened oil sand slurry and a rejects stream; (d) introducing the rejects stream into a liquid bath; (e) transporting the rejects stream through the liquid bath to a space above the surface of the liquid bath; and (f) extracting bitumen from the screened oil sand slurry obtained in step (c).

Method for extracting bitumen from an oil sand stream

Processes and apparatus for the treatment of product streams from mineral processing operations, including the treatment of tailings which result from oil sand processing operations. The processes and apparatus relate to the recovery of a diluent solvent from bitumen froth tailings and to the thickening of tailings from a bitumen froth stream and a middlings stream resulting from an oil sand extraction process. In one aspect the processes and apparatus relate particularly to the recycling of product streams to maximize process efficiencies. In a second aspect the processes and apparatus relate particularly to the thickening of tailings to produce an underflow component, a clarified overflow component and an unclarified overflow component.

Process and apparatus for treating tailings

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Calgary, Canada

John Patrick Ringstrom