Exxonmobil Upstream Research Company

Petro-canada

Canadian Occidental Petroleum Ltd.

Gulf Canada Resources Limited

Murphy Oil Company Ltd.

Mocal Energy Limited

Imperial Oil Resources

Athabasca Oil Sands Investments, Inc.

Aec Oil Sands Limited Partnership

Alberta Energy Company Ltd.

Aec Oil Sands, L.p.

Canadian Oil Sands Investments, Inc.

Canada Oil Sands Investments Inc.

Ken N Sury

Joseph L Feimer

Darwin Edward Kiel

Tapantosh Chakrabarty

Clay R Sutton

John Khai-Quang Diep

Scott R Clingman

Dennis G Peiffer

Limin Song

Mohsen Shahmirzadi Yeganeh

Jonathan Spence

Daniel D Joseph

Robert Siy

Mohammad Reza Shariati

Chadwick Robert Larson

Trevor Lloyd Hilderman

David Carl Rennard

Wei Ren

Mustafa Al-Sabawi

Runyuan Bai

Shahram Yazdanpanah

Bharat Bhargava

Geoff Allcock

Owen Neiman

Christopher Grant

Tapantosh Chakrabary

Chadwick R Larson

Mohammad R Shariati

Trevor L Hilderman

Darwin E Kiel

Sebastien Bergeron

Larry Lawlor

David C Rennard

Clay Robert Sutton

A feedwell system for delivering a slurry (for example a bituminous slurry) to a separation vessel (for example a primary separation vessel) includes a feedwell barrel with an inlet for receiving the slurry, internal baffles, and a bottom outlet. A downpipe extends from the bottom of the barrel directing the existing slurry onto a deflector plate deflecting the slurry radially and outwardly. A protector plate located between the downpipe and the deflector plate improves the underwash layer stability. Ventilation openings in the protector plate induce inflow which reduces the discharge velocity, limits the formation of an adverse pressure gradient and encourages circumferential distribution.

Feedwell system for a separation vessel

Systems and methods for dewatering mine tailings. The systems and methods include distributing a slurry of high permeability material on a sloped surface to define a high permeability layer and subsequently distributing a slurry of low permeability mine tailings on the high permeability layer to define a low permeability layer that is vertically above and in contact with the high permeability layer. The sloped surface defines a non-zero surface grade, and natural slopes of both the slurry of high permeability material and the slurry of low permeability mine tailings are within a threshold grade difference of the surface grade. In some embodiments, the systems and methods may include augmenting the slurry of high permeability material and/or augmenting the slurry of low permeability mine tailings to adjust the natural slope thereof.

Systems and methods for dewatering mine tailings

A method of delivering feed, for example a paraffinic solvent treated bitumen froth, to a separation vessel, for example a froth separation unit (FSU). The feed is delivered from one or more side inlets that may be substantially normal to, and flush with, the wall of the vessel. In contrast to certain conventional feed systems used in gravity separators which use a distributor plate to widely distribute the feed with a vessel, the feed is delivered such that it flows down the inside wall of the vessel. This feed delivery is characterized by a Richardson number of greater than 1.0. Such feed delivery is particularly useful where the feed has particles with a bi-modal size distribution to be separated from an overflow stream. The gentle flow serves to mitigate the upward flux of the smaller particles, for example mineral solids, by being trapped below the larger particles, for example precipitated asphaltene aggregates.

Feed delivery system for a solid-liquid separation vessel

Described herein is a method of controlling bitumen quality in a process stream within a solvent-assisted bitumen extraction operation, for instance a hydrocarbon stream from a froth separation unit (FSU). Bitumen quality is a measure of the amount of selected contaminants in the process stream. Contaminants may include asphaltenes (comprising metal porphyrins), sulfur, and inorganic solids (comprising inorganic elements, e.g. Si, Al, Ti, Fe, Na, K, Mg, and Ca). First, the amounts of selected contaminants are measured. Next, these measured values are compared to maximum reference values. If one or more of these contaminants is higher than the maximum reference value, at least one variable of the solvent-assisted bitumen extraction is adjusted to improve bitumen quality.

Controlling bitumen quality in solvent-assisted bitumen extraction

A method and system for determining particle size distribution and/or filterable solids in bitumen-containing fluid is described. A sample of bitumen-containing fluid, such as bitumen-froth feed, bitumen-froth solvent or paraffinic-froth-treated (PFT) bitumen-solvent is obtained. An optimized diluent combination is determined, comprising an aromatic or cycloaliphatic solvent such as toluene, benzene, naphthalene, xylene, anthracene, or cyclohexane together with a C3 to C12 paraffinic solvent. The combination is considered optimized when diluting the sample with the combination maintains substantially the same level of deasphalting in the diluted sample as in the undiluted sample. Upon dilution of the sample with optimized diluent combination, particle size distribution can be accurately determined using optical instrumentation, laser diffraction instrumentation, electrical counting instrumentation, or ultrasonic instrumentation.

Method and system for determining particle size distribution and filterable solids in a bitumen-containing fluid

A use of a foulant collector in a vessel or conduit in a paraffinic froth treatment (PFT) process. The foulant comprises asphaltenes. The foulant collectors are purposed to reduce build-up in the vessel or conduit and/or to reduce downstream foulant carry-over in the process. The surface of the foulant collectors may have an average water contact angle of less than 90 degrees. Additionally, together with such foulant collectors, a fluorocarbon polymer may be used as a surface of a vessel or conduit in the PFT process, for reducing fouling.

Reducing foulant carry-over or build up in a paraffinic froth treatment process

A method and system for extracting hydrocarbon products from waste tailings of a froth flotation unit and a paraffinic froth treatment process are provided. Bitumen and asphaltenes from the waste tailings are extracted using a serial addition of an aromatic solvent, followed by a polar-non-polar solvent. The method and system divert valuable hydrocarbons from tailings ponds. The hydrocarbon product can be used as a coating material or an emulsion fuel, for example.

Method and system for reclaiming waste hydrocarbon from tailings using solvent sequencing

In solvent-assisted bitumen extraction, a native marker, for example: sulfur, nickel, vanadium, iron copper, or manganese, is used to control the solvent to bitumen ratio in a process stream such as a stream from a froth separation unit (FSU) and/or to measure hydrocarbon loss in a tailings solvent recovery unit (TSRU).

Method for using native bitumen markers to improve solvent-assisted bitumen extraction

The invention relates to an improved bitumen recovery process. The process includes adding water to a bitumen-froth/solvent system containing asphaltenes and mineral solids. The addition of water in droplets increases the settling rate of asphaltenes and mineral solids to more effectively treat the bitumen for pipeline transport, further enhancement, refining, or any other application of reduced-solids bitumen.

Upgrading bitumen in a paraffinic froth treatment process

Average grade oil sand is mixed with water to produce a low temperature (20-35.degree. C.), dense (1.4-1.65 g/cc) slurry. The slurry is pumped through a pipeline for sufficient time to condition it. Air is injected into the slurry after the last pump. The slurry density is adjusted to about 1.5 g/cc by adding flood water near the end of the pipeline. The slurry is introduced into a primary separation vessel slurry as it is introduced into the (PSV), excess air is vented from the PSV and a hot water underwash is used to heat the froth produced. Slurry loading to the PSV is greater than about 4.78 tonnes of oil sand/hour/square meter to reduce velocity gradient in the fluid in the vessel. Bitumen froth is recovered. When fed low grade oil sand, the process is modified by adding flotation aid chemicals to the slurry in the pipeline and subjecting the PSV tailings and middlings to secondary recovery with agitation and aeration in a secondary separation vessel.

Cold dense slurrying process for extracting bitumen from oil sand

A process for transporting deaerated bitumen froth in a pipeline is described which comprises injecting water into the pipeline prior to deaerated bitumen froth injection to wet the interior walls of the pipeline. The deaerated bitumen froth is then injected into the pipeline at a critical velocity above 0.3 m/sec thereby initiating self-lubricating core-annular flow of the bitumen froth.

Process for pumping bitumen froth through a pipeline

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Calgary, Canada

Ken N Sury