Canada-cities Service, Ltd.

Pan Canadian Petroleum Limited

Esso Resources Canada Limited

Petro-canada Exploration Inc.

Her Majesty the Queen in Right of the Province of Alberta, Government of

Gulf Canada Corporation

Gulf Canada Resources Limited

Alberta Energy Company Ltd.

Gulf Oil Canada Ltd.

Her Majesty the Queen in Right of Canada, As Represented by the Minister

Petro-canada

Canadian Occidental Petroleum Ltd.

Imperial Oil Limited

Ontario Energy Corporation

Hudson's Bay Oil and Gas Company Limited

Lubomyr M Cymbalisty

Robert C Shaw

Lloyd W Trevoy

George J Cymerman

Joseph K Liu

Stephen J Lane

Jan Wojno

Alvin J Maskwa

A static hydro-dynamic mixer undulating interior conduit provides a static mixing apparatus which utilizes a spiral, coiled or curved conduit to cause dynamic mixing of its flowing contents while they are pumped through it. The application includes a method of use in separating oil sands. The mixing is caused by the resistance to flow through the undulated conduit and the resistance increases with pitch and conduit diameter.

Hydro-dynamic static mixing apparatus and method for use thereof in transporting, conditioning and separating oil sands and the like

The primary tailings and middlings are combined and fed to a vessel having the general form of a deep cone thickener. The feed is deflected outwardly and generally horizontally by a baffle, as it is delivered to the vessel. Simultaneously, the outwardly radiating layer of newly added feed is contacted from below by an upwelling stream of aerated middlings, which stream moves in parallel with the aforesaid layer. Bitumen froth is formed and recovered. The upwelling stream is provided by circulating middlings through eductor/aerator assemblies and a plenum chamber mounted centrally in the body of middlings in the vessel. A generally circular circulation of middlings is generated. In this manner, the newly added bitumen is quickly and efficiently recovered. Recirculation of middlings to the aeration zone yields an additional recovery of bitumen. Use of the deep cone ensures that the tailings from the vessel are relatively low in water and bitumen content.

Treatment of primary tailings and middlings from the hot water

The invention provides a method and apparatus for sampling a frozen core of tar sand. The frozen core is first cut transversely along its length to form a pair of slabs of semi-circular cross-section. A longitudinal sample portion of substantially triangular cross-section is then cut from the central portion of the still frozen slab. The triangular sample portion is ground in a cryogenic grinder to produce a finely divided, substantially homogeneous material from which small representative sub-samples may be obtained. The triangular sample portion is cut from the slab by a pair of angularly disposed circular saws carried along the length of the slab. The slab is supported and held by cradle means which fix the flat face of the slab in a predetermined plane. The longitudinal sample portion thus formed has a triangular cross-section of substantially constant cross-sectional area.

Method and apparatus for sampling a core of tar sand

An apparatus and process are described for homogenizing and subsampling process streams such as those present in the hot water extraction process for recovery of bitumen from tar sand. Such streams contain widely variable proportions of heavy oil, water, and solids. To obtain a representative analysis-size subsample from such a stream, a bulk sample is taken into a cylindrical open-topped vessel containing a coaxial cylindrical draft tube spaced from the internal wall of the vessel. A head element closes and seals the top of the vessel. An impellor extending into the draft tube through the head element is actuated to circulate the bulk sample along an elliptical flow path within the vessel. The vessel contents are maintained in a pressurized condition by the introduction of inert gas. A subsample is taken by mechanically opening and closing a sample port extending through the side wall of the vessel and communicating with the flow path; the subsample is thus taken while the bulk sample is in motion and the components of the mixture are in a homogenized condition.

Homogenizer/subsampler for tar sand process streams

An apparatus and process are described for homogenizing and subsampling process streams such as those present in the hot water extraction process for recovery of bitumen from tar sand. Such streams contain widely variable proportions of heavy oil, water, and solids. To obtain a representative analysis-size subsample from such a stream, a bulk sample is taken into a cylindrical open-topped vessel containing a coaxial cylindrical draft tube spaced from the internal wall of the vessel. A head element closes and seals the top of the vessel. An impellor extending into the draft tube through the head element is actuated to circulate the bulk sample along an elliptical flow path within the vessel. The vessel contents are maintained in a pressurized condition by the introduction of intert gas. A subsample is taken by mechanically opening and closing a sample port extending through the side wall of the vessel and communicating with the flow path; the subsample is thus taken while the bulk sample is in motion and the components of the mixture are in a homogenized condition.

Whole tailings are treated with a flocculant to cause fines to agglomerate with the coarse particles. The product is then vacuum filtered to separate the fines from the water.

Filtration of hot water extraction process whole tailings

This invention is an improvement on the hot water process for recovering bitumen from tar sand. The aqueous slurry of tar sand is introduced into a first vessel, termed the sand separation cell, containing a body of hot water. The coarse sand settles out and is discharged as tailings. The top product, comprising bitumen, water and fine sand, is transferred to a second vessel, termed the froth formation cell, containing a second body of hot water. In this latter cell, the bitumen forms froth and is recovered, and the fine solids and some water are recycled to the lower end of the sand separation cell. Because the coarse sand has previously been removed in the sand separation cell, good distribution of the feed across the cross-sectional area of the froth formation cell is achieved. This leads to good recoveries and froth quality. By recycling the fines from the froth formation cell to the vicinity of the tailings outlet of the sand separation cell, the fines can be eliminated from the system without the need for a middlings dragstream, as is required in the prior art.

Two stage separation system

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Edmonton, Canada

Lubomyr M Cymbalisty