Syncrude Canada Ltd.

Syncrude Canada Ltd. in Trust for the Owners of the Syncrude Project As Such Owners Exist Now and in the Future

Suncor Energy Inc.

Natural Resources Canada

Canadian Natural Resources Limited

Randy Mikula

Barry Bara

Nan Wang

Adedeji Dunmola

Darwin Edward Kiel

Brad Bjornson

Warren Zubot

Clara Gomez

Sean Delfel

Jonathan Spence

Ron Cleminson

Jim Lorentz

Doug Cox

James Lorentz

Eric Leneve

Richard Daniel Lahaie

Vicente Munoz

Jiwon Lee

Anita Marks

Peter Read

Mohammad Reza Shariati

Clara Cecilia Gomez

John Khai Diep

Robertino Hertanto

Darwin Kiel

A process for dewatering tailings having a solids content in the range of about 10 wt % to about 70 wt % is provided comprising fully flocculating the tailings by adding an effective amount of a polymeric flocculant to the tailings and mixing the polymeric flocculant and tailings in a mixing device to form fully flocculated tailings having a minimized capillary suction time (CST) and discharging the fully flocculated tailings into a deposition area at a discharge velocity of substantially zero to minimize further mixing.

Deposition of flocculated tailings

A process for dewatering oil sands tailings is provided, comprising providing a tailings feed having a solids content in the range of about 10 wt % to about 45 wt %; adding a flocculant to the tailings feed and mixing the tailings feed and flocculant to form flocs; and centrifuging the flocculated tailings feed to produce a centrate having a solids content of less than about 3 wt % and a cake having a solids content of at least about 50 wt %.

Centrifuge process for dewatering oil sands tailings

A process for enhancing the solidification of tailings is provided comprising providing overburden having a moisture content ranging from about 15 wt % to about 25 wt % and comminuting the overburden to a first size; providing tailings having a solids content ranging from about 1 wt % to about 70 wt %; adding the tailings to the first sized overburden to form treated overburden and comminuting the treated overburden to a second size; and depositing the second sized treated overburden to produce a substantially solidified deposit.

Overburden/tailings mixtures for engineered tailings deposit control

A process of dewatering tailings is provided comprising providing overburden having a moisture content ranging from about 15 wt % to about 25 wt % and comminuting the overburden to a first size; providing tailings having a solids content ranging from about 10 wt % to about 60 wt %; adding the tailings to the first sized overburden to form treated overburden and comminuting the treated overburden to a second size; and depositing the second sized treated overburden to produce a solidified deposit.

A process of dewatering tailings is provided comprising mixing the tailings with a sufficient amount of an additive or a mixture thereof; depositing the resulting mixture into a disposal area; pumping water from the deposit to one or more sumps, and allowing the deposit to reach a sufficient strength; and removing remaining deposit water and rainfall through one or more of a network of ditches, a decant tower, or a plurality of dike drainage structures to yield a non-segregating deposit for reclamation.

Oil sands fluid fine tailings dewatering using rim ditching

Methods are disclosed for identifying and treating oil sand ores having degraded bitumen. This can be done by considering the location from which the ore is mined or its history, or by microscopic examination of a bitumen froth made from the ore, or by near-infrared spectroscopy. Ore which contains degraded bitumen is treated with at least 0.05 wt/wt % alkaline material, preferably 0.1 wt./wt % of such alkaline material, in the water addition step of a hot or warm water extraction process for the making of bitumen froth, such as the Clark process.

Processing of oil sand ore which contains degraded bitumen

The degree of degradation or oxidation of an oil sand ore feedstock is monitored by near infrared spectroscopy. A beam of near infrared radiation is directed onto the surface of oil sand ore, e.g. on a conveyor belt, to produce reflected radiation and distinctive spectral features are measured indicative of the degree of degradation or oxidation of the oil sand ore. These distinctive spectral features are selected from (a) recording a baseline spectrum shift with decreasing spectral intensity indicating increasing degradation or oxidation, (b) recording spectral peaks in the range 1150 to 1250 nm with said spectral peaks increasing with increasing degradation or oxidation, (c) recording spectral peaks in the range 1700 to 1800 nm with said spectral peaks decreasing with increasing degradation or oxidation and (d) recording spectral peaks in the range 1900 to 2000 nm with said spectral peaks increasing with increasing degradation or oxidation. The recorded spectral values are mathematically converted into signals for controlling operating conditions in an oil sand processing plant.

Process for on-line monitoring of oxidation or degradation and processability of oil sand ore

Growing community of inventors

Edmonton, Canada

Randy Mikula