| Class / Patent application number | Description | Number of patent applications / Date published |
|---|
| 208391000 | Inorganic (only) liquid | 52 |
| 20090008297 | COMPACT SLURRY PREPARATION SYSTEM FOR OIL SAND - Staged crushing combined with water addition and mixing is practiced at the mine site to prepare an oil sand slurry ready for hydrotransport. More particularly, as-mined oil sand is crushed to conveyable size (e.g. −24″) using a mobile crusher. The pre-crushed ore product is conveyed to a dry ore surge bin. Ore is withdrawn from the bin and elevated to the upper end of a slurry preparation tower having downwardly aligned process components to enable gravity feed. The ore is further crushed in stages to pumpable size (e.g. −4″) by a stack of crushers and water is added during comminution. The ore and water are mixed in a mixing box and delivered to a pump box. The surge bin and tower are relocatable. Screening and oversize reject treatment have been eliminated to achieve compactness and enable relocatability. | 01-08-2009 |
| 20090114570 | Hydrogen peroxide capacitor process for the recovery of hydrocarbons - The method relates generally to an improved method for the recovery of hydro-carbons from bitumen/oil deposits such as oil sands, tar sands, oil shales and conventional oil deposits. The method charges the silicon particles thus repulsing the oil, at the same time the hydrogen peroxide selectively reacts with metals, metal compounds and the charged silicon particles giving off energy and oxygen which then floats the oil to the surface, By reacting with the organo-metallic compounds it destroys them, thus freeing the oil from transition metals and producing a much cleaner product. | 05-07-2009 |
| 20090139906 | ISOELECTRIC SEPARATION OF OIL SANDS - A process and system for substantially isoelectric separation of an oil sand slurry is disclosed and described. The process can include mining oil sand, crushing the oil sands, forming a slurry of the oil sands, and transporting the oil sands slurry to a sinusoidal pipe. The sinusoidal pipe acts to digest the slurry from which bitumen can be separated using a hydrocyclone. Overflow from the hydrocyclone can be further treated using a revolving oleophilic device from which bitumen is recovered. Various optional further treatments can be used to dewater and/or further treat the bitumen and other process streams. The use of caustic soda, long-term tailing ponds, and froth flotation can be avoided resulting in an effective production of oil using less water than currently conventional processes. | 06-04-2009 |
| 20090200210 | Method Of Removing Solids From Bitumen Froth - A paraffinic solvent, gravity-based process is disclosed for removing solids content from bitumen froth streams comprising the steps of placing particle-sizing instrumentation in a bitumen froth inlet stream to a gravity settling vessel subsequent to the addition of paraffinic solvent. The addition of solvent forming aggregates. A representative particle size distribution of entrained aggregates is measured with the particle-sizing instrumentation. The settling rate of the aggregates from the particle size distribution is determined mathematically. Operating data is collected while repeating one or more times the foregoing process steps and while changing one or more process conditions of the gravity-based process. A set of operating conditions are then established based upon particle size and settling rate from the generated data. The paraffinic solvent, gravity-based process is operated by adjusting process conditions to optimize the settling rate of the aggregates based upon the established set of operating conditions. | 08-13-2009 |
| 20090321326 | PRIMARY FROTH RECYCLE - A process for extracting bitumen from oil sand, comprising: mixing oil sand with process water to produce an oil sand slurry containing bitumen, sand, water and entrained air; conditioning the oil sand slurry; optionally flooding the conditioned oil sand slurry with flood water to dilute the slurry, if required; introducing the slurry into a primary separation vessel wherein separate layers of primary bitumen froth, middlings and sand tailings are formed; removing a portion of the primary bitumen froth from the primary separation vessel and recycling the portion of primary bitumen froth to that step of the process upstream of the primary separation vessel to join and mix with the feed stream moving to the primary separation vessel; and thereafter retaining said feed stream in said primary separation vessel to produce primary bitumen froth. | 12-31-2009 |
| 20100101981 | BITUMEN EXTRACTION PROCESS - A process for the extraction and recovery of bitumen from oil sands and a process for the treatment of tailings are disclosed. Bitumen is recovered in a process comprising contacting a polysilicate microgel with an ore sand oil to produce a froth comprising bitumen and a tailings stream comprising water, sand and clay fines. Preferably the tailings stream is dewatered and recovered water may be recycled to the extraction process. Polysilicate microgel may be carried through to a dewatering step and enhances flocculation in dewatering said tailings. | 04-29-2010 |
| 20100140145 | SEPARATION OF TAR FROM SAND - A system for separating hydrocarbons from a solid source including a primary separation tank including a first hydrocarbon removing device to remove hydrocarbons from a slurry of water and solids. Further, the system including a transfer device between the primary separation tank and a secondary separation tank, wherein the transfer device is configured to transfer solids from the slurry to the secondary separation tank. Further still, the system including a second hydrocarbon removal device, a fine particle separation device to remove remaining solids in the secondary separation tank, and a product collection tank to receive hydrocarbons removed from the primary and secondary separation tanks. | 06-10-2010 |
| 20100155306 | SOLUTIONS OF SILICON METAL AND METHODS OF MAKING AND USING SAME - The present invention generally relates to a formulation created by reacting sodium hydroxide, water, and silicon metal which has unique properties and many uses. The instant invention is further directed to methods of producing and using such formulations. | 06-24-2010 |
| 20100219105 | RF HEATING TO REDUCE THE USE OF SUPPLEMENTAL WATER ADDED IN THE RECOVERY OF UNCONVENTIONAL OIL - Equipment and a process for separating bitumen from oil sand in a process stream are disclosed. The equipment includes several processing vessels and one or more local area radio frequency applicators to selectively heat the process stream in local areas of the equipment. The local area can be adjacent to an input or output of a component of the equipment. Also disclosed is equipment for processing an oil sand—water slurry, including a slurrying vessel, a slurry pipe, and a local area radio frequency applicator. The local area radio frequency applicator is located outside of the slurry pipe, and heats the local area without significantly heating the contents of the slurrying vessel or of the downstream portion of the slurry pipe. | 09-02-2010 |
| 20100219106 | CONSTANT SPECIFIC GRAVITY HEAT MINIMIZATION - A process of regulating the water content of water-fluidized oil sand ore during processing of the ore is disclosed. The weight (m | 09-02-2010 |
| 20100258478 | RECOVERY OF BITUMEN FROM FROTH TREATMENT TAILINGS - A method for recovering a tailings bitumen from a froth treatment tailings, including providing a first feed material which is derived from the froth treatment tailings, conditioning the first feed material in order to produce a conditioned first feed material, providing a second feed material which is derived from the conditioned first feed material, and subjecting the second feed material to solvent extraction in order to produce an extract containing an amount of the tailings bitumen. The method may further include dewatering the conditioned first feed material in order to produce the second feed material and may further include clarifying the extract to produce a clarified extract containing an amount of the tailings bitumen. | 10-14-2010 |
| 20100264068 | Method of produced water treatment, method of water reuse, and systems for these methods - A method of produced water treatment in an in-situ recovery method of producing bitumen from oil sand, the method has the steps of: separating bitumen from bitumen-mixed fluid so as to leave produced water, the bitumen-mixed fluid having been recovered from the oil sand wells; and filtering the produced water via a microfiltration membrane made of polytetrafluoroethylene. | 10-21-2010 |
| 20100276341 | Heat and Water Recovery From Tailings Using Gas Humidification/Dehumidification - A system and method of recovering heat and water from a slurry, such as tailings from oil sands extraction, is provided. The method includes providing the tailings to a humidification vessel, adding a sufficiently dry gas directly to the slurry in the vessel to form warm, water-saturated gas, such that heat and water are recovered from the slurry, removing the warm, water-saturated gas from the humidification vessel, providing the warm, water-saturated gas to a direct contact condensation vessel, cooling the gas in the condensation vessel to condense the water from the gas, thereby extracting water from the warm, water-saturated gas and recycling the dry gas, and recovering the water from the condensation vessel. Water which is of high quality, suitable for steam generation is obtained by a method in accordance with the present invention. | 11-04-2010 |
| 20100307959 | CYCLIC GASEOUS COMPRESSION/EXTRACTION FOR HEIGHTENED OIL SANDS EXTRACTION - A method for extracting hydrocarbons from sands can include: providing sands containing a hydrocarbon; mixing the hydrocarbon sands with water; heating the water before, during, or after being mixed with the hydrocarbon sands; increasing the pressure within a closed vessel containing the heated hydrocarbon and water mixture in the presence of gas or by injecting with gas; releasing the pressure of the heated hydrocarbon and water mixture in the vessel so as to create microbubbles from the dissolved gas in the water mixture; and collecting the hydrocarbon from the water. Optionally, the process is substantially devoid of adding caustic agents to the hydrocarbon and water mixture. | 12-09-2010 |
| 20110017643 | Oil sands treatment system and process - Oil sands ore containing bitumen is treated in a reactor chamber by ultrasonic oscillations impact such that cavitation of ore molecules occurs. The disintegration of the pulsating bubbles in the cavitation results in the separation of the oil, water, sand and air fractions of the oil sands. The oil fraction may be continuously extracted for subsequent refining processes. | 01-27-2011 |
| 20110180458 | METHODS FOR EXTRACTING BITUMEN FROM BITUMINOUS MATERIAL - Methods for preparing solvent-dry, stackable tailings. The method can include the steps of adding a first quantity of first solvent to a bitumen material to form a first mixture, separating a first quantity of bitumen-enriched solvent from the first mixture and thereby creating first solvent-wet tailings, adding a quantity of second solvent to first solvent-wet tailings to separate a first quantity of first solvent component from the first solvent-wet tailings and thereby producing second solvent-wet tailings, and adding a quantity of water to the second solvent-wet tailings to separate a first quantity of second solvent component from the second solvent-wet tailings and thereby forming solvent-dry, stackable tailings. | 07-28-2011 |
| 20110180459 | METHODS FOR EXTRACTING BITUMEN FROM BITUMINOUS MATERIAL - Methods for preparing solvent-dry, stackable tailings. The method can include the steps of adding a first quantity of first solvent to a bitumen material to form a first mixture, separating a first quantity of bitumen-enriched solvent from the first mixture and thereby creating first solvent-wet tailings, adding a quantity of second solvent to first solvent-wet tailings to separate a first quantity of first solvent component from the first solvent-wet tailings and thereby producing second solvent-wet tailings, and adding a quantity of water to the second solvent-wet tailings to separate a first quantity of second solvent component from the second solvent-wet tailings and thereby forming solvent-dry, stackable tailings. | 07-28-2011 |
| 20110192768 | METHOD FOR EXTRACTION OF BITUMEN FROM OIL SANDS USING LIME - In a method for enhancing the efficiency of bitumen recovery from oil sands ore, CaO lime (or Ca(OH) | 08-11-2011 |
| 20120037543 | Solutions of Silicon Metal and Methods of Making and Using Same - The present invention generally relates to a formulation created by reacting sodium hydroxide, water, and silicon metal which has unique properties and many uses. The instant invention is further directed to methods of producing and using such formulations. | 02-16-2012 |
| 20120074045 | EXTRACTION OF BITUMEN FROM OIL SANDS - Carbon disulfide is used as a solvent to extract bitumen from oil sands in an anhydrous countercurrent flow process that is compatible with existing procedures for upgrading bitumen. The solution is then treated in a thermal reaction to reduce viscosity and then fractionated to recover the bitumen. | 03-29-2012 |
| 20120097578 | RF HEATING TO REDUCE THE USE OF SUPPLEMENTAL WATER ADDED IN THE RECOVERY OF UNCONVENTIONAL OIL - Equipment and a process for separating bitumen from oil sand in a process stream are described. The equipment includes several processing vessels and one or more local area radio frequency applicators to selectively heat the process stream in local areas of the equipment. The local area can be adjacent to an input or output of a component of the equipment. Also described is equipment for processing an oil sand—water slurry, including a slurrying vessel, a slurry pipe, and a local area radio frequency applicator. The local area radio frequency applicator is located outside of the slurry pipe, and heats the local area without significantly heating the contents of the slurrying vessel or of the downstream portion of the slurry pipe. | 04-26-2012 |
| 20120138511 | SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR THE TREATMENT OF OIL SANDS - Extraction of bitumen from oil sands may generate oil sands tailings mixed with a liquid. Systems may be used to separate the liquid from the tailings so the tailings can be disposed or otherwise reclaimed. In some examples, a system includes a primary separation vessel configured to receive oil sands tailings mixed with water and to separate the oil sands tailings into a plurality of layers, where at least one of the plurality of layers includes a mature fines tailing material. The system may include an apparatus configured to receive the mature fines tailing material from the primary separation vessel and to mechanically separate a portion of the water in the mature fine tailings material. The system may also include an apparatus configured to receive a concentrated oil sands tailings material and to thermally evaporate water from the concentrated oil sands tailings materials, thereby producing trafficable dried oil sands tailings. | 06-07-2012 |
| 20120145604 | Solvent Assisted Water Extraction of Oil Sands - Described is a process for extracting bitumen from oil sands. Water is mixed with oil sands to form a slurry. The slurry and a hydrocarbon solvent are passed through a hydrotransport pipeline to form an extracted slurry. Dilution water is added to the extracted slurry to form a diluted extracted slurry to reduce the viscosity of the slurry to assist in subsequent bitumen separation. A flocculant may be added to assist subsequent separation or to reduce dilution water requirements. | 06-14-2012 |
| 20120199517 | PROCESS FOR THE RECOVERY OF OILS FROM A SOLID MATRIX - Process for the recovery of oils from a solid matrix comprising: subjecting said solid matrix to extraction by mixing with an oil-in-water nanoemulsion, obtaining a solid- liquid mixture; subjecting said solid- liquid mixture to separation, obtaining a liquid phase comprising said oils and a solid phase comprising said solid matrix; recovering said oils from said liquid phase. Said process is particularly advantageous for the recovery of oils from water wet oil sands (or water wet tar sands), oil wet sands (or oil wet tar sands), oil rocks, oil shales, more specifically from oil wet sands (or oil wet tar sands). | 08-09-2012 |
| 20120228195 | METHOD FOR IMPROVING OIL SANDS HOT WATER EXTRACTION PROCESS - A method for increasing the bitumen extraction efficiency in the hot water oil sands extraction process. A volume of gaseous carbon dioxide is added into the oil sands slurry that is being transported through a hydrotransport pipeline from the oil sands mining site to the bitumen extraction plant at a position where the oil sands has been conditioned to a desired degree. Carbon dioxide is injected into the slurry under elevated pressure through a gas distribution device while the hydraulic pressure in the pipeline is maintained at an elevated pressure. After the carbon dioxide-bearing oil sands slurry is fed into the separation vessel, a part of the carbon dioxide is recovered for reinjection. | 09-13-2012 |
| 20120255888 | CHEMICAL PROCESS TO RECOVER HYDROCARBONS FROM TAR/OIL SANDS AND TERRA - This is directed to a novel chemical mixture process resulting in the production of an inorganic polymeric water complex with enhanced surface acting agent characteristic derived from the synergistic effects caused by individual chemical mechanisms within the mixture that is capable of separating, extracting and recovering hydrocarbons from tar/oil sands, oil shale, petroleum tailings or other types of terra based hydrocarbons. | 10-11-2012 |
| 20120279903 | STEAM DRIVE NON-DIRECT CONTACT STEAM GENERATION - The present invention is a system and method for steam production for oil production. The method includes generating hot driving fluid, indirectly using the hot driving fluid to heat water containing solids and organics, separating solids, and using the steam for generating hot process water or for underground injection. The system includes a non-direct contact heat exchanger connected to a separator for collecting and separating the solids from the gas. The water feed of the present invention can be water separated from produced oil and/or low quality water salvaged from industrial plants, such as refineries and tailings from an oilsands mine. | 11-08-2012 |
| 20120318718 | BITUMEN EXTRACTION AND DEWATERING IN A FILTER PRESS - A process for extraction of bitumen and other oil products from sand, other sedimentary deposits and from mine tailings, may comprise flowing solvent through these bitumen-containing materials held in a filter press, where elevated pressures and temperatures may be used. After exposure to solvent the sedimentary deposits may be exposed to hot water, steam and/or vacuum to remove residual solvents. Further embodiments of the bitumen extraction process may include substituting the solvent with hot water or steam. Filter press systems for extracting bitumen are also described. | 12-20-2012 |
| 20130020236 | BELL COLUMN DOWNTUBE, REACTORS UTILIZING SAME AND RELATED METHODS - Reactors for carrying out a chemical reaction, as well as related components, systems and methods are provided. In accordance with one embodiment, a reactor is provided that includes a furnace and a crucible positioned for heating by the furnace. A downtube is disposed at least partially within the interior crucible along an axis. At least one structure is coupled with the downtube and extends substantially across the cross-sectional area of the interior volume taken in a direction substantially perpendicular to the axis. A plurality of holes is formed in the structure enabling fluid flow therethrough. The structure coupled with the downtube may include a lower body portion and an upper body portion coupled with the lower body portion, wherein the plurality of holes is formed in the lower body portion adjacent to, and radially outward from, a periphery of the upper body portion. | 01-24-2013 |
| 20130098806 | BITUMEN FROTH TREATMENT SETTLER FEED DISTRIBUTOR - A feed distributor for a settler is provided, the settler effective for separating a solvent-diluted bitumen froth into a water/solids stream and a hydrocarbon stream, the feed distributor comprising: an inlet conduit effective to route bitumen froth into the settler; and an essentially horizontal plate attached to a lower extremity of the inlet conduit and wherein the inlet conduit defines openings through which the solvent-diluted bitumen froth can pass from inside the inlet conduit to a volume above the essentially horizontal plate. | 04-25-2013 |
| 20130161238 | Methods and Systems for Removing Material from Bitumen-Containing Solvent - Methods and systems for preparing bitumen-laden solvent for downstream processing are described. The bitumen-laden solvent can be treated with various materials, such as water and emulsion breakers, followed by treating the bitumen-laden solvent in a desalter. The desalted bitumen-laden solvent can then be subjected to downstream processing, such as upgrading in a nozzle reactor. | 06-27-2013 |
| 20130248424 | BITUMEN FROTH STORAGE AND SEPARATION USING AN IMPROVED FROTH TANK - The invention is directed to a process for separating bitumen froth into an upper bitumen-rich, reduced-solids layer, and a lower concentrated solids layer using a cone-bottomed, raked froth tank. The process involves introducing bitumen froth into the froth tank; rotating at least one movable picket through the bitumen froth; recovering the upper bitumen-rich, reduced-solids layer; and withdrawing the lower concentrated solids layer from the tank. | 09-26-2013 |
| 20130256196 | POST-CONDITIONING OIL SAND SLURRY BLENDING FOR IMPROVED EXTRACTION PERFORMANCE - The invention is directed to a process for extracting bitumen from poor oil sand ore involving mixing the poor oil sand ore with heated water to produce a slurry, and conditioning the slurry to yield a poor ore stream. In a separate train, good oil sand ore is mixed with heated water to produce a slurry, and conditioned to yield a good ore stream. Both the conditioned poor ore and good ore streams are combined in specified proportions to yield a blended slurry which is then fed to a primary separation vessel to produce primary bitumen froth. | 10-03-2013 |
| 20130284641 | BITUMEN SEPARATION PROCESS AND APPARATUS FOR PROBLEM ORES - A process for separating from an oil sand slurry solids and bitumen is provided, comprising introducing the oil sand slurry into a separation zone comprising an upper zone and a lower zone; intercepting a settling path of the solids in the separation zone by bringing the solids into contact with at least one intercepting surface to direct the solids to the lower zone; and producing a reduced solids upper zone to allow the bitumen to rise through the upper zone with reduced hindrance from the solids. | 10-31-2013 |
| 20140048451 | HIGH TEMPERATURE FROTH UNDERWASH IN AN OIL SAND BITUMEN EXTRACTION SEPARATION VESSEL - A process for enhancing the froth quality, improving vessel operability and increasing the froth temperature from an oil sand slurry in a primary separation vessel is provided, comprising introducing the oil sand slurry into a separation vessel; retaining the oil sand slurry within the separation vessel so that separate layers of bitumen froth, middlings and sand tailings are formed; introducing sufficient heated water having a temperature greater than about 80° C. as an evenly distributed underwash layer beneath the bitumen froth layer; and separately removing the bitumen froth, middlings and sand tailings from the separation vessel. | 02-20-2014 |
| 20140076785 | HEAT AND WATER INTEGRATION PROCESS FOR AN OIL SAND OPERATION WITH DIRECT STEAM INJECTION OF WARM THICKENER OVERLFOW - A heat and water integration process for an oil sands operation includes subjecting warm oil sands tailings to thickening to produce thickened tailings and warm water overflow; subjecting the warm water overflow to direct steam injection (DSI) to produce steam heated thickener water; providing the steam heated thickener water to a unit of the oil sand operation; and producing the warm oil sands tailings from the oil sands operation. The oil sand operation unit may be an oil sand ore preparation unit and/or a primary separation unit, for example. The heated thickener water can replace water taken from pond inventories. The DSI may use excess, low quality, wet, low pressure and/or blow-down steam. The process enables improved heat and water usage in oil sands processing. | 03-20-2014 |
| 20140124412 | OPTIMIZED CAUSTIC CONTROL BASED ON ORE GRADE AND FINES CONTENT FOR BITUMEN EXTRACTION FROM MINED OIL SANDS - A process of extracting bitumen from oil sand ores having a fines content up to about 60% and a bitumen content greater than 6% is provided, comprising: determining the fines content and the bitumen content of the oil sand ore; calculating a sufficient amount of caustic to be added in the process using an equation based on the ratio of the fines content to the bitumen content; mixing the oil sand ore with heated water to produce an oil sand slurry; and adding the sufficient amount of caustic before, during or after mixing the oil sand ore with heated water to condition the oil sand slurry and to improve bitumen recovery from the oil sand ore. | 05-08-2014 |
| 20140151270 | SODIUM TRIPHOSPHATE AND CAUSTIC AS PROCESS AIDS FOR THE EXTRACTION OF BITUMEN FROM MINED OIL SANDS - A process of extracting bitumen from oil sand ores having a fines content up to about 60% and a bitumen content higher than about 6% is provided, comprising: determining a dosage (wt %) of caustic necessary to yield a desired primary bitumen recovery; determining an amount of caustic (wt %) and an amount of sodium triphosphate (wt %) which yields substantially the same desired primary bitumen recovery or greater as the dosage of caustic (wt %) alone; mixing the oil sand ore with heated water to produce an oil sand slurry; and adding the amounts of caustic (wt %) and sodium triphosphate (wt %) before, during or after mixing the oil sand ore with heated water to condition the oil sand slurry and to improve bitumen recovery from the oil sand ore; whereby the sum of the amounts of caustic (wt %) and sodium triphosphate (wt %) is substantially equal to the dosage of caustic (wt %) alone. | 06-05-2014 |
| 20140151271 | APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR RECLAIMING CONTAMINATED MATERIAL - The invention provides a method and apparatus of removing contaminants such as salts, hydrocarbon, chemicals, minerals, and metals from materials such as sand, soil, gravel, drill cuttings, and other solids, and reclaiming contaminants and materials for reuse. The invention is scalable in size and capability, economic to construct and operate and reliable in operation and performance. The invention slurries contaminated material with a solution. Transports the slurried material throughout a hydraulic chamber, where the contaminants become more associated with the solution than the material. The invention then separates the processed material and contaminated solution into unique reclaimed components. | 06-05-2014 |
| 20140202930 | ACTIVATION, REFINING, AND USE OF OIL SHALE - The invention provides the activation, refining and stabilization of oil shale. The stabilization may be performed by recirculative extraction, the activation by electromagnetic irradiation, steam, or by an inorganic base, and the refining by ion beam irradiation. The thus processed oil shale may be used to adsorb organic and inorganic contaminants from a variety of materials include materials of vegetable origin. | 07-24-2014 |
| 20140238905 | PROCESSING A HYDROCARBON STREAM USING SUPERCRITICAL WATER - A bitumen stream is upgraded by heating to near-critical or super-critical conditions in the stream. The bitumen stream may be from a water-based extraction process, an in situ bitumen recovery process, or a solvent-based bitumen extraction process. To achieve an appropriate feed stream composition, water and/or clay may be added. The clay offers a catalytic effect. To achieve an appropriate feed stream composition, water may alternatively be removed. | 08-28-2014 |
| 20140311951 | System and Integrated Method For Treatment of Tailings From Bitumen Extraction Process - A system and method for treating tailings from a bitumen froth treatment process such as TSRU tailings. The tailings are dewatered to at least 50 wt percent solids content, and then combusted to convert kaolin in the tailings into metakaolin. Calcined fines and heavy minerals may be recovered from the combustion products, namely from the flue gas or bottom ash or both. A trafficable deposit may be formed from the ash when mixed with tailings, such as mature fine tailings (MFT). | 10-23-2014 |
| 20140311952 | PROCESS FOR TREATING MINED OIL SANDS DEPOSITS - Disclosed is a method for improving a heavy hydrocarbon, such as mined bitumen, to a lighter more fluid product and, more specifically, to a hydrocarbon product that is refinery-ready and that meets pipeline transport criteria without requiring the addition of diluent. The invention is suitable for enhancing recovery from mined Canadian bitumen, but has general application for processing any heavy hydrocarbon, converting the heavy hydrocarbon to a product that is more suitable for pipeline transport. The invention is directed to a process for converting a heavy hydrocarbon stream into a pipelineable product, said process comprising: (a) using a froth treatment process to separate bitumen present in the heavy hydrocarbon stream from water creating a solvent/bitumen stream and a water-rich stream; (b) extracting the solvent/bitumen stream to generate multiple product streams comprising: i) a bitumen bottoms stream; ii) a virgin heavy vacuum gas oil stream; iii) a light virgin vacuum gasoil stream; and iv) a light virgin atmospheric gas oil stream; (c) converting, in a conversion unit, a portion of the heavy vacuum gas oil stream and/or bitumen bottoms obtained from step (b) to produce a stream of lighter hydrocarbons; and (d) blending a portion or all of the virgin heavy vacuum gas oil stream, the light virgin vacuum gasoil stream, the light virgin atmospheric gas oil stream from step (b) and the stream of lighter hydrocarbons produced in step (c) to create a pipelineable product. | 10-23-2014 |
| 20150041370 | METHOD OF USING A SILICATE-CONTAINING STREAM FROM A HYDROCARBON OPERATION OR FROM A GEOTHERMAL SOURCE TO TREAT FLUID TAILINGS BY CHEMICALLY-INDUCED MICRO-AGGLOMERATION - Disclosed is a method for treating oil sands tailings. The tailings are conditioned with an aluminate and treated with a silicate-containing stream from a hydrocarbon operation or from a geothermal source to produce chemically-induced micro-agglomerates (CIMA) and water. | 02-12-2015 |
| 20150114885 | BATCH OIL SHALE PYROLYSIS - A cascading reactor system configured for recovering kerogen oil from rubblized oil shale by cycling each reactor through at least a preheating phase, a peak heating phase, a cooling phase, and a recharging phase by the differential and sequential direction of fluid through each reactor and, wherein the system is modularly scalable. | 04-30-2015 |
| 20150299580 | IMPROVED BITUMEN EXTRACTION PROCESS - A process for the extraction and recovery of bitumen from oil sands using deionized silicate solutions. Bitumen is recovered in a process comprising contacting a deionized silicate solution with an ore sand oil to produce a froth comprising bitumen and a tailings stream comprising water, sand and clay fines and optionally unrecovered bitumen. Preferably the tailings stream is dewatered and recovered water may be recycled to the extraction process. | 10-22-2015 |
| 20150353836 | FLOCCULANTS AND METHODS FOR RECOVERING BITUMEN FROM OIL SANDS - A flocculant, according to embodiments of the present disclosure, includes a core nanoparticle and at least one positively charged functional group on a surface of the core nanoparticle. The nanoparticle may comprise a silica, alumina, titania, iron oxide, iron nitride, iron carbide, or a carbon-based nanoparticle. The flocculant may be used, in a method of bitumen recovery, to neutralize and agglomerate bitumen droplets and/or mineral particles derived from oil sands ore. The bitumen droplets agglomerate about the core nanoparticle of the flocculant to form bitumen flocs, while the mineral particles agglomerate about the core nanoparticle of the flocculant to form mineral flocs. The buoyant bitumen flocs may then separate from the dense mineral flocs to enable high-yield recovery of bitumen from oil sands. | 12-10-2015 |
| 20160084051 | IN SITU RECOVERY FROM RESIDUALLY HEATED SECTIONS IN A HYDROCARBON CONTAINING FORMATION - Methods of treating a tar sands formation is described herein. The methods may include providing heat to a first section of a hydrocarbon layer in the formation from a plurality of heaters located in the first section of the formation. Heat is transferred from the heaters so that at least a first section of the formation reaches a selected temperature. At least a portion of residual heat from the first section transfers from the first section to a second section of the formation. At least a portion of hydrocarbons in the second section are mobilized by providing a solvation fluid and/or a pressurizing fluid to the second section of the formation. | 03-24-2016 |
| 20160108320 | METHOD FOR TREATING OIL SANDS AND DEVICE FOR IMPLEMENTING SUCH A METHOD - The invention relates to a method for treating oil sand. The steps consisting of cooling said oil sand to a temperature lower than the glass transition temperature of the bitumen by bringing said oil sand into contact with carbon dioxide in the solid state and applying mechanical energy to the mixture produced. Then melting the solid carbon dioxide in such a way as to produce a multiphase system. The multiphase system is then separated into at least one solid phase and at least one liquid phase. The bituminous phase is then recovered from the separated liquid phase. The invention also relates to a device for treating oil sand, especially designed for implementing said method. | 04-21-2016 |
| 20160115390 | Horizontal-Flow Oil Sands Separator for an Aqueous Extraction Process - The disclosure includes techniques for recovering hydrocarbons from a bituminous feed in an aqueous extraction process, comprising a vessel that comprises a feed inlet on a proximate end of the vessel, a feed outlet on a distal end of the vessel, a bitumen outlet, and a plurality of hoppers, wherein each hopper comprises a tailing outlet. | 04-28-2016 |
| 20160122657 | MINING AND PROCESSING SYSTEM FOR OIL SAND ORE BODIES - A process line for use in an oil sands ore body mining operation is provided, which comprises: a semi-mobile crushing station for receiving as-mined oil sand ore and comminuting the oil sand ore to a first size; a semi-mobile compact slurry preparation unit for receiving the comminuted oil sand ore and mixing the oil sand ore with water to form an oil sand slurry; and a semi-mobile solids removal assembly for removing a portion of the coarse solids from the oil sand slurry prior to extracting from the slurry an enriched bitumen froth. | 05-05-2016 |
| 20160160126 | OILSANDS PROCESSING USING INLINE AGITATION AND AN INCLINED PLATE SEPARATOR - A method and system of separating a mixture of water, diluted bitumen and a mineral phase comprising fine solids, produced from oil-wet or carbonate-cemented oil sands ore, includes the steps of agitating the mixture to produce a micronized emulsion of the diluted bitumen in a continuous water phase such that a majority of the diluted bitumen associates with the fine solids, and passing the micronized emulsion through a separator to produce a bitumen stream enriched in bitumen and fine solids, and a water stream. | 06-09-2016 |
