Treatment of primary tailings and middlings from the hot water extraction process for recovering bitumen from tar sand

Patent · Sun Oct 08 04:00:00 EDT 1995

OSTI ID:5907598

Cymbalisty, L M. O.; Cymerman, J

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.

• Assignee: Alberta Energy Co. Ltd. (Canada) Canadian Occidental Petroleum Ltd. (Canada)
• Patent Number(s): US 4545892
• OSTI ID: 5907598
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

04 OIL SHALES AND TAR SANDS
040402* -- Oil Shales & Tar Sands-- Surface Methods
BITUMENS
BITUMINOUS MATERIALS
CARBONACEOUS MATERIALS
CHEMICAL REACTORS
EFFICIENCY
ENERGY SOURCES
ENHANCED RECOVERY
EXTRACTION
FOSSIL FUELS
FUELS
HOT WATER
HYDROGEN COMPOUNDS
MATERIALS
MIXING
MOISTURE
OIL SAND TAILINGS
OIL SANDS
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
OTHER ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
RECOVERY
RECYCLING
SEPARATION PROCESSES
SOLID WASTES
SOLVENT EXTRACTION
TAILINGS
TAR
THERMAL RECOVERY
UPWELLING
WASTES
WATER