Recovery of bitumen from bituminous sand with control of bitumen particles size

Patent · Tue Feb 02 04:00:00 EST 1971

OSTI ID:5995713

Kaminsky, V P

Bitumen is recovered from an aqueous slurry of bituminous sand by introducing the slurry into a body of water in a separating zone. Bitumen floats to the top in the form of bituminous emulsion for recovery and sand settles to the bottom for removal. Sufficient shearing energy is imparted to the slurry during its introduction into the separation zone or while in the body of water in the separation zone, to reduce the size of the particles of bitumen, so that at least about 80% of the bitumen particles in the body of water are in the size range between about 50 and about 200 mu. The necessary shearing energy can be imparted by dispersing the slurry into the body of water through a high shear turbine impeller. Less than about 40% of the bitumen in the slurry introduced into the separation zone is usually in the form of particles in the 50 to 200 mu size range, prior to the application of shearing forces, and for such slurry, an energy input of between about 200 and about 2,000 ft-lb of shearing energy per pound of slurry is usually sufficient to reduce the bitumen particles to the required size and range. (5 claims)

• Assignee: Cities Serv Athabasca Inc
• Patent Number(s): US 3560371
• OSTI ID: 5995713
• 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
COLLOIDS
DISPERSIONS
EMULSIONS
ENERGY SOURCES
FLOTATION
FOSSIL FUELS
FUELS
MATERIALS
OIL SANDS
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
OTHER ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
PARTICLE SIZE
PROCESSING
RECOVERY
SEPARATION PROCESSES
SIZE
STRESSES
SUSPENSIONS
TAR