Claims
- 1. A method for separating bitumen material from mineral particulates in grains of a hydrocarbonaceous ore, wherein a step in said method includes formation of an aqueous slurry of said ore, and wherein said aqueous slurry comprises a peroxide and an alkali material.
- 2. A method in accordance with claim 1 wherein said slurry is at a pH greater than 7.0.
- 3. A method in accordance with claim 1 wherein said peroxide is hydrogen peroxide.
- 4. A method in accordance with claim 1 wherein said alkali material is selected from the group consisting of sodium hydroxide and sodium bicarbonate.
- 5. A method for separating bitumen material from mineral particulates in grains of a hydrocarbonaceous ore, comprising the steps of:
a) mixing said ore with water to form an aqueous slurry of said grains; b) tempering said slurry to a temperature between about 20° C. and 150° C.; c) adding an alkali material to said slurry to raise the slurry pH above 7.0; d) shearing said slurry for at least one minute; e) adding a peroxide to said slurry; f) forming oxygen bubbles between said bitumen material and said mineral particulates within said grains by decomposing a portion of said peroxide therein; and g) separating said bitumen material from said mineral particulates.
- 6. A method in accordance with claim 5 comprising the further steps of:
a) attaching oxygen bubbles to said bitumen material; b) buoying said separated bitumen material upwards in said slurry to form a bitumen-rich froth upon a primary water phase thereof; and c) recovering said bitumen-rich froth from said primary water phase.
- 7. A method in accordance with claim 6 comprising the further step of subjecting said slurry to subatmospheric pressure to enhance said buoying and recovering steps.
- 8. A method in accordance with claim 6 comprising the further step of adding an alkaline material to said slurry in said buoying step.
- 9. A method in accordance with claim 6 comprising the further steps of:
a) settling said mineral particulates in said primary water phase; and b) removing said settled mineral particulates from said primary water phase.
- 10. A method in accordance with claim 9 comprising the further steps of:
a) adding water to said removed mineral particulates to form a second slurry; b) agitating said second slurry to separate entrained second bitumen material from said mineral particulates; c) attaching oxygen bubbles to said second bitumen material; d) buoying said separated second bitumen material upwards in said slurry to form a bitumen-rich froth upon a second water phase thereof; and e) recovering said separated second bitumen material from said second water phase, wherein the pH of said second slurry is adjusted to be greater than 7.0.
- 11. A method in accordance with claim 10 comprising the further step of adding hydrogen peroxide to said second slurry.
- 12. A method in accordance with claim 10 comprising the further steps of:
a) adding water to said bitumen-rich froth; b) adding hydrogen peroxide to said bitumen-rich froth to cause additional separation of said froth into a bitumen layer, a water layer, and a mineral particulates layer.
- 13. A method in accordance with claim 10 further comprising the step of adding an alkali material to said bitumen-rich froth to raise the pH of said froth above 7.0.
- 14. A method in accordance with claim 5 wherein said shearing is carried out at a shear rate generated by an average slurry velocity of at least one meter per second.
- 15. A method in accordance with claim 14 wherein said shear rate is generated by an average slurry velocity of between two and five meters per second.
- 16. A method in accordance with claim 5 wherein said shearing step is carried out for at least one minute before said step of adding peroxide.
- 17. A method in accordance with claim 5 wherein said shearing step is carried out for between about 8 minutes and about 16 minutes before said step of adding peroxide.
- 18. A method in accordance with claim 5 wherein said shearing of said slurry is continued after said step of adding peroxide.
- 19. A method in accordance with claim 5 wherein at least a portion of said method is carried out at a gauge pressure of about 1 atmosphere.
- 20. A method in accordance with claim 5 wherein at least a portion of said method is carried out at a gauge pressure of between about 0.1 atmosphere and about 5 atmospheres.
- 21. A method in accordance with claim 20 further comprising the step of adding a cutter stock to said bitumen as a part of said recovering step.
- 22. A method in accordance with claim 20 wherein said recovering step includes a method selected from the group consisting of gravity flotation, air flotation, settling, decanting, filtration, centrifugation, and combinations thereof.
- 23. A method in accordance with claim 22 further comprising the step of recycling at least a portion of said water from said water phase into said mixing step to form said slurry.
- 24. A method in accordance with claim 23 wherein said sand is employed as a filter for said water being recycled into said mixing step.
- 25. A method in accordance with claim 5 wherein said peroxide is present in said slurry after said adding step in an amount between 0.05 weight percent and about 10.0 weight percent relative to the weight of water in said slurry, said percents being expressed as equivalent weights of hydrogen peroxide.
- 26. A method in accordance with claim 5 further comprising the step of adjusting the weight ratio of water to ore to between about 1:4 and about 2:1 during said mixing step.
- 27. A method in accordance with claim 5 wherein said ore is selected from the group consisting of tar sands, oil sands, oil shales, oil sandstones, and prior-process tailings.
- 28. A method in accordance with claim 5 wherein said ore includes clay-size particles.
- 29. A method in accordance with claim 5 wherein said mineral substrate includes quartz sand.
- 30. A method in accordance with claim 5 wherein said method is carried out in a process type selected from the group consisting of continuous, semi-continuous, batch, and combinations thereof.
- 31. A method in accordance with claim 5 further comprising the step of treating said ore prior to said mixing step.
- 32. A method in accordance with claim 31 wherein said treating is selected from the group consisting of sieving, sorting, crushing, grinding, and combinations thereof.
- 33. A method in accordance with claim 31 wherein said treating is carried out with the assistance of a rotary trommel screen.
- 34. A method in accordance with claim 5 further comprising the step of collecting gaseous hydrocarbons generated in said method.
- 35. A method in accordance with claim 5 wherein said water is selected from the group consisting of fresh water, sea water, salt water, tailing pond water, recycled process water, and combinations thereof.
- 36. A system for separating bitumen material from mineral particulates in grains of a hydrocarbonaceous ore comprising:
a) means for mixing said ore with water to form an aqueous slurry of said grains; b) means for tempering said slurry to a temperature between about 20° C. and 100° C.; c) means for adding an alkali material to said slurry to raise the slurry pH above 7.0; d) means for shearing said slurry for at least one minute; e) means for adding a peroxide to said slurry; f) means for forming oxygen bubbles between said bitumen material and said mineral particulates within said grains by decomposing a portion of said peroxide therein; and g) means for separating said bitumen material from said mineral particulates.
- 37. A system in accordance with claim 36 further comprising:
a) means for buoying said separated bitumen material upwards in said slurry to form a bitumen-rich froth upon a water phase thereof; and c) means for recovering said separated bitumen material from said water phase.
- 38. A system in accordance with claim 37 further comprising:
a) means for settling said mineral particulates in said water phase; and b) means for removing said settled mineral particulates from said water phase.
- 39. A system in accordance with claim 36 wherein said peroxide is selected from the group consisting of hydrogen peroxide and sodium peroxide.
- 40. A system in accordance with claim 36 wherein said temperature is about 80° C.
- 41. A system in accordance with claim 36 wherein said shearing means is capable of shearing said slurry at a shear rate produced by a slurry average velocity of at least one meter per second.
- 42. A system in accordance with claim 41 wherein said shearing means is capable of shearing said slurry at a shear rate by a slurry average velocity of at least five meters per second.
- 43. A system in accordance with claim 36 wherein said separating bitumen material from mineral particulates may be carried out at a gauge pressure of up to about 1 atmosphere.
- 44. A system in accordance with claim 36 wherein at least a portion of said separating bitumen material from mineral particulates may be carried out at a gauge pressure of between about 1 atmosphere and about 5 atmospheres.
- 45. A system in accordance with claim 36 further comprising means for subjecting said slurry to subatmospheric pressure.
- 46. A system in accordance with claim 37 further comprising means for adding a cutter stock to said bitumen.
- 47. A system in accordance with claim 37 wherein said means for recovering step includes means selected from gravity flotation, air flotation, settling, decanting, filtration, centrifugation, and combinations thereof.
- 48. A system in accordance with claim 37 further comprising means for recycling at least a portion of said water from said water phase into said mixing step to form said slurry.
- 49. A system in accordance with claim 36 further comprising means for treating said ore prior to said mixing step.
- 50. A system in accordance with claim 49 wherein said means for treating is selected from the group consisting of sieving, sorting, crushing, grinding, and combinations thereof.
- 51. A system in accordance with claim 49 wherein said means for treating includes a rotary trommel screen.
- 52. A system in accordance with claim 36 further comprising means for collecting gaseous hydrocarbons.
- 53. A system in accordance with claim 36 wherein said shearing means includes a plurality of mixers.
- 54. A system in accordance with claim 36 wherein said shearing means and said peroxide-adding means includes a linear oxidation vessel capable of producing a low axial flow velocity and a high tangential and rotational flow velocity in said slurry.
- 55. A system in accordance with claim 38 wherein said means for settling and said means for removing includes a separating tank.
- 56. A system in accordance with claim 55 wherein said means for removing includes a drag chain conveyor.
- 57. A system in accordance with claim 55 wherein said means for settling and said means for removing includes a sparger.
- 58. A system in accordance with claim 55 wherein said separating tank includes an inverted weir.
- 59. A system in accordance with claim 36 further comprising means for heating said water prior to adding said water to said mixing means.
- 60. A system in accordance with claim 36 wherein said mixing means includes a first vessel, said shearing means includes a second vessel, and said separating means includes a third vessel.
- 61. A system in accordance with claim 60 wherein said first vessel is a mixing tank, said second vessel is a shearing device, and said third vessel is a separation tank.
- 62. A system in accordance with claim 60 wherein at least said second and third vessels are configured for continuous flow therethrough.
- 63. A system in accordance with claim 36, further comprising:
a) means for adding water to said removed mineral particulates to form a second slurry; b) means for agitating said second slurry to separate entrained second bitumen material from said mineral particulates; c) means for attaching oxygen bubbles to said second bitumen material; d) means for buoying said separated second bitumen material upwards in said second slurry to form a bitumen-rich froth upon a second water phase thereof; and e) means for recovering said separated second bitumen material from said second water phase.
- 64. A system in accordance with claim 63 further comprising means for adding hydrogen peroxide to said second slurry.
- 65. A system in accordance with claim 63 further comprising means for adding an alkali material to said second slurry.
- 66. A system in accordance with claim 63 further comprising:
a) means for settling said mineral particulates in said secondary water phase; and b) means for removing said settled mineral particulates from said secondary water phase.
RELATIONSHIP TO OTHER APPLICATIONS AND PATENTS
[0001] The present application is a Continuation-In-Part of a pending application, Ser. No. 10/715,186, filed Nov. 17, 2003; which is a Continuation-In-Part of a pending application, Ser. No. 10/442,583, filed May 21, 2003; which is a Continuation-In-Part of an allowed application, Ser. No. 09/883,718 filed Jun. 18, 2001, now matured as U.S. Pat. No. 6,576,145; which is a Continuation-In-Part of an allowed application, Ser. No. 09/451,293 filed Nov. 30, 1999, now matured as U.S. Pat. No. 6,251,290; which is a Continuation-In-Part of an allowed application, Ser. No. 09/304,377 filed May 4, 1999, now matured as U.S. Pat. No. 6,096,227; which is a Continuation-In-Part of an allowed application, Ser. No. 08/971,514 filed Nov. 17, 1997, now matured as U.S. Pat. No. 5,928,522; which is a Continuation-In-Part of an allowed application, Ser. No. 08/807,643 filed Feb. 27, 1997, now matured as U.S. Pat. No. 5,797,701; the relevant disclosures of all of which being herein incorporated by reference.
Continuation in Parts (7)
|
Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
10715186 |
Nov 2003 |
US |
Child |
10865641 |
Jun 2004 |
US |
Parent |
10442583 |
May 2003 |
US |
Child |
10715186 |
Nov 2003 |
US |
Parent |
09883718 |
Jun 2001 |
US |
Child |
10442583 |
May 2003 |
US |
Parent |
09451293 |
Nov 1999 |
US |
Child |
09883718 |
Jun 2001 |
US |
Parent |
09304377 |
May 1999 |
US |
Child |
09451293 |
Nov 1999 |
US |
Parent |
08971514 |
Nov 1997 |
US |
Child |
09304377 |
May 1999 |
US |
Parent |
08807643 |
Feb 1997 |
US |
Child |
08971514 |
Nov 1997 |
US |