Claims
- 1. A process for the separation of oil shale from a run of mine (ROM) oil shale containing particles of oil shale and refuse, the process comprising the steps of:
- (a) conditioning the ROM oil shale by contacting the ROM oil shale with a coupling agent capable of selectively coating the carbonaceous matter in the particulate oil shale to the substantial exclusion of coating refuse, which coupling agent comprises at least one alcohol containing from about 6 to about 22 carbon atoms, and at least one member selected from the group consisting of a ketone and a carboxylic acid containing from about 5 to about 28 carbon atoms;
- (b) combining a coloring agent with the coating of coupling agent in a quantity sufficient to make the coated oil shale particles distinguishable from the substantially non-coated refuse particles; and
- (c) separating coloring agent and coupling agent coated oil shale particles from substantially non-coloring-agent and non-coupling-agent coated refuse particles.
- 2. A process for separating oil shale from a run of mine (ROM) oil shale containing particles of oil shale and refuse, the process comprising the steps of:
- (a) treating particulate ROM oil shale by contacting the ROM oil shale with a detectable marking agent to coat said marking agent preferentially on only one class of particles in said ROM oil shale; and
- (b) separating particles coated with said marking agent from the treated non-coated particles in the ROM oil shale.
- 3. A process for separating oil shale particles from ROM oil shale containing particles of oil shale and refuse, the process comprising the steps of:
- (a) treating particulate ROM oil shale by contacting the ROM oil shale with a coupling agent comprising at least one ketone and at least one carboxylic acid containing from about 5 to about 28 carbon atoms for selectively coating the particulate oil shale to the substantial exclusion of coating refuse particles;
- (b) combining a detectable marking agent with the coatiing of coupling agent on the oil shale particles or combining a detectable marking agent with the non-coupling-agent coated particles to coat the non-coupling-agent coated particles with the marking agent; and
- (c) separating the particles coated with marking agent from the particles substantially not coated with marking agent in the treated ROM oil shale particles.
- 4. A process for the separation of higher grade oil shale from lower grade oil shale and refuse, present in particulate run of the mine (ROM) oil shale, said process comprising:
- (a) conditioning particulate ROM oil shale by contacting the ROM oil shale with a mixture comprising at least one alcohol and at least one member selected from the group consisting of a ketone and an organic carboxylic acid, said mixture being capable of selectively adhering to the kerogen in the ROM oil shale particles to the substantial exclusion of adhering to the refuse;
- (b) causing a fluorescent dye to adhere to the mixture coating the kerogen in the conditioned particles in a quantity sufficient to make the coated particles of oil shale fluoresce upon excitation to a degree sufficient to distinguish the conditioned higher grade oil shale from the conditioned lower grade oil shale and refuse;
- (c) irradiating the conditioned particulate ROM oil shale to excite and induce sufficient fluorescence of the fluorescent dye to distinguish higher grade oil shale from lower grade oil shale and refuse; and
- (d) separating the fluorescing higher grade oil shale from lesser fluorescing lower grade oil shale and the substantially non-fluorescing refuse.
- 5. A process for the separation of higher grade oil shale from lower grade oil shale and refuse, present in particulate run of the mine (ROM) oil shale, said process comprising:
- (a) conditioning particulate ROM oil shale by contacting the ROM oil shale with a mixture comprising an alcohol and an organic carboxylic acid, said mixture being capable of selectively adhering to the kerogen in the ROM oil shale particles to the substantial exclusion of adhering to the refuse;
- (b) causing a fluorescent dye to adhere to the mixture coating the kerogen in the conditioned particles in a quantity sufficient to make the coated particles of oil shale fluoresce upon excitation to a degree sufficient to distinguish the higher grade oil shale from the lower grade oil shale and refuse;
- (c) irradiating the conditioned particulate ROM oil shale to excite and induce sufficient fluorescence of the fluorescent dye to distinguish higher grade oil shale from lower grade oil shale and refuse; and
- (d) separating the fluorescing higher grade oil shale from the lesser fluorescing lower grade oil shale and the substantially non-fluorescing refuse.
- 6. A process for the separation of higher grade oil shale from lower grade oil shale and refuse, present in particulate run of the mine (ROM) oil shale, said process comprising:
- (a) conditioning particulate ROM oil shale by contacting the ROM oil shale with a mixture comprising a ketone, an alcohol and an organic carboxylic acid, said mixture being capable of selectively adhering to the kerogen in the ROM oil shale particles to the substantial exclusion of adhering to the refuse;
- (b) causing a fluorescent dye to adhere to the mixture coating the kerogen in the conditioned particles in a quantity sufficient to make the coated particles of oil shale fluoresce upon excitation to a degree sufficient to distinguish the conditioned higher grade oil shale from the conditioned lower grade oil shale and refuse;
- (c) irradiating the conditioned particulate ROM oil shale to excite and induce sufficient fluorescence of the fluorescent dye to distinguish higher grade oil shale from lower grade oil shale and refuse; and
- (d) separating the fluorescing higher grade oil shale from the lesser fluorescing lower grade oil shale and the substantially non-fluorescing refuse.
- 7. A process for separating oil shale particles from ROM oil shale containing particles of oil shale and refuse, the process comprising the steps of:
- (a) treating particulate ROM oil shale with a coupling agent comprising at least one alcohol containing from about 6 to about 22 carbon atoms and at least one carboxylic acid containing from about 5 to about 28 carbon atoms for selectively coating the particulate oil shale to the substantial exclusion of coating refuse particles;
- (b) combining a detectable marking agent with the coating of coupling agent on the oil shale particles or combining a detectable marking agent with the non-coupling-agent coated particles; and
- (c) separating the particles combined with marking agent from the treated ROM oil shale particles.
- 8. A process as recited in claim 1 wherein the separating step comprises:
- (a) passing the conditioned ROM oil shale particles in free-fall through a detection zone wherein a detector distinguishes between oil shale particles and refuse particles by detecting the coloring agent on the oil shale particles;
- (b) deflecting the oil shale particles from the free-fall path by directing a fluid stream to impinge on the oil shale particles as they free fall; and
- (c) collecting the deflected oil shale particles and separately collecting the undeflected free-falling refuse particles.
- 9. A process as recited in claim 2, 3 or 7 wherein the separating step comprises:
- (a) passing the treated ROM oil shale particles in free-fall through a detection zone wherein a detector distinguishes between oil shale particles and refuse particles by detecting marking agent on the particles;
- (b) deflecting the particles coated with the marking agent from the free-fall path by directing a fluid stream to impinge on such particles coated with the marking agent; and
- (c) separately collecting the deflected, marking-agent-coated particles and the free-falling, non-marking-agent-coated particles.
- 10. A process for the separation of higher grade oil shale from lower grade oil shale and refuse, present in particulate run of the mine (ROM) oil shale, said process comprising:
- (a) conditioning particulate ROM oil shale by contacting the ROM oil shale with a mixture comprising at least one alcohol and at least one member selected from the group consisting of a ketone and an organic carboxylic acid, said mixture being capable of selectively adhering to the kerogen in the ROM oil shale particles to the substantial exclusion of adhering to the refuse;
- (b) causing a fluorescent dye to adhere to the mixture coating the kerogen in the conditioned particles in a quantity sufficient to make the coated particles of oil shale fluoresce upon excitation to a degree sufficient to distinguish the conditioned higher grade oil shale from the conditioned lower grade oil shale and refuse;
- (c) passing the conditioned particulate ROM oil shale in free-fall through an irradiation zone;
- (d) irradiating the conditioned particulate ROM oil shale with actinic radiation as it free-falls through the irradiation zone to excite and induce sufficient fluorescence of the fluorescent dye to distinguish higher grade oil shale from lower grade oil shale and refuse;
- (e) detecting the intensity of fluorescence of each particle of ROM oil shale as it free-falls;
- (f) separating the fluorescing higher grade oil shale from lesser fluorescing lower grade oil shale and the substantially non-fluorescing refuse by directing a fluid stream toward the free-falling ROM oil shale particle to impinge the fluid stream on the fluorescing higher grade oil shade to deflect the higher grade oil shale into a deflected fall path different from the free-fall path of travel of the lower grade oil shale and refuse; and
- (g) separately collecting the deflected falling higher grade oil shale and free-falling lower grade oil shale and refuse.
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
This application is a continuation-in-part of our application Ser. No. 897,739 filed Apr. 19, 1978 now U.S. Pat. No. 4,169,045, issued on Sept. 25, 1979, which is incorporated herein by reference.
US Referenced Citations (9)
Continuation in Parts (1)
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897739 |
Apr 1978 |
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