# US 11,027,993 B2 · Oil sands tailings treatment > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 11,027,993 B2 - Document ID: US11027993B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 15/370,479 - Filed: 2016-12-06 - Published: 2017-11-09 - Granted: 2021-06-08 - Earliest claimed: 2016-05-05 - Assignees: Extrakt Process Solutions, LLC - Applicants: Extrakt Process Solutions, LLC - Inventors: Paul C. Painter; Bruce G. Miller; Aron Lupinsky - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11027993B2 ## CPC - C02F 1/5236: {using inorganic agents} - C02F 1/52: by flocculation or precipitation of suspended impurities {(C02F1/463 takes precedence)} - C02F 1/56: Macromolecular compounds - C02F 1/68: by addition of specified substances, e.g. trace elements, for ameliorating potable water (medicinal water A61K) - C02F 11/121: by mechanical de-watering - C02F 2103/10: from quarries or from mining activities - C02F: TREATMENT OF WATER, WASTE WATER, SEWAGE, OR SLUDGE (separation in general B01D; special arrangements on waterborne vessels of installations for treating water, waste water or sewage, e.g. for producing fresh water, B63J; adding materials to water to prevent corrosion C23F; treating radioactively-contaminated liquids G21F9/04; regeneration of reactants for recirculation into processes, see the relevant places for the processes) ## Abstract Processes of consolidating oil sands tailings which includes fines and process water are disclosed. The processes include mixing the oil sands tailings with a highly water soluble salt or an aqueous solution thereof to destabilize and consolidate solids in the tailings, e.g., to destabilize and consolidate fines in the tailings and separating the consolidated solids from the process water. A water soluble polymer and coarse particles, e.g., sand, can also be used in the treatment of oil sands tailings. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A process of consolidating oil sands tailings which include greater than 2 wt % of fines in process water, the process comprising: treating the oil sands tailings, which result from extraction of bitumen from oil sands, with at least one highly water soluble salt, at least one polymer flocculant and sand to form a treated tailings including a consolidated material including fines from the process water; and separating the process water from the consolidated material, which includes the at least one highly water soluble salt dissolved therein, wherein the treated tailings has a salt-tailings concentration of the at least one highly water soluble salt of at least 0.5 wt %, and wherein the at least one highly water soluble salt is an alkali halide salt. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The process of claim 1, wherein the oil sands tailings is mature fine tailings. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The process of claim 1, wherein the at least one highly water soluble salt has a solubility in water of greater than 10 g/100 g at 20° C. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The process of claim 1, wherein the treated tailings has a salt-tailings concentration of the at least one highly water soluble salt of at least 1 wt %. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The process of claim 1, wherein the at least one highly water soluble salt includes sodium chloride. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The process of claim 1, wherein the treated tailings has a sand to fines ratio between 2.5:1.0 to 0.5:1. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The process of claim 1, wherein treating the tailings includes combining a stream of the oil sands tailings with a stream of an aqueous solution including the at least one highly water soluble salt and the at least one polymer flocculant and mixing the streams with sand. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The process of claim 1, comprising separating the process water from the consolidated material by any one or more of decanting, filtering, vacuuming, gravity draining, or electrofiltering. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The process of claim 1, wherein separating the process water from the consolidated material includes mechanically dewatering the consolidated material. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The process of claim 1, further comprising gravity draining the consolidated material to produce consolidated material having a solids content of at least 65% by weight. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) The process of claim 1, further comprising recovering at least a portion of the separated process water, wherein the recovered process water includes the at least one highly water soluble salt. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The process of claim 11, further comprising recycling at least a portion of the recovered separated process water, which includes the at least one highly water soluble salt, to treat additional oil sands tailings. ### Claim 13 (depends on 11) The process of claim 11, further comprising purifying at least a portion of the recovered process water. ### Claim 14 A process of consolidating oil sands tailings which include greater than 2 wt % of fines in process water, the process comprising: mixing the oil sands tailings, which result from extraction of bitumen from oil sands, with a highly water soluble ammonium based salt and polymer flocculant to consolidate the fines; and separating the process water from the consolidated fines to produce a solids content of at least 45% by weight, wherein the treated tailings has a salt-tailings concentration of the at least one highly water soluble salt of at least 0.5 wt %, wherein the highly water soluble ammonium based salt consist of, as the cation of the salt, a monovalent ammonium cation. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The process of claim 14, wherein the ammonium based salt is selected from ammonium chloride, ammonium bromide, ammonium carbonate, ammonium nitrate, ammonium sulfate, ammonium phosphate. ### Claim 16 A process of consolidating oil sands tailings, the process comprising: combining oil sands tailings, which includes greater than 2 wt % of fines suspended in process water, with at least one highly water soluble salt and at least one polymer flocculant to form a treated tailings including consolidated fines from the process water, wherein the treated tailings has a salt-tailings concentration of the at least one highly water soluble salt of at least 0.5 wt %, wherein the oil sands tailings result from extraction of bitumen from oil sands, and wherein the at least one highly water soluble salt is an alkali halide salt. ### Claim 17 (depends on 16) The process of claim 16, further comprising separating and recovering at least a portion of the process water from the treated tailings, wherein the separated and recovered process water includes the at least one highly water soluble salt; and recycling at least a portion of the separated recovered process water, which includes the at least one highly water soluble salt, to consolidate solids of additional oil sands tailings. ### Claim 18 (depends on 16) The process of claim 16, further comprising treating the oil sands tailings with coarse particles to form a consolidated material including the consolidated fines, wherein the consolidated material has a solids content of greater than 60%. ### Claim 19 (depends on 16) The process of claim 16, wherein the treated tailings has a salt-tailings concentration of the at least one highly water soluble salt of at least 1 wt %.