System and method for minimizing the negative enviromental impact of the oilsands industry

A method for recovering bitumen from minable bitumen formations, such as shallow oilsands formations, comprising the steps of:

• mining a formation having bitumen and inorganic soil, such as oilsands;
• combusting fuel with oxygenated gas under a controlled pressure and temperature to generate a combustion gas, wherein said fuel is carbon or hydrocarbon fuel;
• mixing the combustion gases with cold process water at a controlled pressure to generate hot process water and scrubbed non-condensing cold combustion gas;
• mixing the mined bitumen ore with the hot process-water to generate a slurry;
• recovering bitumen from said slurry;
• recovering process water from said slurry;
• and
• recycling said process water and mixing it with said combustion gas.

A system for use of low quality fuel for extracting bitumen from shallow minable oilsands formations, the system comprising:

• a combustor, mixing said fuel, possibly with fine tailing water and lime stone, with oxidation gases therein, forming a mixture, combusting the mixture under controlled pressures and temperatures therein to generate combustion gases;
• a gas-solids separation unit, the combustion gases being transferred thereto, and removing solids from the gas flow to generate a solid lean gas flow where the gas-solid separation unit can be an integrated part of the combustor, wherein the gas solid separation unit is in fluid connection to the direct contact heat exchanger;
• a direct contact heat exchanger where a cold process water is mixed and flows against an up-flow combustion gas in a controlled pressure enclosure, scrubbing any solids and acid gas remains, generating hot process water and cold non condensable gases wherein the direct contact heat exchanger is in fluid connection to the gas-solids separation unit and the oilsands extraction facility;
• and
• an oilsands extraction facility that mixes the mine oilsand ore with the hot water to generate slurry, separating the bitumen from the slurry and generating process water for re-use.

A system for use of low quality fuel and low quality water, like non-segregate fine tailings, evaporator brine or lime softener sludge for extracting bitumen from shallow and deep underground oilsands formations, the system comprising:

• a combustion boiler, mixing fuel with oxidation gases therein, forming a mixture, combusting the mixture under controlled pressures and temperatures therein to generate combustion gases, said fuel being a carbon or hydrocarbon fuel;
• a direct contact steam generator, mixing said combustion gases generated by the combustion boiler with low quality water containing high levels of solids therein, such as non segregating fine-tailings water, to form a combustion gas mixture, evaporating the water with the combustion gas mixture to generate steam and solids, wherein the direct contact steam generator is in fluid connection to the combustion boiler and to the gas-solid separation unit;
• a gas-solid separation unit, the combustion gases being transferred thereto and removing solids from the gas flow to generate a solid lean gas flow where the gas-solid separation unit can be an integrated part of the direct contact steam generator ;
• and
• a heat and water recovery unit recovering the heat and the water from said solid lean gas flow to use for bitumen production, wherein the heat and water recovery unit is in fluid connection with the gas solid separation unit and the oilsands bitumen production facilities.