Electrostatic filtration of fine solids from bitumen
AssigneeExxonMobil Research and Engineering Company
InventorsJohn Timothy Cullinane, Bhupender S. Minhas
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Methods are provided for removing fine particles from crude oils extracted from mined oil sands using a non-aqueous extraction solvent. A bitumen derived from non-aqueous extraction of oil from oil sands can undergo optional physical separation to remove larger particles and then processed using electrostatic filtration to remove particle fines. This can allow for production of a bitumen product from a non-aqueous extraction process that has a sufficiently low particle content to be suitable for pipeline transport.
Claims20
A method for producing a bitumen product from oil sands, comprising:
- extracting bitumen from oil sands with a non-aqueous extraction solvent to form a mixture of bitumen and extraction solvent;
- performing a physical separation on at least a portion of the mixture of bitumen and extraction solvent to form at least a first filtered mixture of bitumen and extraction solvent;
- separating at least a portion of the first filtered mixture of bitumen and extraction solvent to form a filtered bitumen stream and a filtered extraction solvent stream, the filtered bitumen stream containing at least about 0.25 wt % of non-petroleum particles;
- and
- performing an electrostatic separation on at least a portion of the filtered bitumen stream to form a bitumen product containing about 1200 wppm or less of non-petroleum particles.
A method for producing a bitumen product from oil sands, comprising:
- extracting bitumen from oil sands with a non-aqueous extraction solvent to form a mixture of bitumen and extraction solvent;
- performing a physical separation on at least a portion of the mixture of bitumen and extraction solvent to form at least a first filtered mixture of bitumen and extraction solvent, the first filtered mixture of bitumen and extraction solvent containing at least about 0.25 wt % of non-petroleum particles;
- performing an electrostatic separation on at least a portion of the first filtered mixture of bitumen and extraction solvent to form a filtered, separated mixture of bitumen and extraction solvent;
- and
- separating at least a portion of the filtered, separated mixture of bitumen and extraction solvent to form a bitumen product and an extraction solvent stream, the bitumen product containing about 1200 wppm or less of non-petroleum particles.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.