Surfactant composition and method for treating bitumen froth
AssigneeKemira Oyj
InventorsLasse Kyllonen, Sukhjit Aujla, Frances Fournier, Thomas Fenderson, Alistair King, Evangelos Sklavounos
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Abstract
The invention relates to a surfactant composition comprising an ionic liquid prepared from an unsubstituted or substituted primary, secondary or tertiary amine, or from an unsubstituted or substituted pyridine, amidine or guanidine with at least one fatty acid and/or resin acid. The invention also relates to a method for treating bitumen froth from a separation process, where bitumen is separated from mineral solids. The method comprises addition of said surfactant composition to the diluent and/or to the froth before phase separation.
Claims22
A surfactant composition comprising at least one ionic liquid prepared from an unsubstituted or substituted primary, secondary or tertiary amine, or from an unsubstituted or substituted pyridine, amidine or guanidine with at least one fatty acid and/or resin acid, wherein said surfactant composition comprises
- (i) choline and at least one fatty acid and/or resin acid;
- and/or
- (ii) an unsubstituted or substituted pyridine, amidine, or guanidine and at least one fatty acid and/or resin acid;
- and
- further wherein the addition of said surfactant composition to diluted bitumen froth that comprises bitumen, water and mineral solids results in a phase separation of said water, bitumen and mineral particles.
(canceled)
The surfactant composition according to, wherein the surfactant composition comprises two or more different ionic liquids.
(canceled)
11-15. (canceled)
A composition comprising a bitumen froth that comprises bitumen, water, and mineral solids to which is added:
- (i) an organic diluent;
- and
- (ii) less than 1500 ppm of a surfactant composition which comprises
- (a) at least one ionic liquid that includes choline and at least one fatty acid and/or resin acid;
- and/or
- (b) at least one ionic liquid that includes an unsubstituted or substituted pyridine, amidine, or guanidine and at least one fatty acid and/or resin acid;
- wherein said addition results in a phase separation of the water, bitumen, and mineral particles comprised in the diluted bitumen froth.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.