Conditioning drum for slurries and emulsions
OwnerJan Kruyerinventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Oil sand feedstock is mixed in a tumbler with steam and water in the presence of inwardly extending oleophilic surface, that are attached to the drum interior, for the purpose of enhancing oil particle size thereby producing an oil sand slurry suitable for subsequent separation. Undigested oil sand, oversize rocks and debris may be removed prior to said separation.
Claims31
A method for producing a slurry from mined oil sand consisting of a dispersed bitumen phase and a continuous aqueous phase and increasing the particles size of dispersed bitumen phase particles in said slurry which comprises the steps of
- (a) introducing an oil sand into a generally horizontal rotating drum having protrusions extending inwardly from the interior thereof wherein at least a portion of said interior and inwardly extending protrusions have oleophilic surfaces,
- (b) introducing concurrently with the oil sand a member selected from the group consisting of water, steam and combinations thereof into said rotating drum thereby forming an oil sand slurry containing dispersed bitumen particles
- (c) causing said slurry to come into contact with the inner surface and protrusions of said drum as it rotates such that dispersed bitumen particles adhere to the oleophilic portion of said surfaces and unite to form coatings thereon and which slough off back into said slurry in the form of larger dispersed bitumen phase particles, and
- (d) removing said slurry containing said larger bitumen particles from said drum for subsequent separation of bitumen phase from the continuous aqueous phase.
A method for increasing the mean particle size of dispersed phase particles in an emulsion of continuous phase and dispersed phase which comprises the steps of:
- (a) introducing said emulsion into a generally horizontal rotating drum having protrusions extending inwardly from the interior thereof wherein at least a portion of said interior and inwardly extending protrusions have surfaces which attract the dispersed phase particles,
- (b) causing said emulsion to come into contact with the interior and protrusion surfaces of said drum as it rotates such that dispersed phase particles adhere to the portion of said surfaces thereof to which they are attracted and unite to form coatings thereon which then slough off back into said emulsion in the form of larger dispersed phase particles, and
- (c) removing said emulsion containing said larger dispersed phase particles from said drum for subsequent separation of dispersed phase from continuous phase.
A method for increasing the mean particles size of dispersed phase oil particles in a slurry of aqueous continuous phase, dispersed oil phase and particulate solids which comprises the steps of:
- (a) introducing said slurry into a generally horizontal rotating drum having protrusions extending inwardly from the interior thereof wherein at least a portion of said interior and inwardly extending protrusions having oleophilic surfaces
- (b) causing said slurry to come into contact with the interior and protrusion surfaces of said drum as it rotates such that dispersed oil phase particles adhere to the oleophilic portion of said surfaces and unite to form coatings thereon and which slough off back into said slurry in the form of larger dispersed oil phase particles, and
- (c) removing said slurry containing said larger oil phase particles from said drum for subsequent separation of oil phase from the continuous aqueous phase.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.