Method for filtering solvent and tar sand mixtures
AssigneeStandard Oil Company (Indiana)
InventorsJeffrey C. Kelterborn, Richard A. Stone
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method for filtering spent tar sands from a bitumen and organic solvent solution comprises separating the solution into two streams wherein the bulk of the coarser spent tar sand is in a first stream and has an average particle size of about 10 to about 100 mesh and the bulk of the finer spent tar sand is in a second stream; producing a filter cake by filtering the coarser spent tar sand from the first stream; and filtering the finer spent tar sand from the second stream with the filter cake. The method is particularly useful for filtering solutions of bitumen extracted from bitumen containing diatomite, spent diatomite and organic solvent.
Claims20
A method for filtering spent tar sands from a solution of bitumen, spent tar sands and solvent comprising:
- (a) separating a solution of bitumen, spent tar sands, and organic solvent into a first stream comprising coarser spent tar sands having an average particle size of about 10 to about 100 mesh, bitumen and solvent, and a second stream comprising finer spent tar sands, bitumen and solvent;
- (b) producing a filter cake by filtering the coarser spent tar sands from the first stream;
- and
- (c) filtering the finer spent tar sands from the second stream with the filter cake, wherein steps (a), (b), and (c) are repeated so that the filter cake produced in step (b) is continuously replaced.
A method for filtering spent diatomite from a solution of bitumen, spent diatomite and organic solvent comprising:
- (a) separating a solution of bitumen, spent diatomite and organic solvent into a first stream comprising coarser spent diatomite having an average particle size of about 10 to about 100 mesh, bitumen and solvent, and a second stream comprising finer spent diatomite, bitumen and solvent;
- (b) producing a filter cake by filtering the coarser spent diatomite from the first stream;
- (c) filtering the finer spent diatomite from the second stream with the filter cake;
- and
- (d) combining the filtered first and second streams to produce a combined stream.
A method for the extraction of bitumen from bitumen containing diatomite comprising:
- (a) contacting bitumen containing diatomite with an organic solvent;
- (b) separating a solution of bitumen, spent diatomite and solvent into a first stream comprising coarser spent diatomite, bitumen and solvent, and a second stream comprising finer spent diatomite bitumen and solvent;
- (c) filtering the coarser spent diatomite from the first stream to produce a filter cake;
- (d) filtering the finer spent diatomite from the second stream with the filter cake;
- (e) combining the filtered first and second streams to produce a combined stream;
- and
- (f) separating bitumen from the combined stream, wherein steps (a), (b) and (c) are repeated so that the filter cake produced in step (b) is continuously replaced.
A method for filtering spent tar sand from a solution of bitumen, spent tar sand and solvent comprising:
- (a) separating a solution of bitumen, spent tar sands and solvent into a first stream comprising coarser spent tar sands having an average particle size of about 10 to about 100 mesh, bitumen and solvent, and a second stream comprising finer spent tar sands, bitumen and solvent;
- (b) filtering on a belt filter the coarser spent tar sands from the first stream to produce a filter cake having a depth sufficient to prevent blinding of the belt filter;
- and
- (c) filtering the finer spent tar sands from the second stream with the filter cake.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.