Recovery of tailings ponds
AssigneeRJ Oil Sands Inc.
InventorsWade Ralph Bozak, Michael A. Kessick, Roderick Michael Facey
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Abstract
A method of treating tailings comprising a solids fraction and a hydrocarbon fraction is disclosed. A primary flow is supplied to a jet pump, the primary flow comprising water and less than 20% solids by mass. A secondary flow is supplied to a mixing chamber of the jet pump, the secondary flow comprising a slurry of water and tailings, the slurry comprising more solids by mass than the primary flow. The jet pump is operated using the primary flow such that the tailings are agitated to effect at least a partial phase separation of the hydrocarbon fraction from the tailings. The methods disclosed herein may also be applied to treat tailings ponds.
Claims45
A method of separating hydrocarbons from a mixture comprising a solids fraction, water, and a hydrocarbon fraction, the method comprising:
- supplying at least a portion of the mixture as a primary flow to a jet pump;
- supplying a flow of gas to a mixing chamber of the jet pump;
- and
- operating the jet pump using the at least a portion of the mixture and the flow of gas to produce an agitated mixture and supplying the agitated mixture into at least one separator to create effervescence to effect at least a partial separation of the hydrocarbon fraction from the solids fraction.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.