Abstract: A relocatable oil sand slurry preparation system is provided for preparing an aqueous oil sand slurry amenable to pipeline conveyance while producing minimum overall rejects, comprising (a) a relocatable rotary digester for slurrying oil sand and water and digesting oil sand lumps to form a pumpable slurry, the rotary digester having a feed end for receiving oil sand and water, a slurrying chamber comprising a plurality of lifters for slurrying the oil sand and water, and a trommel screen end for screening out oversize rejects from the oil sand slurry which falls through the trommel screen; and (b) a relocatable rejects recirculation unit operably associated with the rotary digester for receiving oversize rejects and delivering the rejects back to the rotary digester for further digestion. In a preferred body, relocatable oil sand slurry preparation system further comprises a rejects crusher for crushing oversize rejects prior to delivering rejects back to the rotary digester.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
September 23, 2005
Date of Patent:
July 26, 2011
Assignees:
Canadian Oil Sands Limited Partnership, Canadian Oil Sands Limited, Conocophillips Oils Sands Partnership II, Imperial Oil Resources, Mocal Energy Limited, Nexen Inc., Murphy Oil Company Ltd., Petro-Canada Oil and Gas
Inventors:
George J. Cymerman, Khaled Helmy Obaia, Stewart Alexander Johnson