Patents Assigned to AEC Oil Sands, L.P.
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Patent number: 7481318Abstract: An aqueous aerated oil sand slurry is conditioned in a pipeline and then spun within an elongate vessel of circular cross-section, to cause bitumen droplets in the slurry to coalesce. This increases the probability that the droplets will become aerated by contact with air bubbles. The slurry is then subjected to separation of the sand and bitumen.Type: GrantFiled: October 16, 2003Date of Patent: January 27, 2009Assignees: AEC Oil Sands, L.P., Canadian Oil Sands Commercial Trust, Canadian Oil Sands Limited, Comocophillips Oilsands PartnershipII, Imperial Oil Resources, Mocal Energy Limited, Murphy Oil Company Ltd., Nexen Inc., Petro-Canada Oil And GasInventors: Barry Bara, Michael Lipsett, Waldemar Maciejewski, Samson Ng
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Publication number: 20040165960Abstract: As-mined oil sand is crushed to −5 inch by a sequentially arranged pair of double roll crushers. The crushed oil sand is fed into a hopper feeding a jet pump. Water or recycled slurry is fed under pressure as motive fluid to the jet pump. The motive fluid jet(s) produced internally by the jet pump are operative to fluidize the oil sand and the components of the slurry mix turbulently in the jet pump's tubular mixer. It is found that the slurry issuing from the jet pump is aerated and largely free of lumps.Type: ApplicationFiled: February 24, 2003Publication date: August 26, 2004Applicants: AEC OIL SANDS, L.P., Canadian Oil Sands Limited, ConocoPhillips Oilsands Partnership II, Imperial Oil Resources, Mocal Energy Limited, Murphy Oil Company Ltd., Nexen Inc, Petro-Canada Oil and GasInventors: Jim McTurk, Ron Cleminson, Andrew Rosser
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Patent number: 6746596Abstract: The process has to do with a circuit involving a fluidized bed coker reactor working in tandem with a fluidized bed coke burner. The burner is operated at a reduced temperature in the range 550° C.-630° C. Simultaneously, the coke circulation rate is increased to ensure the heat requirement of the reactor is met. It is found that sulphur emissions from the burner are significantly reduced.Type: GrantFiled: June 14, 2001Date of Patent: June 8, 2004Assignees: AEC Oil Sands, L.P., AEC Oil Sands Limited Partnership, Athabasca Oil Sands Investment Inc., Nexen Inc., Canadian Oil Sands Investments Inc., Gulf Canada Resources Limited, Imperial Oil Resources, Mocal Energy Limited, Murphy Oil Company Ltd., Petro-CanadaInventors: Keng H. Chung, Edward Furimsky
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Publication number: 20030000868Abstract: The process has to do with a circuit involving a fluidized bed coker reactor working in tandem with a fluidized bed coke burner. The burner is operated at a reduced temperature in the range 550° C.-630° C. Simultaneously, the coke circulation rate is increased to ensure the heat requirement of the reactor is met. It is found that sulphur emissions from the burner are significantly reduced.Type: ApplicationFiled: June 14, 2001Publication date: January 2, 2003Applicant: AEC OIL SANDS, L.P.Inventors: Keng H, Chung, Edward Furimsky
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Patent number: 6391190Abstract: Aerated bitumen froth obtained from oil sands must be deaerated so that it can be pumped through a pipeline. Mechanical shearing is effective to deaerate bitumen froth to an air content of below 10 volume percent. Mechanical deaeration of bitumen froth can be achieved either by passing the froth through a confining passageway and shearing the froth with an impeller while it is in the passageway or temporarily retaining the aerated froth in a tank and circulating it repeatedly through a pump.Type: GrantFiled: March 4, 1999Date of Patent: May 21, 2002Assignees: AEC Oil Sands, L.P., AEC Oil Sands Limited Partnership, Athabasco Oil Sands Investments Inc., Nexen Inc., Canadian Oil Sand Investments Inc., Conoco Oilsands Partnership, Imperial Oil Resources, Mocal Energy Limited, Murphy Oil Company Ltd., Petro-Canada Oil and GasInventors: Jonathan R. Spence, Kevin McDowell, Mike P. Wagner, Sean Sanders
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Patent number: 6358403Abstract: A process for recovery of hydrocarbon diluent from tailings produced in a bitumen froth treatment plant comprises introducing the tailings into a vacuum flash vessel maintained at a sufficiently low sub-atmospheric pressure to vaporize the major portion of the contained diluent and some water. The residual then pool near the bottom of the flash vessel. Steam is then introduced into the tailings pool for vaporizing residual diluent and some water.Type: GrantFiled: May 21, 1999Date of Patent: March 19, 2002Assignee: AEC Oil Sands, L.P.Inventors: Wayne Brown, Barry Bara, Sukhamoy Sarkar, Rodney Denton
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Patent number: 6358404Abstract: A method for recovery of hydrocarbon diluent from tailings produced in a bitumen froth treatment plant comprises introducing the tailings into a steam stripping vessel maintained at near atmospheric pressure, said vessel having a plurality of interior, vertically spaced shed decks, and distributing the tailings over said shed decks. Steam is introduced below the shed decks for vaporizing the major portion of the contained diluent and some water.Type: GrantFiled: May 21, 1999Date of Patent: March 19, 2002Assignee: AEC Oil Sands, L.P.Inventors: Wayne Brown, Michelle Portwood, Fran King, Barry Bara, Michael Wagner
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Patent number: 6214213Abstract: A paraffinic solvent is mixed with bitumen froth containing water and solids. Sufficient solvent is added to induce inversion when the mixture is subjected to gravity or centrifugal forces. The emulsion reports to the water phase and a dry bitumen product virtually free of inorganic solids, is obtained.Type: GrantFiled: September 30, 1997Date of Patent: April 10, 2001Assignees: AEC Oil Sands, L.P., AEC Oil Sands Limited Partnership, Athabasca Oil Sands Investments Inc., Canadian Occidental Petroleum Ltd., Canadian Oil Sands Investments Inc., Gulf Canada Resources Limited, Imperial Oil Resources, Mocal Energy Limited, Murphy Oil Company Ltd., Petro-CanadaInventors: Robert Tipman, Yi-Cheng Long, William Edward Shelfantook
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Patent number: 6119870Abstract: A large capacity cyclonic separator is used for desanding a conditioned aqueous oil sand slurry comprising aerated bitumen, water and sand to produce pumpable, pipelineable lean froth and sand tailings. The cyclone separator is a vessel which forms an elongated cylindrical separation chamber and has a tangential slurry inlet at one end and, at the opposite end, a peripheral sand removal outlet and a centrally positioned vortex finder. Oil sand slurry is continually tangentially introduced into the cyclone separator to form a rotating vortex, which generates a centrifugal force. The lean froth migrates to the center of the vortex to form an inner core and is removed via the vortex finder. The sand tailings migrate to the outer reaches of the vortex and are co-currently is removed via the sand removal outlet.Type: GrantFiled: September 9, 1998Date of Patent: September 19, 2000Assignees: AEC Oil Sands, L.P., AEC Oil Sands Limited Partnership, Athabasca Oil Sands Investments, Inc., Canadian Occidental Petroleum Ltd., Canadian Oil Sands Investments, Inc., Gulf Canada Resources Limited, Imperial Oil Resources, Mocal Energy Limited, Murphy Oil Company, Ltd., Petro-CanadaInventors: Waldemar Maciejewski, George Cymerman
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Patent number: 6076753Abstract: A large, mechanically agitated pump box is used between a mixer, for mixing oil sand and water to produce a slurry, and a pipeline for conveying the slurry to a processing facility. Prior to the aqueous slurry being discharged into the pump box from the mixer, it is screened to reject large solids. The oversize is directed to an impactor where it is comminuted and the comminuted product is screened again prior to being discharged into the pump box. The pump box is designed to increase the residence time of the slurry in the pump box and to separate the slurry into two phases, the suspended slurry and the larger lumps that cannot be suspended. The larger lumps that settle in the pump box are recycled to the impactor for comminution.Type: GrantFiled: July 6, 1999Date of Patent: June 20, 2000Assignees: AEC Oil Sands, L.P., AEC Oil Sands Limited Partnership, Athabasca Oil Sands Investments Inc., Canadian Occidental Petroleum Ltd., Canadian Oil Sands Investments Inc., Gulf Canada Resources Limited, Imperial Oil Resources, Mocal Energy Limited, Murphy Oil Company Ltd., Petro-CanadaInventors: Waldemar Maciejewski, George Cymerman, Jim McTurk, Derrick Kershaw
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Patent number: 6003789Abstract: Mixing means, for producing a flow mixture of oil and steam, is combined with an atomizing nozzle to provide a nozzle assembly which produces a jet of very fine oil droplets. The nozzle assembly is used in conjunction with a reactor, such as a fluidized bed coker. The mixing means comprises a pipe, external of the reactor, having separate, spaced apart inlets for oil and steam. The steam inlet is upstream of the oil inlet. A reducing diameter nozzle is positioned in the pipe bore between the inlets, for accelerating the steam. The steam contacts the oil and turbulently moves down the pipe bore to produce what is known as a "bubbly flow" mixture. The mixture is fed to the nozzle, which is internal of the reactor.Type: GrantFiled: December 15, 1997Date of Patent: December 21, 1999Assignees: AEC Oil Sands, L.P., AEC Oil Sands Limited Partnership, Athabasca Oil Sands Investments Inc., Canadian Occidental Petroleum Ltd., Canadian Oil Sands Investments Inc., Gulf Canada Resources Limited, Imperial Oil Resources, Mocal Energy Limited, Murphy Oil Company Ltd., Petro-CanadaInventors: Terence E. Base, Edward W. Chan, R. Douglas Kennett, Douglas A. Emberley
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Patent number: 5988198Abstract: A process for transporting deaerated bitumen froth in a pipeline is described which comprises injecting water into the pipeline prior to deaerated bitumen froth injection to wet the interior walls of the pipeline. The deaerated bitumen froth is then injected into the pipeline at a critical velocity above 0.3 m/sec thereby initiating self-lubricating core-annular flow of the bitumen froth.Type: GrantFiled: November 12, 1998Date of Patent: November 23, 1999Assignees: AEC Oil Sands, L.P., AEC Oil Sands Limited Partnership, Athabasca Oil Sands Investments Inc., Canadian Occidental Petroleum Ltd., Canadian Oil Sands Investments Inc., Gulf Canada Resources Limited, Imperial Oil Resources, Mocal Energy Limited, Murphy Oil Company Ltd., Petro-CanadaInventors: Owen Neiman, Ken Sury, Daniel D. Joseph, Runyuan Bai, Christopher Grant
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Patent number: 5954277Abstract: A large, mechanically agitated pump box is used between a mixer, for mixing oil sand and water to produce a slurry, and a pipeline for conveying the slurry to a processing facility. Prior to the aqueous slurry being discharged into the pump box from the mixer, it is screened to reject large solids. The oversize is directed to an impactor where it is comminuted and the comminuted product is screened again prior to being discharged into the pump box. The pump box is designed to increase the residence time of the slurry in the pump box and to separate the slurry into two phases, the suspended slurry and the larger lumps that cannot be suspended. The larger lumps that settle in the pump box are recycled to the impactor for comminution.Type: GrantFiled: January 27, 1998Date of Patent: September 21, 1999Assignees: AEC Oil Sands, L.P., Athabasca Oil Sands Investments Inc., Canadian Occidental Petroleum Ltd., Canadian Oil Sands Investments Inc., Gulf Canada Resources Limited, Imperial Oil Resources, Mocal Energy Limited, Murphy Oil Company Ltd., Petro-CanadaInventors: Waldemar Maciejewski, George Cymerman, Jim McTurk, Derrick Kershaw