Abstract: The invention provides an improved method for producing heavy oil or bitumen in a reservoir. The invention involves directing the formation of a solvent fluid chamber through the combination of directed solvent fluid injection and production at combinations of horizontal and/or vertical injection wells so as to increase the recovery of heavy oil or bitumen in a reservoir.

Abstract: 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.

Abstract: Staged crushing combined with water addition and mixing is practiced at the mine site to prepare an oil sand slurry ready for hydrotransport. More particularly, as-mined oil sand is crushed to conveyable size (e.g. —24?) using a mobile crusher. The pre-crushed ore product is conveyed to a dry ore surge bin. Ore is withdrawn from the bin and elevated to the upper end of a slurry preparation tower having downwardly aligned process components to enable gravity feed. The ore is further crushed in stages to pumpable size (e.g. —4?) by a stack of crushers and water is added during comminution. The ore and water are mixed in a mixing box and delivered to a pump box. The surge bin and tower are relocatable. Screening and oversize reject treatment have been eliminated to achieve compactness and enable relocatability.

Abstract: The invention provides an improved method for extracting heavy oil or bitumen contained in a reservoir. The invention involves directing the formation of a solvent fluid chamber through the combination of directed solvent fluid injection and production at combinations of horizontal and/or vertical injection wells so as to increase the recovery of heavy oil or bitumen contained in a reservoir. The wells are preferably provided with flow control devices to achieve uniform production.

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.

Abstract: A powder form of a hard phase component, selected from the group consisting of boron carbide, silicon carbide and a mixture of boron carbide and silicon carbide, is combined with an aluminum alloy matrix powder and applied to a metal substrate using plasma transferred arc (“PTA”) welding to produce a hardfaced structure having a wear-resisting carbide metal matrix composite overlay. The metal substrate can be any metal structure, such as an aluminum, aluminum alloy, steel or carbon steel structure, where wear resistance is desirable. Further, a process for hardfacing a metal substrate is disclosed comprising feeding a hard phase powder, selected from the group consisting of boron carbide, silicon carbide and a mixture of boron carbide and silicon carbide, and an aluminum alloy metal matrix powder to an operative PTA welding torch and welding to form a carbide metal matrix composite overlay fused to a metal substrate.

Abstract: A bitumen/steam pre-mixer and atomizing nozzle combine to produce a jet of minute liquid droplets (bitumen) in carrier gas (steam). The jet is injected into a draft tube mixer positioned in a fluid bed of hot coke particles suspended in steam and contained within a fluid coking reactor. The movement of the jet through the draft tube passageway induces a stream of coke particles in steam to be drawn into the passageway, where the jet and stream mix vigorously and bitumen droplets have an enhanced probability of contacting coke particles.

Abstract: 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.

Abstract: 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.

Abstract: Diluent-diluted bitumen froth containing bitumen and naphtha diluent, hydrocarbons, water, sand and fines (collectively “dilfroth”) is fed into a vapor-tight gravity settler (‘splitter’) and temporarily retained to produce a bottom layer of tails comprising sand and middlings, a rag layer of discrete three-dimensional structures, each comprising hydrocarbons contained in a skin of fines, and a top layer of hydrocarbons containing small droplets of water and fines (‘raw dilbit’). The flux in the splitter is less than 6 m3/h of dilfroth fed per m2 of horizontal cross-sectional rag area. The in-coming dilfroth is fed directly into the splitter middlings. Demulsifier is added to the overflow stream of raw dilbit and the mixture is subjected to prolonged settling in a vapor-tight polisher tank, to produce polished dilbit containing less than 1.0 wt. % water and 0.3 wt. % solids. The splitter underflow tails, containing less than 15 wt.

Abstract: 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.

Abstract: 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.