Abstract: Whole tailings are treated with a flocculant to cause fines to agglomerate with the coarse particles. The product is then vacuum filtered to separate the fines from the water.

Abstract: To optimize recovery by the hot water process of hydrocarbons from bituminous sands, an alkaline process aid (e.g. NaOH) is commonly added to the conditioning step. In accordance with this invention, the quantity of process aid added is varied in response to the fines content of the incoming bituminous sands feed.

Abstract: An aqueous solution suspension or emulsion containing a water-soluble or oil-soluble non-ionic emulsifying agent is useful, when spread over the load-bearing surface of a conveyor carrying bituminous sands, to act as a release agent to promote the clean separation of the tacky sands from the belt when the latter rounds the end roller of the conveyor system and unloads the sands.

Abstract: A process for treating a conveyor belt carrying bituminous sands with a release agent comprises: applying to the sands-bearing surface of the belt, prior to deposition of the bituminous sands, a water-based emulsion having as the disperse phase a silicone fluid having short hydroxyl-terminated polymer chains and a viscosity on the order of 100 centistokes; unloading the sands from the belt; and recovering the bitumen from the sands using a hot water extraction step. The emulsion acts as a release agent which effects clean separation of the sands from the belt surface during unloading and does not deleteriously affect the primary bitumen recovery in the extraction step.

Abstract: It has been found that tank-type air flotation cells are more efficient, when treating hot water process middlings containing in excess of about 3% bitumen, than trough-type air flotation cells. Also, it has been found that the trough-type cells are more efficient than the tank-type cells when treating middlings containing less than about 3% bitumen. Thus a secondary recovery circuit is proposed wherein the middlings are first treated in one or more tank-type cells in series and the underflow from the last tank-type cell is treated in one or more banks of trough-type cells.

Abstract: An oily mass of solids tailings is derived from flotation of bitumen during hot water extraction of bituminous sands, and subsequent separation of most of the bitumen from associated solids. This oily mass contains a high concentration of heavy minerals, in the order of 10% by weight titanium and 4% zirconium. The tailings are introduced into a hot reaction zone and contacted with oxygen while agitating the solids. The bitumen associated with the solids is burned, as is residual coke left from the combustion of the bitumen. The product particles are discrete, dry and clean. They can be slurried with water and passed through gravity concentrating means, such as a spiral, to produce a concentrate containing in the order of 18% titanium and 8% zirconium.

Abstract: An emulsion of bitumen in sodium hydroxide solution containing at least 1 wt. % bitumen as the disperse phase is useful, when spread over the load-bearing surface of a conveyor carrying bituminous sands, to act as a release agent to promote the clean separation of the tacky sands from the belt when the latter rounds the end roller of the conveyor system and unloads the sands.

Abstract: An oily mass of solids tailings is derived from flotation of bitumen during hot water extraction of bituminous sands, and subsequent separation of most of the bitumen from associated solids. This oily mass contains a high concentration of heavy minerals, in the order of 10% by weight titanium and 4% zirconium. The tailings are introduced into a hot reaction zone and contacted with oxygen while agitating the solids. The bitumen associated with the solids is burned, as is residual coke left from the combustion of the bitumen. The product particles are discrete, dry and clean. They can be slurried with water and passed through gravity concentrating means, such as a spiral, to produce a concentrate containing in the order of 18% titanium and 8% zirconium.

Abstract: In the hot water process wherein tar sand is slurried in a tumbler with hot water and sodium hydroxide, oversized material, rejected from the tumbler, is mixed with a portion of slurry flood water in a second slurrying device and subjected therein to heating and dispersal of bitumen associated with the rejects. A bitumen-containing slurry is produced from the second device and this slurry is combined with the tumbler slurry and subsequently subjected to flotation to recover bitumen.

Abstract: Bitumen froth streamsfrom the primary separation vessel and secondary flotation cells are gravity transferred into one or more columns and heated and deaerated therein by passing them countercurrent to steam. The heated deaerated froth is then pumped with centrifugal pump means to the froth treatment circuit. By deaerating and heating before pumping, the froth is converted from a form difficult to pump to one which is relatively easy to pump.

Abstract: The invention has to do with treatment of dilution centrifuging tailings ch are produced in connection with a hot water extraction operation for recovery of bitumen from oil sands. The tailings are subjected to induced gas flotation for a predetermined period of time to recover contained hydrocarbons as froth.

Abstract: It has been found that controlling the rate of withdrawal of tailings from a hot water process primary separation vessel with a rake torque sensor is attended by problems when the feed to the vessel is high in fine solids content. It was also found that a nuclear density gauge was much better at controlling the withdrawal with the high fines feed, but did not work as well as rake torque control with low fines feed. Therefore the withdrawal is now controlled with a rake torque sensor when the vessel is receiving low fines feed and a density gauge when it is receiving high fines feed.

Abstract: For operating control and safety, a variable-speed close-coupled pump is direct connected to the underflow of the primary separation vessel (PSV). The desired discharge density of the PSV is 70- 80% solids in order to minimize bitumen losses. For a good pumping system, the pump discharge density should be less than 65% solids to avoid settling out of the solids in the downstream conduit. Therefore it is necessary to dilute the PSV underflow before it reaches the pump. Secondary flotation tailings, a dilute stream containing a high proportion of fine solids, is used for this purpose. The solids content of the PSV underflow is monitored by one of two alternative systems-- a torque recorder on the PSV rake shaft or a density gauge on the PSV underflow conduit. The former is used when the PSV is being fed low fines tar sand-- the latter when it is treating high fines tar sand. The close-coupled pump speed is adjusted relative to the solids content measurement to keep it at the desired 70- 80% level.

Abstract: Ozone is dispersed in river water to be purified and used in a high pressure boiler. The ozone selectively degrades large organic molecules, dissolved in the water, which ordinarily will irreversibly foul the strongly basic anion attracting resin used to adsorb silicious contaminants from the water. The degraded molecules are reduced in resin-fouling capability and are removed from the resin during regeneration.

Abstract: Coked solids, produced by coking of tar sands, are contacted in a first zone with air and the minimum amount of supplemental fuel needed to burn all the coke. Part of the hot clean mineral solids produced is then discarded; the balance is moved into a second zone. Here supplemental fuel is burned to increase the temperature of the solids. The hot solids from the second zone are recycled to the coking stage.Only part of the solids is heated with supplemental fuel, thereby reducing consumption of the latter. In addition, the flue gas from the second zone is relatively clean and can be vented directly to the atmosphere in the flue gas from the first zone.

Abstract: A single capacitance vessel is provided to receive the excess heavy phase discharges (normally water) from a bank of disc-nozzle centrifugal separators. The vessel has a reservoir chamber with a weir at one end. The heavy phase streams are delivered into the reservoir of fluid retained in this chamber. In the event there are any hydrocarbons in the heavy phase fluid, the former rise to the surface of the reservoir fluid and pass over the weir, together with some water. An inert gas blanket within the vessel pressurizes the reservoir so that a fluid backpressure is maintained at the discharge outlets of the separators. By use of this system, any fluid returned from the reservoir to the separators (which occurs when the feed to the separators is low in water) is substantially free of hydrocarbons which, if present, would deleteriously affect the operation of the separators.