Patents by Inventor Bradford BJORNSON

Bradford BJORNSON has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Publication number: 20080308384
    Abstract: A process line for excavating and processing oil sands ore near a mine face. A mobile excavator excavates ore along the length of a mobile mining conveyor. A mobile comminutor receives and comminutes the excavated ore and transfers the comminuted ore to the mobile mining conveyor. The mobile mining conveyor conveys the comminuted ore to a transfer conveyor that conveys the comminuted ore to a mobile slurry facility. The mobile slurry facility combines the comminuted ore with process water to produce a slurry and pumps and conditions the slurry through a hydro-transport pipeline to a mobile extraction facility as a slurry feed. The mobile extraction facility receives the slurry feed and directs the slurry feed and a water stream as inputs to a three stage countercurrent cyclone separator. The cyclone separator produces a bitumen rich stream and a tailings stream.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 9, 2007
    Publication date: December 18, 2008
    Applicant: SUNCOR ENERGY INC.
    Inventors: BRADFORD BJORNSON, MARIO DECRESCENTIS, JOHN LITTLE, PAUL MACDOUGALL
  • Publication number: 20070187321
    Abstract: An extraction system and process for extracting bitumen from a slurry containing bitumen, solids and water. The system comprises a cyclone separation facility for separating the slurry into a solids component stream and a bitumen froth stream with the bitumen froth stream including water and fine solids. The bitumen froth stream is then delivered to a froth concentration facility for separating the bitumen froth stream into a final bitumen enriched froth stream, and a water and fine solids stream. The final bitumen enriched froth stream is suitable for further processing. The system of the present invention is preferably mobile so that the cyclone extraction facility and the froth concentration facility can move with the mine face at an oil sands mining site, however, it is also contemplated that the system can be retrofitted to existing fixed treatment facilities to improve the operational efficiency of such fixed facilities.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 9, 2006
    Publication date: August 16, 2007
    Inventors: Bradford Bjornson, Craig Strand, William Garner, John Diep, Darwin Kiel, Thomas Hann
  • Publication number: 20070180741
    Abstract: A process line for excavating and processing oil sands ore near a mine face. A mobile excavator excavates ore along the length of a mobile mining conveyor. A mobile comminutor receives and comminutes the excavated ore and transfers the comminuted ore to the mobile mining conveyor. The mobile mining conveyor conveys the comminuted ore to a transfer conveyor that conveys the comminuted ore to a mobile slurry facility. The mobile slurry facility combines the comminuted ore with process water to produce a slurry and pumps and conditions the slurry through a hydro-transport pipeline to a mobile extraction facility as a slurry feed. The mobile extraction facility receives the slurry feed and directs the slurry feed and a water stream as inputs to a three stage countercurrent cyclone separator. The cyclone separator produces a bitumen rich stream and a tailings stream.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 9, 2006
    Publication date: August 9, 2007
    Applicant: SUNCOR ENERGY INC.
    Inventors: Bradford BJORNSON, Mario DECRESCENTIS, John LITTLE, Paul MacDOUGALL
  • Publication number: 20070119994
    Abstract: A mobile slurry apparatus for creating a slurry from oil sand ore has a frame and a slurry box supported by the frame. Water is mixed with the ore to form a slurry that is retained in the slurry box. The frame base has a first set of spaced apart support points for supporting the frame in a stationary mode, and a second set of spaced apart support points for supporting the frame in a moving mode. The second set of spaced apart support points is closer together than the first set of support points and defines a lifting region disposed beneath a centre of gravity of the slurry apparatus in a moving mode when the slurry box is empty. Thus, a single moving device can be positioned beneath the second set of support points for lifting and moving the slurry apparatus.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 9, 2006
    Publication date: May 31, 2007
    Applicant: SUNCOR ENERGY INC.
    Inventors: Bradford BJORNSON, Garth BOOKER