Abstract: A process line comprising a combination of mobile and relocatable equipment units is provided at an oil sand mine site. The process line may comprise: a mobile shovel; a mobile bin and double roll crusher; a relocatable conveyor belt extending along the mine face; a relocatable slurry preparation assembly, such as a secondary crusher and jet pump; a pipeline; and a relocatable desanding circuit of separators. The process line conducts the following steps: mining the oil sand; crushing it to conveyable size; conveying it to a slurry preparation location; further crushing it to slurrying size and mixing it with heated water to produce a pumpable, aerated oil sand slurry; transporting and conditioning the slurry in the pipeline; desanding it to produce a product comprising bitumen and water and tailings; depositing tailings in a retention facility; and removing the product from the mine site in a pipeline.

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: 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.

Abstract: A mixer circuit, in the form of a vertically oriented stack of components, functions to slurry oil sand with water in preparation for pumping through a pipeline. The oil sand is initially dropped from the end of a conveyor. It is contacted in mid-air with a stream of water to distribute the water through the oil sand and to wet the latter. The mixture drops into a downwardly slanted trough. The water and oil sand mix as they move turbulently through the open-ended trough. The slurry is deflected as it leaves the trough and is spread in the form of a thin sheet on an apron. It is then fed over screens to reject oversize lumps. The screened slurry drops into a pump box. The rejected lumps are comminuted in an impactor positioned at the end of the screens. The comminuted oil sand is screened to remove remaining oversize lumps and the screened comminuted oil sands are delivered into the pump box. The structure is compact and the oversize reject loss is relatively low.

Abstract: 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.

Abstract: A mixer circuit, in the form of a vertically oriented stack of components, functions to slurry oil sand with water in preparation for pumping through a pipeline. The oil sand is initially dropped from the end of a conveyor. It is contacted in mid-air with a stream of water to distribute the water through the oil sand and to wet the latter. The mixture drops into a downwardly slanted trough. The water and oil sand mix as they move turbulently through the open-ended trough. The slurry is deflected as it leaves the trough and is spread in the form of a thin sheet on an apron. It is then fed over screens to reject oversize lumps. The screened slurry drops into a pump box. The screened slurry drops into a box. The rejected lumps are comminuted in an impactor positioned at the end of the screens. The comminuted oil sand is screened to remove remaining oversize lumps and the screened comminuted oil sands are delivered into the pump box. The structure is compact and the oversize reject loss is relatively low.