Patents by Inventor Jonathan R. Spence

Jonathan R. Spence 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).

  • Mechanical deaeration of bituminous froth
    Patent number: 6391190
    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.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 4, 1999
    Date of Patent: May 21, 2002
    Assignees: 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 Gas
    Inventors: Jonathan R. Spence, Kevin McDowell, Mike P. Wagner, Sean Sanders
  • Increasing settling rate of fine solids in oil sand tailings
    Patent number: 5804077
    Abstract: Calcium sulphate is added to desanded tailings derived from a hot water extraction process for recovering bitumen from oil sand. Enough calcium sulphate (100 to 200 ppm) is added to remove naphthenates and sulfonates from the aqueous phase. As a result, the settling rate of the fines in the tailings is accelerated.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 16, 1996
    Date of Patent: September 8, 1998
    Inventors: Russell G. Smith, Jonathan R. Spence