Abstract: Apparatus for use in, or forming part of, a separation process to be implemented in separation processor technology, the apparatus comprising synthetic bubbles or beads configured with a polymer or polymer-based material functionalized to attach to a valuable material in a mixture so as to form an enriched synthetic bubbles or beads having the valuable material attached thereto, and also configured to be separated from the mixture based at least partly on a difference in a physical property between the enriched synthetic bubbles or beads having the valuable material attached thereto and the mixture.

Abstract: A signal processor receives a signal containing information about a sensor that is spirally wrapped at a known pitch or separation down a pipe having a flow; and determines a flow velocity based at least partly on the information contained in the signal received by applying an autocorrelation function that depends on a relationship between the time between a repeating pattern and the known pitch or separation of the spirally wrapped sensor. The signal processor provides a corresponding signal containing information about the flow velocity. The sensor includes a strain sensor, including a piezo-electric polymer strain sensor fabricated from PVDF, and/or two or more equally spaced spirally wound sensors. The determining includes correlating output signals of two or more equally spaced spirally wound sensors to determine a time delay, and determining the flow velocity based on the time delay and the known pitch or separation.

Abstract: Apparatus is provided featuring a signal processor or processing module configured at least to: receive signaling containing information about the conductivity of a fluid contained, processed or flowing in a pipe, tank, cell or vessel having electrodes around the circumference of the pipe, tank, cell or vessel in an irregular configuration; and determine a scale build-up in the pipe, tank, cell or vessel using a tomographic processing technique, based at least partly on the signaling received. The signal processor module may be configured to provide corresponding signaling containing information about the scale build-up in the pipe, tank, cell or vessel using the tomographic processing technique, e.g., including where the corresponding signaling contains information about a chemical to be injected to control the scale build-up, including in a closed loop manner.

Abstract: Apparatus featuring synthetic bubbles or beads and a flotation stage. The synthetic bubbles or beads are configured with a polymer or polymer-based material functionalized to attach to the valuable material in a mixture to form at least some enriched synthetic bubbles or beads having the valuable material attached thereto, and also configured to be transported through the mixture based at least partly on a characteristic of the synthetic bubbles or beads. The flotation stage has the mixture containing valuable material, and is configured to receive the synthetic bubbles or beads and to provide the at least some enriched synthetic bubbles or beads having the valuable material attached thereto based at least partly the characteristic of the synthetic bubbles or beads.

Abstract: A synthetic bead for use in mineral separation is described. The synthetic bead has a surface made of a synthetic material such as polymer and the synthetic material is functionalized with molecules having a functional group for attaching mineral particles to the surface in a separation process. The synthetic beads can be placed in flotation cell containing a mixture of water, valuable material and unwanted material or in a pipeline where the mixture is transported from one location to another. The enriched synthetic beads carrying the mineral particles are separated from the unwanted materials in the mixture. The mineral particles are then released from the synthetic beads by means of low pH treatment, ultrasonic agitation, thermal or electromagnetic treatment.

Abstract: An apparatus and method for collecting mineral particles in the tailings is disclosed. The apparatus may take the form of a filter, a conveyor belt, a collection plate or an impeller configured to contact with tailings of a flotation process, before and/or after the tailings are discharged into a pond. The filter, conveyor belt, collection plate or impeller has a collection area or surface made of, or coated with, a synthetic material having a functional group, e.g., having an ionizing bond to attract the mineral particles of interest. Alternatively, the synthetic material has hydrophobic molecules to render the collection area hydrophobic. When the mineral particles of interest in the tailings are combined with collector molecules, the mineral particles of interest may also become hydrophobic. The hydrophobic mineral particles of interest are attracted to the hydrophobic collection area or surface.

Abstract: The present invention provides a technique that uses discrete wavelengths of illumination of an ore sample, and through the use of optical filters and laser illumination the signal-to-noise ratio of the measurement can be greatly improved, and may take the form of apparatus featuring a signal processor configured to: receive signaling containing information about a spectral reflectance caused by discrete wavelengths illuminating an ore sample; and determine information about a bitumen content of the ore sample based at least partly on the signaling. The signal processor may provide corresponding signaling containing information about the bitumen content of the ore sample, including for further processing, printing or displaying.

Abstract: A transportable modular system for enhanced minerals recovery from tailings lines and deposits, features two transportable mineral recovery modules (TMRM), each TMRM for transporting as a truck mounted module to a remote site as an independently-operable mineral recovery module, each TMRM to couple to another TMRM on-site at the remote site and used together to provide enhanced minerals recovery. One TMRM having a central engineered polymer mineral recovery module that receives tailings fluid having a mineral particle of interest, processes the tailings fluid using an engineered polymer configuration, and provides recovered mineral processing fluids having the mineral particle of interest and a tailings disposal fluid. One other TMRM is selected from a group of TMRMs that includes another central engineered polymer mineral recovery module, a tailings fluid management module, an additive/chemical treatment polymer management module, a tailings disposal module and a recovery mineral processing module.

Abstract: Apparatus features a container and a transducer. The container is made of a selected material and has a container wall with a selected thickness, and configured to hold a fluid therein. The transducer is configured on the outside of the container wall, and is also configured to provide a standing wave into the fluid. The selected thickness and material of the container wall is chosen to ensure about a ½ wavelength of a desired frequency exists within the container wall, so as to substantially reduce back reflections toward the transducer due to any mismatch in acoustic impedance at the interface between the container wall and the fluid, and so as to substantially maximize the amount of energy delivered to the fluid, thus improving the operating efficiency of the apparatus.

Abstract: Apparatus for use in, or forming part of, a separation process to be implemented in separation processor technology, the apparatus comprising synthetic bubbles or beads configured with a polymer or polymer-based material functionalized to attach to a valuable material in a mixture so as to form an enriched synthetic bubbles or beads having the valuable material attached thereto, and also configured to be separated from the mixture based at least partly on a difference in a physical property between the enriched synthetic bubbles or beads having the valuable material attached thereto and the mixture.

Abstract: Apparatus is provided featuring an acoustic driver and a transducer. The acoustic driver is configured to provide an acoustic driver signal having a frequency that can be adjusted to yield a given wavelength, which in turn, will selectively capture a particular particle size of particles in a fluid, mixture or process flow. The transducer is configured to respond to the acoustic driver signal and provide an acoustic signal having a standing wave at the frequency in order to yield the given wavelength that will selectively capture the particular particle size of the particles in the fluid, mixture or process flow, in order to determine the mass of the particles having the particular particle size in the fluid, mixture or process flow.

Abstract: An engineered collection medium for use in mineral separation is described. The engineered collection medium has a solid phase body configured with a three-dimensional open-cell structure like foam or sponge to provide collection surfaces. The surfaces are functionalized with a hydrophobic chemical having molecules with a functional group for attaching mineral particles to the collection surfaces. The engineered collection medium can be a foam block, a filter or conveyor belt to be placed in a slurry to collect mineral particles in the slurry. The engineered collection medium carrying the mineral particles is provided to a release apparatus where the mineral particles can be released by using mechanical agitation, sonic agitation and so forth.

Abstract: The present invention provides apparatus, including a pigging tool, that comprises a spraying mechanism configured to move along an inner surface of a pipeline, including a slurry transport pipeline in a minable oilsands facility or plant, and to spray a coating on the inner surface of the pipeline; and a curing source, including an ultraviolet (UV) light source, a microwave source or an RF source, configured to cure the coating sprayed on the inner surface of the pipeline in situ as the spray mechanism moves along the inner surface of the pipeline.

Abstract: An apparatus for collecting mineral particles in a slurry or the tailings is disclosed, including a collection area or tank having one or more collection surfaces configured to contact with a mixture having water and valuable material, the valuable material having a plurality of mineral particles of interest; and a synthetic material provided at least on the one or more collection surfaces, the synthetic material having plurality of molecules with a siloxane functional group configured to attract the mineral particles of interest to the collection surfaces. The one or more collection surfaces includes a conveyor belt that is driven through the collection area or tank, through a release area or tank, back through the collection area or tank. The mixture includes a pulp slurry having ground ore with mineral particles of interest forming part thereof, including mineral particles of interest of about 500 microns or larger.

Abstract: Apparatus is provided featuring a signal processor or signal processing module configured to receive signaling containing information about images of an ore sample; and determine information about a Bitumen Content of the ore sample based at least partly on the signaling, including for use in real time ore blend management in a bitumen recovery process related to mined oil sands. The ore sample may be an ore face, and the signaling may contain information about the images of the ore face. The signal processor or signal processing module may be configured to determine a real time ore face ore grade visualization based at least partly on the signaling, and provide corresponding signaling containing information about the real time ore face ore grade visualization, including a composite overlay image.

Abstract: Apparatus or recovering a mineral particle of interest from a slurry in a mineral extraction process, featuring a core or substrate; and multiple layers arranged on the core or substrate, each layer of the multiple layers configured with a respective outer surface having a plurality of molecules attached thereto, the molecules comprising a functional group selected for attracting and attaching one or more mineral particles of interest to the molecules. Each layer is made from a polymer having a thickness of less than or equal to about 125 microns. The polymer is selected from a group consisting of polydimethylsiloxane or dimethyl siloxane.

Abstract: Techniques and systems suitable for performing low-loss fusion splicing of optical waveguide sections are provided. According to some embodiments, multiple laser beams (from one or more laser) may be utilized to uniformly heat a splice region including portions of the optical waveguide sections to be spliced, which may have different cross-sectional dimensions. According to some embodiments, the relative distance of the optical waveguide sections and/or the power of the multiple laser beams may be varied during splicing operations.

Abstract: The present invention provides new techniques for non-invasive and real-time measurement of the velocity profile of slurry flow in horizontal pipes, as well as the measurement and trending of pipe wear on slurry lines. In the first case, this information can be used to determine the approach and onset of solid deposition on the bottom of the pipe. Having this information in real time can enable operation at lower velocities or higher solids concentration or both while avoiding solids deposition or plugging and their associated operational costs. In the second case, the present invention uses a permanently or semi-permanently installed ring of conformable ultrasonic transducers clamped onto the outside of the pipe. These transducers are used to measure the thickness of the pipe under their respective locations.

Abstract: Apparatus for determining a thickness of a wall of a pipe, featuring a signal processing module configured to respond to signaling containing information about traveling stress waves transmitted to and reflected back from a wall of a pipe by a sensor band that includes a series, ring or array having multiple transducers circumferentially arranged and mounted around, and attached to or clamped onto, an outside wall of the pipe; determine a profile of a thickness of the wall of the pipe corresponding to circumferential locations of the multiple transducers based on the signaling received from the sensor band, and the provides corresponding signaling containing information about the profile of the thickness of the wall of the pipe; and another module configured to receive the corresponding signaling and provide a visual indication of either data or a graph of the thickness of the wall of the pipe.

Abstract: A method for monitoring wall thickness of an industrial piping component or pump/fluid machinery, including a pump casing for a pump used for pumping an abrasive fluid or slurry, comprising providing a signal containing information about a ultrasonic-based transducer pulse from a discrete ultrasonic-based transducer attached directly on an industrial piping component or pump/fluid machinery at a local point of interest and configured to inject the ultrasonic-based transducer pulse into the industrial piping component or pump/fluid machinery at the local point of interest and sense the ultrasonic-based transducer pulse reflected off a wall of the industrial piping component or pump/fluid machinery at the local point of interest; and determining with an electronic monitoring system the thickness of the wall of the industrial piping component or pump/fluid machinery at the local point of interest based at least partly on the signal received containing information about the discrete ultrasonic-based transducer pu