Patents by Inventor Simon Yuan
Simon Yuan 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).
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Patent number: 11590514Abstract: A process for treating and dewatering tailings comprising fine clay minerals, fine rock-forming minerals and water is provided, comprising treating the tailings with a sufficient amount of a collector to modify the surface properties of both the fine clays and rock-forming minerals; subjecting the treated tailings to froth flotation to form a fine clays and rock-forming minerals froth layer; and recovering the froth layer and subjecting it to dewatering.Type: GrantFiled: October 25, 2019Date of Patent: February 28, 2023Assignee: SYNCRUDE CANADA LTDInventors: Simon Yuan, James Lorentz, Ron Siman
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Publication number: 20200129991Abstract: A process for treating and dewatering tailings comprising fine clay minerals, fine rock-forming minerals and water is provided, comprising treating the tailings with a sufficient amount of a collector to modify the surface properties of both the fine clays and rock-forming minerals; subjecting the treated tailings to froth flotation to form a fine clays and rock-forming minerals froth layer; and recovering the froth layer and subjecting it to dewatering.Type: ApplicationFiled: October 25, 2019Publication date: April 30, 2020Inventors: SIMON YUAN, JAMES LORENTZ, RON SIMAN
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Publication number: 20170267557Abstract: A process for the in-situ treatment of tailings in a containment area having a tailings layer comprising fine solids and water, is provided comprising: adding a flocculant, a coagulant, a hydrophobicity modifying agent, or any combination thereof, into a portion of the tailings layer; mixing the portion of the tailings layer and flocculant, coagulant, collector, or combinations thereof, to form in-situ treated tailings; and allowing the in-situ treated tailings to dewater and/or consolidate in-situ in the tailings containment area.Type: ApplicationFiled: March 15, 2016Publication date: September 21, 2017Inventors: SIMON YUAN, JAMES LORENTZ
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Publication number: 20160310964Abstract: A process for treating and dewatering tailings comprising fine clay minerals, fine silt minerals and water is provided, comprising treating the tailings with a sufficient amount of a clay surface reagent to selectively modify the surface properties of the fine clay minerals; subjecting the treated tailings to froth flotation to float a portion of the fine clay minerals and form a clay froth layer and froth flotation tails having a reduced fine clay minerals content; and recovering the clay froth layer and subjecting it to dewatering.Type: ApplicationFiled: November 17, 2015Publication date: October 27, 2016Inventors: SIMON YUAN, JAMES LORENTZ, YONG (JOE) GU, RON SIMAN
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Publication number: 20160311709Abstract: A process of treating and dewatering tailings is provided comprising mixing the tailings with a sufficient amount of a flocculant, a coagulant, or both, to promote flocculation/aggregation of the fine solids in the tailings; mixing a sufficient amount of a hydrophobicity modifying agent with the thus treated tailings to modify the hydrophobicity of the flocculated/aggregated fine solids; and subjecting the resulting mixture to liquid solids separation to yield a solids product for reclamation and a liquid product for recycling or disposal.Type: ApplicationFiled: October 16, 2015Publication date: October 27, 2016Inventors: SIMON YUAN, JAMES LORENTZ, RON SIMAN, YONG JOE GU
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Publication number: 20160303526Abstract: A process for preparing engineered tailings that are essentially immediately trafficable is provided comprising providing a source of high density sand; mixing a source of tailings with the high density sand to give a tailings product having at least about 80 wt % solids and a solids to fines ratio of greater than 2.0; and optionally adding at least one additive to the tailings product if additional strength is required.Type: ApplicationFiled: April 14, 2015Publication date: October 20, 2016Inventors: SIMON YUAN, JAMES LORENTZ, RANDY MIKULA
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Patent number: 9371491Abstract: There is provided a method including: combining storage pond tailings with a heated tailings stream to form a tailings mixture, the storage pond tailings having a temperature and a solids content and the tailings mixture having a resulting solids content less than the solids content of the storage pond tailings; and treating the tailings mixture to recover bitumen therefrom.Type: GrantFiled: September 25, 2014Date of Patent: June 21, 2016Assignee: SYNCRUDE CANADA LTD.Inventors: Simon Yuan, Owen Neiman, Jonathan Spence, Brent Hilscher, Ron Siman
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Publication number: 20160090536Abstract: There is provided a method including: combining storage pond tailings with a heated tailings stream to form a tailings mixture, the storage pond tailings having a temperature and a solids content and the tailings mixture having a resulting solids content less than the solids content of the storage pond tailings; and treating the tailings mixture to recover bitumen therefrom.Type: ApplicationFiled: September 25, 2014Publication date: March 31, 2016Inventors: SIMON YUAN, OWEN NEIMAN, JONATHAN SPENCE, BRENT HILSCHER, RON SIMAN
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Patent number: 9296954Abstract: A method for extracting hydrocarbons from a poor processing bitumen froth is provided comprising subjecting a bitumen, solids and water slurry to flotation in a flotation device to produce the poor processing bitumen froth; optionally subjecting the poor processing bitumen froth to centrifugation to remove a portion of the water from the poor processing bitumen froth; and subjecting the poor processing bitumen froth to supercritical extraction in a pressure vessel using a supercritical fluid to produce a hydrocarbon stream suitable for further upgrading.Type: GrantFiled: May 22, 2013Date of Patent: March 29, 2016Assignee: SYNCRUDE CANADA LTD. in trust for the owners of the Syncrude Project as such owners exist now and in the futureInventors: Simon Yuan, Brent Hilscher
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Patent number: 8919575Abstract: The invention is directed to a process for separating bitumen froth into an upper bitumen-rich, reduced-solids layer, and a lower concentrated solids layer using a cone-bottomed, raked froth tank. The process involves introducing bitumen froth into the froth tank; rotating at least one movable picket through the bitumen froth; recovering the upper bitumen-rich, reduced-solids layer; and withdrawing the lower concentrated solids layer from the tank.Type: GrantFiled: March 26, 2012Date of Patent: December 30, 2014Assignee: Syncrude Canada Ltd. in trust for the owners of the Syncrude Project as such owners exist now and in the futureInventors: Simon Yuan, Jim Lorentz, Jessica Vandenberghe
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Publication number: 20140346088Abstract: A method for extracting hydrocarbons from a poor processing bitumen froth is provided comprising subjecting a bitumen, solids and water slurry to flotation in a flotation device to produce the poor processing bitumen froth; optionally subjecting the poor processing bitumen froth to centrifugation to remove a portion of the water from the poor processing bitumen froth; and subjecting the poor processing bitumen froth to supercritical extraction in a pressure vessel using a supercritical fluid to produce a hydrocarbon stream suitable for further upgrading.Type: ApplicationFiled: May 22, 2013Publication date: November 27, 2014Applicant: SYNCRUDE CANADA LTD. in trust for the owners of the Syncrude ProjectInventors: SIMON YUAN, BRENT HILSCHER
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Publication number: 20140116956Abstract: A process is provided for dewatering fluid fine tailings, comprising combining fluid fine tailings with fresh oil sands tailings to create a tailings mixture having a sand to fines ratio of about 1.0 to about 2.0; optionally diluting the tailings mixture with water to an optimal density; adding an aqueous polymeric flocculant to the tailings mixture and mixing the polymeric flocculant and tailings mixture to form a flocculated material; and transferring the flocculated material to a deposition cell for dewatering.Type: ApplicationFiled: October 23, 2013Publication date: May 1, 2014Applicant: SYNCRUDE CANADA LTD. in trust for the owners of the Syncrude Project Fort McMurrayInventors: SIMON YUAN, RON SIMAN
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Publication number: 20140097126Abstract: A process for removing residual bitumen from oil sands tailings is provided, comprising optionally diluting the tailings with sufficient water to yield a tailings feed having a solids content in the range of about 18 wt % to about 36 wt %; adding one or both of a coagulant and a flocculant to the tailings feed to form a centrifuge feed; centrifuging the centrifuge feed to produce a cake and a centrate having a solids content of less than about 3 wt %; introducing the centrate into a flotation device so that bitumen froth and cleaned centrate are formed; recycling the cleaned centrate as dilution water or discharging the cleaned centrate to a tailings pond, and further processing the bitumen froth from the flotation device either by returning it to the primary Extraction feed or by treating it in a new or existing froth treatment plant.Type: ApplicationFiled: October 5, 2012Publication date: April 10, 2014Applicant: SYNCRUDE CANADA LTD. in trust for the owners of the Syncrude ProjectInventors: JONATHAN SPENCE, OWEN NEIMAN, SIMON YUAN
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Publication number: 20130248424Abstract: The invention is directed to a process for separating bitumen froth into an upper bitumen-rich, reduced-solids layer, and a lower concentrated solids layer using a cone-bottomed, raked froth tank. The process involves introducing bitumen froth into the froth tank; rotating at least one movable picket through the bitumen froth; recovering the upper bitumen-rich, reduced-solids layer; and withdrawing the lower concentrated solids layer from the tank.Type: ApplicationFiled: March 26, 2012Publication date: September 26, 2013Applicant: SYNCRUDE CANADA LTD. in trust for the owners of the Syncrude ProjectInventors: SIMON YUAN, JIM LORENTZ, JESSICA VANDENBERGHE
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Publication number: 20130075340Abstract: A process for flocculating and dewatering oil sands fine tailings is provided, comprising: adding the oil sands fine tailings as an aqueous slurry to a stirred tank reactor; adding an effective amount of a polymeric flocculant to the stirred tank reactor containing the oil sands fine tailings and operating the reactor at an impeller tip speed for a period of time that is sufficient to form a gel-like structure; subjecting the gel-like structure to shear conditions in the stirred tank reactor for a period of time sufficient to break down the gel-like structure to form flocs and release water; and removing the flocculated oil sands fine tailings from the stirred tank reactor when the maximum yield stress of the flocculated oil sands fine tailings begins to decline but before the capillary suction time of the flocculated oil sands fine tailings begins to substantially increase from its lowest point.Type: ApplicationFiled: September 14, 2012Publication date: March 28, 2013Applicant: SYNCRUDE CANADA LTD. in trust for the owners of the Syncrude ProjectInventors: BARRY BARA, SIMON YUAN, RON SIMAN, CLARA GOMEZ
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Patent number: 8147682Abstract: A process and process line is provided for recovering heat in the form of cleaned warm water and residual bitumen from oil sand tailings produced during an oil sands extraction process. The process includes removing at least a portion of the coarse solids from the oil sand tailings to produce a reduced solids tailings fraction; separating at least a portion of the bitumen from the reduced solids tailings fraction to produce a bitumen fraction and a warm water and fines fraction; and removing at least a portion of the fines from the warm water and fines fraction to produce cleaned warm water and a concentrated fines fraction. The cleaned warm water can then be reused in the oil sands extraction process.Type: GrantFiled: October 31, 2006Date of Patent: April 3, 2012Assignee: Syncrude Canada Ltd.Inventors: Rick Lahaie, Simon Yuan, Jim Lorentz, Christian Matte, Kamal Hammad
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Publication number: 20080099380Abstract: A process and process line is provided for recovering heat in the form of cleaned warm water and residual bitumen from oil sand tailings produced during an oil sands extraction process. The process includes removing at least a portion of the coarse solids from the oil sand tailings to produce a reduced solids tailings fraction; separating at least a portion of the bitumen from the reduced solids tailings fraction to produce a bitumen fraction and a warm water and fines fraction; and removing at least a portion of the fines from the warm water and fines fraction to produce cleaned warm water and a concentrated fines fraction. The cleaned warm water can then be reused in the oil sands extraction process.Type: ApplicationFiled: October 31, 2006Publication date: May 1, 2008Applicant: SYNCRUDE CANADA LTD.Inventors: RICK LAHAIE, SIMON YUAN, JIM LORENTZ, CHRISTIAN MATTE, KAMAL HAMMAD