Patents by Inventor Tom Hann

Tom Hann 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).

  • Patent number: 10988695
    Abstract: The field of the invention is oil sands processing. A solvent treatment system and process for treating a bitumen-containing stream include contacting that stream with a solvent-containing stream to produce an in-line flow of solvent diluted material; supplying the solvent diluted material into a separation vessel with axi-symmetric phase and velocity distribution and/or particular mixing and conditioning features. The solvent addition, mixing and conditioning may be performed with particular CoV, Camp number, co-annular pipeline reactor, pipe wall contact of low viscosity fluid, flow diffusing and/or flow straightening. The processes enable improved performance of downstream unit operations such as separation of high diluted bitumen from solvent diluted tailings.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 19, 2018
    Date of Patent: April 27, 2021
    Assignee: FORT HILLS ENERGY L.P.
    Inventors: Shawn Van der Merwe, John Khai Quang Diep, Mohammad Reza Shariati, Tom Hann
  • Publication number: 20180320084
    Abstract: The field of the invention is oil sands processing. A solvent treatment system and process for treating a bitumen-containing stream include contacting that stream with a solvent-containing stream to produce an in-line flow of solvent diluted material; supplying the solvent diluted material into a separation vessel with axi-symmetric phase and velocity distribution and/or particular mixing and conditioning features. The solvent addition, mixing and conditioning may be performed with particular CoV, Camp number, co-annular pipeline reactor, pipe wall contact of low viscosity fluid, flow diffusing and/or flow straightening. The processes enable improved performance of downstream unit operations such as separation of high diluted bitumen from solvent diluted tailings.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 19, 2018
    Publication date: November 8, 2018
    Inventors: Shawn Van der Merwe, John Khai Quang Diep, Mohammad Reza Shariati, Tom Hann
  • Patent number: 10041005
    Abstract: The field of the invention is oil sands processing. A solvent treatment system and process for treating a bitumen-containing stream include contacting that stream with a solvent-containing stream to produce an in-line flow of solvent diluted material; supplying the solvent diluted material into a separation vessel with axi-symmetric phase and velocity distribution and/or particular mixing and conditioning features. The solvent addition, mixing and conditioning may be performed with particular Co V, Camp number, co-annular pipeline reactor, pipe wall contact of low viscosity fluid, flow diffusing and/or flow straightening. The processes enable improved performance of downstream unit operations such as separation of high diluted bitumen from solvent diluted tailings.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 23, 2012
    Date of Patent: August 7, 2018
    Assignee: Fort Hills Energy L.P.
    Inventors: Shawn Van Der Merwe, John Khai Quang Diep, Mohammad Reza Shariati, Tom Hann
  • Patent number: 9676684
    Abstract: A TSRU for recovering solvent from solvent diluted tailings includes a separation apparatus receiving the tailings and producing solvent and solvent recovered tailings. The separation apparatus includes a vessel, a tailings outlet, a solvent outlet, a tailings inlet for supplying a variable flow of the tailings to the vessel and a tailings recycle line connected to the tailings inlet for recycling part of the solvent recovered tailings into the variable flow of the diluted tailings to produce a flow rate controlled feed for introduction into the vessel. A tailings solvent recovery process includes separating the diluted tailings into recovered solvent and solvent recovered tailings, discharging the solvent recovered tailings, and recycling a portion of the solvent recovered tailings back into the variable flow of the diluted tailings. A method of controlling feed flow rate to a tailings solvent recovery vessel is also provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 23, 2012
    Date of Patent: June 13, 2017
    Assignee: FORT HILLS ENERGY L.P.
    Inventors: Ryan Duerr, Shawn Van Der Merwe, Tom Hann
  • Patent number: 9546323
    Abstract: A process for regionalization of mining bitumen-containing oil sands ore for extraction and conversion to produce dry bitumen comprises operating multiple separate oil sands ore mining and extraction facilities or in situ thermal recovery facilities, to produce separate bitumen froth streams; operating a regional paraffinic froth treatment (PFT) hub for receiving a portion of each of the separate bitumen froth streams and treating the bitumen froth streams to produce the dry bitumen; optionally providing a portion of the dry bitumen stream to the bitumen upgrading facility and another portion of the dry bitumen stream to a bitumen market pipeline or remote upgrading facility; and optionally comprising regionalization of water distribution where by-product waters are recovered from the PFT hub and the upgrading facilities and distributed to the mining and extraction facilities for use as extraction processing water to produce the bitumen froth streams.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 25, 2012
    Date of Patent: January 17, 2017
    Assignee: FORT HILLS ENERGY L.P.
    Inventors: Shawn Van Der Merwe, Tom Hann
  • Publication number: 20140001101
    Abstract: The field of the invention is oil sands processing. A solvent treatment system and process for treating a bitumen-containing stream include contacting that stream with a solvent-containing stream to produce an in-line flow of solvent diluted material; supplying the solvent diluted material into a separation vessel with axi-symmetric phase and velocity distribution and/or particular mixing and conditioning features. The solvent addition, mixing and conditioning may be performed with particular Co V, Camp number, co-annular pipeline reactor, pipe wall contact of low viscosity fluid, flow diffusing and/or flow straightening. The processes enable improved performance of downstream unit operations such as separation of high diluted bitumen from solvent diluted tailings.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 23, 2012
    Publication date: January 2, 2014
    Applicant: FORT HILLS ENERGY L.P.
    Inventors: Shawn Nicholas Van Der Merwe, John Khai Quang Diep, Mohammad Reza Shariati, Tom Hann
  • Publication number: 20130345485
    Abstract: A TSRU for recovering solvent from solvent diluted tailings includes a separation apparatus receiving the tailings and producing solvent and solvent recovered tailings. The separation apparatus includes a vessel, a tailings outlet, a solvent outlet, a tailings inlet for supplying a variable flow of the tailings to the vessel and a tailings recycle line connected to the tailings inlet for recycling part of the solvent recovered tailings into the variable flow of the diluted tailings to produce a flow rate controlled feed for introduction into the vessel. A tailings solvent recovery process includes separating the diluted tailings into recovered solvent and solvent recovered tailings, discharging the solvent recovered tailings, and recycling a portion of the solvent recovered tailings back into the variable flow of the diluted tailings. A method of controlling feed flow rate to a tailings solvent recovery vessel is also provided.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 23, 2012
    Publication date: December 26, 2013
    Applicant: Fort Hills Energy L.P.
    Inventors: Ryan Duerr, Shawn Van Der Merwe, Tom Hann
  • Publication number: 20130313886
    Abstract: A process for regionalization of mining bitumen-containing oil sands ore for extraction and conversion to produce dry bitumen comprises operating multiple separate oil sands ore mining and extraction facilities or in situ thermal recovery facilities, to produce separate bitumen froth streams; operating a regional paraffinic froth treatment (PFT) hub for receiving a portion of each of the separate bitumen froth streams and treating the bitumen froth streams to produce the dry bitumen; optionally providing a portion of the dry bitumen stream to the bitumen upgrading facility and another portion of the dry bitumen stream to a bitumen market pipeline or remote upgrading facility; and optionally comprising regionalization of water distribution where by-product waters are recovered from the PFT hub and the upgrading facilities and distributed to the mining and extraction facilities for use as extraction processing water to produce the bitumen froth streams.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 25, 2012
    Publication date: November 28, 2013
    Applicant: Fort Hills Energy L.P.
    Inventors: Shawn Van Der Merwe, Tom Hann