METHOD AND DEVICE FOR EXTRACTING LIQUIDS FROM A SOLID PARTICLE MATERIAL

Abstract

A method, system, and device for separating oil from oil sands or oil shale is disclosed. The method includes heating the oil sands, spinning the heated oil sands, confining the sand particles mechanically, and recovering the oil substantially free of the sand. The method can be used without the addition of chemical extraction agents. The system includes a source of centrifugal force, a heat source, a separation device, and a recovery device. The separation device includes a method of confining the sands while allowing the oil to escape, such as through an aperture.

Description

BACKGROUND

Given high oil prices and the finite amount of crude oil available, unconventional petroleum reserves in the form of, for example, oil sands and oil shale are becoming more attractive as an alternative source of hydrocarbons. Oil sands are found in over 60 countries in the world, including the United States. The main deposits occur in Alberta, Canada, and represent the second largest reserves of petroleum in the world, after those in Saudi Arabia.

BRIEF SUMMARY

This invention relates to a process for extracting liquids, such as bitumen or crude oil, from discrete solid particles, such as sand or shale. The invention is particularly applicable to oil sands and oil shale in which oil is present as a highly viscous liquid.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The physical process for extracting liquid such as oil from the solid-liquid mixture such as oil sands or oil shale involves submitting the heated mixture to centrifugal forces to allow the liquid to mechanically separate from the solid particles and exit the device through small apertures.

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a first embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the first embodiment unassembled.

FIG. 3 is an exploded detail of the first embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating the effect of spinning time.

FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating the effect of temperature.

FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating the effect of the spin rate.

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of a second embodiment.

FIG. 8 is a top view of the bottom portion of the second embodiment.

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of the top and bottom portions of the second embodiment.

FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view of the second embodiment in an open conformation.

FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view of the second embodiment in a closed conformation and surrounded by a liquid collector.

FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional view of the second embodiment in an open conformation and surrounded by a cylindrical particle collector.

FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional view of the second embodiment in open conformation with a solids-liquids mixture inside.

FIG. 14 is a cross-sectional view of a third embodiment.

FIG. 15 is a perspective view of the third embodiment.

FIG. 16 is a perspective view of the fourth embodiment.

FIG. 17 is a perspective view of the fourth embodiment with a top and a bottom.

FIG. 18 is a top view of the fourth embodiment.

FIG. 19 is an exploded detail of the fourth embodiment.

FIG. 20 is an exemplary top view of the spinning and cleaning process of the fourth embodiment.

FIG. 21 is a perspective view of a fifth embodiment.

FIG. 22 is a cross section view of the fifth embodiment.

FIG. 23 is a cross-sectional view of an exemplary separation process in the fifth embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Oil sands (also referred to as tar sands) are found in over sixty countries in the world, including the United States. Oil sands consist mainly of bitumen, water, mineral particles, sand, and clay. Bitumen is a natural, tar-like mixture of hydrocarbons that exists as a solid at room temperature. In nature, bitumen has a density range of 8° to 12° API, and at room temperature its viscosity is greater than 50,000 centipoises.

A physical process for separating liquids from solids is disclosed. As a non-limiting example, this physical process may be used to separate liquids, such as oil, from solid particles, such as sand or shale. The process may involve at least the following steps in any order (a) applying heat to a mixture of solids and liquids; (b) rapidly spinning the mixture; and (c) confining the solid particles mechanically.

A first embodiment includes a separation device 90 as shown in FIG. 1. The separation device 90 may be made up of one or more tubes such as test tubes. The separation device 90 may, for example, include a first tube 106 and a second tube 100. The tubes 106, 100 of this example are dimensioned such that the second tube 100 fits inside of the first tube 106, for example, in a nested conformation. The second tube 100 has an aperture 102 at one end. In this example, the aperture may have a diameter of approximately 0.40-1.50 mm, 0.45-1.35 mm, 0.80-1.30 mm, or more preferably 0.90-1.20 mm. However, as those of ordinary skill in the art will recognize, the optimal aperture size may vary with other variables, such as the type of solid or liquid being separated or other considerations.

The separation device 90 may be dimensioned as described below and illustrated by FIG. 2. The dimensions are representative of this embodiment but may be varied depending upon, for example the embodiment, production needs, and type of solids and liquids being separated.

The first tube 106 of this example may be, for example but not limited to, a 15 ml centrifuge tube. The second tube 100 of this example may be, for example but not limited to, a 5 ml centrifuge tube. Again, it will be recognized by those of ordinary skill in the art that dimensions, supply source, and specifications for the first tube 106 and the second tube 100 may be varied to suit the needs of a particular application.

The second tube 100 may have an aperture 102 at one end. The aperture may facilitate separation by retaining solids, such as sand or shale, within the second tube 100 while allowing liquids, such as oil, to escape. The aperture 102 may be added to a tube, for example, the second tube 100 using a tungsten probe. By way of example, to create an aperture, an area on the second tube 100 may be warmed and bored through with a super-heated tungsten probe. The tungsten probe may be a 1/16 inch tungsten probe which may be filed to a point. Other known methods may also be used to create an aperture 102.

The process for removing, for example, oil from sand, may proceed as follows. A solids-liquids mixture 104, for example oil shale or oil sands, may be heated to approximately 25° C.-200° C., 50° C.-175° C., 75° C.-150° C., 95° C.-125° C., and preferably approximately 92° C.-110° C. and more preferably approximately 94° C. (e.g., in a water bath). The solids-liquids mixture 104 may be heated prior to loading into the separation device 90. Alternatively, the solids-liquids mixture may be heated in the separation device, or during spinning. Before or after heating, the solids-liquids mixture may be loaded into the second tube 100. In this example, the tube may be filled to approximately ⅗ of capacity; however, any amount of solids-liquids mixture 104 may be used. The second tube 100 may be placed inside the first tube 106, before or after filling, to create a separation device 90. The separation device 90 including the solids-liquids mixture 104 may then be placed into a centrifuge, such as an LW Scientific Ultra 8 Centrifuge. The separation process may be performed without the addition of chemicals.

An example of the physical principles of operation are shown in FIG. 3. The separation device 90 may be spun in a centrifuge or similar machine. As a result of centrifugal force 204, the liquid 202 may exit the aperture 102 and may collect in the bottom of the first tube FIG. 1, 106, which may be the outer tube. The solid particles 206 may remain in the second tube FIG. 1, 100, which may be the inner tube. The particles 206 may be retained in the second tube 100 rather than escaping through the aperture 102 because, for example, the centrifugal force 204 causes them to jam up, leaving gaps 208 through which the liquid 202 may move toward the aperture 102 and escape.

The optimum aperture 102 size for extracting oil from Athabasca oil sands may be, for example, approximately 0.40-1.50 mm, 0.45-1.35 mm, 0.80-1.30 mm, or preferably approximately 0.85-1.10 mm. In the case of, for example, Athabasca oil sands, an aperture 102 larger than approximately 1.5 mm would let the solid particles 206 escape (e.g., absent the presence of supplementary retaining devices such as a screen). However, as recognized by those of skill in the art, the size of the aperture may be optimized to find an appropriate range for different combinations of solids and liquids, including oil sands from other regions, oil shale and including Athabasca oil sands that have different particle sizes.

The following example illustrates performance of the process in one embodiment and also includes exemplary results. This example is merely illustrative of the effect on oil recovery from oil sands of different centrifuge speeds and temperatures. The example also illustrates oil extraction from oil sands without the addition of chemicals.

Athabasca oil sand was purchased from the Alberta Research Council. Materials accompanying the oil sand samples provided an estimated composition of 6-12 weight % bitumen, 5-20 weight % water and the balance sand. The bitumen content was not expressed with certainty, therefore a conservative estimate of 12% bitumen was used to calculate percent oil extracted, unless otherwise noted.

The oil sands were loaded into a separation device 90. The separation device 90 was placed into a boiling water bath at approximately 94° C. for approximately 5 minutes or such time as it takes for the temperature of the sand to reach approximately 94° C.

At a spin rate of 3300 rpm and at an initial temperature of 94° C., about 90% of the extractable liquid 202 in FIG. 3 was recovered in 10 minutes (under the conservative assumption the oil sands contained 12 weight % bitumen). The configuration of the centrifuge used in this experiment caused the oil sands sample to experience a g-force of about 900 g's. At lower temperatures, down to 52° C., longer times were needed to remove smaller portions of oil 202 (˜64% at ˜72° C. and ˜35% at ˜52° C., respectively) even at maximum rotation speeds (˜3300 rpm). (All calculations assume that the oil sands contained 12 weight % bitumen.) See FIG. 5. The separation process was performed without the addition of chemicals.

The following examples illustrate the effect on recovery of various process variables.

EXAMPLE 1

Effect of Spinning Time

The following example is included to illustrate the effect of spinning time on recovery in one embodiment. This example is merely illustrative.

In this example, the effect of spinning time was investigated. The example was performed in duplicate. For this exemplary experiment two devices 90 were weighed. Each device 90 consisted of a first tube 106 and a second tube 100. The second tube 100 was nested inside of the first tube 106 to form a separation device 90. The second tube 100 included an aperture 102.

Prior to spinning, the first tube 106 and the second tube 100 of each separation device 90 were weighed. Each device 90 was loaded with an approximately equal amount of solids-liquids mixture 104, which in this example was oil sand. The devices 90 were loaded by inserting the solids-liquids mixture 104, in this case oil sand, into the second tube 100 to a level of approximately ⅗ full. The second tube 100 was then nested into the first tube 106 and the resulting separation device 90 was reweighed to determine sample size (i.e., the difference between the weight of the unloaded assembled separation device versus the weight of the loaded and assembled separation device 90). The weight of the bitumen present in each sample of oil sand was approximated by assuming that the samples contained 12 weight % bitumen.

Each loaded separation device 90 was then placed in a constant temperature bath at 94° C. until the temperature in each stabilized at 94° C. After heating, each loaded separation device 90 was then placed in the centrifuge and spun for approximately 1 minute at about 3300 rpm.

After spinning, each loaded separation device 90 was removed from the centrifuge. Each separation device 90 was disassembled by removing the second tube 100 from the first tube 106. The first tube 106 of each device was weighed to determine the amount of liquid 202, in this case oil, was deposited into the first tube 106 (as demonstrated by increased weight) by the spinning. The second tube 100 of each device was weighed to determine the amount of liquid 202 removed from the solids-liquids mixture 104 (as demonstrated by decreased weight) by the spinning.

After weighing, each separation device 90 was reassembled by inserting the second tube 100 into the first tube 106. Each loaded separation device 90 was then placed in a constant temperature bath at 94° C. until the temperature in each stabilized at 94° C. After heating, each loaded separation device 90 was then placed in the centrifuge and spun for approximately 1 minute at about 3300 rpm. After spinning for 1 minute, each separation device 90 was again separated by removing the second tube 100 from the first tube 106. The first tube 106 and second tube 100 were weighed to determine the degree of separation after 2 minutes. This process was repeated for 3 more cycles. The degree of separation at 1, 2, 3, and 4 minutes is illustrated in the following tables and plotted into FIG. 4. Where the X-axis displays the total spin time and the Y-axis shows percent of the oil

Raw Data Summary

					sample	sample
					1 outer	2 outer
	inner	outer	inner	outer	tube	tube	tube 2	tube 3
	tube	tube	tube	tube	mass	mass	%	%
	sample 1	sample 1	sample 2	sample 2	gain	gain	mass	mass
tubes 2 & 3	(g)	(g)	(g)	(g)	(g)	(g)	gain*	gain*
initial,	10.493	15.649	10.632	15.492
empty
w/oil sand	13.107		13.526
oil sand		2.614		2.896
spin 1 min	12.958	15.791	13.35	15.661	0.142	0.169	45.3	48.6
spin 2 min	12.911	15.835	13.331	15.678	0.186	0.186	59.3	53.5
spin 3 min	12.901	15.85	13.32	15.688	0.201	0.196	64.1	56.4
spin 4 min	12.889	15.853	13.313	15.693	0.204	0.201	65.0	57.8
hole size	Sample 1	0.79	Sample 2	0.93
(mm)
*percent gains based on oil fraction of 12% weight percent

Sample 1 Summary, aperture size 0.79 mm

	Oil Sand (g)	Oil (g)
Start	2.614	0.314	% Extracted
1 min	(0.149)	0.146	46%
	(0.142)
2 min	(0.196)	0.191	61%
	(0.186)
3 min	(0.206)	0.204	65 %
	(0.201)
4 min	(0.218)	0.211	67 %
	(0.204)

Sample 2 Summary, aperture size 0.93 mm

	Oil Sand (g)	Oil (g)
Start	2.896	0.348	% Extracted
1 min	(0.176)	0.173	50%
	(0.169)
2 min	(0.195)	0.191	55%
	(0.186)
3 min	(0.206)	0.201	58%
	(0.196)
4 min	(0.213)	0.207	59%
	(0.201)

All data is calculated based on an assumed, conservative value of 12 weight % oil per oil sand sample. Actual percent extraction is likely higher.

The combination of heating, spinning and an appropriate aperture size is highly effective at separating oil from oil sands, even in the absence of chemical extraction agents.

As illustrated in FIG. 4, when the liquid is oil and the solid-liquid mixture is oil sands, the oil is removed rather quickly and in a large proportion to the amount available at 94° C. and 3300 rpm. These results are expected to vary, depending upon the nature of the device used and the starting materials.

EXAMPLE 2

Effect of Temperature

The following example is included to illustrate the effect of temperature on recovery. This example is merely illustrative.

In this example, the effect of temperature on recovery was investigated. The example was performed at three exemplary temperatures, 94° C., 72° C., and 52° C. For this exemplary experiment three separation devices 90 were prepared, each of which consisted of a first tube 106 and a second tube 100. The second tube 100 was nested inside of the first tube 106 to form a separation device 90. The second tube 100 included an aperture 102 as described above. Each separation device 90 was weighed prior to loading. The weight amount of the bitumen present in each sample of oil sand was approximated by assuming that the samples contained 12 weight % bitumen.

After weighing, each separation device 90 was loaded with an approximately equal amount of solids-liquids mixture 104, which in this example was oil sand. The devices 90 were loaded by inserting the solids-liquids mixture 104, in this case oil sand, into the second tube 100 to a level of approximately ⅗ full. The second tube 100 was then nested into the first tube 106 and the resulting separation device 90 was reweighed to determine sample size.

Each loaded separation device 90 was then placed in a constant temperature bath. In this example, each of the three separation devices 90 was warmed to a different temperature. One separation device 90, represented in FIG. 5 as a triangle, was warmed in a constant temperature bath at approximately 94° C. until the temperature in the separation device 90 stabilized at approximately 94° C. A second separation device 90, represented in FIG. 5 as a circle, was warmed in a constant temperature bath at approximately 72° C. until the temperature in the separation device 90 stabilized at approximately 72° C. A third separation device 90, represented in FIG. 5 as a square, was warmed in a constant temperature bath at approximately 52° C. until the temperature in the separation device 90 stabilized at approximately 52° C.

After heating, each loaded separation device 90 was then placed in the centrifuge and spun for approximately 1 minute at about 3300 rpm. After spinning for one minute, each loaded separation device 90 was removed from the centrifuge. The separation device 90 was disassembled by removing the second tube 100 from the first tube 106. The first tube 106 of each separation device 90 was weighed to determine the amount of liquid 202, in this case oil, deposited into the first tube 106 (as demonstrated by increased weight) by the spinning. The second tube 100 of each separation device 90 was weighed to determine the amount of liquid 202 removed from the solids-liquids mixture 104 (as demonstrated by decreased weight) by the spinning.

After weighing, each separation device 90 was reassembled by inserting the second tube 100 into the first tube 106. Each loaded separation device 90, represented by a triangle, circle, and square, was then placed back into a constant temperature bath at approximately 94° C., 72° C., or 52° C., respectively until the temperature in each stabilized at approximately 94° C., 72° C., or 52° C., respectively. After heating, each loaded separation device 90 was then placed in the centrifuge and spun for approximately 5 minutes at about 3300 rpm. After spinning for approximately 5 minutes, each separation device 90 was again separated by removing the second tube 100 from the first tube 106. The first tube 106 and second tube 100 were weighed to determine the degree of separation after 5 minutes.

After weighing, each separation device 90 was reassembled by inserting the second tube 100 into the first tube 106. Each loaded separation device 90, represented by a triangle, circle, and square, was then placed back into a constant temperature bath at approximately 94° C., 72° C., or 52° C., respectively until the temperature in each stabilized at approximately 94° C., 72° C., or 52° C., respectively. After heating, each loaded separation device 90 was then placed in the centrifuge and spun for approximately 10 minutes at about 3300 rpm. After spinning for 10 minutes, each separation device 90 was again separated by removing the second tube 100 from the first tube 106. The first tube 106 and second tube 100 were weighed to determine the degree of separation after 10 minutes.

The degree of separation for each separation device 90 at three temperatures 94° C., 72° C., or 52° C. was plotted in FIG. 5. The degree of separation at each temperature and at each of 1, 5, and 16 minutes is plotted.

As illustrated in FIG. 5, even in the absence of chemical agents, the extraction percentage of oil from oil sands on laboratory scale at approximately 94° C. and approximately 3300 rpm levels off at about 10 minutes spinning time. These results are expected to vary depending upon the nature of the device and the starting materials.

EXAMPLE 3

Effect of Spin Rate on Recovery

The following example is included to illustrate the effect of spin rate on recovery in a laboratory scale embodiment. This example is merely illustrative and not meant to be limiting.

In this example, the effect of spin rate on recovery was investigated. The example was performed at two exemplary spin rates, 3300 rpm and 2000 rpm. All other variables were identical between the two samples. For this exemplary experiment two separation devices 90 were prepared, each of which consisted of a first tube 106 and a second tube 100. The second tube 100 was nested inside of the first tube 106 to form a separation device 90. The second tube 100 included an aperture 102. Each separation device 90 was weighed prior to loading.

After weighing, each device 90 was loaded with an approximately equal amount of solids-liquids mixture 104, which in this example was oil sand. The separation devices 90 were loaded by inserting the solids-liquids mixture 104, in this case oil sand, into the second tube 100 to a level of approximately ⅗ full. The second tube 100 was then nested into the first tube 106 and the resulting separation device 90 was reweighed to determine sample size.

Each loaded separation device 90 was then placed in a constant temperature bath. In this example, each separation device 90, was warmed in a constant temperature bath at 94° C. until the temperature in the separation device 90 stabilized at 94° C.

After heating, each loaded separation device 90 was then placed in the centrifuge and spun for approximately 1 minute. One separation device 90 represented in FIG. 6 by the letter B, was spun at about 3300 rpm. A second separation device 90 represented in FIG. 6 by the letter E, was spun at about 2000 rpm. After spinning each separation device 90 at its respective speeds for one minute, each loaded separation device 90 was removed from the centrifuge. Each separation device 90 was disassembled by removing the second tube 100 from the first tube 106. The first tube 106 of each device was weighed to determine the amount of liquid 202, in this case oil, deposited into the first tube 106 (as demonstrated by increased weight) by the spinning. The second tube 100 of each device was weighed to determine the amount of liquid 202 removed from the solids-liquids mixture 104 (as demonstrated by decreased weight) by the spinning. The weight amount of the bitumen present in each sample of oil sand was approximated by assuming that the samples contained 12 weight % bitumen.

After weighing, each separation device 90 was reassembled by inserting the second tube 100 into the first tube 106. Each loaded separation device 90, represented by a B or an E, was then placed back into a constant temperature bath at approximately 94° C. until the temperature in each stabilized at approximately 94° C. After heating, each loaded separation device 90, represented by a B or an E, was then placed in the centrifuge and spun for approximately 1 minute at about 3300 rpm and 2000 rpm, respectively. After spinning for 1 minute, each separation device 90 was again separated by removing the second tube 100 from the first tube 106. The first tube 106 and second tube 100 were weighed to determine the degree of separation after 1 minute at about 3300 rpm and 2000 rpm, respectively.

After weighing, each separation device 90 was reassembled by inserting the second tube 100 into the first tube 106. The cycle of heating, spinning, and weighing was repeated and results were plotted on FIG. 6 for each device 90 at 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 minutes. FIG. 6 illustrates that percent extraction begins to converge at longer spin times.

The underlying data is included in the charts below:

	inner	outer	inner	outer	Sample	Sample	Sample	Sample
	tube	tube	tube	tube	B mass	E mass	B	E
Samples	Sample	Sample	Sample	Sample	gain	gain	%	%
B & E	B (g)	B (g)	E (g)	E (g)	(g)	(g)	gain*	gain*
initial,	10.542	15.384	10.389	15.253
empty
w/oil	13.576		13.435
sand
oil sand		3.034		3.046
spin 1	13.512	15.452	13.405	15.277	0.068	0.024	21.7	6.9
min
spin 2	13.429	15.533	13.335	15.35	0.149	0.097	47.5	27.9
min
spin 3	13.382	15.577	13.282	15.398	0.193	0.145	61.5	41.7
min
spin 4	13.348	15.609	13.271	15.408	0.225	0.155	71.7	44.6
min
spin 5	13.338	15.621	13.255	15.421	0.237	0.168	75.6	48.3
min
hole size	tube 5	0.9906	tube 6	0.889
(mm)
*percent gains based on oil fraction of 12%

Summary Sample B

Hole size 0.99 mm

	Oil Sand (g)	Oil (g)
Start	3.034	0.36	% Extracted
1 min	(0.064)	0.066	18 %
	(0.068)
2 min	(0.147)	0.148	41%
	(0.149)
3 min	(0.194)	0.194	54%
	(0.193)
4 min	(0.228)	0.227	63 %
	(0.225)
5 min	(0.238)	0.238	66 %
	(0.237)

Summary Sample E

Hole size 0.89 mm

	Oil Sand (g)	Oil (g)
Start	3.046	0.37	% Extracted
1 min	(0.030)	0.027	7%
	(0.024)
2 min	(0.100)	0.099	27%
	(0.097)
3 min	(0.153)	0.149	40%
	(0.145)
4 min	(0.164)	0.160	43%
	(0.155)
5 min	(0.180)	0.174	47%
	(0.168)

FIGS. 7-13 illustrate a second embodiment 300 of a separation device. The second embodiment may have a clam shell-like formation which may further have a first portion 302 and a second portion 304. The first portion 302 and the second portion 304, depending on the orientation of the device, may be the top and the bottom of the separation device 300. In FIG. 7, the first portion 302 and the second portion 304 of the second embodiment fit together with the aid of, for example, an aligning pivot 305. The first portion 304 may have cavities 306, wherein each cavity 306 may form an aperture 308 where the first portion 302 and second portion 304 of the second embodiment come together.

FIG. 8 illustrates how the cavities 306 may align radially. For example, the cavities 306 may be roughly semi conical with an opening that is wider toward the center 402 of the second portion 304 of the second embodiment 300 and narrows as it reaches the perimeter 404. While the cavities 306 are illustrated as semi conical in FIG. 9, other shapes may be used.

The second embodiment 300 may also include a liquid collector 706, as shown in FIG. 11, which may be cylindrical, or any other shape. For example, the liquid collector may or may not approximate the shape of the second embodiment separation device 300. The liquid collector 706 may include a gutter 707 which may collect and funnel the liquid to a collection reservoir. The gutter 707 may be located on the lower edge of the liquid collector, or may be located in any other location. The liquid collector 706 may be arranged with the second embodiment separation device 300 such that the second embodiment separation device 300 may be raised and lowered into position with the liquid collector 706 as the separation process proceeds.

FIGS. 10-13 illustrate how the process for extracting liquids from solid particles might be adapted for the second embodiment 300 separation device described above. The solids-liquids mixture 602 may be placed inside the cavities 306 in the second embodiment 300. In FIG. 10 the solids-liquids mixture 602 may be heated before loading, during loading, or after loading into the device 300. The second embodiment 300 may be lowered into a liquid collector 706 and may be spun as shown in FIG. 11. Spinning may cause the liquid 702 to separate from the solid particles 704. The liquid 702 may exit apertures 308, and may accumulate, for example, on the liquid collector 706, and/or in a gutter 707. The solid particles 704 may remain inside the closed second embodiment 300.

After separation has been accomplished, the liquid collector 706 may be raised, and the second embodiment 300 may be opened as shown in FIG. 12. The first portion 302 and second portion 304 may be spun such that the solid particles are spun out of the cavities 306. A solid particles collector 802 may be used to catch the solid particles 704.

The second embodiment 300 may then be reused. A new load of heated or unheated solids-liquids mixture 602 may be inserted into the second embodiment 300 and the liquid collector 706 may replaced into a position that will allow it to capture extracted liquids. The second embodiment 300 may be closed and respun, as shown in FIG. 13, continuing the cycle. Alternatively, the cycle may terminate after one use. The optimal aperture 308 size for removing oil from Athabsca oil sands is approximately 0.40-1.50 mm, 0.45-1.35 mm, 0.80-1.30 mm, but more preferably 9.90-1.20 mm. However, other sizes may be used.

FIG. 14 is a cross-sectional view of a third embodiment, which may have a cyclone formation 1010. The third embodiment 1010 may be approximately conical in shape and may have baffles 1020 located along the interior. The baffles 1020 may be arranged in a screw-thread-like fashion along the interior of the third embodiment 1010. The walls 1018 of the third embodiment 1010 may include small apertures or capillaries 1022. An exploded exemplary view of a wall 1018 including capillaries 1022 is illustrated in FIG. 14a. The third embodiment 1010 may further include a coaxial piston, 1014 and a central shaft 1011 which may be supported by a bearing 1012 and a feed tube 1016. The third embodiment 1010 may also include a liquid collector 1026 which may be cylindrical or any other shape.

FIGS. 14-15 illustrate how the process for extracting liquids from solid particles might be adapted for the third embodiment 1010 described above. The solids-liquids mixture 602, for example, oil sands, may be heated prior to loading or may be heated during loading or, alternatively, in the third embodiment 1010. For example, the solids-liquids mixture 602 may be heated in the feed tube, in the cyclone, or in a retaining tank attached to the feed tube, and etc.; alternatively, it may be heated prior to being loaded into the feed tube.

The heated or unheated solids-liquids mixture 602 may be loaded into the third embodiment 1010 by a feed tube 1016. The feed tube 1016 may be centrally located. A coaxial piston 1014 may push an amount of a heated solids-liquids mixture 602 down a central feed tube 1016 and out the bottom of the central feed tube 1016 into the centrifuge wall 1018, rotating co-axially as shown in FIG. 15. The heated solids-liquids mixture 602 may be centrifugally forced outward and upward along the baffles 1020. The liquid 702 may escape through the small apertures 1022, which may have a diameter of approximately 0.40-1.50 mm, 0.45-1.35 mm, 0.80-1.30 mm or more preferably 0-0.90-1.20 mm. Solid particles 704 may be centrifugally pushed upward and eventually go over the top 1024 of the third embodiment 1010 where it may be collected and recycled, disposed of or otherwise. The liquid 702 that is extracted may be collected by the oil collector 1026, for example, by accumulating at the bottom 1028. This may be a continuous process by which the feed tube 1016 continually feeds solids-liquids mixture 602 into the third embodiment 1010 to replace the liquid and solids that are removed.

FIG. 16 shows a fourth embodiment which may be formed of rotating planes. The fourth embodiment may have a chamber 1202. This device may be self-cleaning. As shown in FIG. 17, the rotating planes embodiment may have a top plate 1205 and a bottom plate 1207, which may be coaxially mounted with a main shaft 1204 so that the top plate 1205 can be raised and the bottom plate 1207 can be lowered. The chamber may be formed of multiple chamber walls 1206. The chamber walls may have apertures or capillaries 1402 through which liquid may be extracted from the liquids-solid mixture. The chamber 1202 can take many shapes depending on the number of walls 1206, such as a hexagonal shape as shown in FIGS. 16-20. Each of the walls 1206 may be centrally pivoted 1208. The rotating planes separator 1202 may have at least two configurations, for example, a closed configuration (see, e.g., FIGS. 16, 17, 20a, 20c, 20e) and an open configuration (see, e.g., FIGS. 20b, 20d). In the closed configuration, the walls 1206 may be sealed by outer 1304 and inner 1306 splines as shown in FIG. 19. The apertures 1402 in the chamber walls 1206 may have a diameter of approximately 0.40-1.50 mm, 0.45-1.35 mm, 0.80-1.30 mm, or more preferably 0.90-1.20 mm. In the open configuration, the walls 1206 may be rotated on their pivot point such that they are no longer in contact. (See, e.g., FIGS. 20b, 20d)

In operation, heated solids-liquids mixture 602 may be placed in the chamber and the chamber may be spun, as shown in the top view in FIG. 20. The liquid 702 separates from the solid particles 704 and may be collected by a liquid collector 1504 surrounding the chamber. The liquid collector 1504 may be, for example, cylindrical or may otherwise approximate the shape of the fourth embodiment 1202. Alternatively, the liquid collector 1504 may be of any other shape or format. When separation has been completed and rotation has stopped, the bottom plate may be lowered. The top plate may be raised and the fourth embodiment 1504 may be raised even more, so that its bottom is above the top of the chamber walls 1206, which are rotated as shown in the second step in FIG. 20b.

Next, the chamber walls 1206 may be locked by the splines at for example 180° so that the apertures face toward the center of the chamber. The separation device 1202 may be spun to cleanse the remaining solid particles 704. The solid particles 704 removed from the chamber may be caught by a solid-particle collector 1506 as shown in the third step in FIG. 20c.

After cleaning, the separator 1202 may be stopped; the solid-particle collector 1506 may be lowered away from the separator 1202. The separator may be returned to a closed position by rotating the walls 1206 180° as shown in the fourth step in FIG. 20d. The bottom plate may rise to complete the closed conformation. At that point, more solids-liquids mixture 602 may be placed inside the chamber, and the top may be lowered and the liquid collector 1504 raised into conformation for the next round of processing.

FIG. 21 shows a fifth embodiment 1600 which may be a double piston embodiment of a separator. The fifth embodiment 1600 may have a rotating main shaft 1602. The rotating main shaft 1602 may further have an attached a top piston 1604 and a bottom piston 1606. The fifth embodiment 1600 may also include a filtering portion 1607 which may have a top band 1608, a bottom band 1610 and a screen 1612.

The screen 1612 may be made of any material and may be of sufficient strength to withstand centrifugal force and retain the solid particles. The screen may be supported by bands 1608 and 1610 as illustrated in FIG. 21 and band 1609 as illustrated in FIG. 22. The screen 1612 may have openings or apertures, which may be dimensioned to retain the solid particles 704 and let the liquid 702 through, as shown in FIG. 22. For separation of oil from Athabasca oil sands, the aperture may have a diameter of approximately 0.40-1.50 mm, 0.45-1.35 mm, 0.80-1.30 mm, or more preferably 0.90-1.20 mm. As stated above, the aperture size may vary depending on the properties of the liquid-solid material and the efficiency of the separation may vary as a function of aperture size.

The attached top piston 1604 and bottom piston 1606 may be separated by a distance such that, in the closed position, the top piston 1604 is even with the top band 1608 of the filtering portion 1607, and the bottom piston 1606 is even with the bottom band 1610 of the filtering portion 1607.

In operation, the top 1604 and bottom 1606 pistons may be raised enough to introduce the solids-liquids mixture 602 as shown in the first step in FIG. 23. The pistons may be lowered and aligned with the filtering portion 1607. The apparatus may be spun, as shown in the second step 1802 in FIG. 23b. Heat may be applied to the mixture prior to loading or the apparatus may be heated before or during spinning.

During spinning the solid particles 704 may be restrained by the screen 1612; the liquid 702 may pass through the screen 1612 and may be captured by the liquid collector 1804.

After the spinning is completed and extraction has concluded, the apparatus may be cleaned as follows. The pistons may be lowered until the bottom edge of the top of the piston 1604 is even with the bottom edge of bottom band 1610, as shown in the third step in FIG. 23c. The solid particles 704 may be removed from the piston by spinning such that the solid particles 704 leave the fifth embodiment 1600 and are collected by a solid-particle collector 1806.

After cleaning, the process may be repeated. For example, a new batch of heated or unheated solids-liquids mixture 602 may be inserted into the double piston embodiment, as shown in the fourth step in FIG. 23d.

While various embodiments of the invention have been described, it will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art that many more embodiments and implementations are possible that are within the scope of the invention.

Claims

1. A method for separating oil from oil sands comprising:

heating the oil sands;

spinning the heated oil sands;

confining mechanically sand particles present in the oil sands away from the oil, and recovering the oil substantially free of the sand.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the oil sands are heated to approximately 25-200° C.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the oils sands are heated to approximately 92° C.-110° C.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the particles are confined away from the oil by an aperture.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein the aperture is about 0.40 to about 1.5 mm in diameter.

6. The method of claim 4 wherein the aperture is about 0.80 to about 1.20 mm in diameter.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the oil sands are subjected to centrifugal force.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the oil is extracted from the oil sands without the use of chemicals.

9. A separation device for separating liquids from a solid particulate material, the separation device comprising:

a structure for confining sand particles;

a structure for recovering the oil; and wherein

the separation device is subjected to centrifugal force.

10. The separation device of claim 9 wherein:

the structure for confining sand particles comprises a first tube and a second tube;

the first tube and the second tube being dimensioned such that the first tube fits inside the second tube;

the first tube including at least one aperture sized smaller than the oil sand;

the first tube for confining the sand particles mechanically; and

the second tube for recovering the oil.

11. The separation device of claim 9, wherein the structure for confining the particles has a clam shell formation comprising:

a first portion and a second portion;

the first portion and the second portion being dimensioned to fit together with an aligning pivot;

the first portion including at least one cavity;

the second portion including at least one cavity that mirrors the cavity of the first portion; and

wherein, when the first portion and the second portion are fit together, the cavity in the first portion and the cavity in the second portion align to form one cavity; and

the cavities terminate to form an aperture through which oil escapes; and

the aperture is dimensioned to confine the sand particles within the cavity.

12. The device of claim 11 wherein the aperture is about 0.40 to about 1.5 mm in diameter.

13. The device of claim 11 wherein the aperture is about 0.80 to about 1.20 mm in diameter.

14. The separation device of claim 9, wherein the structure for confining the particles has a conical formation comprising:

one or more walls;

the walls including apertures;

the walls also including baffles located along the interior of the conical separator;

the baffles being continuous and arranged radially; and

wherein the separation device further comprises a structure for recovering the oil.

15. The device of claim 14 wherein the aperture is about 0.40 to about 1.5 mm in diameter.

16. The device of claim 14 wherein the aperture is about 0.80 to about 1.20 mm in diameter.

17. The separation device of claim 9, wherein the structure for confining the particles comprises:

three or more planes;

the planes being freely rotatable about a central axis;

the central axis having a pivot;

the planes being oriented so that they form walls of a closed chamber when rotated to a closed formation;

the planes further including apertures through which oil escapes; and

a structure for recovering the oil.

18. The device of claim 17 wherein the aperture is about 0.80 to about 1.20 mm in diameter.

19. The separation device of claim 9, the separation device wherein the structure for confining the particles comprises:

a rotating main shaft;

a top piston and a bottom piston removably attached to the main shaft;

a filtering portion;

the filtering portion having a top band, a bottom band, and a screen;

the screen having apertures through which oil escapes;

the screen, the top piston, and the bottom piston being arranged such that the pistons may be raised or lowered out of the plane of the screen.

20. A system for separating oil from oil sands comprising:

a source of centrifugal force;

a heat source;

a separation device; and

a recovery device.