Purification of oil sands pond water
a technology of oil sands and pond water, which is applied in water/sewage treatment by ion exchange, separation processes, chemical instruments and processes, etc. it can solve the problems of loss of hydrocarbon separation efficiency from fine particles, affecting the operation of oil sands process, and erosion of pumps and piping from entrained particles, so as to enhance the flux of tailings settling pond water
Inactive Publication Date: 2009-04-16
ECOLAB USA INC
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AI Technical Summary
Benefits of technology
The patent describes a method for improving the treatment of water from an oil sands process by using special polymers to enhance its flow and purity. The water is first treated with these polymers, then passed through a membrane separation system. The purified water can then be used in other processes. The technical effect is to improve the efficiency and quality of the water treatment process.
Problems solved by technology
The return of water to an oil sands process, which contains unwanted constituents, can impair the oil sands process operation.
Potential problems include, but are not limited to, erosion of pumps and piping from entrained particles, and loss in hydrocarbon separation efficiency from accumulation of fine particles, etc.
An additional problem derives from the discharge of pond water when a mine is closed.
Purifying the water through membrane separation systems is problematic because the process water from oil sands has large amounts of hydrocarbons and particulate matter.
Fouling of membranes and reducing flux through membranes makes the processing of water for reuse in an oil sands process less efficient.
More specifically, when the membrane fouls, it is less efficient in that it requires more frequent cleaning and possible replacement.
In addition, it also takes more energy and time for filtering when membranes foul, and the pond water passes through a membrane at a slower rate.
Method used
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[0061]For the below mentioned experiments, PRODUCT A contains DMAEA.MCQ / AcAm copolymer with 50 mole % cationic charge. PRODUCT A is available from Nalco Company, Naperville, Ill.
A. Flux Enhancement Experiments
1. Protocol:
[0062]Pond water used for the following experiments was obtained from a Canadian oil sands processing facility. The pond water had the following characteristics: TS:360 ppm; TSS:49 ppm; oil and grease:27 ppm; TOC: 53 ppm; pH:8.8; conductivity:3.1 mS / cm; turbidity:78 NTU; and color:55 Pt—Co units.
[0063]The pond water was added to a tank with an overhead mixer and was treated with 3 ppm or 8 ppm of PRODUCT A (determined based on jar tests). The mixture was mixed with an overhead mixer and was operated for one minute at high speed followed by one minute at slow speed. The treated water was then placed in a membrane tank in which a flat plate microfiltration (MF) membrane, purchased from Yuasa, Japan, was submerged. Critical and sustainable fluxes through the membrane w...
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Abstract
A method of enhancing flux of tailings settling pond water from an oil sands process through a membrane separation system and purifying the water comprising is disclosed. The process comprises the following steps: (a) treating the water with an effective amount of one or more water-soluble cationic polymers, amphoteric polymers, zwitterionic polymers, or a combination thereof; (b) passing the treated water through a membrane separation system; and (c) optionally, passing the permeate from step (b) through an additional membrane separation system.
Description
FIELD OF THE INVENTION[0001]This invention is in the field of purifying oil sands process water and improving processes that carry out this task.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0002]Water is integral to an oils sands processing operation because it facilitates the transfer and / or separation of mined material. Constituents of the mined material include hydrocarbon (sometimes referred to as bitumen), sand, clay, and water. The most common process to extract the hydrocarbon from the mixture involves crushing the mined material and later suspending the material in water, typically with the addition of heat, to form a slurry. The resultant slurry is processed, for example, by using froth flotation via the addition of chemicals to the slurry. This promotes the formation of a stable froth containing the hydrocarbon and the separation of the hydrocarbon from the other constituents.[0003]Large amounts of water are required to facilitate the above separation process. The resultant stream, which c...
Claims
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IPC IPC(8): B01D15/04C02F1/42
CPCC02F1/441C02F1/444C02F1/682C02F1/56C02F1/5272
Inventor MUSALE, DEEPAK A.SOMMESE, ANTHONY G.GOODMAN, WALTER H.
Owner ECOLAB USA INC