Recovery of Hydrocarbon From Aqueous Streams

a hydrocarbon and aqueous technology, applied in the field of hydrocarbon extraction, can solve the problems of high energy intensity required for solvent recovery, difficult solvent recovery from the solids produced in the previously described process, and inability to be adopted in a commercial application

Inactive Publication Date: 2011-11-24
EXXONMOBIL UPSTREAM RES CO
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  • Summary
  • Abstract
  • Description
  • Claims
  • Application Information

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0023]It is an object of the present invention to obviate or mitigate at least one disadvantage ...

Problems solved by technology

Solvent recovery from the solids produced in previously described processes would be difficult, due to the nature of the solvent proposed for use in the extraction process.
With such high boiling point solvents, the recovery would be energy intensive as significant energy is required to vaporize the residual hydrocarbon and to release hydrocarbon trapped within the agglomerates.
While this may have resulted in a high recovery of bitumen, the energy intensity required for solvent recovery would be too high to be adopted in a commercial application.
Although the method achieved low solids content in the resulting bitumen product with this approach, the solids content in the bitumen product fell short of optimal product quality of less than 400 ppm solids on a dry bitumen basis, especially for settling times less than 1 hour.
However, it is not described or suggested that a second solvent could be effectively applied to a solvent extraction process with simultaneous solids agglomeration without upsetting the agglomeration process.
The previously proposed process for agglomeration, as described by Govier and Sparks in “The SESA Process for the Recovery of Bitumen from Mined Oil Sands” (Proceedings of AOSTRA Oils Sands 2000 Symposium, Edmonton 1990, Paper 5), was of limited practicality partly due to the nature of the solvent which, when combined with tailings, made solvent recovery difficult.
However, the energy intensity required for the solvent recovery was also high.
Further, there was no suggestion in the Govier and Sparks process of how the process would have been adapted to employ a different solvent to more effi...

Method used

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  • Recovery of Hydrocarbon From Aqueous Streams
  • Recovery of Hydrocarbon From Aqueous Streams
  • Recovery of Hydrocarbon From Aqueous Streams

Examples

Experimental program
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Effect test

example 1

[0201]Approximately 500 g of low grade oil sands (comprising 22 wt % fines) was mixed with 300 g cyclohexane as a first solvent (loaded with bitumen up to 40 wt %) using an impeller in a mixing vessel at 30° C. Sand grains greater than 1 mm were removed by screening. The remaining slurry was passed into an agglomerator where 30 ml of water was added. Agglomerates of sizes ranging from 0.1 mm to 1 cm were formed. The agglomerated slurry was allowed to settle for 30 minutes and a first supernatant was collected for water and solids content analysis. Solids content determined by ashing ranged between 5,000-20,000 ppm on a dry bitumen basis for this first supernatant while water content by Karl Fischer analysis was generally less than 1000 ppm. Portions of the first supernatant were mixed with normal pentane as a second solvent above the critical solvent to bitumen ratio to effect precipitation of asphaltene at 30° C. After settling for 30 minutes, a second supernatant was collected and...

example 2

[0202]In another experiment similar to the one described in Example 1, a mixture of 30% cyclohexane and 70% heptane, by volume, was used in agglomeration as the first solvent. For the first supernatant, solids content determined by ashing range between 5,000-10,000 ppm on a dry bitumen basis while water content by Karl Fischer analysis was generally less than 1,000 ppm. Portions of the first supernatant were mixed with normal pentane as a second solvent above the critical solvent to bitumen ratio to effect precipitation of asphaltene at room temperature. The solids and water content of the resulting second supernatant was determined to be less than 400 ppm and 200 ppm on a dry bitumen basis after 30 minutes of settling.

example 3

[0203]In another experiment similar to the one described in Example 1, normal heptane loaded with 40% bitumen was used as extraction solvent (the first solvent). Solids content of the first supernatant was determined to be less than 400 ppm on a dry bitumen basis after 30 minutes of settling. Water content was less than 200 ppm. The resulting product, having less than 400 ppm of filterable solids was a high grade bitumen product.

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Abstract

A process is described for pre-treating an aqueous bituminous feed for downstream bitumen extraction. The process involves removing water from an aqueous bituminous feed having a water content of 60% or more by weight. After water is removed, an effluent comprising 40% water or less is formed, and is ready for downstream extraction. In the downstream extraction process, a dual solvent extraction process may be employed, incorporating agglomeration of fines to simplify subsequent solid-liquid separation. The process permits recovery of hydrocarbon that has conventionally remained in waste streams from oil sands processing, and thus has conventionally been lost. In one embodiment, removing water comprises subjecting the aqueous bituminous feed to a primary water separation system to reduce the water content of the feed, followed by subsequent water removal, thereby producing an effluent having a water content of 40% or less, which can then go on to further processing.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS[0001]This application claims priority from Canadian patent application number 2,704,927 filed on May 21, 2010 entitled Recovery of Hydrocarbon from Aqueous Streams, the entirety of which is incorporated by reference herein.[0002]This application contains subject matter related to PCT patent application number PCT / US2010 / 062312, entitled “Process and System for Recovery of Bitumen From Oil Sands,” filed on Dec. 29, 2010 and PCT patent application number PCT / US2010 / 056727, entitled “Process and System for Recovery of Bitumen From Oil Sands,” filed on Nov. 15, 2010.FIELD OF THE INVENTION[0003]The present invention relates generally to a process for hydrocarbon extraction from mineable deposits, such as bitumen from oil sands, and to a system for implementing such a process. Processes and systems are described for recovery of hydrocarbon associated with waste streams produced in conventional water-based bitumen extraction processes.BACKGROUND OF T...

Claims

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Application Information

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IPC IPC(8): C10G1/04C10C3/08
CPCB01D21/262C10G1/002C10G21/14C10G2300/44C10G33/06C10G53/04C10G2300/206C10G33/00
Inventor ADEYINKA, OLUSOLA B.MYERS, RONALD D.GHOSH, MAINAK
Owner EXXONMOBIL UPSTREAM RES CO
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