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Method for extracing bitumen from an oil sand feed stream

a technology of oil sand and feed stream, which is applied in the production of liquid hydrocarbon mixtures, petroleum industry, etc., can solve the problems of high hydrocarbon solvent evaporation rate, and achieve the effect of improving process efficiency

Inactive Publication Date: 2015-07-16
CHEVRON CANADA +2
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  • Summary
  • Abstract
  • Description
  • Claims
  • Application Information

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

The present invention provides a simple and efficient way to remove solvents from sand. By using a small amount of purge gas, the level of solvents in the sand is significantly reduced. Using a lower purge gas rate allows for a higher concentration of solvents in the purge gas stream, which requires a smaller purge gas recycling unit. Additionally, using a small amount of purge gas reduces the evaporation of water and the cooling down of the solids-enriched stream, resulting in higher solvent evaporation rates.

Problems solved by technology

This reduced cooling down of the solids-enriched stream results in higher hydrocarbon solvent evaporation rates.

Method used

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Examples

Experimental program
Comparison scheme
Effect test

example 1

[0040]In order to obtain a (flashed) solids-enriched stream having a composition representative for such a stream obtained after contacting an oil sand feed stream with a hydrocarbon solvent to obtain a solvent-diluted slurry and subsequently filtering the solvent-diluted slurry to obtain the solids-enriched stream (and flashing off the bulk of the hydrocarbon solvent, i.c. n-pentane), the following was done.

[0041]A 1.11 dryer was filled with 350 g dried extracted oil sand (comprising about 94.8 wt. % solids (sand / clay), about 1.2 wt. % bitumen and about 4 wt. % water). After adding 30.3 g n-pentane the dryer was closed (using a ball valve) and purged with nitrogen for 2 minutes. After the purging, the sand was stirred at 80 rpm with an anchor stirrer for 30 minutes at room temperature. The dryer was then lowered in a hot water bath (70° C.) and stiffing at 80 rpm was continued until the temperature inside the dryer was 70° C. (the vapour pressure of n-pentane and the nitrogen prese...

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Abstract

The present invention provides a method for extracting bitumen from an oil sand feed stream, the method including at least the steps of: (a) providing an oil sand feed stream; (b) contacting the oil sand feed stream with a hydrocarbon solvent thereby obtaining a solvent-diluted oil sand slurry; (c) filtering the solvent-diluted oil sand slurry thereby obtaining a solids-enriched stream and a filtrate; and (d) removing at least a part of the hydrocarbon solvent from the solids-enriched stream thereby obtaining a solvent-depleted solids-enriched stream, wherein in step (d) the at least part of the hydrocarbon solvent is removed from the solids-enriched stream by purging with a gas stream at a gas / solids weight ratio (related to the solids-enriched stream) of at most 3.0%.

Description

RELATED APPLICATIONS[0001]This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 61 / 927,805 filed Jan. 15, 2014, which is incorporated herein by reference.BACKGROUND[0002]The present invention relates to a method for extracting bitumen from an oil sand. Various methods have been proposed in the past for the recovery of bitumen (sometimes referred to as “tar” or “bituminous material”) from oil sands as found in various locations throughout the world and in particular in Canada such as in the Athabasca district in Alberta and in the United States such as in the Utah oil sands. Typically, oil sand (also known as “bituminous sand” or “tar sand”) comprises a mixture of bitumen (in this context also known as “crude bitumen”, a semi-solid form of crude oil; also known as “extremely heavy crude oil”), sand, clay minerals and water. Usually, oil sand contains about 5 to 25 wt. % bitumen (as meant according to the present invention), about 1 to 13 wt. % water, the remainder b...

Claims

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Application Information

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Patent Type & Authority Applications(United States)
IPC IPC(8): C10G1/04
CPCC10G1/045
Inventor PLOEMEN, INGMAR HUBERTUS JOSEPHINAHIGLER, ARNOUD PETERBOELE, DIRK MICHIEL
Owner CHEVRON CANADA