Blending mined oil sand ores for bitumen extraction operations

Abstract

A process and process line for mining and blending a plurality of different grade oil sand ore is provided comprising forming an open stockyard for blending and stockpiling the different grades of oil sand ore, whereby the blending of the different grades of oil sand ore is managed by haul trucks dumping the different grades of oil sand ore at a dispatched coordinate either on the perimeter of the stockyard or in the stockyard pit.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION[0001]The present invention relates to mining technology and, in particular, decoupling real-time mining of oil sand ore from bitumen extraction operations to enable favorable oil sand ore blending by using a stockyard where blending and storing of oil sand ores can occur.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0002]Oil sand ore, such as is mined in the Fort McMurray region of Alberta, generally comprises water-wet sand grains held together by a matrix of viscous bitumen. Typically, a “low grade” oil sand ore will contain between about 6 to 10 wt. % bitumen with about 25 to 35 wt. % fines. An “average grade” oil sand ore will typically contain at least 10 wt. % bitumen to about 12.5 wt. % bitumen with about 15 to 25 wt. % fines and a “high grade” oil sand ore will typically contain greater than 12.5 wt. % bitumen with less than 15 wt. % fines. “Fines” are generally defined as those solids having a size less about 44 μm.[0003]Oil sand lends itself to liberation of the sand ...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

The invention is a process and system that separates oil sand mining from bitumen extraction operations, allowing for better blending of oil sand. This results in lower costs, reduced operating expenses, and easier relocation. The system is compact and can be placed in the pit, with minimal construction required and minimal lead time.

Problems solved by technology

To date, most primary crushers and slurry preparation plants are fixed, i.e., not readily relocatable.

Thus, the costs of mining will be increasing due to the long distances and outward migration of mining faces away from fixed plants.

The reliance on “on-time delivery” of ore from haul trucks and the need to apply appropriate ore blending prior to slurry preparation makes it ever more difficult to manage costs.

Hence, the truck and shovel mining operation may suffer from lower productivity due to these two constraints.

Since most crushers can only accommodate two truckloads (payloads) of ore at a time, one can only achieve a 50-50 blend of two ores.

Thus, the extraction operation suffers from lower recovery due to less than optimum ore blending.

However, as currently practiced, mining productivity suffers because of the increased demand for improved ore blending.

However, this can result in wait times of up to three minutes or more which may result in a loss of up to 200,000 payloads of opportunity.

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