Bitumen Extraction Column Solvent Recycling and Heating
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Solution Overview
Problem
The extraction of bitumen from tar sands and other bituminous materials is complex and costly due to the need for solvent pretreatment and the high viscosity of bitumen, which requires significant solvent to reduce viscosity and facilitate extraction.
Innovation Solution
A method involving loading bitumen material into a vertical column without solvent pretreatment, followed by feeding a solvent to dissolve and collect bitumen-enriched solvent, which is then recycled to enhance extraction efficiency, using a solvent-to-bitumen ratio greater than 1 to maintain flow and prevent column plugging, and employing additional solvents to remove residual solvent and achieve high bitumen recovery.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Stability of the object's composition
If solvent pretreatment is used to reduce bitumen viscosity, then bitumen flowability is improved, but process complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The bituminous material is pre-heated before being loaded into the extraction column, which reduces bitumen viscosity in advance and improves flowability during extraction, eliminating the need for separate solvent pretreatment steps
Solution Approach 2:
The problematic solvent pretreatment step is completely removed from the process. The invention extracts only the essential heating function while discarding the complex solvent mixing and separation operations, achieving simplification without sacrificing extraction effectiveness
2Productivity
If large quantity of solvent is used to reduce bitumen viscosity, then extraction efficiency is improved, but solvent consumption and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The invention changes the temperature parameter of the bituminous material before extraction, heating it to reduce viscosity. This physical parameter change allows effective extraction with reduced solvent quantity, as the heated bitumen flows more readily and requires less solvent to achieve the same extraction efficiency
Solution Approach 2:
The solvent is fed periodically or in controlled stages rather than all at once, allowing the extraction process to proceed efficiently with optimized solvent distribution through the column, reducing overall solvent consumption while maintaining high extraction efficiency
3Productivity
If solvent is fed into column with loaded bitumen material, then bitumen extraction is achieved, but column plugging may occur due to high viscosity
Solution Approach 1:
The bituminous material is heated and pre-treated before loading into the extraction column, reducing bitumen viscosity in advance. This preliminary action ensures that when solvent is subsequently fed into the column, the bitumen flows readily and column plugging is prevented
Solution Approach 2:
Temperature is used as a key parameter to control bitumen viscosity. By maintaining elevated temperature throughout the extraction process, the bitumen remains in a low-viscosity state that facilitates smooth flow through the column and prevents plugging while enabling continuous extraction
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This method simplifies the extraction process, reduces costs, and achieves high bitumen recovery rates by maintaining effective solvent flow and recycling bitumen-enriched solvent to maximize bitumen extraction from the column.
Implementation Method 1
feeding a first quantity of first solvent into the column... collecting bitumen-enriched solvent exiting the column
Implementation Method 2
feeding a quantity of the bitumen-enriched solvent into the column... maintaining effective solvent flow
Data Source
AI summary
A method of extracting bitumen from bituminous material. In some embodiments, the method may include loading a bitumen material in a column, followed by feeding a first quantity of first solvent into the column. The method may also include collecting the bitumen-enriched solvent exiting the column. A quantity of the bitumen-enriched solvent may then be fed into the column. In some embodiments, the method may include simultaneously loading bitumen material and a first solvent in a column, followed by feeding additional first solvent into the column. The method may also include collecting bitumen-enriched solvent exiting the column, and feeding a quantity of the bitumen-enriched solvent into the column.