Oil Sands Recovery Process Eliminating Water and Waste Ponds
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional oil sands processing methods are energy and water intensive, generate significant CO2 emissions, and result in environmental contamination due to large waste ponds and long-distance transportation of dilbit, which poses environmental risks and high maintenance costs.
Innovation Solution
A predistillation process that heats oil sands material to specific temperature ranges to produce atmospheric and vacuum gas oils, followed by gasification to generate syngas and reduce energy consumption by recycling heat energy within the system, thereby minimizing water usage and emissions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If conventional hot water extraction process is used, then bitumen can be separated from oil sands, but large volumes of water are consumed and large waste ponds are created
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts and removes the water-intensive extraction step from the conventional process. Instead of using hot water to separate bitumen from sand, the process directly heats oil sands to vaporize bitumen, eliminating the need for large volumes of water and the subsequent creation of waste ponds containing water, sand, and contaminants.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the temperature parameter from conventional extraction temperatures to high-temperature pyrolysis conditions (above 300°C). This parameter change transforms the separation mechanism from water-based extraction to thermal vaporization, fundamentally eliminating water consumption and waste pond generation.
2Temperature
If large volumes of water are heated by combustion of fossil fuels, then water reaches required temperature for processing, but significant CO2 emissions are generated
Solution Approach 1:
The invention removes the water heating step entirely from the process. By eliminating water as the heat transfer medium and using direct thermal processing of oil sands, the process eliminates the need to heat large volumes of water, thereby eliminating the associated CO2 emissions from fossil fuel combustion.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention converts the harmful effect of high-temperature processing (which would normally require extensive water cooling and heating) into a beneficial direct vaporization process. The heat that would have been used to heat water is now directly applied to vaporize bitumen, eliminating the thermal inefficiency and associated emissions.
3Ease of manufacture
If oil sands and waste sand are transported over large distances, then processing facilities can be located optimally, but significant maintenance costs are incurred due to equipment abrasion
Solution Approach 1:
The invention segments the processing operation into a mobile unit that can be positioned close to oil sands deposits. By making the processing equipment movable rather than fixed, the system can be relocated to minimize transportation distances, reducing both sand transport requirements and equipment abrasion-related maintenance costs.
4Temperature
If diluents are added to bitumen to form dilbit, then viscosity is reduced for pumping, but high-value products are consumed and environmental risks increase
Solution Approach 1:
The invention changes the temperature parameter of bitumen to maintain it in a vaporized or molten state throughout the process, eliminating the need to add diluents for viscosity reduction. By controlling temperature rather than composition, the process avoids introducing foreign substances that could pose environmental risks if spilled.
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 approach reduces water consumption, CO2 emissions, and maintenance costs while eliminating the need for large tailings ponds and long-distance dilbit transportation, facilitating more efficient and environmentally friendly oil sands processing.
Implementation Method 1
heating the oil sands material to between approximately 350° C. and approximately 400° C., to produce atmospheric gas oil from the bitumen
Implementation Method 2
The coked oil sands material is heated to approximately 900° C., to produce a dry barren hot oil sands material and syngas including hydrogen and carbon monoxide gases
Implementation Method 3
Heat energy is transferred from at least a portion of the barren hot oil sands material to at least one of the oil sands material and the intermediate dried oil sands material
Data Source
AI summary
A method of processing raw oil sands material that includes bitumen. The method includes, in a predistillation process, heating the raw oil sands material to between approximately 535° C. and at least approximately 600° C. to at least partially vaporize the bitumen, to provide atmospheric gas oil and vacuum gas oil from the bitumen, and to provide coked oil sands material that includes carbon-heavy hydrocarbons and sand. The coked oil sands material is heated to approximately 900° C., to produce a dry barren hot oil sands material and syngas including hydrogen and carbon monoxide gases. Heat energy is transferred from at least a portion of the barren hot oil sands material to the raw oil sands material.