Method of reducing moisture and solid content of bitumen extracted from tar sand minerals

• US 6,019,888 A
• Filed: 02/02/1998
• Issued: 02/01/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 02/02/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Tetra Technologies Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Tetra Technologies Incorporated
• Inventors: Mishra, Surendra K., Bond, Gordon S.
• Primary Examiner(s): MYERS, HELANE ELEANORA
• Application Number:
  US09/017,348
• Time in Patent Office: 729 Days
• Field of Search: 208/390, 208/391
• US Class Current: 208/341
• CPC Class Codes: C10G 1/045 Separation of insoluble materials
• CPC Class Codes: C10G 33/04 with chemical means

Abstract

Tar sand is upgraded to produce a hydrocarbon having a low concentration of water and solids by contacting a bitumen/diluent mix with an alkoxyalkylphenol alkoxylate surfactant prior to separation of a recoverable hydrocarbon phase. The separation of the bitumen/diluent mix into a recoverable hydrocarbon phase and a water/solid phase results in a recoverable hydrocarbon phase that meets the concentration of water and solids desired by tar sand processors. A further refinement of the method involves contacting the bitumen/diluent mix with an anionic and cationic flocculant following the surfactant for further improvement in separation.

Claims

1. A process for extracting bitumen from tar sand comprising bitumen and water wherein the process comprises:

contacting bitumen from the tar sand with a diluent to form a bitumen/diluent mixture and at the same time or subsequently contacting the bitumen/diluent mixture with an alkoxylalkylphenol alkoxylate surfactant to form a bitumen/surfactant mixture, and thereafter, separating the bitumen/surfactant mixture to form a recoverable hydrocarbon portion and a separate water portion.

2. A process in accordance with claim 1 wherein the alkoxylalkylphenol alkoxylate surfactant is an ethoxylated nonyl phenol.

3. A process in accordance with claim 2 wherein the ethoxylated nonyl phenol has 4 to 13 ethoxyl groups.

4. A process in accordance with claim 1 wherein the bitumen/surfactant mixture is contacted with at least one flocculant.

5. A process in accordance with claim 4 wherein the flocculant is selected from the group consisting of polyacrylamide, and polyamine.

6. A process in accordance with claim 4 wherein the flocculant is a cationic flocculant.

7. A process in accordance with claim 4 wherein the bitumen/surfactant mixture is first contacted with an anionic flocculant and then with a cationic flocculant.

8. A process in accordance with claim 4 wherein, the tar sand also comprises solid, and before the bitumen/surfactant mixture is formed, the tar sand is contacted with water to form a tar sand/water mixture and the tar sand/water mixture is separated into a bitumen froth portion and a waste portion comprising water and solid.

9. A process in accordance with claim 8 wherein the surfactant is added in a ratio of 1:

10 to 1;

10,000 kilogram of bitumen/diluent mixture to milligram of surfactant.

10. A process in accordance with claim 9 wherein the flocculant is added in a ratio of 1:

1 to 1;

2,000 kilogram of bitumen/diluent mixture to milligram of flocculant.

11. A process in accordance with claim 1 wherein the surfactant is added in a ratio of 1:

100 to 1;

2,000 kilogram of bitumen/diluent mixture to milligram of surfactant.

12. A process for extracting bitumen from tar sand comprising bitumen, solid and water wherein the process comprises:

contacting the tar sand with water to form a tar sand/water mixture;

separating the tar sand/water mixture into a bitumen froth portion and a water portion comprising water and solid;

mixing a diluent with an alkoxylalkylphenol alkoxylate surfactant subsequent to the step of forming a tar sand mixture, to form a resulting diluent/surfactant mixture;

contacting the diluent/surfactant mixture with the bitumen froth portion to form the bitumen froth/surfactant mixture; and

thereafter, separating the bitumen froth/surfactant mixture to form a recoverable hydrocarbon portion and a separate water portion.

13. A process for extracting bitumen from tar sand which comprises bitumen, solid and water, which process comprises the following steps in sequence:

(a) contacting the tar sand with water, resulting in a tar sand/water mixture;

(b) separating the tar sand/water mixture into a waste phase comprising water and solid and a bitumen froth phase comprising bitumen;

(c) adding a diluent to the bitumen froth phase to form a bitumen froth/diluent mixture and at the same time or subsequently contacting the bitumen froth/diluent mixture with an alkoxylalkylphenol alkoxylate surfactant to form a bitumen/surfactant mixture;

(d) contacting the bitumen/surfactant mixture with one or more flocculants; and

(e) separating the bitumen/surfactant mixture into a recoverable hydrocarbon phase and a separate water/solid phase.

14. A process in accordance with claim 13 wherein the alkoxyalkylphenol alkoxylate surfactant is an ethoxylated nonyl phenol having 4 to 13 ethoxyl groups, the surfactant is added in a ratio of 1:

100 to 1;

2,000 kilogram of bitumen froth/diluent mixture to milligram of surfactant.

15. A process in accordance with claim 14 where the step of contacting the bitumen/surfactant mixture with one or more flocculants comprises first contacting the bitumen/surfactant mixture with an anionic flocculant and subsequently contacting the bitumen/surfactant mixture with a cationic flocculant.

16. A process in accordance with claim 15 wherein an additional surfactant is added to the bitumen froth/diluent mixture and the additional surfactant is selected from the group consisting of cationic surfactants and anionic surfactants.

17. A process in accordance with claim 16 wherein the solids content of the recoverable hydrocarbon phase is less than 0.3 wt % and the water content of the recovered hydrocarbon stream is less than 0.6 wt %.