| Patent application number | Description | Published |
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| 20080210602 | SYSTEM AND METHOD OF SEPARATING BITUMEN FROM TAR SANDS - Various methods and systems for obtaining bitumen from tar sands are disclosed. The disclosed methods and/or systems can be used to economically achieve a high degree of bitumen recovery from tar sands. The method may include a primary leaching or extraction process that separates most of the bitumen from the tar sands and results in a bitumen-enriched component and a bitumen-depleted component. The bitumen-enriched component includes mainly solvent and bitumen. The bitumen-depleted component includes mainly water and mineral solids with some residual bitumen and solvent. The bitumen-depleted component may be mixed with liquefied petroleum gas, e.g., propane and/or butane, to further separate the residual solvent and bitumen. The disclosed system can include separators configured to separate the various components at the various stages in the process. | 09-04-2008 |
| 20090173668 | PROCESSING ASPHALTENE-CONTAINING TAILINGS - Embodiments of a method and a system for recovering energy, materials or both from asphaltene-containing tailings are disclosed. The asphaltene-containing tailings can be generated, for example, from a process for recovering hydrocarbons from oil sand. Embodiments of the method can include a flotation separation and a hydrophobic agglomeration separation. Flotation can be used to separate the asphaltene-containing tailings into an asphaltene-rich froth and an asphaltene-depleted aqueous phase. The asphaltene-rich froth, or an asphaltene-rich slurry formed from the asphaltene-rich froth, then can be separated into a heavy mineral concentrate and a light tailings. Hydrophobic agglomeration can be used to recover an asphaltene concentrate from the light tailings. Another flotation separation can be included to remove sulfur-containing minerals from the heavy mineral concentrate. Oxygen-containing minerals also can be recovered from the heavy mineral concentrate. Water removed by the various separation steps can be recycled and its heat energy recovered. | 07-09-2009 |
| 20090175769 | PROCESSING ASPHALTENE-CONTAINING TAILINGS - Embodiments of a method and a system for recovering energy, materials or both from asphaltene-containing tailings are disclosed. The asphaltene-containing tailings can be generated, for example, from a process for recovering hydrocarbons from oil sand. Embodiments of the method can include a flotation separation and a hydrophobic agglomeration separation. Flotation can be used to separate the asphaltene-containing tailings into an asphaltene-rich froth and an asphaltene-depleted aqueous phase. The asphaltene-rich froth, or an asphaltene-rich slurry formed from the asphaltene-rich froth, then can be separated into a heavy mineral concentrate and a light tailings. Hydrophobic agglomeration can be used to recover an asphaltene concentrate from the light tailings. Another flotation separation can be included to remove sulfur-containing minerals from the heavy mineral concentrate. Oxygen-containing minerals also can be recovered from the heavy mineral concentrate. Water removed by the various separation steps can be recycled and its heat energy recovered. | 07-09-2009 |
| 20090266741 | NOZZLE REACTOR AND METHOD OF USE - A nozzle reactor system for increasing the conversion rate of material feed injected into the nozzle reactor system. The system includes two or more nozzle reactors aligned in series, such that material exiting a first nozzle reactor may be injected into a second nozzle reactor, Each nozzle reactor includes an interior reactor chamber and an injection passage and a material feed passage that are each in material injecting communication with the interior reactor chamber. Furthermore, the injection passage is aligned transversely to the injection passage. The injection passage is configured to accelerate cracking material passed therethrough to a supersonic speed. A method of increasing the conversion rate of material feed utilizing multiple cracking steps is also described. | 10-29-2009 |
| 20090301937 | DRY,STACKABLE TAILINGS AND METHODS FOR PRODUCING THE SAME - Methods for preparing solvent-dry, stackable tailings. The methods may include a primary leaching or extraction process that separates most of the bitumen from a material comprising bitumen and produces first solvent-wet tailings. The first solvent-wet tailings are washed with a second solvent that removes the first solvent from the tailings. Second solvent remaining in the tailings is removed to thereby produce solvent-dry, stackable tailings. | 12-10-2009 |
| 20100032348 | METHODS FOR OBTAINING BITUMEN FROM BITUMINOUS MATERIALS - Methods for obtaining bitumen from bituminous material. The methods may include a dissolution step where a first solvent is added to material comprising bitumen to dissolve the bitumen contained therein. The majority of the dissolved bitumen is then removed from the mixture of first solvent and material comprising bitumen by filtering or settling the mixture of first solvent and material comprising bitumen. Any residual dissolved bitumen is then removed from the mixture of first solvent and material comprising bitumen by adding additional first solvent to the mixture to displace the residual dissolved bitumen from the mixture. | 02-11-2010 |
| 20100264062 | NOZZLE REACTOR AND METHOD OF USE - Embodiments of a nozzle reactor of the type useable to inject a first material feed stock and a second material feed stock to cause interaction between the first material feed stock and second material feed stock are described herein. According to some embodiments, the nozzle reactor may crack residual oil produced by other processing units in a refinery process. Furthermore, nozzle reactors may replace traditional processing units of a refinery process, such as cokers, hydrocrackers and deasphalting units. | 10-21-2010 |
| 20100320118 | OXIDATION OF ASPHALTENES - A method for processing asphaltenes is disclosed. The method can include separating asphaltenes from an asphaltene-containing composition and oxidizing the separated asphaltenes to form oxidation products. Alternatively, the method can include oxidizing asphaltenes within an asphaltene-containing composition without first separating the asphaltenes. Once formed, the oxidation products can be combined with other hydrocarbons. The amount of oxidation can be limited to an amount sufficient to produce a mixture suitable for the desired application. This method can be used to upgrade asphaltenes from a variety of sources, including oil sands. The oxidation step can be performed, for example, by introducing an oxidizing agent and, in some cases, a catalyst into the asphaltenes. A solvent or miscibility agent also can be introduced to improve mixing between the oxidizing agent and the asphaltenes. | 12-23-2010 |
| 20110017642 | SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR CONVERTING MATERIAL COMPRISING BITUMEN INTO LIGHT HYDROCARBON LIQUID PRODUCT - Various methods and systems for obtaining light hydrocarbon distillate from material comprising bitumen are disclosed. The method may include a primary leaching or extraction process that separates most of the bitumen from the material comprising bitumen and results in a bitumen-enriched solvent phase and first solvent-wet tailings. The bitumen-enriched solvent phase includes mainly solvent and bitumen. The bitumen-enriched solvent phase is injected into a nozzle reactor wherein at least a portion of the bitumen is cracked into light hydrocarbon distillate. The light hydrocarbon distillate may then be used as solvent in the first primary leaching or extraction step. | 01-27-2011 |
| 20110062057 | METHODS FOR OBTAINING BITUMEN FROM BITUMINOUS MATERIALS - Methods for extracting bitumen from bituminous material through the use of a polar solvent. The method may include a primary leaching or extraction process that separates most of the bitumen from a material comprising bitumen and produces first solvent-wet tailings. A polar solvent is added to the first solvent-wet tailings in order to remove the first solvent (plus any entrained bitumen) from the tailings. A mixture of polar solvent and first solvent produced by the addition of the polar solvent to the first solvent-wet tailings may be phase separated by maintaining the polar solvent-first solvent mixture for a period of time. Alternatively, the polar solvent and first solvent may leave the tailings in a phase separated state. Phase separation may occur due to the presence of water in the polar solvent-first solvent mixture. Water may also be added to the mixture of solvents to serve as an antisolvent and initiate phase separation. The separated solvents may then be recovered and reused in the method. | 03-17-2011 |
| 20110084000 | SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR PROCESSING NOZZLE REACTOR PITCH - Methods and systems for cracking hydrocarbon material in a nozzle reactor and processing any un-cracked hydrocarbon material passing through the nozzle reactor. The nozzle reactor used may have a configuration whereby cracking material is injected into the nozzle reactor at a high velocity, including supersonic speed. The hydrocarbon material is injected into the nozzle reactor and intersects with the cracking material to crack hydrocarbon material. Any hydrocarbon material that pass through the nozzle reactor un-cracked can be re-injected into the nozzle reactor. An increase in the concentration and amount of un-cracked hydrocarbons injected into the nozzle reactor may increase the overall conversion of hydrocarbons into lighter hydrocarbons. | 04-14-2011 |
| 20110155648 | METHODS FOR OBTAINING BITUMEN FROM BITUMINOUS MATERIALS - 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. | 06-30-2011 |
