Application of the rotating disk method to the study of bitumen dissolution into organic solvents

The rotating disk system is demonstrated as a tool for performing studies of the dissolution rate of bitumen into organic solvents. Mass transfer coefficients to the rotating disk are constant in position and time can be made comparable to coefficients for sand particles in agitated liquids by adjusting the rotation rate. Data is presented for bitumen dissolution into pentane, hexane, heptane, toluene and oleic acid. Increasing the level of dissolved bitumen in the solvent decreases the bitumen dissolution flux primarily due to the increase in solvent viscosity.     

The effect of asphaltene content on solvent selection for bitumen extraction by the SESA process

Bitumen is a complex mixture, containing a high proportion of poorly soluble asphaltenes. Unpredictable precipitation of this component can cause process problems during bitumen extraction. Consequently, the selection of an appropriate solvent is an important factor in the optimization of bitumen separation by solvent extraction. This aspect is discussed in the context of bitumen extraction from oil sands using the solvent extraction spherical agglomeration (SESA) process. The SESA process is a solvent extraction method which utilizes concurrent particle aggregation in order to overcome difficulties normally encountered in solid-liquid separation in the presence of fines.     

Mesophase behaviour in oil sand bitumen pitch

The formation and development of an anisotropic mesophase in oil sand bitumen pitch during low-temperature carbonization was followed by polarized-light microscopy, solvent extraction, and measurements on extracted mesophase material. Information concerning the brief plastic ‘life’ of the mesophase and the mechanisms by which bitumen pitch is converted into a semicoke is presented.     

水辅助溶剂法提取油砂中的沥青

开发了一种水辅助溶剂法从油砂中提取沥青的技术。该方法通过在油砂固相与有机溶剂间介入水层提取油砂中的沥青。以内蒙古扎赉特旗油砂矿为研究对象,考察了温度、剂砂质量比、提取时间、甲苯在复合溶剂中的含量及溶剂的种类与性质对沥青回收率高低的影响,结果表明：最佳提取条件为提取温度50℃,剂砂质量比1∶1,提取时间25min。沥青回收率与提取溶剂的性质紧密相关,水层介入有效降低了固体微粒组分在有机相中的含量,且便于后续的有机相与泥砂相的分离。通过对各种溶剂提取的沥青进行组分分析,发现各种溶剂对沥青提取能力的差异性源于溶剂的化学组成和结构不同。本文相关研究结果对溶剂法提取油砂中沥青技术及溶剂种类的选择具有指导作用。     

有机溶剂萃取加拿大油砂应用研究

介绍了溶剂作为萃取剂分离油砂的技术,溶剂萃取油砂过程包含两个阶段:沥青相向溶剂的溶解过程和沥青、溶剂与砂粒的分离过程。考察了单一溶剂甲苯、丙酮、乙酸乙酯和甲苯/正庚烷、丙酮/正庚烷、乙酸乙酯/正庚烷组成的复合溶剂体系在相同条件下对油砂沥青的萃取率,在此基础上进一步对比了不同溶剂体系对沥青四组分饱和分、芳香分、胶质和沥青质的萃取效果,同时考察了不同浓度的沥青-溶剂溶液的表面张力,结果表明在油砂萃取过程中沥青-溶剂体系的表面张力主要取决于所选溶剂的种类,而沥青的浓度对溶液表面张力的影响不大。混合溶剂体系甲苯/正庚烷、丙酮/正庚烷、乙酸乙酯/正庚烷相比纯溶剂萃取率较高,其沥青溶液表面张力较低,是良好的分离油砂溶剂体系。     

Solvent screening for non‐aqueous extraction of Alberta oil sands

Non‐aqueous extraction of bitumen from oil sands has the potential to reduce fresh water demand of the extraction process and eliminate tailings ponds. In this study, different light hydrocarbon solvents, including aromatics, cycloalkanes, biologically derived solvents and mixtures of solvents were compared for extraction of bitumen from Alberta oil sands at room temperature and ambient pressure. The solvents are compared based on bitumen recovery, the amount of residual solvent in the extracted oil sands tailings and the content of fine solids in the extracted bitumen. The extraction experiments were carried out in a multistage process with agitation in rotary mixers and vibration sieving. The oil sands tailings were dried under ambient conditions, and their residual solvent contents were measured by a purge and trap system followed by gas chromatography. The elemental compositions of the extraction tailings were measured to calculate bitumen recovery. Supernatants from the extraction tests were centrifuged to separate and measure the contents of fine solid particles. Except for limonene and isoprene, the tested solvents showed good bitumen recoveries of around 95%. The solvent drying rates and residual solvent contents in the extracted oil sands tailings correlated to solvent vapour pressure. The contents of fine solids in the extracted bitumen (supernatant) were below 2.9% for all solvents except n‐heptane‐rich ones. Based on these findings, cyclohexane is the best candidate solvent for bitumen extraction, with 94.4% bitumen recovery, 5 mg of residual solvent per kilogram of extraction tailings and 1.4 wt% fine solids in the recovered bitumen. © 2012 Canadian Society for Chemical Engineering     

Water‐Based Bitumen Recovery from Diluent‐Conditioned Oil Sands

Important process development aspects leading to more efficient bitumen recovery from diluent‐conditioned oil sands by water‐based methods are discussed. Bitumen viscosity of 0.5–2 Pa·s is required at the processing temperature and can be reduced to this level by bitumen dilution with an organic solvent. Oil sand porosity, however, poses a restriction on the amount of diluent that can be accepted by the oil sand. Also oil sand‐diluent conditioning time is an important process parameter and can vary from a few minutes for oil sands with low‐viscosity bitumen to several hours if viscosity of the bitumen is high. Additionally, the bitumen separation efficiency during digestion and flotation can be enhanced by reducing the bitumen/water interfacial tension through addition, for example, of tripolyphosphate to the aqueous phase.     

Thermo‐physical properties of n‐pentane/bitumen and n‐hexane/bitumen mixture systems

The gravity drainage as a result of viscosity reduction is the main governing mechanism of the solvent‐aided thermal bitumen recovery processes. Therefore, the density and viscosity of the diluted or heated bitumen are essential to predict the oil production rate. In this paper, we report thermo‐physical properties of n‐pentane/bitumen and n‐hexane/bitumen mixtures. The density and viscosity of Athabasca bitumen diluted with n‐pentane and n‐hexane were measured at different temperatures (30 to 190 °C), pressures (2 to 8 MPa), and solvent mass fractions (0.05 to 0.5). Various correlations and mixing rules proposed in the literature were examined to calculate the density and viscosity of the diluted bitumen. This study proposes appropriate mixing rules and generalized parameters for predicting the density and viscosity of solvent‐bitumen systems. Our findings will find applications in the design and simulation of heavy oil and bitumen solvent‐aided thermal recovery processes.     

Analysis of Solvent‐Diluted Bitumen from Oil Sands Froth Treatment Using NIR Spectroscopy

Process control and optimization of bitumen froth treatment during oil sands processing require rapid analysis of asphaltene content in bitumen, solvent‐tobitumen ratio (S/B), and the density of solvent‐diluted bitumen. NIR spectroscopy was employed to meet this requirement. The NIR system comprised a spectrometer with no moving parts coupled with a double‐pass transflectance probe via a fiber‐optic cable. Quantitative calibration models were established using partial leastsquares regression in latent variables. The standard errors of calibration were 0.20 wt% for 0 to 20 wt% asphaltenes in bitumen, 1.1 wt% for 20 to 100 wt% asphaltenes in bitumen, 0.1 for S/B of solvent‐diluted bitumen, and 0.0017 g/mL for density of solvent‐diluted bitumen. It was shown that the process conditions could be monitored through the spectral scores from principal component analysis.     

Removal of intractable fine solids from bitumen solutions obtained by solvent extraction of oil sands

During solvent extraction of bitumen from oil sands, the bitumen solutions produced are usually contaminated with fine solids. The water-wettable fines may be eliminated by utilizing simple solids agglomeration techniques during extraction. Intractable oil-wetted solids can also be removed by chemical treatment to improve settling rates, allowing separation without the need for centrifugation. Some data from small-scale batch and continuous experiments are presented to illustrate the techniques employed.     

不同有机溶剂对新疆油砂沥青的组成性质影响

油砂作为一种非常规石油资源,越来越受到人们的重视。油砂沥青的含量和性质对其开发有着重要的影响。有机溶剂抽提可以测定油砂沥青的含量。本文研究了3种溶剂对新疆油砂的抽提能力,并对不同溶剂抽提得到的新疆油砂沥青进行了性质分析。结果表明,新疆油砂含油率（甲苯测）为11.75%,属于中品位油砂矿;甲苯、氯仿和石油醚3种不同溶剂对新疆油砂沥青进行抽提,发现3种溶剂抽提能力的大小关系为氯仿＞甲苯＞石油醚;抽提过程中,氯仿表现出对胶质和沥青质较强的萃取能力,而石油醚对沥青质的萃取能力几乎为0,采用氯仿可以更准确地测定油砂沥青的含量。氯仿抽提得到新疆油砂沥青及其组分的杂原子含量和分子量高于甲苯和石油醚抽提的。由红外谱图发现,氯仿抽提得到的油砂沥青的含氧、含硫官能团的吸收峰强度大于甲苯和石油醚抽提的,表明氯仿对油砂沥青中极性物质的抽提能力更强。     

Preparation of bitumen from oil sand by ultracentrifugation

Ultracentrifugation was investigated as a means to obtain solvent-free bitumen from oil sand. The bitumen from three oil sands of varying grades was separated by placing the sands in specially designed tubes and centrifuging for 2 h at 198 000 at 20 °C. For all grades of oil sand, approximately 70% of the bitumen was recovered. The recovered bitumen was compared to the residual remaining on the sand, and to that extracted by the conventional Soxhlet technique. The ultracentrifuged bitumen contained some emulsified water and a small amount of fine solids. The solvent-extracted material was water-free, but contained a small amount of residual solvent and fine solids. The ultracentrifuge caused some fractionation of the bitumen, resulting in a product slightly enriched in asphaltene components compared to the solvent-extracted material. The residual bitumen remaining on the sand was correspondingly slightly depleted in asphaltenes. However, as evidenced by gas Chromatographic simulated distillation data, ultracentrifugation did retain the light (180–220 °C) components of the bitumen which were lost during the solvent removal step following solvent extraction. Other analyses such as density, viscosity and elemental composition verified that ultracentrifugation resulted in some fractionation of bitumen components.     

LIQUID PARTITIONING OF AMPHIPHILIC SOLUTIONS RELATED TO THE SOLVENT EXTRACTION OF BITUMEN FROM TAR SANDS

The Wood-Beaver process is a solvent extraction process which uses a fatty acid blend (light hydrocarbons, aromatics, and fatty acids) as the solvent and utilizes amphiphilic phase behavior and phase shift to recover the fatty acids from the solvated bitumen. The process consists of mixing the solvated bitumen with an alcohol-water wash which precipitates the bitumen as the bottom phase of the primary settler. The top phase of the settler contains the fatty acid/alcohol/water/light hydrocarbons components. The fatty acid and light hydrocarbons are then recovered in a secondary settler by shifting the phase equilibrium by either over-dosing with water or by driving off alcohol by the application of heat.

This paper presents experimental equilibrium phase behavior data and the correlations resulting from an analysis for the quaternary system of oleic acid, bitumen, isopropyl alcohol, and water. The data are presented in the form of psuedo ternary diagrams. The NRTL modelling equation was applied to the oleic acid/brine/isopropyl alcohol system in order to determine a set of interactive and non-randomness parameters that adequately describe the liquid-liquid phase behavior of this ternary system. The phase envelope and accompanying tie lines reproduced from the model showed acceptable agreement with the experimental data.     

Investigation of Oil Sands Froth Treatment

Two oil sand froth treatment methods are investigated: 1) dilution with an aromatic solvent followed by centrifugation (AS Method); 2) dilution with a paraffinic solvent followed by gravity settling (PS Method). The effectiveness of the methods is assessed in terms of bitumen recovery and the water content in the recovered diluted bitumen. The optimum solventto‐bitumen ratios are identified considering process type, ore quality, temperature, and residence time.     

印尼油砂沥青的净化工艺

溶剂萃取法分离油砂制得油砂沥青中含大量机械杂质,影响沥青的品质及后期加工利用。通过XRD和激光粒度仪表征了机械杂质的矿物组成和粒度分布等特性。针对机械杂质的特性,开发了复配试剂,通过稀释剂降黏沥青、复配试剂净化沥青、稀释剂回收再生及循环利用3个操作单元对油砂沥青进行了脱杂净化实验,并分析了净化机理。结果表明：降黏过程,温度70℃、时间10min、稀释剂与沥青比0.3g/g,稀释沥青70℃黏度为3.2Pa·s;净化过程,6%盐酸与稀释沥青比0.2mL/g、CaCl₂与稀释沥青比0.01g/g,温度70℃,混合时间10min,沉降时间20min,机械杂质脱除率可达到93.5%;回收及循环过程,稀释剂回收率为98%,循环使用5次,机械杂质脱除率仍92%以上。该工艺具有沉降时间短、机械杂质脱除彻底的优点。     

油砂沥青质对油砂沥青中甲苯残留的影响

利用热重质谱联用仪（TG-MS）分析了三种油砂沥青（印尼油砂沥青、伊朗油砂沥青、加拿大油砂沥青）中的甲苯残留以及油砂沥青质含量对油砂沥青中甲苯残留的影响,并在此基础上,进一步研究了油砂沥青质中的甲苯残留。结果发现,不同油砂沥青中甲苯残留量存在一定差异,其中印尼油砂沥青中的甲苯残留量最多。进一步对沥青质质量分数分别为10%、19%、30%的油砂沥青样品进行热重质谱实验,发现随着油砂沥青中沥青质含量的增加,甲苯的残留量会成倍增加。以加拿大油砂沥青质为例,研究了油砂沥青质对溶剂残留的影响,发现油砂沥青质具有对甲苯分子的夹带能力,导致甲苯分子在超过自身沸点40℃以上才能从沥青质中分离出来。油砂沥青中其他组分的存在也会加剧沥青质对甲苯的夹带作用。此外,研究还发现,在350~650℃时,油砂沥青质可以热解产生甲苯,而且油砂沥青中的沥青质含量越高,热解生成的甲苯越多。     

Application of taylor dispersion technique to measure mutual diffusion coefficient in hexane + bitumen system

A novel approach with fewer technical and analytic limitations in liquid solvent‐bitumen diffusion studies is used in this article. The Taylor dispersion technique was selected for its convenient short run time experiments and reliable data analysis to find mutual diffusion coefficients in a hexane + bitumen mixture. For the first time, the infinite‐dilution molecular diffusion coefficients of bitumen in hexane were measured in both the presence and relative absence of asphaltene particles in the solution at atmospheric pressure and temperatures of 303.15, 310.15, and 317.15 K. The polydisperse nature of bitumen was clearly revealed. Results were compared with common predictive tools. Also, the asphaltene surface charge in the hexane precipitating solvent was demonstrated. Through concentration dependency investigations at atmospheric pressure and 303.15 K, it was determined that the mutual diffusion coefficients monotonically decrease as the viscosity of mixture increases within the studied 0–34% volumetric concentration of bitumen. The Taylor dispersion technique shows great potential for diffusion studies of liquid solvent‐bitumen systems. © 2014 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 60: 2670–2682, 2014     

Bitumen fluxing properties of a new class of sustainable solvents: The isosorbide di-alkyl ethers

The performances of new bio-sourced solvents, the short chain mono- and di-alkyl isosorbide ethers, have been determined and compared to benchmark bitumen fluxes. The influences of fluxes and temperature on the Newtonian viscosity have been assessed. The various fluxes appear to impact also on the visco-elastic behaviour of paving bitumen and dimethyl isosorbide ether (DMI) exhibits good fluxing properties. This bio-sourced solvent has also the property to be fully miscible with water. The bitumen hardness recovery can consequently occur from two different phenomena: evaporation and diffusion from the bitumen to water, making this solvent an appropriate bitumen flux for rainy seasons.     

Simultaneous removal of asphaltenes and water from water-in-bitumen emulsion: II. Application feasibility

Application feasibility of the accelerated deasphaltening process for simultaneous removal of asphaltenes and water from a water-in-bitumen emulsion has been examined with a pilot plant having capacity of 1.590 m3/day. The solvent (n-pentane) was injected into the emulsion from three locations with progressively increasing temperature from 423 K. The first solvent injection precipitated the asphaltenes in bitumen, the second broke the emulsion and facilitated the phase separation, and the third extracted the oil that remained in heavy asphaltenes/water phase. The effects of operation parameters such as temperature, solvent/bitumen ratio, feed rate and feedstock composition on the quality of DAO (Deasphaltening oil) were investigated. The DAO with the yield of ~ 80 wt.% and asphaltene content of < 0.5 wt.% was produced under optimal operating conditions, and the residual product was a porous solids containing 38% sulfur, 47% nitrogen, 64% MCR, and 85% metals (nickel and vanadium) of the bitumen. For a real application in oil industry, other important aspects including energy efficiency, solvent recovery and water purification have been discussed.     

A SAPONIFICATION CYCLE FOR SOLVENT RECOVERY FROM SAND SURFACES FOLLOWING BITUMEN EXTRACTION

A saponification cycle utilizing a fatty acid/heptane solvent blend was studied as a method for removing solvated bitumen from sand surfaces in a tar sands processing unit prior to disposal of the tailings. In this process, the fatty acid portion of the solvated bitumen was saponiffied with caustic resulting in an in-situ soap which aided in washing the organics off the sand surfaces. The wash liquid was then desaponified with hydrochloric acid to reconstitute the fatty acid, which went into the organic phase with the bitumen and heptane. This solvated bitumen stream was processed by an amphiphilic phase shift reaction to separate out the bitumen and recover the solvent for recycling back to the contactor. The aqueous phase from the desaponifier is brine and must be discarded. The saponification/desaponification kinetics and the phase behavior of this cycle were investigated as they apply to this process. Saponification cycle experiments showed that the fatty acid portion of the solvent could by fully recovered and used repeatedly. Bench-scale washing experiments showed that this saponification cycle promoted the removal of the viscous, solvated bitumen from sand surfaces.