PROCESS AND UNIT FOR SOLVENT RECOVERY FROM SOLVENT DILUTED TAILINGS DERIVED FROM BITUMEN FROTH TREATMENT

• Main Authors: DUERR, RYAN, VAN DER MERWE, SHAWN, HANN, TOM
• Format: Patent
• Language: English; French
• Published: 01.09.2012
• Subjects: CHEMISTRY; CRACKING HYDROCARBON OILS; DIFFERENTIAL SEDIMENTATION; FLOTATION; FUELS; LUBRICANTS; MAGNETIC OR ELECTROSTATIC SEPARATION OF SOLID MATERIALS FROM SOLIDMATERIALS OR FLUIDS; METALLURGY; MINERAL WAXES; PEAT; PERFORMING OPERATIONS; PETROLEUM, GAS OR COKE INDUSTRIES; PRODUCTION OF LIQUID HYDROCARBON MIXTURES, e.g. BY DESTRUCTIVEHYDROGENATION, OLIGOMERISATION, POLYMERISATION; RECOVERY OF HYDROCARBON OILS FROM OIL-SHALE, OIL-SAND, ORGASES; REFINING MIXTURES MAINLY CONSISTING OF HYDROCARBONS; REFORMING OF NAPHTHA; SEPARATION BY HIGH-VOLTAGE ELECTRIC FIELDS; SEPARATION OF SOLID MATERIALS USING LIQUIDS OR USING PNEUMATICTABLES OR JIGS; TECHNICAL GASES CONTAINING CARBON MONOXIDE; TRANSPORTING

A TSRU for recovering solvent from solvent diluted tailings includes a separation apparatus receiving the tailings and producing solvent and solvent recovered tailings. The separation apparatus includes a vessel, a tailings outlet, a solvent outlet, a tailings inlet for supplying a variable flow of the tailings to the vessel and a tailings recycle line connected to the tailings inlet for recycling part of the solvent recovered tailings into the variable flow of the diluted tailings to produce a flow rate controlled feed for introduction into the vessel. A tailings solvent recovery process includes separating the diluted tailings into recovered solvent and solvent recovered tailings, discharging the solvent recovered tailings, and recycling a portion of the solvent recovered tailings back into the variable flow of the diluted tailings. A method of controlling feed flow rate to a tailings solvent recovery vessel is also provided.