Monitoring of residual metals in paraffinic froth treatment operations and process control

• Main Authors: Van Der Merwe, Shawn, Yang, Xiaoli
• Format: Patent
• Language: English
• Published: 14.12.2021
• Subjects: CHEMISTRY; CRACKING HYDROCARBON OILS; FUELS; INVESTIGATING OR ANALYSING MATERIALS BY DETERMINING THEIRCHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL PROPERTIES; LUBRICANTS; MEASURING; METALLURGY; MINERAL WAXES; PEAT; PETROLEUM, GAS OR COKE INDUSTRIES; PHYSICS; 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; TECHNICAL GASES CONTAINING CARBON MONOXIDE; TESTING

Techniques provided herein relate to regulating at least one operating parameter of a paraffinic froth treatment (PFT) operation and controlling the quality of the produced bitumen in response to a determined concentration of at least one residual metal in a PFT process stream. Determination of the residual metal concentration is based on acquired NIR spectral measurements of the PFT process stream. An alkaline agent dosage in primary extraction operation can be for example regulated in response to a difference between a determined calcium concentration and a calcium concentration specification.