Mine site oil sands processing

Abstract

A process line comprising a combination of mobile and relocatable equipment units is provided at an oil sand mine site. The process line may comprise: a mobile shovel; a mobile bin and double roll crusher; a relocatable conveyor belt extending along the mine face; a relocatable slurry preparation assembly, such as a secondary crusher and jet pump; a pipeline; and a relocatable desanding circuit of separators. The process line conducts the following steps: mining the oil sand; crushing it to conveyable size; conveying it to a slurry preparation location; further crushing it to slurrying size and mixing it with heated water to produce a pumpable, aerated oil sand slurry; transporting and conditioning the slurry in the pipeline; desanding it to produce a product comprising bitumen and water and tailings; depositing tailings in a retention facility; and removing the product from the mine site in a pipeline.

1 . A process line for producing an oil sand slurry at a mine site having mineable oil sand, a mine face, a slurry preparation location and a desanding location, comprising: 
 mobile excavating means for advancing along the mine face and excavating oil sand;    mobile sizing means for advancing along behind the excavating means, receiving excavated oil sand and comminuting it to conveyable size; relocatable first conveyor means for receiving the oil sand from the sizing means, conveying it to the slurry preparation location and delivering it thereto;    relocatable slurry preparation means, at the slurry preparation location, for utilizing the oil sand delivered thereto, further comminuting it to pumpable size and mixing it with heated water to produce a pumpable, aerated, aqueous oil sand slurry; and    first pipeline means, connected with the slurry preparation means, for receiving the slurry, transporting it while simultaneously conditioning it and delivering it to the desanding location for desanding.    
   
   
       2 . The process line as set forth in  claim 1  wherein the first conveyor means is a belt conveyor extending along the mine face.  
   
   
       3 . A process for producing an oil sand slurry at a mine site having mineable oil sand, a mine face, a slurry preparation location and a desanding location, comprising: 
 excavating oil sand progressively along the mine face;    comminuting the oil sand to conveyable size;    conveying the comminuted oil sand along the mine face to the slurry preparation location;    mixing the oil sand with heated water at the slurry preparation location and producing a pumpable, aerated, aqueous oil sand slurry; and    transporting the slurry through a pipeline from the slurry preparation location to the desanding location for desanding.    
   
   
       4 . A process line for producing desanded product, comprising bitumen and water, and tailings, comprising sand and water, at a mine site having mineable oil sand, a mine face, a slurry preparation location and a desanding location, comprising: 
 mobile excavating means for advancing along the mine face and excavating oil sand;    mobile sizing means for advancing along behind the excavating means, receiving excavated oil sand and comminuting it to conveyable size;    relocatable first conveyor means for receiving the oil sand from the sizing means, conveying it to the slurry preparation location and delivering it thereto;    relocatable slurry preparation means, at the slurry preparation location, for utilizing the oil sand delivered thereto, further comminuting it to pumpable size and mixing it with heated water to produce a pumpable, aerated, aqueous oil sand slurry containing liquid and sand components;    first pipeline means, connected with the slurry preparation means, for receiving the slurry, transporting it while simultaneously conditioning it and delivering it to the desanding location; and    relocatable desanding means, at the desanding location and connected with the first pipeline means, for receiving the slurry and separating liquid and sand components of the slurry to produce separate streams of desanded product and tailings.    
   
   
       5 . The process line as set forth in  claim 4  comprising: 
 a product pipeline, connected with the desanding means, for transporting the desanded product stream from the mine site.    
   
   
       6 . The process line as set forth in  claim 5  wherein the mine site has a tailings retention facility and comprising: 
 means, connected with the desanding means, for depositing tailings at the retention facility.    
   
   
       7 . The process line as set forth in claim wherein the desanding means comprises: 
 a series of countercurrently operating separators for progressively treating slurry to separate bitumen from sand.    
   
   
       8 . The process line as set forth in claim wherein: 
 the first conveyor means extends along the mine face; and    the desanding means comprises a series of countercurrently operating separators for progressively treating slurry to separate bitumen from sand.    
   
   
       9 . A process for producing desanded product, comprising bitumen and water, and tailings, comprising sand and water, at a mine site having mineable oil sand, a mine face, a slurry preparation location and a desanding location, comprising: 
 excavating oil sand progressively along the mine face;    comminuting the oil sand to conveyable size;    conveying the comminuted oil sand along the mine face to the slurry preparation location;    mixing the oil sand with heated water at the slurry preparation location and producing a pumpable, aerated, aqueous oil sand slurry having bitumen and sand components;    transporting the slurry through a pipeline from the slurry preparation location to the desanding location; and    separating bitumen and sand components of the slurry to produce separate desanded product and tailings.    
   
   
       10 . The process as set forth in  claim 9  wherein: 
 the mine site has a tailings retention facility, and comprising:    transporting the desanded product from the mine site in a pipeline; and    depositing tailings in the retention facility.    
   
   
       11 . The process line of  claim 1 , wherein: 
 the sizing means comprises a first surge bin for receiving and dispensing excavated oil sand, a first double roll crusher for comminuting the dispensed oil sand and means for conveying the dispensed oil sand from the screen means to the crusher.    
   
   
       12 . The process line of  claim 1 , wherein: 
 the slurry preparation means comprises a second surge means for receiving and dispensing oil sand from the first conveyor means, a second double roll crusher for comminuting the oil sand, means for conveying oil sand from the second surge means to the second double roll crusher, a jet pump for mixing the oil sand with heated water, a hopper for feeding the oil sand to the jet pump, means for conveying oil sand from the second double roll crusher to the hopper and means for supplying heated water to the jet pump.    
   
   
       13 . A process line for producing an oil sand slurry at a mine site having mineable oil sand, a mine face, a slurry preparation location and a desanding location, comprising: 
 mobile excavating means for advancing along the mine face and excavating oil sand;    mobile sizing means for advancing along behind the excavating means, receiving excavated oil sand and comminuting it to conveyable size; relocatable first conveyor means for receiving the oil sand from the sizing means, conveying it to the slurry preparation location and delivering it thereto;    relocatable slurry preparation means, at the slurry preparation location, for utilizing the oil sand delivered thereto and mixing it with heated water to produce a pumpable, aerated, aqueous oil sand slurry; and    first pipeline means, connected with the slurry preparation means, for receiving the slurry, transporting it while simultaneously conditioning it and delivering it to the desanding location for desanding;    
   
   
       14 . The process line of  claim 13  wherein the first conveyor means is a belt conveyor extending along the mine face.  
   
   
       15 . The process line of  claim 13  wherein: 
 the slurry preparation means comprises a rotary digester, means for receiving oil sand from the first conveyor means and feeding it to the rotary digester and means for supplying heated water to the rotary digester.    
   
   
       16 . A process line for producing desanded product, comprising bitumen and water, and tailings, comprising sand and water, at a mine site having mineable oil sand, a mine face, a slurry preparation location and a desanding location, comprising: 
 mobile excavating means for advancing along the mine face and excavating oil sand;    mobile sizing means for advancing along behind the excavating means, receiving excavated oil sand and comminuting it to conveyable size;    relocatable first conveyor means for receiving the oil sand from the sizing means, conveying it to the slurry preparation location and delivering it thereto;    relocatable slurry preparation means, at the slurry preparation location, for utilizing the oil sand delivered thereto and mixing it with heated water to produce a pumpable, aerated, aqueous oil sand slurry;    first pipeline means, connected with the slurry preparation means, for receiving the slurry, transporting it while simultaneously conditioning it and delivering it to the desanding location; and    relocatable desanding means, at the desanding location and connected with the first pipeline means, for receiving the slurry and separating liquid and sand components of the slurry to produce separate streams of desanded product and tailings.    
   
   
       17 . The process line of  claim 16  wherein the first conveyor means is a belt conveyor extending along the mine face.  
   
   
       18 . The process line of  claim 16  wherein: 
 the slurry preparation means comprises a rotary digester, means for receiving oil sand from the first conveyor means and feeding it to the rotary digester and means for supplying heated water to the rotary digester.    
   
   
       19 . The process line as set forth in  claim 16 , wherein the desanding means comprises: 
 a series of countercurrently operating separators for progressively treating slurry to separate bitumen from sand.    
   
   
       20 . The process line as set forth in  claim 13 , comprising: 
 a product pipeline, connected with the desanding means, for transporting the desanded product stream from the mine site.    
   
   
       21 . The process line as set forth in  claim 20  wherein the mine site has a tailings retention facility and comprising: 
 means, connected with the desanding means, for depositing tailings at the retention facility.    
   
   
       22 . The process line as set forth in  claim 7 , wherein at least one separator is a cycloseparator.  
   
   
       23 . The process line as set forth in  claim 7 , wherein at least one separator is an inclined plate settler.