Methods for Extracting Bitumen From Bituminous Material

Abstract

Methods for preparing solvent-dry, stackable tailings. The method can include the steps of adding a first quantity of solvent to a bitumen material to form a first mixture, separating a first quantity of bitumen-enriched solvent from the first mixture and thereby creating solvent-wet tailings, and adding a quantity of water to the solvent-wet tailings to separate a solvent component from the solvent-wet tailings and thereby forming solvent-dry, stackable tailings. The solvent used in the methods can include paraffinic solvent, such as pentane.

1 . A method comprising:
 passing a solvent through a first quantity of bituminous material; and   passing water through the first quantity of bituminous material;   wherein the solvent comprises a paraffinic solvent.   
     
     
         2 . The method as recited in  claim 1 , further comprising:
 loading the first quantity of bituminous material into a sealed vessel prior to passing the solvent and the water through the first quantity of bituminous material.   
     
     
         3 . The method as recited in  claim 2 , wherein the sealed vessel is a sealed vertical column having a top end and a bottom end opposite the top end. 
     
     
         4 . The method as recited in  claim 3 , wherein passing the solvent through the first quantity of bituminous material comprises:
 adding the solvent at the top end of the sealed vertical column;   introducing inert gas into the sealed vertical column at the top end of the sealed vertical column and pushing the solvent down through the bituminous material loaded in the sealed vertical column; and   collecting the solvent exiting the bottom end of the sealed vertical column.   
     
     
         5 . The method as recited in  claim 3 , wherein the solvent exiting the bottom end of the vertical column comprises solvent and bitumen. 
     
     
         6 . The method as recited in  claim 2 , wherein passing the water through the first quantity of bituminous material comprises:
 adding the water at a top end of the vertical column;   introducing inert gas into the vertical column at the top end of the vertical column and pushing the water down through the bituminous material loaded in the vertical column; and   collecting residual solvent exiting the bottom end of the vertical column.   
     
     
         7 . The method as recited in  claim 1 , wherein the bituminous material comprises oil sand. 
     
     
         8 . The method as recited in  claim 1 , wherein the bituminous material is solvent-wet. 
     
     
         9 . The method as recited in  claim 2 , wherein the bituminous material loaded in the vertical column comprises a plurality of interstitial pores, and wherein the ratio of volume of water passed through the first quantity of bituminous to total volume of the plurality of interstitial pores is from 1:1 to 5:1. 
     
     
         10 . The method as recited in  claim 2 , further comprising:
 removing the first quantity of bituminous material from the sealed vessel after passing the water through the first quantity of bituminous material.   
     
     
         11 . The method as recited in  claim 10 , wherein the bituminous material removed from the sealed vessel comprises less than 200 ppm on a weight basis of solvent and less than 2% by weight bitumen. 
     
     
         12 . A method comprising:
 providing a bituminous material comprising a paraffinic solvent;   passing water through the bituminous material and pushing paraffinic solvent out of the bituminous material; and   collecting paraffinic solvent pushed out of the bituminous material.   
     
     
         13 . The method as recited in  claim 12 , wherein the bituminous material comprises bitumen-depleted tailings derived from oil sands. 
     
     
         14 . A method comprising:
 contacting a bituminous material with a solvent and forming solvent-wet bituminous material;   contacting the solvent-wet bituminous material with water and forming a water-wet bituminous material;   wherein the solvent comprises a paraffinic solvent.   
     
     
         15 . The method as recited in  claim 14 , wherein contacting the bituminous material with the solvent comprises:
 mixing the bituminous material with the solvent and forming the first solvent-wet bituminous material; and   separating a bitumen-enriched solvent phase from the first solvent-wet bituminous material using a hydrocyclone.   
     
     
         16 . The method as recited in  claim 14 , wherein contacting the solvent-wet bituminous material with the water comprises:
 mixing the solvent-wet bituminous material with water and forming the water-wet bituminous material; and   separating a mixture of solvent and water from the water-wet bituminous material using a hydrocyclone.