Process for extracting bitumen and drying the tailings

Abstract

A process for separating bitumen from bitumen ore material includes extracting bitumen with a hydrocarbon solvent to produce a bitumen-enriched solvent phase and tailings. The tailings are dried or stripped in a dryer to remove any remaining hydrocarbon solvent. The amount of solvent discharged in the tailings may be less than 4 bbl per 1000 bbl of recovered bitumen.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A method comprising:
 forming a first mixture by mixing bitumen ore material with a hydrocarbon solvent;   separating the first mixture and producing first tailings;   separating the hydrocarbon solvent from the first tailings with a heated gas.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the heated gas includes the hydrocarbon solvent. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein the hydrocarbon solvent included in the heated gas is superheated hydrocarbon solvent. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the hydrocarbon solvent is a paraffinic solvent. 
     
     
         5 . The method  claim 4 , wherein the paraffinic solvent is pentane. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the heated gas includes steam. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 6 , wherein the steam is superheated steam. 
     
     
         8 . The method  claim 1 , wherein the hydrocarbon solvent is separated from the tailings by passing the heated gas through the tailings. 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the hydrocarbon solvent is separated from the tailings by:
 loading the tailings in a vertical column; and 
 passing the heated gas through the tailings loaded in the vertical column. 
 
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the hydrocarbon solvent is separated from the tailings in a dryer that includes a plurality of separate drying trays. 
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 1  wherein separating the hydrocarbon solvent from the tailings includes moving the heated gas and the tailings in a countercurrent fashion. 
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the bitumen ore material includes oil sands. 
     
     
         13 . A method comprising:
 mixing bitumen ore material with a heated hydrocarbon solvent and forming a mixture;   separating a hydrocarbon solvent enriched phase from the mixture and producing tailings;   passing a hydrocarbon solvent vapor through the tailings; and   removing hydrocarbon solvent from the tailings in a dryer.   
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 13 , wherein the heated first hydrocarbon solvent is heated to a temperature in the range of from 30 to 60° C. 
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 13 , wherein the bitumen ore material is at a temperature in the range of 0 to 4° C. 
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 13 , wherein the heated hydrocarbon solvent is a paraffinic solvent.