SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR IMAGE-BASED ANALYSIS OF A SLURRY AND CONTROL OF A SLURRY PROCESS

摘要

A system for characterizing a slurry in a slurry process includes a flow tube, a camera, and a computer. The system is suitable for use with an oil sands extraction slurry processed or treated by an oil sands extraction slurry process. The slurry is diverted from the slurry process into the flow tube. The camera images the slurry as it flows through a transparent portion of the flow tube to produce a digital image of the slurry. The computer analyzes the digital image to determine a slurry characteristic. Based on the determined slurry characteristic, the computer may predict a performance metric of the slurry process and adjust an operating parameter of the slurry process to optimize the slurry process towards a target performance metric. Multiple systems may be used to continuously monitor slurry characteristics at upstream and downstream steps of the slurry process, and determine correlations between those characteristics.