INTEGRATED PROCESSES FOR RECOVERY OF HYDROCARBON FROM OIL SANDS

摘要

Processes are described for extracting hydrocarbon from a mineable deposit, such as bitumen from oil sands. Integrated solvent-based and aqueous extraction processes are described. A process is described for recovering hydrocarbon from paraffinic froth treatment tailings comprising: (a) accessing a froth treatment tailings stream from paraffinic froth treatment; (b) combining the froth treatment tailings stream with a solvent and additional oil sands to form a slurry; (c) agitating the slurry to dissolve hydrocarbon into the solvent and agglomerate fines; (d) separating hydrocarbon from the agglomerated fines to form a low solids extracted hydrocarbon stream and an extracted tailings stream; and (e) recovering solvent from the extracted tailings stream. The process permits recovery of hydrocarbon that has conventionally been too difficult to recover from oil sands processing, and thus has previously been lost. A fungible product can be efficiently formed according to certain processes described herein.