| 摘要 |
<p>Various methods and systems for obtaining bitumen from tar sands are disclosed. The disclosed methods and/or systems can be used to economically achieve a high degree of bitumen recovery from tar sands. The method may include a primary leaching or extraction process that separates most of the bitumen from the tar sands and results in a bitumen-enriched component and a bitumen-depleted component. The bitumen-enriched component includes mainly solvent and bitumen. The bitumen-depleted component includes mainly water and mineral solids with some residual bitumen and solvent. The bitumen-depleted component may be mixed with liquefied petroleum gas, e.g., propane and/or butane, to further separate the residual solvent and bitumen. The disclosed system can include separators configured to separate the various components at the various stages in the process.</p> |
