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. The integration of solvent-based extraction processes
with aqueous
extraction processes is described. In one embodiment, water is removed from an
aqueous
bituminous feed that is then directed into a solvent-based extraction process.
In another
embodiment, a stream produced through solvent extraction is directed into an
water-based
extraction process. In the solvent-based extraction processes, agglomeration
of fines may
be employed to simplify subsequent solid-liquid separation. The process
permits recovery of
hydrocarbon that has conventionally may have been too difficult to recover
from oil sands
processing, and thus has previously been lost. Advantageously, a fungible
product can be
formed more efficiently according to certain integrated processes described
herein.