OIL SANDS SEPARATION PROCESS

摘要

Oil bearing sands recovery process comprising a main separation stage. The o il bearing sands is slurried in the main separation stage with water to produce an enriched fraction and a dilute aqueous clay waste. The aqueous clay waste is sedimented in a waste sedimentation stage in one or more settling lagoons to provide a substantially solid clay sediment and supernatant. The dilute aqueous clay waste is fed into a well and flocculate d by addition of a polymeric flocculant. The flocculated dilute aqueous clay sediments to provi de a pumpable thickened clay sediment layer in the base of the well.