INDUCTION TIME FOR BITUMEN EXTRACTION SYSTEMS

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INDUCTION TIME FOR BITUMENEXTRACTION SYSTEMS

• Stefan Smuk
• NSERC Industrial Research Chair
• in Oil Sands Engineering
• Department of Chemical and Materials Engineering
• University of Alberta
• Edmonton Alberta

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TOPICS

• Introduction Definitions and Motivation
• Systems and Procedure
• Results to Date
• Conclusions and Directions

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MOTIVATION FLOTATION
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1. Particle Approach, Thin Film Formation
2. Thin Film Drainage and Rupture
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3. Expansion of Contact Perimeter
4. Stable Attachment or Coalescence
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MOTIVATION FLOTATION
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Speaker
Capillary Tube
40x Lens
Syringe
Sample Platform
CCD Camera
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SYSTEMS

• IDEAL SYSTEMS Physical Parameters
• Silica plates and particles
• Model oils
• REAL SYSTEMS Physicochemical Parameters
• Bitumen-bitumen
• Air-bitumen

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PROCEDURE
1. Bubble set at desired separation G0
G0
Bubble diameter dB
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PROCEDURE
2. Bubble pushed down by desired displacement D0
D0
Approach velocity ua
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PROCEDURE
3. Bubble retracted and behaviour observed
Retraction velocity ur
Dr
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AIR NON-ATTACHMENT CASE
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AIR ATTACHMENT CASE
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BITUMEN NON-COALESCENCE CASE
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BITUMEN COALESCENCE CASE
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RESULTS MODEL SYSTEMS

• Influence of Physical Parameters
• Bubble/Droplet Size
• Velocities
• Distance and Displacement
• Correlation of Induction Time Contact Angle
• Choice of Practical Test Conditions

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Influence of Bubble Displacement
G0 0.125 mm
D0
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Influence of Initial Bubble Separation
D0 0.40 mm
G0
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RESULTS BITUMEN SYSTEMS

• Earlier Work Air-Bitumen Attachment
• Temperature
• Calcium and Process-Water Solids
• Current Work Bitumen Coalescence
• pH
• Calcium and Clays

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Effect of Montmorillonite and Calcium on Bitumen
Coalescence
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CONCLUSIONS

• Induction time measurement is critically
  sensitive to physical parameters
• Calcium and montmorillonite have an extreme
  impact on bitumen-bitumen induction time
• Groundwork laid for a comprehensive hydrodynamic
  surface-force model of attachment in an ideal
  system

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FUTURE WORK

• Extension of both model and practical system
  studies
• Building a fundamental model between induction
  time and flotation recovery in non-traditional
  systems
• Refinement of attachment models

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

• Dr. Zhenghe Xu
• Dr. Jacob Masliyah
• Dr. Guoxing Gu
• Oil Sands Research Group
• NSERC-Syncrude Industrial Research Chair in Oil
  Sands Engineering