Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
CA 02610146 2007-11-06
4 = '
of
I3ydro$en Peroxide Capacitor Process for the Recovery
Hydrocarbops
-~ =
Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to a method of separating hydrocarbons from
another
rnatcrial and in ptuticul.ar to a process for recovering hydrocarbons from oil
type dGposits,
such as bitumenlail sands, oil slaales, and conventional.oil deposits.
Back&round of the Invention
= :
The physical separation of oil, bitumen and kerogen, from sand or rock has
been an
ongoing problem with all the deposits throu ;hout the world. Current methods
are usually
pyrolysis, hot water arad sodium hydroxide, or dilution with sUlvent.y Such
xylene or
toluene. All of these processe.s have trouble dealing with the iaeavy fraction
of the oil
which contains the asphstatenes, as well, the colloids and new compounds
formed; make
the remediation and cfisposal cxf their tailings very dift7cult and expensive.
Also by the
very naturc of ctirtent practices there are exceedingly significant losses in
product such
that only with extremely high capital investments in order to achieve
economies of size or
by high crude pi7ces caat the eperations be made econoa .ically vitthle.
At present at Fort McMurray, in the Athabasca tar sands, there are huge
inventories of
byproducts formed, such as oi1 coke and gypsum (NaSO4), which are too large
for the
available market. Other onguing problcins are the high use of both water and
propatte to
the point that the Pmvincial government is considering restrictions on their
use.
Summary of the Inventao1~
It is the object of ihe inventio.n to provide an improved process for the
separation and
extraction of bitumen and oil from the tar sands such tbat there romains
little, or no,
metals, sand and colloids in the bitunien and very little, or no, hydrocarbons
in the sand
tailings.
It is altio an objeit of the invention to have a very high throuah-put and yet
take up
YninirA]b1I space so ~hdt capital costs antl ongoing costs may be
sllb:St,1lnllally 1r+oducCd.
It is another object of the invcntion to provide very wmich iniPmved recycling
of the water
used so Lhat both heat and water may be conserved,
ft is another object ofthe invention that a,~ the process is exothermic it
will provide heat
with the consequent reduction in the use of prnpane or other heating sources.
It is an object of the invetttiom that organo-metals are freed from the
hydrocarbon rnatrixe
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It is an object of the invention that because of the s.implicity of the
reaction and reagent
used there will be very few, if any, by-products.
The process comprises the following steps_
a) imr,nersing the oil type depacit material in a 54lution comprising of water
and
hydrogen peroxidi:
b) utilizing two large area electrodes apply a high voltage direct current to
the
solution until all t}te hydrocarbons have floated to the surface_ Assistance
by
an agitation source may, at tinzes he required.
c) skimming off the liquid hydrocarbons and placino it in a suitable container
d) decnnting the solurion througb a filter and thett precipitating unwanted
residues
c) storing the solution for further recycling use
f} sending the cleanecl sand to a tailings disposal site.
A Brief llescri.pCion of the nrnwing
F'rgt,tre 1 is a-schematic cut-away view of the reaction chamber for tlze
e]ectro-chimical
capacitor sepa:ration of the oillbiturnen and sand.
Detailed Descri,ntion of EinbodiMents of the 2nvention
The compwsition of the Athabasca Tar Sans is such that the individual grains
of silica
(sand) are surrounded by a thici layer. of nau:ent water containing ionic
calcium.
Aecording tci one embodiment of tbe invention an electrochemical proccss:is
provided for
separating oi! or bitumen from sand or rock le=aving clean sand and coltoids;
and clean
oil/bitamen. The process utilizes a s.olution of'hydrogen peroxide and water
hetd
between two laa-ge carbon e[ectrodes_ A 100 volt DC current is then applied to
the two
e]ectrcxies. At this time it will be noted that the ammeter shows a current
dvaw of one to
two amps. The bitumcn sand can be placed nnywhere in the container between the
two
electrodes but to facilitate the reaction it is placed on a fine pJastic
screen such that as the
sand is rclcased ,From the oil it automadcatly falls away from the tar sand
and because of
entrained gases the liquid hydn,)carhons will then automatically float to the
lurfacc.
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The process utilizes wide, large area carbon clectrodes and a high voltage in
order to
cfury a heavy charge on eacli plate creating an electromagnetic field within
the cootainer_
The beavily charged plates induce a charge both on the silica particles and
within the
conductivc nWent water that rernains balanced as long as the water temperature
remains
be1ow a critical temperQture of seventy degrees Celsius. The sand acts as a
diclectrfc
separating the two solutions.
The combination of exothermic heat from the oxidation reaction of hydrogen
peroxide
and meta7s within the ashphaltenes and added "make-up" hcat bring the solution
above
seventy degrecs Celsius at witich point the silica loses its diarnagrnotism
and ability to
fiold a ehzurge. This in turn cctuses an imbalanced capacitance at the
granular level
between the nascent water and the solution in the container. The sand reports
to the
bottom of the container in conjunction with the nascent water pushing the
bitumen away
ly from the now neutral siiica te meet its opposite chivge in the tank
solution.
'Ibe now floatod oil is then cleaned iilrther by allowing it and the sand
under flow to
proceed with the solution to a:shallower tank with much greater surface are.
With the
temperature still held above seventy de,grees Celsius the bitumen/oil spreads
tbinly across
the greater surFace area contirtuing to drop sand and colloids uritil both the
sand tsnd oil
are both clean or the liydrogen peroxide are used up. The reaction will
continue to work
until either the sand and oil tuc both clean or the hydmgen peroxide is used
up. The sand
is eitlier treated further for metals or simply sent to the tailings disposal
site.
The solution Ts decanted through a filter and any inetal salts or hydrocarbons
left in
solution are separated out and the water is reused,
This method cotnprises the following steps:
- immersing oil sand in a solution containing 35%'o hydrogen peroxide and
water
anywhore bctween the etGctrodes
- heating the solution to 70 degrees Celsius.
- applying a high voJtage DC cun-ennt to the electrodes until oil begins to
float to
the surface
- Introduce agitHtion to the bitumen sands
~ discontinue the current whcn the oil stops coming to the surface
skimming the oil off f the sarface of the solution and placing it in a
container
with a niuch larger surface area. container a ticslution of hydrogen peroxide
and water and allowing any reaction to flnish.
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- decant the originsl solution through a filter paper (or equivalent),
precipitatc:
out any unwanted compounds or metals and store for reuse
- send the sand tai]inl;s to the tailing disposal site or treat further for
any values
RePerring to Figure 1, expr:rirnental testing was carried out as follows in a
plastic
container 5. Plastic is prcferi-ed as it is inexpensive, durable and is
noncreative to the
reagents. Flat carbon electrodes four inches wide by twelve inches long wet-e
mounted
on opposite ,ides of the inside of the eontaixaer and were electrically
connected to 50 bolt
DC source_ 200 graans of bitumen/oil sand was suspended on tt fine paastic
screen and
the level of'hydrogen peroxicie-water solution was broucht up to a level at
least two
inches above the screen so that the tar sand was completely itnrirersed by the
solution.
The current was tumed on and after three minutes oil began comin'- to the
surface and
within anotlter three minutes the 200 graqts of tar sand was completely
separated with all
the sand on the bottom and all'the uil/tar floating on tkae top. When further
oil sand was
added it was cleaned less thvi two nninutes.
The floating oil was tb,en skirarnecf offand placed on a much larger area of
solutkm in an
eight inclt by twelve inch by three inch deep pan filled with hydrogen
peroxide - water
solutiun wltere the frotl-i continucd Lo react, dropping tiand and fine clay
until all of tlie oil
was clean or the peroxide wa;; tjsed up.
The solution is ph neutral so the very fine material, clays and colloid,
precipitate out of
the solution in one to two hours and within eight hours have formed a
reasonably
coherent layer on the bottonl of the container so that the solution can be
decanted eatiilv.
When the sand wds coilected from the container after the solutton had been
decanted it
driecl to a very light colour showing very little physical indications rnF
re5idual oil.
