US 12,258,522 B2
Direct contact process and method for producing hot water using mature fine tailings (MFT)
Quan Zhuang, Ottawa (CA); Phil Geddis, Ottawa (CA); Bruce Clements, Ottawa (CA); Brianna Hataley, Ottawa (CA); Mohammad Asiri, McNab/Braeside (CA); Ted Herage, Stittsville (CA); Steven Chen, Ottawa (CA); and Lijun Wu, Ottawa (CA)
Assigned to HER MAJESTY THE QUEEN IN RIGHT OF CANADA AS REPRESENTED BY THE MINISTER OF NATURAL RESOURCES, Ottawa (CA)
Filed by HER MAJESTY THE QUEEN IN RIGHT OF CANADA AS REPRESENTED BY THE MINISTER OF NATURAL RESOURCES, Ottawa (CA)
Filed on Oct. 12, 2022, as Appl. No. 17/964,146.
Claims priority of provisional application 63/262,401, filed on Oct. 12, 2021.
Prior Publication US 2023/0115790 A1, Apr. 13, 2023
Int. Cl. B01D 1/14 (2006.01); B01D 5/00 (2006.01); B03B 9/02 (2006.01); C02F 1/04 (2023.01); C02F 1/10 (2023.01); C10C 3/00 (2006.01); E21B 21/06 (2006.01); E21B 43/40 (2006.01); C02F 103/10 (2006.01); C02F 103/36 (2006.01)
CPC C10C 3/002 (2013.01) [B01D 1/14 (2013.01); B01D 5/006 (2013.01); B03B 9/02 (2013.01); C02F 1/048 (2013.01); C02F 1/10 (2013.01); E21B 21/065 (2013.01); E21B 43/40 (2013.01); C02F 2103/10 (2013.01); C02F 2103/365 (2013.01)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method for producing water for primary extraction in an oil sands bitumen extraction process using mature fine tailings, the method comprises steps of:
pumping mature fine tailings from a tailing pond into a thickener vessel to form a mature fine tailings bath within the thickener vessel,
introducing fuel into a first fuel burner disposed within in the thickener vessel and submerged in the mature fine tailings bath,
combusting the fuel using the first fuel burner to produce a first flue gas,
evaporating water from within the mature fine tailings bath within the thickener vessel by bubbling the first flue gas through the mature fine tailings bath, thereby producing a first flue gas/steam and concentrated mature fine tailings,
discharging the concentrated mature fine tailings from the thickener vessel for further processing or disposal,
supplying pond effluent water from the tailing pond to a hot water vessel to form a pond effluent water bath within the hot water vessel,
heating the pond effluent water bath using a second fuel burner submerged in the pond effluent water, and
bubbling the first flue gas/steam through the pond effluent water bath in the hot water vessel to condense moisture in the first flue gas/steam and recover heat from the first flue gas/steam into the pond effluent water bath.