Recovery of a Carbonaceous Liquid With a Low Fines Content

1. Field of the Invention

This invention relates generally to a method for removing bitumen from a carbonaceous solid containing extractable bitumen and more particularly concerns a method for removing bitumen from a carbonaceous solid containing extractable bitumen by extraction with a preselected solvent of predetermined solvency power. In another aspect, this invention relates to a method for removing fines from a carbonaceous liquid and more particularly concerns a method for removing fines from a carbonaceous liquid containing extractable bitumen by extraction with a preselected solvent of predetermined solvency power.

2. Description of the Prior Art

Various methods have been proposed in the past for the recovery of bitumen from a carbonaceous solid containing extractable bitumen, such as tar sand, diatomaceous earth or any other solid containing a heavy oil. One such method utilizes the technique of solvent extraction. A serious problem, however, in using a solvent extraction process to remove bitumen from such a carbonaceous solid is that fines, primarily particles less than 50 microns in diameter, are carried over in the solvent-dissolved bitumen extract. The presence of the fines and the failure to remove the fines result in a high-ash bitumen product as well as problems with plugging of equipment used in the separation process, for example, especially filtration equipment. Similar problems arise when other carbonaceous liquids besides bitumen, such as coal liquid or shale oil, are used. Removal of the fines during recovery of the bitumen from a carbonaceous solid or from a previously recovered carbonaceous liquid, is therefore important in providing a desirable low-ash liquid product and minimizing fouling and plugging of equipment used in the process. It would be highly desirable to develop an extraction method for recovering bitumen from the aforesaid carbonaceous solids and for removing fines from the aforesaid carbonaceous liquids which would permit control of the solvency power of the extraction solvent so as to maximize the amount of bitumen or other carbonaceous liquid recovered and to minimize the fines content therein.

In this regard, it is well known in the art that solubility parameters can be used to predict the solvency power of solvents and that the solubility parameter of a solvent system can be changed by changing the composition of the solvent system. Mitchell and Speight, Fuel, 52, 149 (1973), explored the relationship between the solubility of asphaltenes in hydrocarbon solvents and the solubility parameters of such solvents. These authors point out that there is a tendency for petroleum asphaltenes to associate in dilute solutions and that the solvent power of petroleum hydrocarbons is generally not high enough to prevent association among the asphaltenes in crude oils to aggregate into micelles. Mitchell and Speight disclose that a prime requirement for a solvent to dissolve an oil, or bitumen, in toto is the ability to penetrate the asphaltene micelle and to have a high enough solvent power to dissolve asphaltenes.

The energy that must be supplied to overcome the association forces of the micelle is supplied by the solution energy of the solvent system. Mitchell and Speight state that the Hildebrand solubility parameter is a measure of the energy which may be used to overcome the forces of the micelle. Mitchell and Speight also disclose that asphaltene precipitation can be correlated with physical properties as well as with the chemical structure of the solvent and that their results show that the physical characteristics of two different solvent types are additive on a mole-fraction basis and suggest that, when bitumen is blended with a solvent, the degree of asphaltene precipitation in the solvent might be controlled by the properties of the resulting solvent-bitumen blend.

Moreover, Mitchell and Speight disclose that a further significant fact to emerge from their investigations is the distribution of mineral matter within the asphaltene precipitate. They find that, in a two-stage process involving precipitation of part of the asphaltenes in the first stage and precipitation of the remainder of the asphaltenes in a second stage, the majority of the mineral matter originally present in the bitumen appears in the first asphaltene fraction. Mitchell and Speight state that these findings suggest that mineral matter may be removed in conjunction with a fraction relatively enriched in hetero-atoms (nitrogen, oxygen and sulphur).

Similarly, G. Fritschy and E. Papirer, Fuel, 57, 701 (1978) disclose that minerals, such as silica, alumina and kaolin, with surface hydroxyl groups, adsorb dissolved petroleum asphaltenes.

It is therefore a general object of the present invention to provide improved methods for recovering bitumen from a carbonaceous solid which solves the aforementioned problems.

More particularly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an improved extraction method for recovering bitumen from a carbonaceous solid and for removing fines from a carbonaceous liquid which maximizes the recovery of bitumen or other carbonaceous liquid and minimizes the fines content of the recovered product.

It is a more specific object of the present invention to provide an improved extraction method for recovering bitumen from a carbonaceous solid and for removing fines from a carbonaceous liquid which permits control of the composition of the extraction solvent in order to attain a solvency power therefor which is predetermined to maximize the recovery of bitumen or other carbonaceous liquid and to minimize the fines content therein.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent upon reading the following detailed description and appended claims, and upon reference to the accompanying drawings.

These objects are achieved by an improved method of recovering bitumen from a carbonaceous solid containing extractable bitumen, comprising: (a) contacting the carbonaceous solid with a preselected solvent of predetermined solvency power to dissolve a predetermined portion of the bitumen in the solvent and to leave undissolved a predetermined portion of the bitumen and thereby to form a lower solid phase of coarse solids and an upper suspension of undissolved bitumen and fine solids in the solvent-dissolved bitumen liquid phase; (b) permitting at least a portion of the suspended undissolved bitumen to settle, with at least a portion of the suspended fines agglomerating and settling with the undissolved bitumen to form a lower solid phase; (c) separating the upper solvent-dissolved bitumen liquid phase; and (d) separating the solvent and bitumen fractions of the solvent-dissolved bitumen phase; wherein the solvent is selected to have a solvency power that is predetermined to dissolve the predetermined portion of the bitumen content of the carbonaceous solid and to leave undissolved the predetermined portion of the bitumen content of the carbonaceous solid that is sufficient to settle from the solvent-dissolved bitumen liquid phase. In a preferred embodiment, the upper suspension in the solvent-dissolved bitumen phase and lower solid phase formed in step (a) are separated prior to step (b).

In another aspect, the present invention is a method for removing solid fines from a fines-containing carbonaceous liquid, comprising: (a) contacting the carbonaceous liquid with a preselected solvent of predetermined solvency power to dissolve a predetermined portion of the carbonaceous liquid in the solvent and to leave undissolved a predetermined portion of the carbonaceous liquid and thereby to form a suspension of undissolved carbonaceous liquid and fines in the solvent-dissolved carbonaceous liquid phase; (b) permitting at least a portion of the suspended undissolved carbonaceous liquid to settle with at least a portion of the suspended fines agglomerating and settling with the undissolved carbonaceous liquid to form a lower solid phase; (c) separating the upper solvent-dissolved carbonaceous liquid phase and lower solid phase; and (d) separating the solvent and carbonaceous liquid fractions of the solvent-dissolved carbonaceous liquid phase; wherein the solvent is selected to have a solvency power that is predetermined to dissolve the predetermined portion of the carbonaceous liquid and to leave undissolved the predetermined portion of the carbonaceous liquid that is sufficient to settle from the solvent-dissolved carbonaceous liquid phase.

For a more complete understanding of this invention, reference shall now be made to the embodiments illustrated in greater detail in the accompanying drawings and described below by way of examples of the invention. In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a schematic illustration of the processing steps in one embodiment of the method of this invention in which the extraction of bitumen from tar sand is followed by a single separation of both coarse and fine sand from the dissolved bitumen;

FIG. 2 is a schematic illustration of the processing steps in one embodiment of the method of this invention in which the extraction of bitumen from tar sand is followed by separate separations of the coarse and fine sand from the dissolved bitumen;

FIG. 3 is a schematic illustration of the processing steps and apparatus employed in a preferred embodiment of the method of this invention employing extraction of bitumen from tar sand, separate separations of the coarse and fine sand from the dissolved bitumen, treatment of both separated coarse and fine sand to recover bitumen and solvent entrained therein, and recycle of solvent;

FIG. 4 is a plot of the weight percent of the bitumen content of tar sand that is recovered by extraction according to one embodiment of the method of this invention versus the weight percent of fines in such recovered bitumen;

FIG. 5 is a plot of the rate of settling of the agglomerated fines from the extract resulting from an extraction of tar sand in one embodiment of the method of this invention, versus the weight percent of the bitumen content of the tar sand that is recovered by the extraction;

FIG. 6 is a plot of the weight percent of the bitumen content of tar sand that is recovered by extraction according to one embodiment of the method of this invention, versus the estimated volume average Hildebrand solubility parameter of the solvent-dissolved bitumen liquid phase resulting from the extraction, assuming a volume average Hildebrand solubility parameter for the dissolved bitumen of 7.0;

FIG. 7 is a plot of the weight percent of the bitumen content of tar sand that is recovered by extraction according to one embodiment of the method of this invention, versus the estimated volume average Hildebrand solubility parameter of the solvent-dissolved bitumen liquid phase resulting from the extraction, assuming a volume average Hildebrand solubility parameter for the dissolved bitumen of 8.0; and

FIG. 8 is a plot of the weight percent of the bitumen content of tar sand that is recovered by extraction according to one embodiment of the method of this invention, versus the estimated volume average Hildebrand solubility parameter of the solvent-dissolved bitumen liquid phase resulting from the extraction, assuming a volume average Hildebrand solubility parameter for the dissolved bitumen of 9.0.

It should be understood that the drawings are not to scale and that the embodiments are sometimes illustrated by graphic symbols, phantom lines, diagrammatic representations and fragmentary views. In certain instances, details which are not necessary for an understanding of the present invention or which render other details difficult to perceive may have been omitted. It should be understood, of course, that the invention is not limited to the particular embodiments illustrated herein.

While in one respect the present invention is broadly a method for recovering bitumen from any carbonaceous solid containing extractable bitumen, and preferably from tar sand, diatomaceous earth or a solid containing heavy oil, only the recovery of bitumen from tar sand will be illustrated in detail.

Referring now to FIG. 1 where one embodiment of the present invention is shown, crushed tar sand and a preselected solvent are brought into intimate contact in a mixing stage 25 where a predetermined portion of the bitumen content of the tar sand dissolves in the solvent, leaving a predetermined portion of the bitumen undissolved. The resulting solid-liquid slurry is passed to a separation stage 26 where both the coarse and fine tar sand particles are separated from the solvent-dissolved bitumen liquid phase in a single stage.

In the separation stage 26, the coarse sand particles in the slurry fall immediately to the bottom and there form a solid phase, leaving the fine sand particles and undissolved bitumen suspended in the solvent-dissolved bitumen phase. The undissolved bitumen settles out of the solvent-dissolved bitumen liquid phase at a slower rate. Tar sand fines agglomerate with and settle with the undissolved bitumen to the bottom in the separation stage 26. Separation devices suitable for use in the separation stage 26 include a centrifuge, gravity settler or thickener. As will be discussed in greater detail hereinbelow, the solvent in the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 1 is selected to have a predetermined solvency or solvent power to dissolve most of the bitumen content of the crushed tar sand introduced but to leave undissolved a sufficient predetermined amount of the bitumen to form agglomerates with the suspended tar sand fines that are sufficiently large and dense to settle out of the solvent-dissolved bitumen liquid phase in the separator vessel 26. The solvent-dissolved bitumen liquid phase from which the agglomerated fines have settled is drawn off from the separator stage 26 as overflow. The solvent component of the overflow solvent-dissolved bitumen liquid phase is then stripped therefrom, affording bitumen as the final product.

Turning now to FIG. 2, a preferred embodiment of the present invention comprises mixing crushed tar sand and solvent in a mixing stage to dissolve a predetermined portion of the bitumen content of the tar sand and leave undissolved a predetermined portion of the bitumen. The solid-liquid slurry from the mixing stage 25 passes to a primary separation stage 29 where the coarse sand particles immediately fall to the bottom, leaving fine sand particles and undissolved bitumen suspended in the solvent-dissolved bitumen liquid phase, which is then passed as overflow from the primary separation stage 29 to a secondary separation stage 30. The solvent power of the solvent system employed in the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 2 is predetermined as in the emoodiment illustrated in FIG. 1 so that the sand fines agglomerate and settle out with the undissolved bitumen in the secondary separation stage 30 in FIG. 2 as described hereinabove with respect to the combined separation stage 26 in FIG. 1.

Any convenient conventional separation device which permits a separation of the coarse sand particles from the suspension of sand fines in the solvent-dissolved bitumen liquid phase before substantial settling of the agglomerated fines therefrom occurs can be employed in the primary separation stage 29. Thus, separation techniques which permit a rapid separation of the coarse sand particles from the solid-liquid slurry are generally suitable for this purpose. Separators suitable for use in the primary separation stage 29 include mechanical classifiers, large-diameter hydrocyclones or hydrosieves. The agglomerated fines are too small to be separated from the solvent-dissolved bitumen liquid phase in large-diameter hydrocyclones or mechanical classifiers and pass with the liquid phase to the secondary separation stage 30. As in the combined separation stage 26 illustrated in FIG. 1, the secondary separation stage 30 entails settling of the agglomerated fines by gravity and typically employs for this purpose a centrifuge, gravity settler or thickener, or a hydrocyclone having a smaller diameter than a hydrocyclone that would be employed in the primary separation stage 29.

The primary advantage of the combination of the primary separation stage 29 and the secondary separation stage 30 in the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 2 over the single separation stage of the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 1 is that the primary separation stage 29 greatly reduces the solids loading in the secondary separation stage 30, thus affording improved separations of the agglomerated fines from the liquid phase in the secondary separation stage 30 and reduced size requirements for the separation devices employed in the secondary separation stage 30 by comparison to the separation stage 26.

A more preferred embodiment of the present invention is illustrated in FIG. 3. As shown in FIG. 3, crushed tar sand and recycled solvent are contacted in a mixer 35 where a portion of the bitumen content of the tar sand is dissolved in the solvent to form a solid-liquid slurry comprising coarse sand particles, sand fines, undissolved bitumen, and a solution of dissolved bitumen in the solvent. This slurry is passed to a series of hydrocyclones 36, 37 and 38 where the coarse sand particles are separated and then washed with fresh solvent. The hydrocyclone 36 serves to separate the coarse sand particles from the solid-liquid slurry from the mixer 35. The coarse sand particles are then withdrawn from the hydrocyclone 36 as underflow and combined and mixed with solvent at 39, and this mixture is introduced to the hydrocyclone 37 where the separated coarse sands are washed. Once-washed coarse sands are withdrawn from the hydrocyclone 37 as underflow and combined and mixed with fresh solvent at 40, and this mixture is introduced to the hydrocyclone 38 where the coarse sands are washed again. Twice-washed coarse sand is withdrawn from hydrocyclone 38 as underflow and passed to a filter 41 where solvent is filtered from the coarse particles. The filtered coarse particles are then dried in an evaporation drier 42 and the dried particles are stored or disposed as tailings.

The solid-liquid slurry containing fines and undissolved bitumen dispersed in a solution of dissolved bitumen in the solvent formed by the separation in the hydrocyclone 36 is withdrawn from the hydrocyclone 36 as overflow and introduced to the gravity settlers 46, 47 and 48 where agglomerated fines are separated and then washed. The settler 46 serves to separate the agglomerated fines from the solvent-dissolved bitumen liquid phase from the hydrocyclone 36. The agglomerated fines are withdrawn from the settler 46 as underflow and combined and mixed at 49 with overflow from the settler 48, and this mixture is introduced into the settler 47 where the agglomerated fines are washed. Once-washed agglomerated fines are withdrawn as underflow from the settler 47 and combined and mixed at 50 with fresh solvent, and this mixture is introduced to the settler 48 where the agglomerated fines are washed again. Twice-washed agglomerated fines are withdrawn as underflow from the settler 48. The washed agglomerated fines are then dried in the evaporation drier 52, and the dried fines are stored or disposed as tailings.

In another aspect, the present invention is a method for removing fines from a fines-containing carbonaceous liquid. While the method can be employed broadly with any carbonaceous liquid, and preferably bitumen, coal liquid, shale oil and heavy oil, only its application to bitumen from tar sand will be illustrated in detail. For example, bitumen extract produced from tar sand by a conventional extraction technique which employs a first solvent which dissolves the entire bitumen content of the tar sand generally has an unacceptably high content of suspended fines. After the bitumen is separated from the first solvent, the resulting bitumen is contacted in the method of the present invention with a second solvent which has a predetermined solvency power so as to dissolve a predetermined portion of the bitumen and to leave undissolved a predetermined portion of the bitumen that is sufficient to separate from the second solvent phase by settling. The aforesaid undissolved bitumen is then permitted to settle out, with at least a portion of the suspended fines agglomerating with and settling with the undissolved bitumen into the resulting lower agglomerate phase. After separating the upper solvent-dissolved bitumen liquid phase and lower agglomerate solid phase, the bitumen and second solvent are separated.

A critical element of the present invention in all of its aspects is the selection and use of a solvent having a predetermined solvency power so as to dissolve a predetermined portion of either (1) the bitumen content of the carbonaceous solid feed or (2) the carbonaceous liquid feed and to leave undisolved a sufficient portion of the bitumen or other carbonaceous liquid to settle out from the solvent-dissolved bitumen phase or solvent- other dissolved carbonaceous liquid phase.

While not intending to be limited by any theory or explanation for the method of this invention, it is believed that undissolved or precipitated components of the bitumen or other carbonaceous liquid, such as asphaltenes, coat the suspended fines. The coated fines are enlarged and destabilized by comparison to suspended fines that are not similarly coated and tend to enlarge further by sticking together and agglomerating upon additional contact with suspended fines and undissolved bitumen or other undissolved carbonaceous liquid.

The technique for selecting solvents for use in the present invention and the effect of variations in the solvency power of solvents on the reduction of the fines content of bitumen were illustrated using as feed bitumen compositions containing about 3 parts by weight of fine sand and one part by weight of bitumen on a solvent-free basis. Each of such feed compositions were obtained by extracting tar sand with toluene and decanting the resulting suspension of sand fines in the toluene-dissolved bitumen liquid phase from the coarse sand particles. Since toluene dissolves essentially all of the bitumen from the tar sand, insufficient undissolved bitumen remained suspended in the liquid phase to settle out, as required in the present invention Consequently, in each case the toluene was removed by evaporation from the separated toluene-dissolved bitumen liquid phase. Each such composition was then mixed for about 15 minutes with one of a number of second solvent systems. In each case, the settling rate of the agglomerates was measured, and, after settling for 24 hours, the clarified product was decanted, and the sand fines were washed with another volume of clean second solvent to recover bitumen from the voids in the sand fines. Yields of dissolved or extracted bitumen and its content of sand fines were measured on a solvent free basis. The results of these experiments are summarized in FIGS. 4-8.

Each point in FIGS. 4-8 is identified by a number corresponding to the run from which the data plotted therein were obtained, and the following parameters for each such run are presented in Table I: fines concentration in weight percent in the bitumen feed composition used; solvent used and its volume average Hildebrand solubility parameter; and the volume ratio of solvent-to-bitumen feed composition. Where a multi-component solvent was used, the volume fraction of each component of the solvent is indicated in Table I.

As indicated in FIG. 4, when the weight percent of the bitumen content of the tar sand that was dissolved in the extraction solvent was 90 or less, the weight percent of fines in the recovered dissolved bitumen was less than or equal to 1 weight percent. The level of fines in the solution of dissolved bitumen generally was not reduced below 0.5 weight percent regardless of how much below 90 weight percent the yield of dissolved bitumen was reduced. However, above a 90 weight percent yield of dissolved bitumen, the levels of fines in the solution of dissolved bitumen increased dramatically.

FIG. 5 illustrates that the variation of the settling rate as a function of the weight percent of the bitumen content of the tar sand that was dissolved in the extraction solvent passes through a maximum. While not intending to be bound or limited by any theory or explanation for this behavior, it is believed that, when the yield of dissolved bitumen exceeds the yield therefor where the maximum settling rate occurs, too little of the bitumen remains undissolved to settle out, and, when the yield of dissolved bitumen becomes less than the yield therefor where the maximum settling rate occurs, the density of the agglomerates decreases and their volume fraction increases, both of which reduce the settling rate.

From the correlations shown in FIGS. 4-5, it is evident that the availability of a method for predetermining the percent weight of bitumen or other carbonaceous liquid that would be dissolved (or not be dissolved) by a solvent system--or in other words, for predetermining the solvency power of the solvent for the bitumen or other carbonaceous liquid--would permit the design of extractions which would afford a high yield of dissolved bitumen or other carbonaceous liquid having a low fines content.

Mitchell and Speight found a negative linear relationship between the fraction of bitumen precipitated by a solvent and the Hildebrand solubility parameter of that solvent. By contrast, I have found that the yield of dissolved bitumen or other dissolved carbonaceous liquid is a function of the volume average Hildebrand solubility parameter of the total solvent-dissolved bitumen liquid phase or solvent-dissolved other carbonaceous liquid phase formed in the extraction. The average Hildebrand solubility parameter of this total liquid phase is the volume average of the Hildebrand solubility parameters of each of the liquids present, including the dissolved bitumen or other dissolved carbonaceous liquid. Thus, to predict the solubility of bitumen or other carbonaceous liquid, the Hildebrand solubility parameter for the dissolved bitumen or for the other dissolved carbonaceous liquid must itself be known.

The average Hildebrand solubility parameter for a solvent blend comprised of several component solvents, each of whose Hildebrand solubility parameters is known, is simply the volumetric average of the Hildebrand solubility parameters of each of the several components of the blend. The Hildebrand solubility parameters of many typical solvents have been published. However, typically components of the dissolved bitumen or other dissolved carbonaceous liquid are not identified, and, in addition, the Hildebrand solubility parameters of some components of such dissolved liquids may not be known. Consequently, the value for the Hildebrand solubility parameter for the dissolved bitumen or other dissolved carbonaceous liquid must be determined experimentally.

This is easily done by extracting the carbonaceous solid feed or carbonaceous liquid feed with different solvents and with different relative amounts thereof and measuring the amount of dissolved bitumen or other dissolved carbonaceous liquid in each case. A plot is then made of the weight percent of the bitumen content of the carbonaceous solid feed or weight percent of the carbonaceous liquid feed that is dissolved, versus the estimated volume average Hildebrand solubility parameter, .delta..sub.E of the solvent-dissolved bitumen liquid phase or solvent- other dissolved carbonaceous liquid phase, as shown in FIGS. 6-8. The estimated volume average Hildebrand solubility parameter of the solvent-dissolved bitumen or solvent- other dissolved carbonaceous liquid phase is determined, for example, with a one-component solvent or a 2-component solvent, using Equations 1 or 2, respectively, as follows: ##EQU1## wherein .delta..sub.B, .delta..sub.S1 and .delta..sub.S2 are the Hildebrand solubility parameters of the dissolved bitumen or other dissolved carbonaceous liquid, of the first or only component of the solvent, and of the second component (if present) of the solvent, respectively. V.sub.B, V.sub.S1 and V.sub.S2 are the volumes of the dissolved bitumen or other dissolved carbonaceous liquid, of the first or only component of the solvent and of the second component (if any) of the solvent, respectively. Since .delta..sub.S1, .delta..sub.S2, V.sub.B, V.sub.S1 and V.sub.S2 are known or measured, .delta..sub.E can be calculated by assuming a value for .delta..sub.B. The correct .delta..sub.B is that value of .delta..sub.B which gives the best correlation between the yield of dissolved bitumen or other dissolved carbonaceous liquid and .delta..sub.E when plotted as in FIGS. 6-8.

An example of the determination of .delta..sub.B is shown in FIGS. 6-8. In FIGS. 6-8, the value of .delta..sub.E, the x-coordinate, for each point was determined using Equation 1 or 2 hereinabove and the measured or known values of .delta..sub.S1, V.sub.S1, .delta..sub.S2, V.sub.S2 and V.sub.B, and assuming a value for .delta..sub.B. For the data plotted in FIGS. 6-8, .delta..sub.B was assumed to be 7.0, 8.0 and 9.0, respectively. The plot shown in FIG. 7 demonstrates the best correlation between the yield of dissolved bitumen and .delta..sub.E. This correlation is shown by the curve in FIG. 7.

Thus, from plots like those shown in FIGS. 4-5, one can predetermine the yield of dissolved bitumen or other dissolved carbonaceous liquid--and conversely the yield of undissolved bitumen or other carbonaceous liquid--which is necessary to afford the desired predetermined settling rate and content of sand fines in tne dissolved bitumen or other dissolved carbonaceous liquid. Then, from this predetermined yield of dissolved bitumen or other dissolved carbonaceous liquid and from plots like those shown in FIGS. 6-8, one can determine the average solubility parameter of the dissolved bitumen or other dissolved carbonaceous liquid, and can predetermine the volume average Hildebrand solubility parameters of the solvent-dissolved bitumen liquid phase or of the solvent- other dissolved carbonaceous liquid phase, which is necessary to afford the desired predetermined settling rate and content of sand fines in the dissolved bitumen or other dissolved carbonaceous liquid.

Finally, from these predetermined volume average Hildebrand solubility parameters of the dissolved bitumen or other dissolved carbonaceous liquid and of the solvent-dissolved bitumen liquid phase or solvent- other dissolved carbonaceous liquid phase and from equations like Equation 1 or 2, one can predetermine the volume of solvent and the Hildebrand solubility parameter of the one-component solvent or volume average Hildebrand solubility parameter of the multi-component solvent which is necessary to afford the desired predetermined settling rate and content of sand fines in the dissolved bitumen or other dissolved carbonaceous liquid.

As shown by the plot in FIG. 7, the weight percent of the bitumen or other carbonaceous liquid that is dissolved in a solvent increases as the solubility parameter of the solvent-dissolved bitumen liquid phase or solvent- other dissolved carbonaceous liquid phase increases. However, although not shown in FIG. 7, as the solubility parameter of the solvent increases further, the weight percent of the bitumen or other carbonaceous liquid that is dissolved in a solvent passes through a maximum and then decreases. Thus, in order to effect dissolution of a particular weight percent of the bitumen or other carbonaceous liquid and minimize the fines content of the resulting solution, suitable solubility parameters on both sides of the aforesaid maximum can be selected.

After the volume average solubility parameter of a desirable solvent system is determined, the choice of a suitable solvent system is simply a function of the cost and availability of either relatively pure solvents or blends of solvents, such as refinery streams, which either have suitable solubility parameters or can be blended with other available components or streams to afford a blend which does have a suitable solubility parameter. In addition, it is possible to remove a component from a readily available blend of solvents such as a refinery stream and thereby to produce a new stream having a more desirable solubility parameter than the original.

Furthermore, it will be evident to those skilled in the art that plots like those shown in FIGS. 6-8 can be used not only to select a solvent for use in an extraction of a fines-containing carbonaceous liquid as in Runs 1-26, but also to select a solvent for use in an extraction of a carbonaceous solid. For example, in an extraction from tar sand of soluble bitumen of the same type used as feed in Runs 1-26, the dissolved bitumen would also have a Hildebrand solubility parameter of 8.0. From the correlation shown in FIG. 7, the volume average Hildebrand solubility parameter of a solvent-dissolved bitumen total liquid phase having a high yield of dissolved bitumen and a low fines content could suitably be 7.29. To achieve a solubility parameter of 7.29 for a solution containing 20 parts of solvent and 1 part by volume of the aforesaid dissolved bitumen having a solubility parameter of 8.0, a solvent system having an average solubility parameter of 7.25 should be employed. A solvent blend of 35 volume percent of commercial heptane and 65 volume percent of n-pentane does have a volume average Hildebrand solubility parameter of 7.25. Consequently, 20 parts by volume of the aforesaid blend of heptane and n-pentane were employed to extract b 1 part by volume of the bitumen from the aforesaid tar sand. The resulting solution contained as dissolved bitumen 90 weight percent of the bitumen content of the tar sand which had a 0.23 percent by weight concentration of fines. The agglomerated fines settled out at 0.67 foot per hour.

It will of course be recognized that, while the Hildebrand solubility parameter has been employed in the work reported hereinabove and is probably the solubility parameter that is best known and most widely used by those skilled in the art, the present invention does not require the use of the Hildebrand solubility parameter, and any reported measure of the solvency or solvent power of a solvent can be employed in practicing the present method. Furthermore, although the method illustrated in FIGS. 4-8 and the related discussion hereinabove is preferred for determining solubility parameters for the dissolved bitumen or other dissolved carbonaceous liquid and for the solvent-dissolved bitumen liquid phase or -other dissolved carbonaceous liquid phase, any other convenient method for so doing can be employed. For example, E. W. Funk, Ind. Eng. Chem., Prod. Res. Deo., Vol. 16, No. 2, pages 115-120, 1977, discloses another method for determining solubility parameters.

The solvent system employed in the present invention can be selected from among a very large number of single- and multi-component solvents, and the selection in any particular case is limited solely by the solubility parameter desired and the cost and availability of solvents having the desired solubility parameter. A suitable solvent comprises at least one nonpolar hydrocarbon which is unsubstituted or substituted by at least one halogen, oxygen, nitrogen or sulfur atom and has from 1 to 15 carbon atoms. Typical solvents include n-butane; methyl and dimethyl butane; n-pentane; n-hexane; n-heptane; n-octane, methyl, ethyl, dimethyl and trimethyl pentanes, hexanes, heptanes and octanes; cyclopentane; cyclohexane; methyl cyclopentane and cyclohexane; benzene; toluene; the xylenes; acetone; methylethylketone, methanol, ethanol, the propanols, the butanols; methyl ether; ethyl ether; methylethylether; the halogenated derivatives of any of these; and mixtures of any of the aforementioned. The hydrocarbon has preferably from 1 to 7 carbon atoms and more preferably from 4 to 7 carbon atoms.

The solvent employed in the present invention is selected to have a solvency power that is predetermined preferably to dissolve at least 75 weight percent of the bitumen or other carbonaceous liquid in the feed and to leave undissolved from 1 to 25 weight percent, more preferably from 7 to 15 weight percent, of the bitumen or other carbonaceous liquid in the feed. The undissolved bitumen or other carbonaceous liquid and agglomerated fines settle out preferably at a predetermined rate, more preferably at a rate of at least 0.1 foot per hour, and most preferably at a rate of at least 1 foot per hour. Preferably the bitumen product or other carbonaceous liquid product of the method of this invention contains less than about 2 weight percent of fines or ash.

From the above description, it is apparent that the objects of the present invention have been achieved. While only certain embodiments have been set forth, alternative embodiments and various modifications will be apparent from the above description to those skilled in the art. These and other alternatives are considered equivalents and within the spirit and scope of the present invention.