RF heating to reduce the use of supplemental water added in the recovery of unconventional oil
US9273251B2 · kind B2 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Dec 21, 2011 |
| Grant date | Mar 1, 2016 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Dec 30, 2034 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC C)Chemistry; Metallurgy
- CPC primaryC10G2300/805
- WIPO fieldBasic materials chemistry
- WIPO sectorChemistry
Abstract
Equipment and a process for separating bitumen from oil sand in a process stream are described. The equipment includes several processing vessels and one or more local area radio frequency applicators to selectively heat the process stream in local areas of the equipment. The local area can be adjacent to an input or output of a component of the equipment. Also described is equipment for processing an oil sand—water slurry, including a slurrying vessel, a slurry pipe, and a local area radio frequency applicator. The local area radio frequency applicator is located outside of the slurry pipe, and heats the local area without significantly heating the contents of the slurrying vessel or of the downstream portion of the slurry pipe.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.