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Oil laden (OL) foams could serve an important role in various processes, particularly in enhanced oil recovery; however, OL foams are less studied than aqueous foams. In this work, the formation and stability of OL foam, by either sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) or Triton X‐100 (TX‐100) in water‐pentane mixture, was evaluated. We first constructed a diagram of good and poor foaminess against pentane content in the mixture and aqueous surfactant concentration. It was shown that surfactant onset concentration for good foaming was increased with increasing pentane content. The result was fitted using a mathematical model that considers the surfactant dilution and adsorption effects by pentane. Foam height decay profiles were also monitored. Results indicated that SDS resulted in a more stable foam than TX‐100 at the same critical micelle concentration (CMC). Depending on surfactant concentration, OL foams exhibited strikingly different stability behaviours. Pentane acted as an anti‐foamer at surfactant concentrations at the CMC or lower. However, very high foam stability was displayed at high surfactant concentration (e.g., 3x CMC) and medium to high pentane contents; this is a result contradictory to the predication of entering, spreading, and bridging coefficients in the classic theory. The stable OL foams of this study could be attractive to potential foam applications.
Feng Lin; Jason K. Ng; Yueying Huang; Charley Huang; Hongbo Zeng. Formation and stability of oil‐laden foam: Effect of surfactant and hydrocarbon solvent. The Canadian Journal of Chemical Engineering 2021, 1 .
AMA StyleFeng Lin, Jason K. Ng, Yueying Huang, Charley Huang, Hongbo Zeng. Formation and stability of oil‐laden foam: Effect of surfactant and hydrocarbon solvent. The Canadian Journal of Chemical Engineering. 2021; ():1.
Chicago/Turabian StyleFeng Lin; Jason K. Ng; Yueying Huang; Charley Huang; Hongbo Zeng. 2021. "Formation and stability of oil‐laden foam: Effect of surfactant and hydrocarbon solvent." The Canadian Journal of Chemical Engineering , no. : 1.
Non-aqueous extraction (NAE) at ambient temperature is a promising substitute to the current commercial hot water process for mined oil sand, but several challenges remain largely due to the use of hazardous conventional organic solvents (COS) such as toluene or heptane. In this work, a more sustainable process for separating extra-heavy oil from oil sands ore using β-pinene, a naturally abundant green solvent was developed. The method used to facilitate phase separation was two-stage centrifugation. Experimental parameters investigated included centrifugal force, solvent dosage and extraction time. Results indicated that oil recovery and supernatant product quality using β-pinene were affected by these process parameters, but there was little to no sensitivity to the grade of ore tested. The β-pinene extraction, after two stages of centrifugation, achieved oil recoveries of 96% to 99% for different-grades of ore, the highest yield compared to those often obtained using either toluene or n-heptane. The total water and solids content in the supernatant of the β-pinene extract could be controlled to 0.09 wt% and this is comparable to extraction by toluene. Importantly, the quantity of β-pinene solvent residual in sand after evaporation, although inversely relating to oil recovery, was limited in the range of about 5 to 60 ppm, a level well below the regulation target for a COS. The application of β-pinene solvent as a green alternative in NAE could reduce the safety, environmental, and health concerns associated with the use of a COS.
Feng Lin. Efficient recovery of extra-heavy oil using a naturally abundant green solvent: Toward a more sustainable oil-solid-water separation. Sustainable Materials and Technologies 2020, 25, e00185 .
AMA StyleFeng Lin. Efficient recovery of extra-heavy oil using a naturally abundant green solvent: Toward a more sustainable oil-solid-water separation. Sustainable Materials and Technologies. 2020; 25 ():e00185.
Chicago/Turabian StyleFeng Lin. 2020. "Efficient recovery of extra-heavy oil using a naturally abundant green solvent: Toward a more sustainable oil-solid-water separation." Sustainable Materials and Technologies 25, no. : e00185.
Hybrid bitumen extraction (HBE) at reduced temperature (e.g. 20 °C) is a potential option for retrofitting the commercial Clark hot water-based extraction (CHWE) process for mineable oil sands. In this work, the impact of solvent addition during HBE on the effectiveness of paraffinic froth treatment is evaluated. Bitumen froth samples generated from pilot scale runs of HBE, during which either diesel or cyclohexane were added to presoak the oil sand ore, and from standard CHWE were studied. The settling behavior of aggregates in heptane-diluted bitumen froth was monitored by tracking interface positions with time in an autoclave or in a column. In addition, water, ash, and asphaltene contents of diluted bitumen were measured, as well as density and viscosity. Results suggest that, 10 wt% (based on bitumen content) of added petroleum diesel in HBE gave a slightly lower emulsion settling velocity but similar water/ash contents in diluted bitumen, compared to values for baseline froth samples from CHWE. However, addition of 10 wt% cyclohexane in HBE had a negligible effect on emulsion settling velocity and bitumen product quality. Interestingly, only a small amount of asphaltene precipitation was critical to the establishment of zone settling behavior and, hence, the yield of clean bitumen. The correlation between settling velocity and de-asphalting percentage is also discussed.
Feng Lin; Chongjun John Pang. Impact of a hybrid bitumen extraction process on the destabilization of resulting bitumen froth emulsion diluted with heptane. Minerals Engineering 2019, 145, 106069 .
AMA StyleFeng Lin, Chongjun John Pang. Impact of a hybrid bitumen extraction process on the destabilization of resulting bitumen froth emulsion diluted with heptane. Minerals Engineering. 2019; 145 ():106069.
Chicago/Turabian StyleFeng Lin; Chongjun John Pang. 2019. "Impact of a hybrid bitumen extraction process on the destabilization of resulting bitumen froth emulsion diluted with heptane." Minerals Engineering 145, no. : 106069.
An aqueous/nonaqueous hybrid bitumen extraction (HBE) process for mined oil sand has the potential to reduce thermal energy demand and greenhouse gas emissions while integrating the productivity and robustness of the current commercial process. The process involves the application of a small amount of solvent to pre-soak the mined ore prior to slurry conditioning, followed by the currently used water-based process, albeit at a lower temperature (e.g. 20 °C) and with no need for caustic addition. In this work, the HBE technology is advanced to the testing of a pilot continuous flow system of 100 kg per hour. This communication describes the extraction outcomes of a series of pilot HBE flotation tests conducted at various extraction conditions, and determination of the respective residual solvent contents in the extraction tailings. Results showed that bitumen recoveries and froth qualities from the pilot HBE process depended on the type and dosage of solvent used to soak the ore prior to slurry conditioning, as well as on the slurry conditioning and residence time. Importantly, lower-temperature HBE could produce comparable or higher bitumen recoveries than those achieved using standard Clark hot water extraction; bitumen froth generated from ambient HBE contained lower fines or water contents. The amount of residual solvent in the tailings produced from the pilot hybrid extractions largely correlated to the unrecovered bitumen percentage. For good-processing ores, for which over 90% bitumen recoveries were achieved, the amount of solvent lost to the tailings was below the regulatory limit even without the use of a tailings solvent recovery unit.
Feng Lin; Yuming Xu; Richard Nelson. Pilot evaluation of an aqueous/nonaqueous hybrid bitumen extraction process for mineable oil sands. Minerals Engineering 2018, 131, 241 -248.
AMA StyleFeng Lin, Yuming Xu, Richard Nelson. Pilot evaluation of an aqueous/nonaqueous hybrid bitumen extraction process for mineable oil sands. Minerals Engineering. 2018; 131 ():241-248.
Chicago/Turabian StyleFeng Lin; Yuming Xu; Richard Nelson. 2018. "Pilot evaluation of an aqueous/nonaqueous hybrid bitumen extraction process for mineable oil sands." Minerals Engineering 131, no. : 241-248.
Hybrid bitumen extraction (HBE) at ambient conditions has potential, as an alternative to the commercially used modified Clark hot water extraction (CHWE) for mined oil sands. In this work, the dewatering behaviors of tailings suspensions generated on a pilot scale from standard CHWE and from HBE are studied. Using a centrifuge‐based technique, sediment height at a given centrifugal acceleration is measured as a function of time, as is equilibrium consolidation height versus acceleration. By fitting the measurements to a consolidation model, compressive yield stress data is obtained. Settling of tailings suspensions under earth's gravitation are also observed for comparison. Results demonstrate that the suspensions from the pilot HBE process settle faster than those from standard aqueous process at a given acceleration. The data also suggest that the suspensions from the pilot HBE are more compressible, as indicated by higher final compressed solids weight fraction for a given yield stress. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
Feng Lin; Yuming Xu. Impact of a novel bitumen extraction process on mined oil sands tailings behavior. AIChE Journal 2018, 65, 250 -258.
AMA StyleFeng Lin, Yuming Xu. Impact of a novel bitumen extraction process on mined oil sands tailings behavior. AIChE Journal. 2018; 65 (1):250-258.
Chicago/Turabian StyleFeng Lin; Yuming Xu. 2018. "Impact of a novel bitumen extraction process on mined oil sands tailings behavior." AIChE Journal 65, no. 1: 250-258.
Hybrid bitumen extraction (HBE) at ambient conditions has potential, as an alternative to the currently used modified Clark hot water extraction (CHWE), to reduce thermal energy intensity and greenhouse gas emissions for bitumen extraction from mined ore. Importantly, this extraction method could be retrofitted to the current commercial process. This research focuses on the extent of solvent loss in the sand tailings, which is the most important issue associated with the success and commercialization of HBE. In this work, a series of bench-scale HBE tests were conducted under various conditions, and the solvent content in the tailings was determined. Results suggest that the amount of solvent in the tailings depends largely on the processability of oil sand ore and the type and dosage of solvent used to soak the ore in the HBE. With a good processing ore, for which over 90% bitumen recovery was obtained, solvent losses to tailings were below the regulated volatile organic compound loss limit, without the use of a tailings solvent recovery unit. The correlation between solvent loss to tailings and unrecovered bitumen content is discussed.
Feng Lin; Yuming Xu; Richard Nelson. Determination and Understanding of Solvent Losses to Tailings from a Laboratory Hybrid Bitumen Extraction Process. Energy & Fuels 2018, 32, 9202 -9210.
AMA StyleFeng Lin, Yuming Xu, Richard Nelson. Determination and Understanding of Solvent Losses to Tailings from a Laboratory Hybrid Bitumen Extraction Process. Energy & Fuels. 2018; 32 (9):9202-9210.
Chicago/Turabian StyleFeng Lin; Yuming Xu; Richard Nelson. 2018. "Determination and Understanding of Solvent Losses to Tailings from a Laboratory Hybrid Bitumen Extraction Process." Energy & Fuels 32, no. 9: 9202-9210.
Investigations of nonaqueous extraction (NAE) of bitumen from minable oil sands have been extensively revisited in the past decade as an alternative to Clark hot water extraction (CHWE). Significant advances have been achieved in understanding NAE processes at bench and pilot scales, although many questions remain regarding the commercialization of NAE. This critical review summarizes recent research findings and progress on fundamental and practical aspects associated with novel extraction processes, focusing on the technological method, solvent selection, recovery of solvent, and removal of fines. The review also identifies opportunities and challenges for bitumen recovery from oil sands using nonaqueous processes.
Feng Lin; Stanislav R. Stoyanov; Yuming Xu. Recent Advances in Nonaqueous Extraction of Bitumen from Mineable Oil Sands: A Review. Organic Process Research & Development 2017, 21, 492 -510.
AMA StyleFeng Lin, Stanislav R. Stoyanov, Yuming Xu. Recent Advances in Nonaqueous Extraction of Bitumen from Mineable Oil Sands: A Review. Organic Process Research & Development. 2017; 21 (4):492-510.
Chicago/Turabian StyleFeng Lin; Stanislav R. Stoyanov; Yuming Xu. 2017. "Recent Advances in Nonaqueous Extraction of Bitumen from Mineable Oil Sands: A Review." Organic Process Research & Development 21, no. 4: 492-510.