公开(公告)号：US09708206B2

公开(公告)日：2017-07-18

申请号：US14408695

申请日：2013-06-21

Applicant: SUNCOR ENERGY INC.

Inventor： Trevor Bugg ,  Ana Sanchez ,  Adrian Revington ,  James Patrick Macaulay

IPC: C02F1/56 ,  B01D12/00 ,  C10G7/04 ,  C02F1/52 ,  C10G1/04 ,  C02F103/10

CPC classification number: C02F1/56 ,  B01D12/00 ,  C02F1/5209 ,  C02F1/5281 ,  C02F2103/10 ,  C02F2209/11 ,  C02F2209/40 ,  C10G1/045 ,  C10G7/04

Abstract: Techniques are described that relate to enhancing flocculation and dewatering of thick fine tailings, for example by reducing process oscillations. One example method includes dispersing a flocculant into thick fine tailings having a turbulent flow regime to produce turbulent flocculating tailings; subjecting the turbulent flocculating tailings to shear to build up flocs and increase yield stress, to produce a flocculated material having a non-turbulent flow regime; and shear conditioning the flocculated material to decrease the yield stress and produce conditioned flocculated tailings within a water release zone; and dewatering the conditioned flocculated tailings, for example by employing sub-aerial deposition. The thick fine tailings may have a Bingham Reynolds Number of at least 40,000 upon flocculant addition. Inhibiting process oscillations may include providing turbulent tailings feed, configuring a downstream pipeline assembly to reduce backpressure fluctuations and/or reducing air content in the flocculant solution, for example.