Optimizing deposition of amended oil sand tailings products

优化改良油砂尾矿产品的沉积

• 批准号: 429272-2011
• 负责人: Simms, Paul
• 金额: $ 10.85万
• 依托单位: Carleton University
• 依托单位国家: 加拿大
• 项目类别: Collaborative Research and Development Grants
• 财政年份: 2013
• 资助国家: 加拿大
• 起止时间: 2013-01-01 至 2014-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/ase-oro/Details-Detailles_eng.asp?id=532681
• 关键词: Optimizing; deposition; amended; oil; sand

Surface mining of oil sands for bitumen is an important driver of the Canadian economy. The nature of surface mining is such that are large potential impacts on water resources and surface ecosystems. The ongoing challenge for the oils sands industry is to minimize these impacts and to reclaim and restore disturbed ecosystems as quickly and economically as possible. Tailings, the waste product from the bitumen extraction process, comprising sands, fines , and water, are conventionally deposited in dammed impoundments. Due to the chemistry of the extraction process, the fine fraction of the tailings is bound up with the water, and will not naturally settle out in a reasonable time frame. Consequently, oil sands operators are faced with the management of enormous volumes of these fluid fine tailings, which are too soft to reclaim, and have trapped water that if the industry could reclaim, would substantially improve both the economics and sustainability of the oil sands industry.

油砂沥青的露天开采是加拿大经济的重要驱动力。地表采矿的性质决定了其对水资源和地表生态系统的巨大潜在影响。油砂行业目前面临的挑战是尽可能减少这些影响，并尽可能快速和经济地恢复和恢复受干扰的生态系统。尾矿，即来自沥青提取过程的废物，包括砂、细粉和水，通常沉积在筑坝的蓄水池中。由于提取过程的化学性质，尾矿的细粒部分与水结合在一起，不会在合理的时间内自然沉降。因此，油砂运营商面临着大量的这些流体细尾矿的管理，这些流体细尾矿太软而不能回收，并且具有截留的水，如果该行业能够回收，将大大提高油砂行业的经济性和可持续性。