Realization of a Technology for In-situ Real Time Measurements of Solids Content in Settling Tailings

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The proposed research project which is a collaborative effort of University of Alberta (U of A), the Centre for Oil Sands Sustainability (COSS), and the applied research centre at Northern Alberta Institute of Technology (NAIT), in partnership with Imperial Oil. The proposed research project is the next step for a current NSERC-CRD project "Technology for In-situ Real Time Measurements of Solids Content in Settling Tailings". In the NSERC-CRD project a hybrid subsurface solids content analyzer, combining optical and safe gamma ray methods for in-line continuous monitoring of oil sands processes, has been successfully developed and its effectiveness demonstrated in a laboratory environment. We have studied in detail the processes in laser light scattering from settling particulates and gamma ray propagation in complex materials (tailings). Based on the knowledge gained from the NSERC-CRD project, a field-ready prototype will be designed and built for testing the technology at an oil sands tailing pond and a plan for implementation will be developed with the industrial partner. The realization of the in-situ solids content measurement technology will allow the oil sands industry to incorporate it into the design of their oil sands projects to deliver a more effective and efficient process, together with improved environmental performance.