Mitigating the Adverse Effects of Ultrafines in Pressure Filtration of Oil Sands Tailings

减轻油砂尾矿压力过滤中超细粉的不利影响

• 批准号: 563657-2021
• 负责人: Liu, QiQ
• 金额: $ 3.58万
• 依托单位: University of Alberta
• 依托单位国家: 加拿大
• 项目类别: Alliance Grants
• 财政年份: 2022
• 资助国家: 加拿大
• 起止时间: 2022-01-01 至 2023-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/ase-oro/Details-Detailles_eng.asp?id=746837
• 关键词: Mitigating; Adverse; Effects; Ultrafines; Pressure

The ultimate goal of oil sands tailings management is to achieve >70 wt% solids in the tailings stream so that it is ready for reclamation. Research in the past several decades indicates that a combination of chemical amendment (e.g., polymer flocculants + coagulants) and mechanical treatment is necessary to achieve this ultimate goal. Of the mechanical treatment techniques, pressure filtration holds the most promise. Several case studies reported in the Tailings & Mine Wastes 2019 Conference in Vancouver, BC, show that typical mine tailings could be dewatered to >= 85 wt% solids using commercial filter press. However, when the same technology was used in oil sands tailings, the pressure filtration cake only reached about 60 wt% solids. The applicants' past research identified an ultrafine fraction, which was centrifuged from mature fine tailings and contained a mix of ultrafine sub-micron clays and bitumen-in-water emulsion droplets, as the main reason for the poor pressure filtration of the mature fine tailings. In the proposed project, we would continue the research to identify the roles of the constituent materials in the ultrafine fraction (clay types, size, bitumen coating and free bitumen) and develop mitigation technologies to eliminate their detrimental effects in filter press operation. The main focus is not to attempt to separate/remove the ultrafine fraction, but to selectively aggregate the ultrafine fraction to form high strength coagula, flocs and/or geo-polymers. The research is expected to make rapid dewatering of the oil sands tailings to >70 wt% solids by filter press technically and economically feasible.

油砂尾矿管理的最终目标是在尾矿流中实现> 70 wt％的固体，以便可以进行填海。在过去的几十年中，研究表明，对于实现这一最终目标，必须使用化学修正案（例如聚合物絮凝剂 +凝结剂）和机械处理的结合。在机械处理技术中，压力过滤是最有前途的。在不列颠哥伦比亚省温哥华举行的《 Tailings＆Mine Wastes 2019会议》中报道的几个案例研究表明，使用商业滤清器使用Press可以将典型的矿山尾矿脱水至> = 85 wt％的固体。但是，当在油砂尾矿中使用相同的技术时，压力过滤蛋糕仅达到约60 wt％的固体。 申请人过去的研究确定了一个超细分数，该分数是从成熟的细尾部离心的，并包含超铁的亚微米粘土和水中乳液乳液液滴的混合物，是成熟细尾矿的压力过滤不良的主要原因。在拟议的项目中，我们将继续进行研究，以确定成分材料在超细分数（粘土类型，尺寸，沥青涂料和自由沥青）中的作用，并开发缓解技术以消除其在过滤器新闻操作中的有害影响。主要的重点不是试图分离/去除超细分数，而是选择性地汇总超铁分数以形成高强度的凝血剂，絮状和/或地理聚合物。预计这项研究将通过技术和经济上可行的滤器将油砂尾矿快速脱水至> 70 wt％的固体。