Rheology in oil sands processing

从阿萨巴斯坎油砂生产沥青涉及多个单元作业，需要准备和处理油砂-水泥浆。拟议的研究计划旨在表征油砂矿石悬浮液的流动特性(流变学)作为固体含量、水化学和矿石成分(主要是矿物学和沥青含量)的函数。该计划还将调查油砂矿浆的流变性与矿石中沥青可提出性之间的相关性。这项拟议的研究还将确定影响油砂矿石流变(流动)行为的最关键的物理化学参数。拟议方案的结果将演示如何控制油砂悬浮液的流变性，以提高各个子过程的效率，如水力输送、初级泡沫分离和浮选。

The production of bitumen from the Athabascan oil sands involves a number of unit operations requiring the preparation and handling of oil sand-water slurries. The proposed research program is aimed at characterization of the flow properties (rheology) of oil sand ore suspensions as a function of solids content, water chemistry, and ore composition (primarily mineralogy and bitumen content). The program will also investigate correlations between the rheology of oil sand ore slurries and the extractability of bitumen from the ores. The proposed research will also identify the most critical physicochemical parameters that affect the rheological (flow) behavior of oil sand ores. The results of the proposed program will demonstrate how the rheology of oil sand suspensions can be controlled in order to improve the efficiency of various sub-processes, such the hydrotransport, primary froth separation, and flotation.