| Summary: | The transportation of oil sand via slurry pipeline reduces downstream processing costs because some separation of bitumen from the sand/clay matrix occurs during transit (conditioning). However, there is currently no real-time method for assessing the extent of conditioning inside a pipeline. We investigated bitumen droplet size analysis as a technique for determining the extent of conditioning in a slurry line by conducting field tests at Syncrude Canada Ltd.'s oil sand operation in Fort McMurray, Alberta. Slurry was withdrawn from two different pipelines at five specially designed sampling stations and the liberated bitumen droplets were allowed to float through a water-filled viewing chamber. The droplets were videotaped and analyzed using particle sizing software to determine the average droplet size and shape. This data was correlated to feed grade, slurry temperature and transport distance to determine if a relationship existed between the physical slurry properties and the droplet data. Results suggest that droplet size analysis can be used to assess the extent of conditioning inside an oil sand slurry pipeline in real time. This technology could be incorporated into the control scheme of an oil sand processing circuit to improve separation efficiency and reduce costs.
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