No description available.

A major challenge to any “solvent-based” bitumen extraction technology is the removal of suspended fine solids from the hydrocarbon medium (i.e. diluted bitumen). To address this problem, we examined how colloidal solids could be made to aggregate in a hydrocarbon medium and thus be separated by gravity settling. The model solids were micron-sized “bitumen-treated” silica particles; the oil phase was bitumen diluted in an organic solvent of variable aromatic content. On the macroscopic scale, the experiments involved quantifying the settling rates of the particles as the aromatic content of the solvent was varied. Our results showed the existence of an optimal (non-zero) aromatic content at which the solids settling rate was the highest. On the microscopic scale, adhesive forces between individual glass spheres were directly measured using the microcantilever technique (again in non-aqueous media). It was demonstrated that, in addition to being captured by asphaltene networks, the suspended solids could also homo-flocculate — and thus form aggregates and be separated — in an alkane-diluted bitumen environment. / Chemical Engineering

京都大学 / 0048 / 新制・課程博士 / 博士(工学) / 甲第19240号 / 工博第4075号 / 新制||工||1628(附属図書館) / 32239 / 京都大学大学院工学研究科化学工学専攻 / (主査)教授 山本 量一, 教授 宮原 稔, 教授 松坂 修二 / 学位規則第4条第1項該当 / Doctor of Philosophy (Engineering) / Kyoto University / DFAM