Yun Tu

Adsorption of Pentane Insoluble Organic Matter from Oilsands Bitumen onto Clay Surfaces

Abstract The effectiveness of commercial oilsands separation processes relies on the water wettability of the solids. Consequently, the interaction between the mineral and organic matter types present in oilsands is of interest. In this work, we report results related to the adsorption of a pentane insoluble fraction from bitumen on kaolinite and illite, the major clay types present in oilsands. We determined adsorption from toluene solution by illite and kaolinite and use a combination of spectroscopic techniques to probe the organic coated clay surfaces to different depths. The results are compared with similar data for equivalent natural fractions from oilsands.

Powder X-ray Diffraction Determination of Phyllosilicate Mass and Area versus Particle Thickness Distributions for Clays from the Athabasca Oil Sands

Abstract Bitumen recovery from Athabasca oil sands is known to be affected by the clay component. This effect increases dramatically with decreasing particle sizes of the constituent clay minerals. The present work comprises a mineralogical study of distinct size-fractions of clays from the Athabasca oil sands. Mass and area versus thickness distributions per unit weight of phyllosilicate-mineral component are obtained by Bertaut analysis of measured XRD peak profiles for the first 00ℓ reflection. Distributions for both kaolinite and illite components from distinct size-fractions correlate with particle size. The powder pattern for the smallest size-fraction (< 0.1 μm) is shown to correspond to delaminated illite particles.

Pentane-Insoluble Matter from Conventional and Heavy Crudes: Relationships Between Thermal Characteristics and Molecular Parameters

Abstract Nearly 50% of bitumen derived from Athabasca oilsands is pitch. The pentane-insoluble fraction is the major coke producer during thermal cracking. Here, we evaluate the thermal behavior of pentane insolubles from various oil sources by correlating thermogravimetric data with structural parameters. The effect of any entrained mineral solids on the thermal properties results was also investigated. Coke yields depended significantly on aromaticity, H/C atomic ratios, molecular weight, chain length, and equivalent molecular diameter. With the exception of highly aliphatic Daqing conventional oil, coke yields correlated well with the calculated structural parameters. Asphaltene from bitumen was about average in its coke-forming propensity. Mineral solids had practically no effect on thermal behavior.