Search

Bitumen is extracted from oil sands using warm water and additives. The resulting bitumen froth is diluted with naphtha in a froth treatment process. Residual naphtha in the aqueous tailings of the froth treatment unit is recovered in a naphtha recovery unit (NRU). It is imperative to maximize the naphtha recovery process to minimize the plant's environmental and economic impact. It is, in this respect, that NRU vapour–liquid–liquid equilibrium data is of significant value. In this work, a paraffinic‐aromatic synthetic naphtha (PASN) with a true boiling point (TBP) similar to that of froth treatment naphtha is used. Water/PASN mixtures are studied using the Soave‐Redlich‐Kwong equation of state with a Kabadi‐Danner modification. The tangent plane distance (TPD) is evaluated as a possible criterion to calculate the number of phases, with its significant shortcomings being established. As well, experimental data obtained in a CREC‐VL‐Cell is observed to display higher solubilities of PASN in water than the ones obtained by HYSYS‐Aspen Plus V9 simulation. To address these issues, a machine learning (ML)‐based phase classification methodology was considered, predicting the number of phases with a 99% recall. This anticipates that ML will be of significant value for faster convergence of the flash split calculations for the naphtha hydrocarbon‐water systems under consideration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This work describes vapour pressure measurements of a water/synthetic naphtha mixture using a dynamic CREC‐VL‐Cell, designed to obtain reliable vapour measurements (Psat,iv). The CREC‐VL‐Cell is used to measure vapour pressures for immiscible or partially miscible liquids, given its high multiphase mixing capability. Runs in the CREC‐VL‐Cell involve a dynamic method, operating with a set heating ramp, with continuous tracking of both saturation vapour pressure and temperature within the cell. This system allows for the establishment equilibrium vapour pressures, in a recommended 50–120°C range, emulating the conditions of the naphtha recovery in oil sand processes. Results obtained in the CREC‐VL‐Cell at 1080 rpm are validated using data from Aspen‐Hysys with a Peng‐Robinson fluid package for pure octane and water. On the other hand, using a 2.5 wt.% and 4 wt.% synthetic naphtha in 97.5 wt.% water blend, experimental data shows partial agreement with the Aspen‐Hysys Peng‐Robinson fluid package predictions, demonstrating the value of the experimental vapour‐liquid–liquid (VLL) data obtained in the CREC‐VL‐Cell. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]