Abstract

This disclosure concerns techniques for monitoring and controlling mining operations, notably oil sands mining that involves trucks and shovels. The process can include monitoring key mining performance indicators (KMPI) comprising truck operating parameters; shovel operating parameters; and workforce performance parameters, and then controlling the trucks and the shovels based on a pre-developed model comprising the KMPI. The workforce performance parameters of shift change duration can be determined in various ways, such as determining a base shift change duration based on a shift-change code and adding to it a supplementary shift change duration based on certain additional stationary-state codes; and/or determining truck cycle times during a pre-determined time interval spanning the corresponding shift change, determining a longest truck cycle, determining an average truck cycle which excludes the longest truck cycle; and determining the shift change duration based on a difference between the longest truck cycle and the average truck cycle.

IPC Classes  ?

• E21C 41/26 - Methods of surface miningLayouts therefor

Abstract

A standard deviation based method for detection and quantification of stiction in a control valve in a process control loop is provided, the process control loop having a sensor for measuring a process parameter or variable (PV) and a controller for controlling the control valve, whereby the controller compares the process parameter or variable (PV) to a set point value (SP) for a stable operation of the process and provides an output signal (OP) for controlling the control valve.

IPC Classes  ?

• F16K 37/00 - Special means in or on valves or other cut-off apparatus for indicating or recording operation thereof, or for enabling an alarm to be given
• G05B 13/04 - Adaptive control systems, i.e. systems automatically adjusting themselves to have a performance which is optimum according to some preassigned criterion electric involving the use of models or simulators
• G05B 23/02 - Electric testing or monitoring

Abstract

A process for dewatering tailings having a solids content in the range of about 10 wt % to about 70 wt % is provided comprising fully flocculating the tailings by adding an effective amount of a polymeric flocculant to the tailings and mixing the polymeric flocculant and tailings in a mixing device to form fully flocculated tailings having a minimized capillary suction time (CST) and discharging the fully flocculated tailings into a deposition area at a discharge velocity of substantially zero to minimize further mixing.

IPC Classes  ?

• C02F 11/147 - Treatment of sludgeDevices therefor by de-watering, drying or thickening with addition of chemical agents using organic substances
• C02F 11/145 - Treatment of sludgeDevices therefor by de-watering, drying or thickening with addition of chemical agents using inorganic substances using calcium compounds

Abstract

A method for determining a bed height of a solids bed formed in a pipeline transporting an oil sands slurry is described. The method can include measuring an actual flow rate of the slurry, obtaining at least one measured velocity, determining a velocity derived flow rate from the measured velocity and a cross-sectional area of the pipeline, determining a cross-sectional bed area to then determine the bed height. A process for operating a pipeline transporting a slurry including the method for determining the bed dimension is also provided. Bed height determination and control can help mitigate slurry pipeline wear.

IPC Classes  ?

• F17D 5/00 - Protection or supervision of installations
• F17D 3/01 - Arrangements for supervising or controlling working operations for controlling, signalling, or supervising the conveyance of a product

Abstract

A method for determining the source of a surface bitumen sheen in an end pit lake formed by water capping of oil sand tailings is provided comprising quantifying bitumen flux using ice core samples of the end pit lake. The high areas of bitumen flux indicate the areas of the end pit lake that should be dredged for reclamation of the end pit lake to prevent the formation of hydrocarbon sheen on the surface of the end pit lake. A method for evaluating reclamation of an end pit lake is also provided.

IPC Classes  ?

• B03B 9/02 - General arrangement of separating plant, e.g. flow sheets specially adapted for oil-sand, oil-chalk, oil-shales, ozokerite, bitumen, or the like
• E21B 43/24 - Enhanced recovery methods for obtaining hydrocarbons using heat, e.g. steam injection

Abstract

A method for recovering a sunken material from a body of water having a water layer and a sediment layer, the sunken material present at a water-sediment interface is presented, comprising using an impermeable hollow column and a high density fluid to float the sunken material to the top of the column for readily removal of the floated sunken material using surface material removing equipment.

IPC Classes  ?

• E02B 15/08 - Devices for reducing the polluted area without removing the material
• E02B 15/04 - Devices for cleaning or keeping clear the surface of open water from oil or like floating materials by separating or removing these materials
• E02B 15/06 - Barriers therefor

Abstract

A method for transporting a bitumen froth having coarse solids having a particle size>180 μm through a pipeline is provided comprising injecting into the pipeline a bitumen froth slug having a lower temperature or a lower water content or both that the bitumen froth.

IPC Classes  ?

• F17D 1/00 - Pipe-line systems
• F17D 1/16 - Facilitating the conveyance of liquids or effecting the conveyance of viscous products by modification of their viscosity
• F17D 1/08 - Pipe-line systems for liquids or viscous products

Abstract

A method, system and computer program product are provided for monitoring a transverse position of a conveyor belt or its material load. A processor receives a digital video or digital images capturing movement of the conveyor belt and the material load. The processor segments the images or frames into a group of contiguous pixels representative of the conveyor belt, and the material load, such as by moving object detection, using background segmentation and threshold processing, pixel intensity-based segmentation or image texture-based segmentation. The processor determines a pixel coordinate of the group of contiguous pixels, which is indicative of the transverse position of the conveyor belt or the material load. The processor generates an alarm or report or a data signal, which depends, directly or indirectly, on the determined pixel coordinates.

IPC Classes  ?

• B65G 43/06 - Control devices, e.g. for safety, warning or fault-correcting interrupting the drive in case of driving-element breakageBraking or stopping loose load-carriers
• G06T 7/13 - Edge detection
• B65G 43/02 - Control devices, e.g. for safety, warning or fault-correcting detecting dangerous physical condition of load- carriers, e.g. for interrupting the drive in the event of overheating
• G06T 7/254 - Analysis of motion involving subtraction of images
• G06T 7/11 - Region-based segmentation
• G06T 7/00 - Image analysis
• B65G 15/00 - Conveyors having endless load-conveying surfaces, i.e. belts and like continuous members, to which tractive effort is transmitted by means other than endless driving elements of similar configuration

Abstract

50 of about 50 μm or less and a fines content of about 40% of the solids or greater to the oil sands ore to form an ore blend; and processing the ore blend in a water-based bitumen extraction process to produce the bitumen froth.

IPC Classes  ?

• C10G 1/00 - Production of liquid hydrocarbon mixtures from oil shale, oil-sand, or non-melting solid carbonaceous or similar materials, e.g. wood, coal
• C10G 1/04 - Production of liquid hydrocarbon mixtures from oil shale, oil-sand, or non-melting solid carbonaceous or similar materials, e.g. wood, coal by extraction
• C10G 33/04 - De-watering or demulsification of hydrocarbon oils with chemical means