Rapid Oil Sands Extraction Processing Stream Composition Determination by a ¹⁹Fluorine Nuclear Magnetic Resonance...

Area of Science:

• Analytical Chemistry
• Geochemistry
• Materials Science

Background:

• Conventional methods for oil sands slurry analysis, such as the Dean-Stark method, are time-consuming and involve safety and environmental concerns.
• Accurate determination of bitumen and water content is crucial for optimizing oil sands processing and environmental management.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the 19F-NMR method as a rapid, cost-effective, and sustainable alternative to the Dean-Stark method for oil sands composition analysis.
• To determine the applicability of the 19F-NMR method across various oil sands material types and compositions.

Main Methods:

• Utilized a benchtop 19F-NMR spectrometer with oleophilic (trifluorotoluene) and hydrophilic (sodium trifluoroacetate) fluorine-containing tracers.
• Quantified bitumen and water content in synthetic and real oil sands samples, including ore, froth, middlings, and tailings.
• Calculated solid content via mass balance, bypassing the need for thermal drying.

Main Results:

• The 19F-NMR method accurately measured bitumen (0.5-90 wt %) and water (5-95 wt %) in diverse oil sands samples.
• Reliable quantification was achieved for samples with bitumen content above 0.5 wt %.
• Deviations were observed for samples with <0.5 wt % bitumen due to insufficient tracer dilution and signal fluctuations.

Conclusions:

• The 19F-NMR method presents a significant advancement over the Dean-Stark method, offering reduced analysis time, lower costs, enhanced safety, and improved environmental impact.
• This method is suitable for a wide range of oil sands applications, from laboratory analysis to potential on-site monitoring.
• The 19F-NMR method's limitation is its unsuitability for samples containing less than 0.5 wt % bitumen.