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Skip to Search Results- 1Afshar, Shima
- 1Fotovati, Maryam
- 1Kohut, Evan Taylor
- 1Lin, Feng
- 1Mirmontazeri, Leylisadat
- 1Omidghane, Mehdi
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Spring 2015
In many applications, it is desired to separate unwanted fine particulates from a liquid by gravity settling. An efficient separation, however, will be feasible only if a combination of aggregation and sedimentation occurs. To understand the kinetics of such a process, a mathematical model that...
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Spring 2011
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...
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Colloid Science of Sand Remediation: A Study Motivated by the Non-Aqueous Extraction of Bitumen from Oil Sands
DownloadFall 2014
The current water-based method of bitumen extraction requires withdrawal of fresh water from the Athabasca River — a practice which leads to the continual buildup of tailings ponds and other environmental concerns. As Alberta’s bitumen production is expected to more than double by 2020, there is...
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Fall 2014
The non-aqueous extraction process involves dilution of mined oil sand with an organic solvent (the “diluent”), followed by separation of unwanted materials (clays, silica sand, connate water, etc.) from the diluted bitumen. The main focus of this research is on the removal of fines solids from...
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High-Float Emulsion Residue: A New Rheological Model Based on the Existence of a Yield Stress
DownloadFall 2016
“High-float” (HF) emulsions are dispersions of micron-sized bitumen droplets in water, with a special type of anionic surfactant functioning as stabilizer. By allowing the water to evaporate from an HF emulsion, what remains is called a “high-float emulsion residue.” Although indistinguishable in...
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Fall 2020
The rheology of asphalt binders is an important factor in the design and construction of roads. As polymer modification is now often required to meet performance demands, the rheological behaviour of the binders has become increasingly complex. Within the past decade, a new method to evaluate...
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Fall 2012
The coalescence of emulsified liquid drops is critically important to many separations processes. It is, for example, central to the extraction of bitumen (a form of extra heavy crude oil) from the Alberta oil sands. This research concerns the colloidal interactions between bitumen droplets in...