| The recession of bitumen from a silica surface under shear flow has been studied in both couette flow between rotating cylinders, and channel flow between flat plates. The effect of temperature, shear, and water chemistry on the recession rate of bitumen from a silica surface is studied by subjecting a bitumen coated silica plate to shear flow under varying conditions and analysing the rate at which the bitumen is removed from the surface. Increasing temperature and shear rate were found to accelerate bitumen recession. Increasing divalent ion concentration was found to impair bitumen recession. Changes in the composition of industrial process water were not found to significantly alter bitumen recession. Furthermore, elevated temperatures were found to have an irreversible effect on the chemistry of industrial process water. The bitumen recession device developed in this study is a novel tool for analysing the effect of process variables on oil sands extraction. |
