Journal of Chemical Engineering & Process Technology
Open Access
ISSN: 2157-7048
+44-77-2385-9429
ISSN: 2157-7048
+44-77-2385-9429
Adango Miadonye
Cape Breton University, Canada
Keynote: J Chem Eng Process Technol
The interest in oilsands development has been unprecedented in recent times, mainly due to the progressive decline in conventional oil reserves. Oilsands deposit (known as tarsands) in Alberta, Canada, is approximately 11% of the worldâ??s total current crude oil reserve. The oilsand is a composition of bitumen, water and sand grains with traces amount of metals. The current methods for bitumen extraction from oilsands which include Mining, Steam Assisted Gravity Drainage, Cyclic Steam Stimulation and Electromagnetic heating are each characterized by several environmental issues such as massive greenhouse gas emissions, large volumes of water consumption and low energy efficiency. The concept of cavitation has been used in various other applications such as mineral recovery from ores, hydrocarbon cracking and so on, but there is limited research data on its application in bitumen recovery processes from oilsands. Cavitation occurs in a moving liquid by sending highfrequency waves through the liquid, which induces vapor bubble nucleation and when imploded releases immense energy. This study showed that due to the enormous energy released during cavitation, bitumen is more readily separated from the solid particles in the oilsands slurry mix. Furthermore, the viscosity of the oilsands slurry, particle size distribution and temperature have the significant effect on oil recovery by cavitation. The average bitumen recovery after cavitation periods of 15, 30, 45 and 60 minutes were 0.4g, 1.8g, 1.9g, 2.1g and 0.6g, 3.9g, 4.3g, 4.4g with ±5% error margin for low and high-grade oilsands samples respectively, thus, oil recovery by cavitation is feasible.
Adango Miadonye has completed his PhD from Loughborough University, England and postdoctoral studies from Lakehead University Faculty of Engineering. He is a Professor of Chemical Engineering and Industrial Chemistry at Cape Breton University, Canada and the winner of the President’s Award for Excellence in Research. He has published more than 100 papers in reputed journals and has been serving as an editorial board member of repute. Well-respected by his colleagues nationally and internationally, Miadonye has been a leader and contributor to his professional academic community holding offices and serving on committees with numerous academic and professional societies.
E-mail: adango_miadonye@cbu.ca