Fluidized bed pyrolysis of a Uinta basin oil sand

Abstract The pyrolysis of the mined and crushed ore from the Whiterocks oil sand deposit was studied in a fluidized bed reactor. The reactor was designed to operate by pulling the fluidizing gas through the reactor rather than by pushing the gas through the bed. This was accomplished by reducing the pressure above the bed with a gas pump operating in the suction mode. This mode of operation resulted in smooth, stable fluidization without slugging at H D ratios up to 8. Pyrolysis energy was supplied by a propane burner, and the hot combustion gases were used to fluidize the bed. Operating the pyrolysis reactor without slugging allowed the reactor to be operated at lower temperatures than previously reported for equivalent liquid product yields. The bitumen-derived liquid yields ranged from 80 to 90 wt% based on bitumen fed to the reactor in the temperature range 720–773 K. Less than 1 wt% of the bitumen fed to the reactor was converted into a carbonaceous residue on the spent sand.