Pierre River Mine Project

MINING AND PROCESSING ERCB SIRS 3 – 38
such as sodium citrate, will be considered at the Pierre River Mine, to
improve recovery performance.
Section 4.1
• adjusting the hydrotransport temperature. The hydrotransport temperature is
a critical variable affecting bitumen recovery. The current understanding
indicates that a hydrotransport slurry temperature of 40 to 45°C is the
optimum range, particularly for lower grade ore.
• implementing bitumen recovery from the thickener. Bitumen recovery has
been implemented on one train and might be implemented in future
expansions. Alternatively, the upstream recovery equipment might be made
more efficient.
Depending on the operating conditions at the Pierre River Mine, some or all of
these improvements might be implemented, as necessary.
In addition, the response to the December 2009 Jackpine Mine Expansion,
Supplemental Information, SIR 137h stated that:
The Jackpine Mine Expansion project team will consider current Muskeg River
Mine operations and build on the lessons learned from that development.
In addition to the items listed in SIR 137f and SIR 137g, the Jackpine Mine
design already includes several improvements over the Muskeg River Mine
design, including:
• a longer conditioning pipeline
• reduced solids loading in the primary separation cell
• primary separation cell design improvements, including improved feed
distribution and froth underwash
• increased flotation capacity
All of these changes are expected to improve bitumen recovery. The effectiveness
of the improvements will be evaluated once the Jackpine Mine is operational,
and they will be considered, as needed, for the Jackpine Mine Expansion.
Request 19b It is acknowledged that Muskeg River Mine has experienced difficulties achieving
ERCB bitumen recovery requirements since start-up. Justify the design proposed
in this application in light of Muskeg River Mine’s shortfalls in meeting existing
bitumen recovery requirements.
Response 19b Shell’s understanding of the technical and operational performance of bitumen
extraction has increased significantly since the original Muskeg River Mine
design. Shell is continuing to improve the Muskeg River Mine performance as
well as including a number of design improvements in the Jackpine Mine.
April 2010 Shell Canada Limited 4-17
CR029