Patent ID: 8388831

Claim:
A process for producing an oil sand slurry from as-mined oil sand for transmission through a pump and pipeline system, comprising: crushing as-mined oil sand to form pre-crushed oil sand; and preparing the oil sand slurry in a slurry preparation tower comprising, in downwardly descending sequence, a first roll crusher having a plurality of crusher rolls for receiving the pre-crushed oil sand and a second roll crusher having a plurality of crusher rolls, by: comminuting the pre-crushed oil sand in the first roll crusher to a first size; passing substantially all of the first size oil sand to the second roll crusher and comminuting the first size oil sand to a second size oil sand; and adding heated water to the pre-crushed oil sand or the first size oil sand or both in the course of the comminuting to form the oil sand slurry; whereby the need for screening the slurry during slurry formation is eliminated and minimal rejects are produced.