text:
Low energy process for extraction of bitumen from oil sand
An improved low energy extraction process for recovering bitumen from oil sand whereby essentially all of the thermal energy input for processing the oil sand takes place at the slurry mixing step as opposed to at both the slurry mixing step and the slurry flooding step. Mined oil sand is mixed with sufficient hot slurry water to produce an oil sand slurry having a density in the preferred range of about 1.50 g/cc to about 1.60 g/cc and a temperature in the preferred range of about 40° C. to about 55° C., more preferably greater than about 43° C. The oil sand slurry is conditioned, preferably by pumping it through a pipeline for a sufficient length of time, and then flooded with cold flood water to produce a diluted slurry having a density in the range of about 1.4 g/cc to about 1.5 g/cc and a temperature generally below 40° C. and typically in the range of about 30° C. to about 35° C. The diluted slurry is introduced into a gravity separation vessel where bitumen froth is recovered.
Cymerman, George J. (Edmonton, CA)
Spence, Jonathan R. (Edmonton, CA)
Ng, Yin Ming Samson (Sherwood Park, CA)
Siy, Robert Dy (Edmonton, CA)
C10G1/04
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SINGH, PREM C
BENNETT JONES LLP (4500 Bankers Hall East, 855 - 2nd Street SW, Calgary, AB, T2P 4K7, CA)
1. A method for recovering bitumen from oil sand, comprising: dry mining oil sand at a mine site; mixing the oil sand with sufficient hot slurry water to produce an oil sand slurry containing bitumen, sand, water and entrained air, the oil sand slurry having a density in the range of about 1.50 g/cc to about 1.65 g/cc and a temperature in the range of about 40° C. to about 70° C.; conditioning the oil sand slurry; flooding the conditioned oil sand slurry with cold flood water to produce a diluted slurry; and introducing the diluted slurry into a gravity separation vessel wherein separate layers of bitumen froth, middlings and sand tailings are formed; and separately removing bitumen froth, middlings and sand tailings from the vessel.
2. The method as set forth in claim 1 wherein the hot slurry water has a temperature in the range of about 70° C. to about 95° C.
3. The method as set forth in claim 1 wherein the oil sand slurry has a temperature in the range of about 40° C. to about 55° C.
4. The method as set forth in claim 3 wherein the oil sand slurry has a temperature greater than about 43° C.
7. The method as set forth in claim 1 wherein caustic is added during the mixing step.
8. The method as set forth in claim 1 wherein the conditioning step comprises pumping the oil sand slurry through a pipeline.
9. The method as set forth in claim 8 wherein the pipeline has sufficient length so that a slurry retention time therein is at least 10 minutes.
10. The method as set forth in claim 1 wherein the conditioning step comprises retaining the oil sand slurry in a tumbler or agitation tank.
11. The method as set forth in claim 10 wherein the slurry retention time in the tumbler and/or agitation tank is between about 7 minutes to about 12 minutes.
12. The method as set forth in claim 1 wherein the oil sand slurry has a density in the range of about 1.50 g/cc to about 1.60 g/cc.
13. The method as set forth in claim 1 wherein the diluted slurry has a density in the range of about 1.4 g/cc to about 1.5 g/cc.
14. The method as set forth in claim 13 wherein the diluted slurry has a density in the range of about 1.45 g/cc to about 1.5 g/cc.
15. The method as set forth in claim 1 wherein the cold flood water has a temperature in the range of about 2° C. to about 50° C.
17. The method as set forth in claim 1 wherein the flood water has a temperature in the range of about 5° C. to about 10° C.
18. The method as set forth in claim 1 wherein the diluted slurry has a temperature in the range of about 25° C. to about 40° C.
19. The method as set forth in claim 1 wherein the diluted slurry has a temperature in the range of about 30° C. to 35° C.
20. The method as set forth in claim 1 comprising: heating bitumen in the vessel by adding heated water as an underwash layer immediately beneath the bitumen froth layer.
21. The method as set forth in claim 1 wherein the oil sand is of about low to average grade.
23. The method as set forth in claim 1 wherein the mixing step occurs in a mix box or cyclofeeder.
The present invention relates generally to a method for extracting bitumen from oil sand. More specifically, the present invention relates to an improved low energy extraction process wherein the majority of thermal energy input in the form of hot water occurs at the slurry mixing step rather than at both the slurry mixing step and the slurry flooding step.
Oil sand, such as is mined in the Fort McMurray region of Alberta, generally comprises water-wet sand grains held together by a matrix of viscous bitumen. It lends itself to liberation of the sand grains from the bitumen, preferably by slurrying the oil sand in hot process water, allowing the bitumen to move to the aqueous phase.
For many years, the bitumen in the McMurray sand has been commercially removed from oil sand using what is commonly referred to in the industry as the "hot water process". In general terms, the hot water process involves the following steps:
dry mining the oil sand at a mine site that can be kilometres from an extraction plant;
conveying the as-mined oil sand on conveyer belts to the extraction plant;
feeding the oil sand into a rotating tumbler where it is mixed for a prescribed retention time (generally in the range of 2 to 4 minutes) with hot water (approximately 80-90° C.), steam, caustic (e.g., sodium hydroxide) and naturally entrained air to yield a slurry that has a temperature typically around 80° C. The bitumen matrix is heated and becomes less viscous.
Chunks of oil sand are ablated or disintegrated. The released sand grains and separated bitumen flecks are dispersed in the water. To some extent bitumen flecks coalesce and grow in size. They may contact air bubbles and coat them to become aerated bitumen. The term used to describe this overall process in the tumbler is "conditioning"; and
diluting the slurry so produced with additional hot water to produce a diluted slurry having a temperature of about 65° C. to about 80° C. The diluted slurry is introduced into a large, open-topped, conical-bottomed, cylindrical vessel termed a primary separation vessel (PSV) where the more buoyant aerated bitumen rises to the surface and forms a froth layer. This froth layer overflows the top lip of the PSV and is received in a launder extending around the PSV's rim. The product is commonly called "primary froth" and typically has a temperature of about 65° C. to about 75° C.
It is well understood in the industry that the quality of the oil sand has very significant effects on the completeness of primary bitumen recovery in the PSV and the quality of the primary froth. For example, a "low grade" oil sand typically will contain between about 6 to 10 wt. % bitumen with about 25 to 35 wt. % fines. An "average grade" oil sand will typically contain at least 10 wt. % bitumen to about 12.5 wt. % bitumen with about 15 to 25 wt. % fines and a "high grade" oil sand will typically contain greater than 12.5 wt. % bitumen with less than 15 wt. % fines. Fines are generally defined as those solids having a size less about 44 μm. The higher fines concentrations in low to average grade oil sand contribute to the difficulty in extracting the bitumen.
The hot water process as described above generally assures good bitumen recoveries for all grades of oil sand. However, the thermal energy requirement per tonne of oil sand processed is very high. In particular, thermal energy is required to heat the hot process water, for steam production and for heating the hot flood water.
Around 1990, the known conditioning step of the hot water process was modified by eliminating the need for steam. Oil sand is mixed with sufficient hot water to yield an oil sand slurry having a temperature in the range of 40-55° C. Mixing and conditioning occurs in a tumbler, with retention times being increased to within the range of about 7-12 minutes. Conditioned slurry is flooded or diluted with additional hot water to yield a flooded slurry temperature within the range of 50-80° C. This process is referred to as the "warm slurry extraction process" and is disclosed in Canadian Patent No. 2,015,784.
Further in the early 1990s, there was another major innovation in the oil sand industry, which is commonly referred to as "pipeline conditioning". This innovation is disclosed in Canadian Patent No. 2,029,795 and U.S. Pat. No. 5,039,227. The bitumen extraction process using pipeline conditioning, which is disclosed in the aforementioned patents, comprises the following steps:
supplying heated water (typically at 95° C.) at the mine site;
mixing the dry as-mined oil sand with the heated water at the mine site in predetermined portions using a device known as a "cyclofeeder", to form an aerated slurry having a temperature in the range of 40-70° C., preferably about50° C.;
screening the slurry to remove oversize solids too large to be fed to the pipeline;
pumping the screened slurry to the extraction plant through several kilometres of pipeline, where conditioning (i.e., lump digestion, bitumen liberation, coalescence and aeration) occurs; and
diluting the slurry with heated flood water having a temperature in the range of about 50° C. to about 65° C. and feeding the slurry directly into a PSV for gravity separation.
Thus, the pumping of the slurry through a pipeline, over a certain minimum distance, to condition the slurry allows the slurry temperature to be reduced to about 50° C. without compromising bitumen recovery. This is due to the increased conditioning time (i.e., typically 10 minutes or greater) in the pipeline. If a tumbler were to be used for such a slurry, it would have to be very large, to provide a longer retention time for conditioning to occur. Hence, by using pipeline conditioning, a bitumen extraction process can be used with appreciably lower thermal energy requirements per tonne of oil sand. However, thermal energy was still needed to heat both the hot slurry water and the hot flood water.
In an attempt to further reduce the thermal energy requirement per tonne of oil sand, in the late 1990s a cold dense slurrying process for extracting bitumen from oil sand was developed, which is disclosed in Canadian patent No. 2,217,623 and U.S. Pat. No. 6,007,708. This process is commonly referred to as the "low energy extraction process" or the "LEE process" and generally comprises the following steps:
dry mining the oil sand;
mixing the mined oil sand with water in predetermined proportions near the mine site to produce a slurry containing entrained air and having a controlled density in the range of 1.4 to 1.65 g/cc and preferably a temperature in the range 20-40° C.;
pumping the slurry through a pipeline having a plurality of pumps spaced along its length, preferably adding air to the slurry as it moves through the pipeline, to condition the slurry;
diluting the slurry with flood water and introducing the diluted slurry into the PSV to float the aerated bitumen. The froth is maintained at a temperature of at least 35° C. in the PSV by use of a hot water underwash, thereby assisting in removing the froth from the PSV and satisfying downstream froth temperature needs.
Thus, in an attempt to save on energy costs, the LEE process reduces the temperature of the slurry process water used in the slurry preparation and conditioning stage to produce a low temperature slurry. Thus, less thermal energy is used to heat the slurry process water.
However, more thermal energy is also expended at the later flooding stage, to ensure the overall PSV slurry temperature of at least 35° C. In other words, heated flood water is routinely used to bring up the temperature of the low temperature slurry for bitumen separation.
While the LEE process provides acceptable bitumen recovery from high grade oil sand, bitumen recovery from low and average grade oil sand is still appreciably less than optimal. Thus, the range of oil sand grades which process well at the low temperature conditions of the LEE process is limited because many low grade, high fines ore facies do not respond well to pipeline conditioning process at low temperatures.
It will therefore be appreciated that there exists a need for a low energy process that will result in improved bitumen recovery, in particular, when processing low to average grade oil sand.
In accordance with the invention, an improved low energy extraction process is provided for extracting bitumen from oil sand, comprising:
dry mining oil sand from a deposit at a mine site;
mixing the oil sand with sufficient hot slurry water to produce an oil sand slurry containing bitumen, sand, water and entrained air, the oil sand slurry having a density in the range of about 1.50 g/cc to about 1.65 g/cc and a temperature in the range of about 40° C. to about 70° C.;
conditioning the oil sand slurry;
flooding the conditioned oil sand slurry with cold flood water to dilute the slurry;
introducing the diluted slurry into a gravity separation vessel wherein separate layers of bitumen froth, middlings and sand tailings are formed; and
separately removing bitumen froth, middlings and sand tailings from the vessel.
Thus, broadly stated, the invention is an improved low energy extraction process for recovering bitumen from oil sand whereby essentially all of the thermal energy input to process the oil sand occurs at the slurry mixing step as opposed to at both the slurry mixing step and the slurry flooding step. By using essentially all of the thermal energy in the form of hot slurry water up front in the slurry mixing step, optimal slurry conditioning occurs. Further, by using cold flood water in the flooding step, thermal energy requirements are greatly reduced. Thus, the invention involves a redistribution of thermal energy input such that the majority of the thermal energy in the form of hot process water is expended at the slurry mixing step rather than at both the slurry mixing step and slurry flooding step.
By "slurry conditioning" is meant digestion of oil sand lumps, liberation of bitumen from sand-fines-bitumen matrix, coalescence of liberated bitumen flecks into larger bitumen droplets and aeration of bitumen droplets.
By "hot slurry water" is meant process water having a temperature sufficient to yield an oil sand slurry of the desired temperature and generally refers to water that has been heated to a temperature greater than 50° C. and, more preferably, to a temperature of between about 70° C. and about 95° C.
By "cold flood water" is meant process water that has not been heated. It is understood that the temperature of the cold flood water can vary greatly, depending on the source of the water, the time of year, etc. Generally speaking, however, cold flood water will have a temperature less than 50° C. and more likely will have a temperature between about 2° C. and about 27° C. By way of example, recycled pond water could be used, which typically has a temperature in the range of about 5° C. to about 10° C.
Surprisingly, it was discovered that cold flood water at a wide range of temperatures could be used to dilute the conditioned slurry without incurring any significant losses in rejects free bitumen recovery when compared to a process where approximately the same temperature is maintained in the slurry mixing step and the slurry flooding step, thereby conserving thermal energy.
In a preferred embodiment, the temperature of the hot slurry water used in the slurry mixing step is about 75° C. to about 85° C., which, when mixed with the oil sand, results in an oil sand slurry having a temperature greater than 40° C., preferably greater than 43° C., and more preferably in the range of about 40° C. to about 55° C., and a density in the range of about 1.5 g/cc to about 1.6 g/cc. Caustic soda (NaOH) and other processing aids can be also added at this step, if necessary or desired.
The conditioning step can be performed either by pumping the oil sand slurry through a pipeline of sufficient length (e.g., typically greater than about 2.5 km), or by agitating the oil sand slurry in a tumbler or agitation tank for a sufficient period of time, so that liberation of bitumen from sand and subsequent aeration of bitumen both have time to occur. Preferably, conditioning time is about 7 to about 12 minutes when using a tumbler and/or agitation tank and 10 minutes or more when using a pipeline of sufficient length.
The cold flood water temperature used in the flooding step generally ranges between 5° C. and 25° C., which results in a flooded or diluted slurry having a temperature of about 25° C. to about 40° C. and a density of about 1.4 g/cc to about 1.5 g/cc. More preferably, the diluted slurry will have a density of about 1.4 g/cc to about 1.45 g/cc and a temperature in the range of about 30° C. to about 40° C., preferably, a temperature of about 35° C. Use of cold flood water for flooding eliminates the need to import heated water from other sources, and readily available, lower quality pond water can be used.
FIG. 1 is a block diagram setting forth the process in accordance with an embodiment of the invention.
FIG. 2 is a schematic of the pilot plant used in connection with the development of the invention.
FIG. 3 is a schematic of an industrial scale system for practicing the process.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
The invention is exemplified by the following description and examples.
A schematic of the pilot plant used in the following examples is shown in FIG. 2. Oil sand, mixing (tumbler) water and, optionally, caustic (NaOH) are added to tumbler 2 where the oil sand is mixed with the water to form a slurry. Residence time of the slurry in the tumbler is generally around 2.0 minutes. The slurry is then screened through reject screen (not shown) having 5/16″ square openings and rejects, i.e. oil sand lumps, greater than 5/16″ are discarded.
The slurry is then transferred to an agitated pumpbox or mixing tank 4 to keep the slurry in suspension. Residence time of the slurry in the agitated pumpbox or mixing tank 4 is about 5 minutes. Slurry is then pumped via Moyno 3L6 pump 6 through a coriolis mass flow meter (not shown) to conditioning pipeline loop 8 comprised of 4-inch pipe where the slurry undergoes conditioning. Pipeline loop 8 is approximately 40 meters in length and was designed to provide a mean residence time of approximately 5 minutes. Thus, the total residence time of the oil sand slurry in the tumbler, the agitated pumpbox or mixing tank, and the pipeline is about 12 minutes.
After leaving the pipeline, the conditioned slurry is flooded (diluted) with flood water and additional air may be added to the diluted slurry via centrifugal pump 10 (a Warman 2″×1.5″ centrifugal pump, equipped with a 10 Hp motor) situated on slurry pipeline 12 which leads to the feedwell (not shown) of primary separation vessel (PSV) 14. The pipeline between centrifugal pump 10 and PSV feedwell is 1.25″ in diameter and 15 meters long. Centrifugal pump 10 is typically operated at a constant speed of 700 RPM. Air is added to the suction side of pump 10 through a ⅜″ line to a "T" junction on the 1″ slurry pipeline 12′.
Froth underwash water is added to PSV 14 at a point beneath the layer of bitumen froth that forms. Optionally, caustic (NaOH) can also be added as a process aid via caustic line 16, comprising 0.25″ stainless steel tubing. In addition to this caustic line, there are two more caustic lines 18 and 20 where NaOH can be added. Separated bitumen froth overflows into launder 22 and is removed into a separate froth weigh tank (not shown). This bitumen froth from the PSV is commonly referred to as primary froth.
Middlings, comprising water, bitumen and solids that collect in the mid-section of the PSV 14, are removed to one or more secondary flotation cells 20, each having impellers, to produce lean bitumen flotation froth. This lean froth is then recycled back into PSV 14 for recovery as bitumen froth.
It should be noted that the pilot plant uses a tumbler for slurry mixing, with an average slurry mixing time of approximately 2 minutes, and a rejects screen having 5/16″ square openings. However, when the invention is commercially practiced (see FIG. 3), a mix box is used for slurry preparation, with 5″ openings in the rejects screens and rejects reprocessing. Thus, the percent rejects free bitumen recovery values obtained in the following examples using the pilot plant more accurately reflect the values obtained on a commercial scale.
Overall bitumen recovery is calculated as shown in equation 1 and rejects free bitumen recovery is calculated as shown in equation 2, as follows: Ro=MpfXB,pfMosXB,os×100(1)RRF=MpfXB,pfMosXB,os-MrXB,r×100(2)
where Ro is the overall bitumen recovery, RRF is the rejects free bitumen recovery, M is the mass flow rate, X is the mass fraction, and the subscripts pf, r, os and B refer to PSV froth, reject, oil sand and bitumen, respectively.
Two oil sand samples having different bitumen and fines concentrations were used in the following examples. In particular, the two oil sand samples tested were estuarine ores from the Aurora mine in Alberta and are designated Oil Sand 1 and Oil Sand 2. The specifications of the two samples used are given in Table 1.
Summary of Composition, Fines and d50 Data
Fines Average size
wt. % < of solids
Bitumen Water Solids 44 μm in (d50
Oil Sand wt. % wt. % wt. % size μm)
Oil Sand 1 10.4 3.5 86.0 24 124
Table 2 summaries the operating conditions used to test the two samples in Table 1 in the pilot plant described above.
Operating Conditions of the Pilot Plant
Tumbler (RPM) 5
Tumbler Weir Height (%) 0
Mix Tank Agitator (RPM) 275
Mix Tank Slurry Level (%) 53
Pipeline Slurry Velocity (m/s) 4
Centrifugal Aerator Pump Speed (RPM) 700
Air/PSV Feed Slurry Ratio (vol/vol) 0.2
Number of Flotation Cells Operating 4
Flotation Cells Impeller (RPM) 800
Air/Flotation Ratio (vol/vol) 1.42
Oil Sand 1 having the composition as shown in Table 1 was tested to see what effect, if any, the redistribution of available heat would have on the overall bitumen recovery and, in particular, the rejects free bitumen recovery. The parameters tested and the results for 7 separate conditions are shown in Table 3.
Effects of Heat Redistribution Using Oil Sand 1
Run Condition ID
Target Pipeline Slurry Temperature 45 45 45 35 35 25 25
(° C.)
Actual Pipeline Slurry Temperature 44 45 45 34 35 25 25
Pipeline Slurry Density (g/cc) 1.58 1.58 1.58 1.58 1.58 1.58 1.58
Flood Water Temperature (° C.) 55 27 10 55 10 55 10
Target PSV Temperature (° C.) >45 42 <45 42 <35 >25 <25
Actual PSV Temperature (° C.) 47 40 36 40 29 35 23
Target Underwash Water 60 60 60 60 60 60 60
Temperature (° C.)
Bitumen Recovery 94.2 95.7 96.5 93.7 93.7 86.9 89.4
(Overall) (%)
Bitumen Recovery (Rejects free) 98.5 98.3 98.6 97.6 97.2 94.4 93.2
Rejects Bitumen Loss (%) 4.3 2.6 2.1 4.0 3.5 8.0 4.0
PSV Froth Bitumen (%) 59.5 53.2 56.2 59.5 53.3 53.7 53.1
PSV Froth Solid (%) 16.7 14.9 15.4 16.6 16.2 14.6 16.9
PSV Middlings Bitumen (%) 0.13 0.13 0.10 0.50 1.09 2.07 4.43
PSV Tails Bitumen (%) 0.11 0.13 0.10 0.18 0.21 0.48 0.50
Flotation Unit Bitumen Recovery (%) 56.5 35.0 26.9 73.1 90.8 93.8 94.2
Flotation Tails Bitumen (%) 0.07 0.08 0.08 0.09 0.12 0.14 0.30
Run condition 1 is comparable to conditions used in the warm slurry extraction process as described above, wherein the pipeline slurry (i.e., oil sand slurry) temperature is between 40° C. and 55° C. (preferably ˜50° C.) and flood water temperature is about 50° C. to about 65° C. to give a diluted slurry (i.e., PSV temperature) having a temperature around 50° C. However, as discussed above, the warm slurry extraction process still requires considerable thermal energy, in particular, to heat the flood water to maintain a diluted slurry temperature of 50° C.
In an attempt to determine if cold flood water could be used to conserve energy ordinarily used to heat the flood water without a significant reduction in bitumen recovery, run conditions 2 and 3 were performed using much lower temperature flood water.
Run conditions 2 and 3 used essentially the same temperature pipeline slurry as in run condition 1 (i.e., around 45° C.). However, run condition 2 used cold flood water at a temperature of 27° C., to give a diluted slurry having a final temperature of 40° C. (i.e., actual PSV temperature), and run condition 3 used cold flood water having an even lower temperature of 10° C. to give a diluted slurry temperature of 36° C.
Surprisingly, the results in Table 3, in particular, the percent bitumen recovery (rejects free) values, show that the use of lower flood water temperatures did not result in lower rejects free bitumen recovery but rather the rejects free bitumen recovery remained comparatively constant as the temperature of the flood water decreased. Rejects free bitumen recovery was 98.5% when using run condition 1 and 98.6% when using the coldest flood water of run condition 3. Hence, by using cold flood water, the cost of thermal energy is reduced without a reduction in the rejects free bitumen recovery.
Run condition 6 uses an oil sand slurry temperature at the lower end of the temperature range of the LEE process as described above. Pipeline slurry temperature in this run is 25° C. and flood water temperature is around 55° C. to give a diluted slurry having a temperature around 35° C. Rejects free bitumen recovery using the LEE process at the lower temperature range was 94.4%.
The pipeline slurry temperature in run condition 7 was also 25° C., as in run condition 6. However, in this run, cold flood water at a temperature of 10° C. was used instead of hot water to give a diluted slurry having a final temperature of 23° C. Surprisingly, the use of cold flood water did not significantly reduce the rejects free bitumen recovery (i.e., 93.2% in run 7 versus 94.4% for run 6). Thus, the rejects free bitumen recovery using the LEE process was not significantly affected by the use of cold flood water.
Run condition 4 uses an oil sand slurry temperature at the upper end of the temperature range of the LEE process. Pipeline slurry temperature is 35° C. and flood water temperature is around 55° C. to give a diluted slurry having a temperature around 40° C. Rejects free bitumen recoveries using the LEE process at the higher temperature were improved from those in run condition 6 (i.e., 97.6% for run 5 versus 94.4% for run 6). This is likely due to better pipeline conditioning when higher slurry temperatures are used.
Run condition 5 also used a pipeline slurry temperature of 35° C., as in run condition 4. However, in this run, cold flood water at a temperature of 10° C., was used instead of hot water to give a diluted slurry having a final temperature of 29° C. Once again, the use of cold flood water did not result in a decrease in rejects free bitumen recoveries; the rejects free bitumen recoveries were the same for run conditions 4 and 5. Thus, the rejects free bitumen recoveries were not affected by use of cold flood water to dilute the conditioned slurry.
One of the most surprising observations came from the comparison of run condition 6 and run condition 3. The overall heat inputs were the same for these two runs. However, the rejects free bitumen recoveries were significantly different. Run condition 6, using the LEE process, gave a rejects free bitumen recovery of only 94.4%. However, using essentially the same thermal energy, run condition 3 gave a rejects free bitumen recovery of 98.6%, an increase of more than 4%. Those in the industry will appreciate the economic significance of such an increase in overall bitumen recovery.
Further when comparing the results obtained in run 3 and run 6, it should also be noted that increased temperature during slurry preparation (as in run 3) resulted in reduced reject bitumen losses (i.e., 2.1% in run 3 versus 8.0% in run 6) and, consequently, even greater gains in overall bitumen recovery (i.e., 96.5 % in run 3 versus 86.9 % in run 6). Yet, the process in run 3 is still a low energy process.
In summary, the results in Table 3, and, in particular, the comparison of runs 3 and 6, demonstrate that, by redistributing the overall thermal energy input up front in the slurry mixing step, improved bitumen recovery can be obtained without expending any additional thermal energy.
Oil Sand 2 having the composition as shown in Table 1 was also tested to see what effect, if any, the redistribution of available heat would have on the rejects free bitumen recovery. The parameters tested and the results for 6 separate conditions are shown in Table 4.
Target Pipeline Slurry Temperature (° C.) 45 45 35 35 25 25
Actual Pipeline Slurry Temperature (° C.) 45 44 35 35 25 25
Pipeline Slurry Density (g/cc) 1.58 1.58 1.58 1.58 1.58 1.58
Flood Water Temperature (° C.) 55 10 55 10 55 10
Target PSV Temperature (° C.) >45 <45 42 <35 >25 <25
Actual PSV Temperature (° C.) 47 36 41 30 34 24
Target Underwash Water Temperature (° C.) 60 60 60 60 60 60
Bitumen Recovery 98.0 98.6 97.4 95.7 91.6 92.6
Bitumen Recovery (Rejects free) (%) 98.7 98.9 98.4 97.8 97.2 97.4
Rejects Bitumen Loss (%) 0.7 0.3 0.9 2.2 5.8 4.9
PSV Froth Bitumen (%) 62.0 59.9 59.2 65.5 73.0 64.9
PSV Froth Solid (%) 15.1 15.4 16.8 17.3 13.6 14.0
PSV Middlings Bitumen (%) 0.31 0.33 0.50 0.48 1.33 1.85
PSV Tails Bitumen (%) 0.11 0.07 0.13 0.18 0.22 0.19
Flotation Unit Bitumen Recovery (%) 95.5 69.8 87.8 87.2 95.2 90.9
Flotation Tails Bitumen (%) 0.02 0.13 0.07 0.08 0.09 0.19
The results shown in Table 4 confirm that the use of cold flood water when extracting bitumen from oil sand with either the warm slurry extraction process (run condition 1) or the LEE process (run condition 3 and 5) does not result in reduced rejects free bitumen recovery. In fact, when one again compares run condition 5 with run condition 2, where the overall heat inputs were the same, the use of the thermal energy up front when preparing the pipeline slurry resulted in an increase in rejects free bitumen recovery. Run condition 5, the LEE process at the lower temperature range, gave a rejects free bitumen recovery of 97.2%. However, using essentially the same thermal energy, run condition 2 gave a rejects free bitumen recovery of 98.9%, an increase of 1.6%. Such an increase in rejects free bitumen recovery is still economically significant.
As was the case in example 1, increased temperature during slurry preparation in run 2 also resulted in reduced reject bitumen losses and therefore further gains in overall bitumen recovery (i.e., 98.6% in run 2 versus 91.6% in run 5).
The effect of increasing pipeline slurry density on extraction performance using Oil Sand 1 was determined using the improved low energy extraction process of run condition 3 of Table 3. Results are shown in Table 5.
Effects of Increasing Pipeline Slurry Density Using Oil Sand 1
Target Pipeline Slurry Temperature (° C.) 45 45
Actual Pipeline Slurry Temperature (° C.) 44 45
Pipeline Slurry Density (g/cc) 1.58 1.65
Flood Water Temperature (° C.) 10 10
Target PSV Temperature (° C.) <45 32
Actual PSV Temperature (° C.) 36 34
Target Underwash Water Temperature (° C.) 60 60
Bitumen Recovery 96.5 95.6
Bitumen Recovery (Rejects free) (%) 98.6 95.9
Rejects Bitumen Loss (%) 2.1 0.3
PSV Froth Bitumen (%) 56.2 48.6
PSV Froth Solid (%) 15.4 16.4
PSV Middlings Bitumen (%) 0.10 9.20
PSV Tails Bitumen (%) 0.10 0.23
Flotation Unit Bitumen Recovery (%) 26.9 94.8
Flotation Tails Bitumen (%) 0.08 0.59
Increasing the density of the pipeline slurry from 1.58 g/cc to 1.65 g/cc resulted in significant increase in PSV middlings bitumen content (from 0.1 to 9.2%). Overall bitumen recovery was not significantly reduced due to good performance of flotation and middlings displacement. However, in commercial practice, the flotation system may not work as efficiently. Thus, a high middling bitumen content may result in higher bitumen losses.
Increasing the density of the pipeline slurry from 1.58 g/cc to 1.65 g/cc, however, resulted in a decrease in rejects free bitumen recovery of 2.7 %. Thus, a slurry density of 1.58 g/cc resulted in better rejects free bitumen recovery.
Effects of Increasing Pipeline Slurry Density Using
Oil Sand 2
Increasing the density of the pipeline slurry from 1.58 g/cc to 1.65 g/cc resulted in significant increase in PSV middlings bitumen content (from 0.33 to 7.77%). Further, the rejects free bitumen recovery was reduced from 98.9% to 96.5%. Once again, a slurry density of 1.58 g/cc resulted in better bitumen recovery.
The effect of decreasing pipeline slurry density on extraction performance using Oil Sand 2 was determined using a target pipeline slurry temperature of 27° C. Results are shown in Table 7.
Effects of Decreasing Pipeline Slurry Density Using
Flood Water Temperature (° C.) 47 4
Flooded Slurry Density (g/cc) 1.46 1.46
Target Underwash Water Temperature (° C.) N/A 47
Decreasing the density of the pipeline slurry from 1.58 g/cc to 1.49 g/cc resulted in a reduction of rejects free bitumen recovery from 98.6% to 96.6%. Again, a slurry density of 1.58 g/cc resulted in better overall bitumen recovery.
Turning now to FIG. 3, a schematic is shown of an industrial scale system for practicing the invention.
More particularly, oil sand is surface mined and fed into a primary crusher 30 of the double roller type, to reduce the oversize to less than 24″. The crushed oil sand is carried by conveyer to surge pile 34 of oil sand. Oil sand from surge pile 34 is fed by conveyer 36 to a mix box 38, comprising a plurality of inclined plates 40. Hot slurry water is also added to the mix box to form an oil sand slurry. Mixing can also occur in a cyclofeeder as is known in the art.
Product slurry 54 leaves the bottom outlet 56 of mix box 38 and passes through screen 42 and, optionally, more hot slurry water is added. Product slurry enters a pump box 52 and rejects 44 are fed to an impact crusher 46 and screened again through screen 48. Oversize rejects 58 are discarded but screened material enters pump box 50, where more hot slurry water is added and then oil sand slurry is pumped into pump box 52.
Oil sand slurry in pump box 52 is then pumped by a series of pumps 60 through conditioning pipeline 62 and, optionally, air, frother and other process aids may be added. Conditioned oil sand slurry is then pumped via pump through a second section 66 of pipeline where cold flood water is added and, optionally, more air is added. Diluted slurry is then introduced into primary separation vessel 68 and retained under quiescent conditions, to allow the solids to settle and the bitumen froth to float to the top. A froth underwash of hot water is added directly beneath the layer of bitumen froth to aid in the separation. Bitumen froth, which is called primary froth, is removed from the top of the primary separation vessel 68 and then deaerated in froth deaerator 72. Once deaerated, primary froth is retained in froth tank 74.
Middlings from primary separation vessel 68 are removed and undergo flotation in flotation cells 70 to produce secondary froth. Secondary froth is recycled back to the primary separation vessel 68. Tailings, the solids, water, etc. that collects at the bottom of the primary separation vessel 68 are removed and deposited into tailings pond 76.
Previous Patent: Process for reducing the total acid number (TAN) of a liquid hydrocarbonaceous feedstock
Next Patent: Auxiliary agitator for a flotation device


AR Rahman says 2.0 is equal to eight films.
Epic Technology Group cemented its position as the country's premier Fintech solution provider by securing the coveted 'Overall Gold Award', 'Overall Bronze' and eight other accolades at the recently concluded 20thNational Best Quality ICT Awards 2018 (NBQSA)conducted by the Sri Lankan chapter of the BCS The Chartered Institute for IT.
Iinternational agencies and foreign countries are keeping close tab on the country's present political situation .
Sri Lanka's export earnings grew by 5.8 per cent (year-on-year) to US dollars 7,842 million during the first eight months this year while imports increased by 10.9 percent , Central Bank's weekly economic review revealed.


Settlement Agreement: In the Matter of Nixon Lau et al.
NIXON LAU, INCOME STRATEGIX HOLDINGS LTD.
1. The Ontario Securities Commission (the "Commission") will issue a Notice of Hearing to announce that it will hold a hearing to consider whether, pursuant to sections 127 and 127.1 of the Securities Act, R.S.O. 1990, c. S-5, as amended (the "Act"), it is in the public interest for the Commission to make certain orders in respect of Nixon Lau, Income Strategix Holdings Ltd., Income Strategix L.P., Income Strategix A-Class L.P., and Income Strategix I-Class L.P. (the "Respondents").
2. Staff of the Commission ("Staff") agree to recommend settlement of the proceeding commenced by the Notice of Hearing (the "Proceeding") against the Respondents according to the terms and conditions set out in Part VI of this Settlement Agreement (the "Settlement Agreement"). The Respondents agree to the making of an order in the form attached as Schedule "A" (the "Order"), based on the facts set out below.
3. For the purposes of this Proceeding, and any other regulatory proceeding commenced by a securities regulatory authority, the Respondents agree with the facts as set out in Part III and the conclusion in Part IV of this Settlement Agreement.
4. Between July 2007 and September 2012, the Respondents Nixon Lau ("Lau") and Income Strategix Holdings Ltd. ("Income Strategix") engaged in the business of trading, and acted as a dealer in respect of, securities of investment funds being the Respondents Income Strategix L.P., Income Strategix A-Class L.P., and Income Strategix I-Class L.P. (collectively, the "Income Strategix Funds") without being registered in a category that permits such activity, and sold securities of the Income Strategix Funds through illegal distributions to investors in Ontario. As well, Lau and Income Strategix acted as the investment fund manager and portfolio manager of the Income Strategix Funds without being registered as was required in the circumstances with the requirement to register as an investment fund manager coming into place on September 28, 2009.
b. after the Income Strategix Funds stopped raising funds in September 2012, failing to provide investors a clear indication of what happened to their money or that their money had been lost, including promising some investors additional future payments should they agree to delay their request for the withdrawal of their investment.
6. Income Strategix is an Ontario corporation. Income Strategix is the general partner of the Income Strategix Funds, which are all Ontario limited partnerships (collectively, the "Income Strategix Entities").
7. Lau is a resident of Mississauga, Ontario. At all times relevant to this proceeding, Lau was the directing mind of each of the Income Strategix Entities; Lau was the sole officer and director for each of the Income Strategix Entities; Lau was the sole signing authority on all of the Income Strategix Entities' bank accounts; and, Lau was the sole individual responsible for all trading decisions, execution of trades and wire transfers in and out of the Income Strategix Entities' trading accounts.
8. At all times relevant to this proceeding, none of the Respondents were registered in any capacity with the Commission. Prior to the relevant period, Lau was registered as a mutual fund salesperson from June 30, 2004 to March 27, 2006.
9. Lau conceived of and set up the Income Strategix Funds.
10. Lau and Income Strategix marketed the Income Strategix Funds to the public through a number of seminars held in the Greater Toronto Area, through one-on-one or small group meetings, and through a web page that was available to and accessed by the public.
11. Lau and Income Strategix dealt directly with all of investors who invested in the Income Strategix Funds.
12. Lau and Income Strategix marketed units of the Income Strategix Funds to the public on the basis that the investments made would be professionally managed by Lau and Income Strategix, and on the basis of a stated investment policy -- primarily to hedge risk with publicly traded securities, options and futures. Investors were told among other things that, as a result of the investment strategy to be used by the Income Strategix Funds, the investors would "[m]ake money in any market condition, up, down, or sideways" and would be earning superior returns.
13. Investors were told by Lau and Income Strategix, and in a limited partnership agreement entitled "The Club Charter", which Lau provided investors, that investors could redeem their investment at the net asset value per unit provided the investment was left in place for a minimum of four months. Lau and Income Strategix also told the investors that their principal investment was guaranteed.
14. In exchange for their investment in the Income Strategix Funds, Lau and Income Strategix caused the Income Strategix Funds to issue promissory notes (the "Promissory Notes") to investors at the time of their investment. Lau signed all of the Promissory Notes. The Promissory Notes promised, among other things, that the investor was guaranteed upon withdrawal the greater of their principal investment or "the market value of the Security units" the investor purchased in the Income Strategix Funds.
15. The Promissory Notes are securities as that term is defined in subsection 1(1) of the Act including, but not limited to, that set out in clauses (e), (f), and (n) under the definition of "security" in subsection 1(1) of the Act.
16. The investors' funds were pooled in the Income Strategix Funds. The Income Strategix Funds had full discretion to buy and sell investments made by the Income Strategix Funds.
17. The Income Strategix Funds investors were told by Lau and Income Strategix that their money would be professionally managed by Lau and Income Strategix rather than the investors having to make their own decisions about investing in individual securities. The Income Strategix Funds did not seek to obtain control of or become involved in the management of companies in which they invested.
18. Lau and Income Strategix received compensation as a result of selling units of the Income Strategix Funds to investors and for managing the Income Strategix Funds. Through the period up to September 2012, the efforts of Lau and Income Strategix were devoted primarily to these activities.
19. Between July 2007 and September 2012, over 70 individual or family investors invested in the Income Strategix Funds. Collectively, these investors invested approximately $5.4 million in the Income Strategix Funds.
20. From at least between July 2007 and September 2012, Lau and the Income Strategix engaged in and held themselves out to be engaged in the business of trading in securities to the public. In marketing and selling the units of Income Strategix Funds to the public, Lau and Income Strategix were acting as a dealer.
21. Lau and Income Strategix acted as the portfolio manager for the Income Strategix Funds. They provided specific advice to the Income Strategix investors and the Income Strategix Funds. Lau caused and directed all trades in the Income Strategix Entities' trading accounts. All of the investment decisions for the Income Strategix Funds were made and implemented by Lau and Income Strategix.
22. As such, Lau and Income Strategix engaged in and held themselves out to be engaged in the business of advising with respect to investing in, buying or selling securities. Among other things, the advisory activity took the form of exercising full discretion in the trading in the Income Strategix Funds trading accounts.
23. Lau and Income Strategix acted as the investment fund manager for the Income Strategix Funds. Lau and Income Strategix organized and directed the business, operations and affairs of the Income Strategix Funds. They organized the Income Strategix Funds and were responsible for their management and administration.
24. Lau and Income Strategix failed to meet any of the requirements, obligations, or duties of a dealer, adviser, or investment fund manager. Among other things, they maintained deficient and, in most instances, no books and records necessary for the proper recording of the Income Strategix Entities' business, trading, and financial transactions and financial affairs.
25. There was no exemption available to Lau or Income Strategix from the requirements of subsections 25(1), 25(3), or 25(4) of the Act or their predecessor sections.
26. Lau and Income Strategix told investors that they were going to participate in an investment club. The dealer registration exemption for a private investment club did not apply to the trades described above, because, among other things, the Income Strategix Funds had more than fifty beneficial security holders, they distributed their securities to the public, and they paid remuneration for investment management and administration advice in respect of the trades in the securities.
27. The Promissory Notes had not been previously issued.
28. No prospectus or preliminary prospectus was filed with the Commission and no receipt for them has ever been issued by the Director as required by subsection 53(1) of the Act with respect to the trades of the Promissory Notes. During the period relevant to this proceeding, the Respondents never filed a prospectus with the Commission.
29. No exemption from the requirements of section 53 of the Act was available to the Respondents.
30. Beginning by at least 2010, Lau and Income Strategix took steps to prevent discovery by and to not disclose to Income Strategix Funds investors that the Income Strategix Funds were losing money and were not producing actual returns, and to show the Income Strategix Funds were paying expected returns. Despite the loss in value, Lau and Income Strategix continued to pay distributions or report an accrual of distributions to investors as though the Income Strategix Funds were producing actual returns. By at least 2012, Lau and Income Strategix knew they were using funds raised from new investors to make distributions to earlier investors.
31. Among other things, depending on the nature of their investment, investors were provided monthly distributions or statements showing an increase in the value of their units when in fact the Income Strategix Funds were incurring a loss. As well, Lau and Income Strategix presented inaccurate information in this respect by way of the investors' online accounts on the Income Strategix website and in presentations Lau gave to investors at annual meetings.
32. When Lau and Income Strategix did not have enough new investor funds to make distributions to existing Income Strategix Funds investors in September 2012, Lau sent emails to investors in which Lau told investors that Ontario regulators had frozen the accounts of the Income Strategix Funds. Lau led investors to believe that the reason for the cease trade/freeze was because an investor requested a withdrawal and when Lau did not provide it, the investor complained. Emails from Lau to investors in the fall of 2013 referred to investigations being conducted by an additional regulator. Lau knew these emails were not true. Lau sent the emails to hold off investors who were seeking redemptions.
33. After the Income Strategix Funds stopped raising funds in September 2012, Lau and Income Strategix did not provide investors a clear indication of what happened to their money or that their money had been lost. When Lau and Income Strategix began to repay the investors, they promised some investors additional future payments should they agree to delay their request for the withdrawal of their investment.
34. Lau's and Income Strategix's conduct described above caused deprivation to the investors in the Income Strategix Funds. Investors invested their money and some investors chose to not redeem their investments based on the representations made by Lau and Income Strategix as set out above. From the moment of their investment, each investor's pecuniary interests were at risk from then on, and, in fact, many lost their investments.
35. At least 22 individual or family investors have not received a return of their principal investment. The amount of principal owing to these investors at the date of the Notice of Hearing is at least $1,048,803.93.
36. During the relevant period, Lau as a director and/or officer of the Income Strategix authorized, permitted or acquiesced in Income Strategix's non-compliance with Ontario securities law.
37. The conduct described above was contrary to the fundamental purposes and principles of the Act found in subsections 1.1 and 2.1 of the Act. The Respondents engaged in unfair and improper practices, which harmed investors who invested in the Income Strategix Funds, and which impugned the integrity of Ontario's capital markets.
38. The misconduct described above establishing breaches of sections 25, 53 and 126.1(1) of the Act (and their predecessor sections), and the conduct contrary to the public interest described above, are part of a course of conduct by the Respondents with a continuity of purpose that extended into the limitation period.
f. Lau as a director and/or officer of the Income Strategix authorized, permitted or acquiesced in the Income Strategix's non-compliance with Ontario securities law as set out above, and accordingly, failed to comply with Ontario securities law contrary to section 129.2 of the Act.
a. Lau advises that he initiated his activities in 2007 as an investment club for close friends and family after successfully trading options for his own account. Lau acknowledges that while a number of investors received their principal back, his course of conduct led to losses for the remaining 22 individual or family investors. Lau advises that he accepts full responsibility for his conduct and is extremely remorseful.
b. Lau advises that, prior to Lau being aware of Staff's investigation and since September 2012, Lau began to repay the amounts outstanding from his personal assets and/or earnings. Lau advises that to date, more than $4.2 million has been repaid to investors and the majority of investors have received their principal back. Lau further advises that he has paid a significant amount of funds to investors, in the hundreds of thousands of dollars, from his personal assets and/or earnings. Lau advises that he has repaid these amounts through his employment but also by selling personal assets, including his family home, and borrowing money from his parents who mortgaged their home to assist their son.
c. While Lau will not be making a payment at the time this Settlement Agreement is approved, Lau advises that this is because he has used his available funds to repay investors. Between April 2016 and May 2017, Lau repaid Income Strategix investors $181,478.92.
d. Lau advises that he acknowledges that a further $1,048,803.93 remains outstanding. Lau advises that he is committed to paying these further amounts in an effort to make amends as much as possible for his course of conduct.
e. When Lau initiated his activities in 2007, he was 27 years old. Lau advises that he now has a young family to support but is committed to work to repay investors the full amount of the remaining amounts still owing.
f. Lau advises that he has no prior disciplinary record.
(r) Lau's right to (i) call at any residence for the purpose of trading in securities or derivatives, or (ii) telephone from within Ontario to any residence within or outside Ontario for the purpose of trading in securities or derivatives, is cancelled, pursuant to subsection 37(1) of the Act.
c. particulars of all rental or property management income or revenue expected to be earned by Income Strategix or Lau and his companies in the three years following the date of the Statement of Financial Condition.
d. should the tax returns of Income Strategix and Lau (including any tax returns of his companies) show that Lau earned, directly or indirectly, net income less taxes payable in any year in excess of $135,000, then to use such excess to pay back Income Strategix Funds investors in the manner set out in the following paragraph unless an amount equivalent to the disgorgement amount set out in paragraph 41(p) has been repaid.
b. further, to prevent collection steps, by July 1, 2018 and by July 1 of each following year, Lau and/or Income Strategix must provide proof to Staff that they have repaid at least $150,000 to the Income Strategix Funds investors without preference and pro rata to the amount owing to each investor as set out in the Income Strategix Funds Investors Schedule that is attached to the Settlement Agreement and which will be provided to the Commission at the confidential settlement conference and the public settlement hearing, but which will not be made public. The Income Strategix Funds Investors Schedule was prepared based on information provided by Lau and Income Strategix; it does not represent a finding of fact, a determination of liability, or an allocation or distribution of disgorged funds by the Commission.
45. Should Lau and/or Income Strategix not comply with the Undertakings, fail to make the repayments or provide proof to Staff of the repayments as required by paragraphs 43 and 44, or fail to provide the updated Statements of Financial Condition or tax returns in accordance with paragraph 43, the Commission may commence collection efforts on the full amount of the payments set out in subparagraphs 41(o), (p), and (q) less any amounts satisfied by repayments made and proven to Staff in accordance with this paragraph. Should the disgorgement amount set out in subparagraph 41(p) be satisfied, and the administrative monetary penalty or the costs award set out in subparagraphs 41(o) and (q) remain unsatisfied, then the Commission may commence collection efforts.
46. The Respondents undertake to consent to a regulatory Order made by any provincial or territorial securities regulatory authority in Canada containing any or all of the prohibitions set out in sub-paragraphs 41(a) to (n) and (r) above. These prohibitions may be modified to reflect the provisions of the relevant provincial or territorial securities law.
47. The Respondents agree to attend in person at the hearing before the Commission to consider the proposed settlement.
48. Lau and Income Strategix acknowledge that failure to pay the amounts set out in subparagraphs 41(o), (p), or (q) in accordance with the requirements of paragraph 44 will result in the Respondents' names being added to the list of "Respondents Delinquent in Payment of Commission Orders" published on the Commission website.
49. The Respondents acknowledge that this Settlement Agreement and proposed Order may form the basis for parallel orders in other jurisdictions in Canada. The securities laws of some other Canadian jurisdictions may allow orders made in this matter to take effect in those other jurisdictions automatically, without further notice to the Respondents. The Respondents undertake to contact the securities regulator of any other jurisdiction in which they may intend to engage in any securities-- or derivatives-related activities, prior to undertaking such activities.
50. If the Commission approves this Settlement Agreement, Staff will not commence any proceeding under Ontario securities law against the Respondents in relation to the facts set out in Part III of this Settlement Agreement, subject to the provisions of paragraphs 51 and 52 below.
51. If the Commission approves this Settlement Agreement and the Respondents fail to comply with any of the terms of the Settlement Agreement, Staff may bring proceedings under Ontario securities law against the Respondents. These proceedings may be based on, but need not be limited to, the facts set out in Part III of this Settlement Agreement as well as the breach of the Settlement Agreement. In addition, if this Settlement Agreement is approved by the Commission, and Lau or Income Strategix fail to comply with the terms of the Settlement Agreement, the Commission is entitled to bring any proceedings necessary to recover the amounts set out in paragraphs 41 (o), (p) and (q) above.
52. Staff have relied in part upon representations by the Respondents that Lau and Income Strategix raised approximately $5.4 million from over 70 individual or family investors and that at least $1,048,803.93 remains to be repaid to approximately 22 individual or family investors. Should materially more money have been raised, materially more investors have been involved, materially more investors remain unpaid, or materially more remain unpaid to investors than as set out here, then Staff may bring proceedings under Ontario securities law against the Respondents despite this Settlement Agreement.
53. The parties will seek approval of this Settlement Agreement at a public hearing before the Commission, which shall be held on a date determined by the Secretary to the Commission in accordance with this Settlement Agreement and the Commission's Rules of Procedure.
54. Staff and the Respondents agree that this Settlement Agreement will form all of the agreed facts that will be submitted at the settlement hearing on the Respondents' conduct, unless the parties agree that additional facts should be submitted at the settlement hearing.
55. If the Commission approves this Settlement Agreement, the Respondents agree to waive all rights to a full hearing, judicial review or appeal of this matter under the Act.
56. If the Commission approves this Settlement Agreement, no party will make any public statement that is inconsistent with this Settlement Agreement or with any additional agreed facts submitted at the settlement hearing.
57. Whether or not the Commission approves this Settlement Agreement, the Respondents will not use, in any proceeding, this Settlement Agreement or the negotiation or process of approval of this Settlement Agreement as the basis for any attack on the Commission's jurisdiction, alleged bias, alleged unfairness, or any other remedies or challenges that may otherwise be available.
(b) Staff and the Respondents will each be entitled to all available proceedings, remedies and challenges, including proceeding to a hearing of the allegations contained in the Statement of Allegations. Any proceedings, remedies and challenges will not be affected by this Settlement Agreement, or by any discussions or negotiations relating to this agreement.
59. All parties will keep the terms of the Settlement Agreement confidential until the Commission approves the Settlement Agreement, subject to the parties' need to make submissions during the public hearing.
60. This Settlement Agreement may be signed in one or more counterparts which, together, constitute a binding agreement.
61. A facsimile copy or other electronic copy of any signature will be as effective as an original signature.
Dated at Toronto, ON this 9th day of June, 2017.
"Counsel, Janice Wright and Greg Temelini, Wright Temelini LLP"
I am authorized to bind the corporation.
I am authorized to bind the limited partnership.
Dated at Toronto this 13th day of June, 2017.
IN THE MATTER OF NIXON LAU, INCOME STRATEGIX HOLDINGS LTD., INCOME STRATEGIX L.P., INCOME STRATEGIX A-CLASS L.P. and INCOME STRATEGIX I-CLASS L.P.
WHEREAS on [date], the Ontario Securities Commission held a hearing at the offices of the Commission, located at 20 Queen Street West, 17th Floor, Toronto, Ontario, to consider whether it is in the public interest to approve a settlement agreement entered into between Staff of the Commission (Staff) and Nixon Lau (Lau), Income Strategix Holdings Ltd. (Income Strategix), Income Strategix L.P., Income Strategix A-Class L.P., and Income Strategix I-Class L.P. (the Respondents) in relation to the allegations set out in the Statement of Allegations of Staff dated [date] (the Statement of Allegations).
IN THE MATTER OF THE SECURITIES ACT, R.S.O. 1990, c. S.5, AS AMENDED AND IN THE MATTER OF NIXON LAU, INCOME STRATEGIX HOLDINGS LTD., INCOME STRATEGIX L.P., INCOME STRATEGIX A-CLASS L.P. and INCOME STRATEGIX I-CLASS L.P.
1. These Undertakings are given in connection with the settlement agreement dated June 9, 2017 (the "Settlement Agreement") between Nixon Lau, Income Strategix Holdings Ltd., Income Strategix L.P., Income Strategix A-Class L.P., and Income Strategix I-Class L.P. and Staff of the Commission. All terms shall have the same meanings in these Undertakings as in the Settlement Agreement.
(d) should the tax returns of Income Strategix and Lau (including any tax returns of his companies) show that Lau earned, directly or indirectly, net income less taxes payable in any year in excess of $135,000, then to use such excess to pay back Income Strategix Funds investors in the manner set out in paragraph 44 of the Settlement Agreement unless an amount equivalent to the disgorgement amount set out in paragraph 41(p) of the Settlement Agreement has been repaid.


To educate youngsters by a robot with easy and funny process is acceptable to all. For this reason, a robot called Edison has developed by Thomas Alva, and it is a palm size, but with orange color, and a good program. It is also well matched with the actual Lego bricks that is proposed as a reasonable introduction to robotics and programming. The Edison robot has developed by Microbric which is an Australian company.
The robot implies the spirit of invention. It has a sensor host and can run on software of open source. The entire small robot is programmable and can interact via transmitters of IR and receivers around the world. It is also featured with a line tracking, barcode reading, a music player, and sound detection system. This bot can communicate with one another over IR, and programmed for controlling via DVD and TV remotes.
Generally, it can store one program for a single period, but when it drives over barricades, it can prompt various pre-programmed functions. Therefore, it provides a very simple process for chaining up the interactions for the robot. You will be surprised to know that the price of it is only US$36.


text:
Monday's Transfer Rumor Roundup: Otamendi to Manchester City, De Gea to stay
By Joe Prince-WrightAug 17, 2015, 12:03 PM EDT
According to Sky Sports, Nicolas Otamendi is in Manchester having a medical and will sign for Manchester City in a $45 million deal from Valencia.
Otamendi, 27, has been linked with a move to Manchester United all summer but Louis van Gaal has never publicly declared his interest in the central defender and he now looks set to join their neighbors. Otamendi is an imposing center back who is also composed on the ball and he will likely partner Vincent Kompany in the heart of City's defense. But after the impressive start to this season by City's backline, and in particular young central defender Eliaquim Mangala who has been key to two shutout wins, Otamendi may have to wait for a chance to show what he can do.
Separate reports claimed that Mangala would be heading to Valencia on loan as part of the deal for Otamendi, but that doesn't appear to be happening. It is believed that City have instead negotiated with Valencia over the fee for signing their former striker Alvaro Negredo.
We bought you the news earlier via the Daily Mirror, David de Gea could stay at Manchester United this season with Real Madrid offering him a $18 million signing on fee to sit tight at Old Trafford and join them on a free transfer next summer. De Gea, 24, has just one-year left on his current deal with the Red Devils and has watched their first two games of the season from the sidelines as Van Gaal claims he is not focused enough to play. A stunt like this is well within De Gea's rights but will likely infuriate United's directors, manager and fans.
Finally, the Liverpool Echo claims that Everton is interested in signing Ukraine playmaker Andriy Yarmolenko. The 25-year-old currently plays for Dynamo Kiev but he has already publicly stated he wants to move on from the only club he has ever played for. At 6 foot 2 inches he is a towering attacker but is great on the ball which Roberto Martinez praised following the Toffees being knocked out by Kiev in the Europa League last 16 in 2014-15.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Rifles Lever-Action
Review: Marlin Model 336 Texan Deluxe .30-30 Win.
January 29, 2019 By Layne Simpson
Shooting Marlin's recently reintroduced Texan version of the grand old Model 336 took me back to an innocent time when the majority of deer hunters in my neck of the woods carried lever-action rifles with exposed hammers, and most stuck with open sights.
The Winchester 94 in .32 Special I used to bag my first deer belonged to one of my father's hunting pals. Its rear sight was standard issue, but up front was a small steel ball suspended inside a hood by a couple of small horizontal rods. I had never fired the rifle, but when a buck eventually sauntered by at about 40 yards, it seemed natural to simply center the ball in the rear notch, close my eyes and yank the trigger. Much to my surprise, our supply of venison was in the bag.
When the time came to have a rifle of my very own, I chose a Marlin 336. It was the Sporting Carbine with a curved grip and a two-thirds-length magazine hanging beneath its 20-inch barrel. It wore a Weaver K2.5 scope. In those days the .30-30 was still king of deer cartridges, but I marched to the beat of the .35 Rem. drummer.
The Model 336 Texan I bought several years later—also in .35 Rem.—was given that name because, Marlin's advertising said its straight-grip stock made the rifle "perfect for carrying in a saddle scabbard." While I did not have a horse, it sounded like a grand adventure to me.
The Texan Deluxe is treated to embellishments like Marlin's "standing guard" cowboy in gold, a gold-plated trigger and engraving on the receiver. The gold rear sight is an aftermarket model Simpson installed—not a factory or factory-option sight.
In those days scopes had a tendency to fog up, so the Texan with a Lyman 66 aperture-style sight attached to its receiver was my foul-weather partner. Both rifles accounted for quite a few deer, and one of several black bears taken with the Texan was so good that several decades of hunting them passed before I would take a bigger one.
The original Texan was introduced in 1954 and was produced in a number of variations for about 40 years. During that period, it wore barrel lengths of 16.25, 18.5 and 20 inches. It was available in .30-30, .35 Rem. and .44 Rem. Mag. The magazine tube of the 16.25-inch version held five .30-30 cartridges versus six for the magazines of the two longer barrels.
During 1963 and 1964, those with 16.25-inch barrels went by the handle Model 336 Marauder, and a friend of mine bought one in .35 Rem. The Marauder moniker was dropped due to political correctness, but the same carbine later came back to life as the Model 336 Lightweight.
Marlin changed from Ballard-style to Micro-Groove rifling in 1956, so with the exception of those built during 1954 and 1955, all Texan rifles will have barrels with 12 lands and grooves. Some receivers had a brass saddle ring while others did not.
If your Texan has a cross-bolt safety on its receiver, it was built after 1983. If it has a "gold-plated" trigger, it was built prior to 1982. The Deluxe Texan differed from the standard rifle by fancier wood and the head of a longhorn steer and a map of Texas hand-carved into its stock. Its $97 price was $10 higher than the standard Texan, and the difference in price would buy two boxes of .35 Rem. ammo.
The rifle features what Marlin calls B-grade walnut, and it exhibited a bit of figuring. Unlike other Model 336s, there is no checkering on the buttstock or the fore-end.
Breech lockup of the Model 336 action is simple and sturdy. Closing the finger lever elevates the locking bolt at the rear of the receiver into engagement with a deep slot on the underside of the breech bolt.
The Model 336 is a descendant of the Model 1893, and in those days firearms makers were not a bit bashful about firing the occasional broadside in the direction of a competitor. One of several safety features described in a Marlin flyer was described as "a safety firing pin not found in Winchester rifles."
The firing pin is in two pieces with a strong spring pushing the rear section downward and out of alignment with the front section when the action is open. The end of the rear section of the pin extends into the locking slot of the breech bolt. As the top end of the locking bolt moves into engagement with that slot, it pushes the rear section of the firing pin into alignment with the front section. This prevents the firing pin from moving forward until the action is completely locked.
In addition to that, a trigger stop pin prevents the trigger from being pulled until the finger lever is in its full-lock position. A cross-bolt safety that prevents the hammer from reaching the firing pin when the action is closed was added to the Model 336 in 1984.
Down through the decades, the accuracy of many lever-action rifles has been destroyed by cleaning the barrel from its muzzle end. One of the very best design features of the Model 336 action is the ease of partial disassembly for cleaning its bore from the chamber end of the barrel. This also exposes the interior of the receiver and its parts for cleaning and lubrication. A cleaning rod guide made specifically for the Model 336 is available from Sinclair International.
The front sight features a white bead and sits in a dovetail. The full-length magazine holds six rounds of .30-30, the only chambering in which it's offered.
Begin field-stripping by making sure the magazine is empty and opening the finger lever just enough to unlock the action and cock the hammer. After using a small screwdriver to remove its threaded pivot pin, the lever is free to be pulled downward and out of the receiver.
Place the rifle left-side down in your lap or atop a padded work bench. Then grasp the breech bolt by its rear end and begin slowly pulling it from the receiver. Just as the nose of the bolt reaches the rear end of the ejection port, stop there and note that the ejector is in view in the left-hand wall of the receiver. Reach in with a finger, depress and hold down the ejector and remove the bolt entirely from the receiver. The ejector can then be pulled from its slot in the receiver wall.
Prior to installing the bolt, place the ejector in position with its alignment pin in a small hole through the receiver wall and hold it in its depressed position while sliding the bolt partway into the receiver. Once the nose of the bolt is at about the middle of the ejection port, push the finger lever back into engagement and install its pivot screw. The rifle is ready to shoot a deer.
The Model 336 Texan built by Marlin today is a bit fancier than the one I owned during my youth. Its metal finish is not as good as the old Model 336s in my gun room, but otherwise it is a cut above the appearance of most, and that begins with what the company describes as B-grade American walnut.
I am not familiar with Marlin's grading system, but my eyes told me the stock and fore-end of the Texan I shot had just enough contrasting figure to prompt the lover of walnut and blued steel to choose it over its plastic-stocked competition. The stock has a nicely executed satin finish and a thin rubber pad, but since the less-expensive Model 336C has machine-cut checkering on its stock and fore-end, I am surprised by its absence on the Texan Deluxe.
As it should be on any hunting rifle, front and rear posts await a sling with quick-attach swivels. And, yes, the stock has the black-and-white bullseye we all look for on a Marlin rifle.
Both sides of the receiver have touches of machine engraving, along with Marlin's ever-familiar horse and rider standing guard in gold. The Marble Arms semi-buckhorn rear sight is step-adjustable for elevation and drift-adjustable for windage. The front sight has a 0.120-inch white bead and is dovetailed directly to the barrel.
The Texan has a 20-inch barrel with 1:10 Micro-Groove rifling and is available only in .30-30 Win. Its tubular magazine holds six rounds. A tour with my Lyman Borescope revealed mostly smoothness inside the hammer-forged barrel with only a few light tool marks.
One advantage the Model 336 has over most other lever-action rifles is ease of field-stripping, which allows cleaning the bore from the chamber end.
Installing an aperture rear sight on the new Texan was not solely in the spirit of nostalgia. In addition to being more accurate than open sights and as accurate as a scope out to 200 yards or so, that type of sight does not spoil the handling qualities of the rifle. Its only downside is toward the end of the day it runs out of shooting light sooner than a scope.
The receivers of Marlin rifles are no longer drilled and tapped for a side-mounted receiver sight, but Andy Larsson at Skinner Sights offers excellent sights that utilize the holes drilled and tapped in the roof of the receiver. The Express version I chose is adjustable for windage but not elevation. It was high enough to see the front bead a bit over and through the deep notch of the factory sight with its elevator removed and since the rifle was not mine, I did not remove its sight.
During accuracy testing, all cartridges were loaded into the magazine, and not a single one failed to make a smooth trip to the chamber. The trigger broke at a consistent 5.25 pounds, which is plenty light for making a wintertime shot at a deer with the temperature so cold your feet went numb hours ago. There was no detectable creep or overtravel, and the trigger was surprisingly smooth for a lever-action rifle. The action innards were also slippery enough and will become even more so through years of use.
The Texan arrived during our monsoon season, so I had no choice but shoot it in anything but bluebird weather. The weather map indicated scattered light showers, but upon arrival at the range, I was greeted by a steady downpour and a temperature of 86 degrees. My only covered target frames are at 50 yards, so those were used. I loaded six rounds into the magazine, fired two three-shot groups, water-cooled the barrel and then fired two more groups with each of eight loads. Accuracy was more than good enough to take game to the outer fringes of the .30-30's effective range. The smallest single-group award (0.47 inch) went to Federal Non-Typical ammunition.
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The political, commercial and cultural dimensions of maritime strategy
Published 25 Oct 2013 16:00 0 Comments
Australia in the World
James Holmes is professor of strategy at the US Naval War College; these views are his alone. This post is part of a debate series arranged in conjunction with the Sea Power Centre.
Captain Justin Jones hits on a basic yet often overlooked point about the sea in his recent Interpreter post, namely that 'maritime' connotes far more than 'naval', and indeed far more than military uses of the oceans and the skies above.
A century ago, British historian Julian S Corbett broadened the idea of maritime strategy beyond battles in which fleets of heavily armed men-of-war pounded away at each other. Corbett pointed out that mankind lives on land, and therefore the primary focus of maritime strategy should be shaping events on land. For him that meant navies working with armies to project power into contested rimlands. Air forces have their part to play these days. It was heartening, accordingly, to see the Australian army and air force chiefs of staff lavish such attention on war at sea when they addressed the Sea Power Conference earlier this month.
American theorist Alfred Thayer Mahan took the idea of maritime strategy much further, even though he seldom used the term. For Mahan, commerce was king. The propensity to trade was a society's chief qualification for sea power. It beckoned peoples to the sea in quest of prosperity. Navies existed to help seafaring states gain access to foreign markets, and to put steel behind foreign policy.
Without seaborne commerce to defend, then, the sexiest fleet of capital ships flails around on the main, seeking battle for its own sake. It's a luxury fleet, to borrow Holger Herwig's moniker for the Imperial German navy. It's frightfully expensive yet largely purposeless.
And yet there's even more to maritime affairs than military strategy, commerce, or even politics. As King's College professor Geoffrey Till points out in his book Seapower, maritime strategy is also about extracting natural resources from the seas and the sea floor. It's even a mode of cultural interchange, as anyone who lives in a seaport frequented by foreign merchantmen and warships will tell you. That's why the lore of the sea — poetry, art, music — is so rich. That's why Robert Kaplan maintains that maritime civilizations are more cosmopolitan and more moderate than their continental brethren.
Encouraging not just officials and officers but Everyman to think in such all-encompassing terms is part of creating a maritime school of thought for Australia. Curiously, commercial and political uses of the commons are the most important for fulfilling national goals, yet cultural outreach is the best method for firing Everyman's enthusiasm for seaborne endeavours.
Australians could profitably investigate Henry Steele Commager's work on how founding Americans fabricated a national culture — including a seagoing strain — to bind together an unruly patchwork of states. Commager called this a 'usable past'. Likewise, figuring out how to harness culture for commercial and political purposes is the challenge before the RAN, the sister services, and the Australian Government.
Photo by Flickr user Royal Navy Media archive.
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Snowden and His Accomplices
The former NSA contractor, in league with journalist Glenn Greenwald and others, has exposed nothing illegal. He has done great harm.
Edward Snowden speaks about surveillance in a videoconference with European officials in Strasbourg, France, April 8.
frederick florin/Agence France-Presse/Getty Images
By Liam Fox
April 14, 2014 7:11 pm ET


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A record 201 National Olympic Committees (NOCs) participated in the Olympic Games. The overall tally for events on the programme was 301 (one more than at the Sydney Games in 2000).
Popularity in the Games also soared, as 3.9 billion people had access to the television coverage compared to 3.6 billion for Sydney. This global audience enjoyed coverage of never-before seen sports such as women's wrestling, which was included in the programme for the first time.
Records tumble
Swimmer Michael Phelps won six gold medals and set a single-Games record with eight total medals. Leontien Ziljaard-van Moorsel became the first female cyclist to earn four career gold medals, reaching a total of six Olympic medals, while canoeist Birgit Fischer became the first athlete in any sport to win two medals in each of five Olympic Games.
Memorable champions
Runner Hicham El Guerrouj won both the 1500m and the 5000m, while on the women's side Kelly Holmes triumphed in both the 800m and the 1500m. In team play, Argentina won the men's football tournament without conceding a goal, and the US softball team outscored their opponents by an aggregate score of 51-1.
NOCs: 201
Athletes: 10,625 athletes (4,329 women, 6,296 men)
Events: 301
Volunteers: 45,000
Media: 21,500
Two new National Olympic Committees
Kiribati and Timor Leste entered teams for the first time, although athletes from Timor had competed at the Sydney Olympics as individual Olympic athletes.
Iraqi Football
Despite continuing warfare back home, the football team from Iraq qualified for the Olympic tournament and made it to the semifinals.
Double trap shooter Ahmed Almaktoum won the first gold medal for the United Arab Emirates.
Thai woman champion
Weightlifter Pawina Thongsuk became the first woman from Thailand to earn a gold medal when she won the 75kg category.
Greek judoka
In the men's 81kg category, Ilias Iliadis won Greece's first-ever gold medal in judo.
Tennis breakthroughs
Chile and China earned their first medals in tennis as Nicolas Massu and Fernando González (on picture) won the men's doubles championship and Massu also won singles, while Ting Li and Tian Tian Sun took the women's doubles title.
Fencing firsts
In fencing, women's sabre made its debut with Mariel Zagunis of the United States earning the gold medal. It was the first U.S. victory in fencing. Switzerland also claimed its first fencing gold when Marcel Fischer won the men's individual épée.
Greeks in synch
Thomas Bimis and Nikolaos Siranidis captured Greece's first medal in diving with an unexpected victory in synchronized springboard.
Greece first and last
201 National Olympic Committees marched in the Parade of Nations at the Opening Ceremony. Traditionally Greece leads the parade and the host team goes last. Because Greece was the host, they occupied both positions, as weightlifter Pyrros Dimas opened the parade and the rest of the Greek athletes entered at the end.
East African sweep
Kenyans runners swept the medals in the 3,000m steeplechase with Ezekiel Kemboi taking the gold, Brimin Kipruto the silver and Paul K. Koech the bronze.
Marathon history
The marathon races followed the same route as the 1896 race, beginning in Marathon and ending in Athens' Panathenaic Stadium. Vanderlei de Lima of Brazil (on picture) was in the lead of the men's race with less than 7 kilometres to go when a disturbed man pushed him off the course. De Lima held on to earn the bronze medal and was awarded the Pierre de Coubertin Medal in recognition of his Olympic spirit.
The shot put events were held in Olympia, the site of the ancient Olympic Games.
Original stadium
The archery competitions were staged in the same Panathenaic Stadium that was used for the 1896 Olympics.
Women's wrestling debuts
Women's wrestling made its debut with competition in four weight categories. Japanese women earned medals in every division, while France and the United States won two medals each. The first gold medal went to Ukraine's Irini Merlini, who dominated her first 4 opponents in the 48kg category and then won the final on a tiebreaker.
Athens, 13 August, Opening Ceremony of the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad. The last runner of the Olympic Torch relay Nikolaos KAKLAMANAKIS runs past the athletes in the Olympic Stadium. ©IOC/Tsuyoshi Kishimoto
Official opening of the Games by:
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Lighting the Olympic Flame by:
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The 2004 Olympic Games emblem is a wreath made from an olive tree branch, or kotinos. The emblem is a reference to the ancient Olympic Games, where the kotinos was the official award of Olympic champions. In addition, the olive was the sacred tree of Athens. The colours of the emblem symbolise the shades of white and blue found in the Greek countryside
The main feature of the medals is the Greek character shown on both sides, since their basic side has been changed for the first time since the Amsterdam Olympic Games in 1928. This is of particular importance, as from now on all Olympic medals will reflect the Greek character of the Games as regards both their origin and their revival. On the medals awarded to Olympic athletes from 1928 until the Sydney Games, goddess Nike was seated, holding an ear of corn in one hand and a wreath in the other. Here, she flies into the stadium bringing victory to the best athlete. The Organising Committee has chosen to show the Panathenic stadium, where the Games were first renewed in 1896. On the obverse, the athlete's discipline is also engraved. The reverse side of the medal is composed of three elements: The eternal flame that was lit in Olympia and travelled through the five continents by way of the 2004 Torch Relay; the opening lines of Pindar's Eighth Olympic Ode composed in 460 BC to honour the victory of Alkimedon of Aegina in wrestling and the ATHENS 2004 Olympic Games emblem. The design of the Medal was created by Elena Votsi.
Phevos and Athena
Phevos and Athena. The names of the two mascots are a reference to two gods of Olympus: "Phoebos" is another name for Apollo, the god of light and music; "Athena" is the goddess of wisdom and protector of the city of Athens. The two mascots thus symbolise the link between Ancient Greece and the Olympic Games of the modern era.
Number of torchbearers : around 7 700 in Greece and around 3 600 for the international relay
Total distance : around 6 600 km in Greece and over 78 000 km for the international relay
Countries crossed : Greece, Australia, Japan, Republic of Korea, people's Republic of China, India, Egypt, South Africa, Brazil, Mexico, Canada, United States, Belgium, Netherlands, Switzerland, France, UK, Spain, Italy, Germany, Sweden, Finland, Russian Federation, Ukraine, Turkey, Bulgaria, Cyprus
ATHENES 2004 : A PATRIMONIAL LOOK
"Welcome home", this was the slogan of the Athens 2004 Games as, indeed, the Games returned to their country of birth, 108 years after the first Games of the modern era were held in Athens in 1896.
The "Official report of the XXVIII Olympiad: Athens 2004" was published by ATHOC in English and Greek. Based on the same model as for Sydney 2000, this official report consisted of a box set of two printed volumes (Homecoming of the Games - organisation and operations; The Games) and a multimedia set, which offered two bilingual CD-ROMs containing the results, and a DVD of the film "Behind the scenes of the Athens 2004 Opening and Closing Ceremonies".
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Google offers the ability to have a Street View style virtual tour done of your hotel, inside and out. It is attached to your company's Google Business listing, your most visible asset in Google searches. From Google: "When searching for businesses, consumers use mapping products 44% of the time. On average, 41% of these place searches result in an on-site visit. Listings with photos and a virtual tour are twice as likely to generate interest."
Google Street View style virtual tours are a great way to show potential guests what your facility looks like, in high resolution detail. It can set you apart from local alternatives. If you have a beautiful place, or are a better value than your local competition, show them.
Simply having the tour embedded in Google Maps and appearing in searches is not enough. The hotel version of Google Street View for Business consists of a series of separate groups of 360 degree images, as well as individual 360s. They will typically include your entrance area and lobby, breakfast area, different room types, your pool, fitness room, and any other amenities you would like to show. They are not presented in Google search results in a cohesive manner, and many times people are not even aware that there are different elements to the tour. They see the lobby and directly connected images, as this is the set most prominently featured, but they don't see your rooms. Google is continuing to improve the presentation, but it is currently not ideal. As more people become aware of how to find these features, this will be less of an issue. In the meantime, it is in your best interest to prominently feature all of the images on your website, particularly the rooms. This can be done a variety of different ways, such as adding hyperlinked text or images. I supply hyperlinks for each of the elements of all tours I create, either the standard Google format, or I can create a completely customized virtual tour.
For this particular property, I have returned to photograph it in all seasons. Below are links to several different elements of their tour, as well as links to 360 degree views of the grounds from different seasons.
I specialize in the hospitality industry, where the quality of traditional "still" photography is critical for bookings. I understand that you need clear, high quality images of your facility. Here are some examples of my work.
Google Street View & Customized Virtual Tours are a way to stand out in the croud.


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Margin: Nationals 31.3%
Region: Regional Western
Federal: Parkes
Candidates in ballot paper order
No Land Tax
TROY GRANT
Nationals	(top)
PETER SCHERER
Christian Democratic Party
ROD PRYOR
STEPHEN LAWRENCE
Labor	(bottom)
COLIN HAMILTON
MATT PARMETER
2011 BOOTH RESULTS MAP
Two-party preferred booth results from 2011 state election showing Nationals-versus-Independent results in Dubbo and Nationals-versus-Labor results in Orange and Barwon. Nationals majority in green, Labor in red and Independent in grey. New boundaries in thicker blue lines, old ones in thinner red lines. Boundary data courtesy of Ben Raue of The Tally Room.
Dubbo is held for the Nationals by Troy Grant, who has risen to his party's leadership during his debut parliamentary term after gaining the seat from independent Dawn Fardell at the 2011 election. Encompassing the town of Dubbo together with a shifting array of surrounding rural territory, the electorate has been substantially altered by the redistribution, reflecting a rearrangement that turns Orange from its eastern into its southern neighbour. The bulk of the geographic area of the old Dubbo, including the major population centre of Parkes and around 20,000 voters overall, now forms the western part of Orange, while the eastern part of redrawn Dubbo takes in territory around Mudgee that had formerly been in Orange, encompassing around 19,000 voters. There has also been smaller gains from Barwon at the western end and Bathurst in the south-east.
Dubbo frequently changed hands between Labor and the Country Party between 1930 and 1959, but the decline of farm and railway labour made Labor less competitive over time. The Liberals held the seat from 1959 until 1981, when Gerry Peacocke gained it for the Nationals upon the retirement of recently deposed Liberal leader John Mason. The Nationals preselected local talk radio host Richard Mutton when Peacocke retired in 1999, but long-serving Dubbo mayor Tony McGrane ran against him as an independent and won by 14 votes. McGrane died of cancer in September 2004, but the seat remained in independent hands at the ensuing by-election, when Dawn Fardell prevailed over Nationals candidate Jan Cowley by a 5.2% margin. Fardell held on by 0.9% at the 2007 election, but the tide of the 2011 election delivered an easy victory to Nationals candidate Troy Grant, a local police inspector.
Grant's swift rise in his debut parliamentary term began with his promotion to the ministry in the reshuffle that followed Barry O'Farrell's departure in April 2014, when he assumed the portfolios of hospitality, gaming and racing and arts. When Andrew Stoner announced his resignation as Nationals leader and Deputy Premier in October 2014, Grant emerged as the only candidate to replace him after his most obvious rival, Murrumbidgee MP Adrian Piccoli, announced he was content to remain as deputy, despite having the endorsement of Stoner. Grant also exchanged his portfolios at this time for trade and investment, regional infrastructure and services and tourism and major events.
Corrections, complaints and feedback to William Bowe at pollbludger-at-bigpond-dot-com. Read William's blog, The Poll Bludger.
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