Process for washing secondary separator froth to recover bitumen
A method is provided of separating bitumen from a secondary-separator froth by intimately contacting the froth with hot fresh water stream in a froth washer utilizing mechanically rotated marine type propellers. The process consists of: (1) mixing the secondary-separator froth with fresh hot water and feeding the mixture downward through the inner zone formed by the draft tube, while preventing the mixture from rotating and forming a vortex, (2) engaging the mixture in the tube by a down-throw impeller and then engaging the mixture in the tube by an up-throw impeller to aid in the separation of the bitumen from the solids in the froth; (3) passing the mixture into a lower quiescent settling zone; (4) floating the bitumen to the surface of the liquid in the annulus formed by the draft tube; (5) removing the floating bitumen from above the liquid level; and (6) removing the solids and water from the settling zone. (1 claim)
- Assignee:
- Canada Cities Service Ltd.; Imperial Oil Ltd.; Atlantic Richfield Co.; Gulf Oil Canada Ltd.
- Patent Number(s):
- US 3784464
- OSTI ID:
- 6727566
- Resource Relation:
- Patent File Date: Filed date 23 Dec 1971; Other Information: PAT-APPL-211,549
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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