Skimmer apparatus for recovering bitumen
Bitumen, floating on tailings pond water in the form of a cohesive blanket, is recovered from the surface by an apparatus that takes advantage of the cohesiveness of the bitumen. A drum with radially attached prongs is partly submerged in the water and is rotated around its longitudinal axis so that the prongs penetrate into the bitumen blanket and grip and pull it towards the drum. Upon being drawn by the prongs beneath the surface of the water, hydrostatic pressure causes the bitumen to adhere to the curved surface of the drum. During the upswing of the drum, the prongs and the adhesiveness of the metal surface of the drum hold the bitumen on the drum. A comb scraper then removes the greater portion of the bitumen, which falls into a receptacle. 3 figs.
- Assignee:
- Petro-Canada Exploration Inc., Calgary, Alberta (Canada); Department of Energy and Natural Resources, Edmonton (Canada); PanCanadian Petroleum Ltd., Calgary, Alberta (Canada); Esso Resources Canada Ltd., Calgary, Alberta (Canada); Canada-Cities Service, Ltd., Calgary, Alberta (Canada); Gulf Canada Resources Inc., Calgary, Alberta (Canada); Alberta Energy Co. Ltd., Calgary, Alberta (Canada); Hudson's Bay Oil and Gas Co. Ltd., Calgary, Alberta (Canada); Petrofina Canada Inc., Calgary, Alberta (Can
- Patent Number(s):
- A; US 4456536
- Application Number:
- PPN: US 6-282213
- OSTI ID:
- 7012955
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
040900* -- Oil Shales & Tar Sands-- Waste management
ADHESION
BITUMENS
DESIGN
EQUIPMENT
MANAGEMENT
MATERIALS RECOVERY
OIL SAND TAILINGS
OPERATION
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
OTHER ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
POLLUTION CONTROL EQUIPMENT
PONDS
PROCESSING
SETTLING PONDS
SKIMMERS
SOLID WASTES
SURFACE WATERS
TAILINGS
TAR
WASTE MANAGEMENT
WASTE PROCESSING
WASTES