초록 ▼

Aerated bitumen froth obtained from oil sands must be deaerated so that it can be pumped through a pipeline. Mechanical shearing is effective to deaerate bitumen froth to an air content of below 10 volume percent. Mechanical deaeration of bitumen froth can be achieved either by passing the froth thr

Aerated bitumen froth obtained from oil sands must be deaerated so that it can be pumped through a pipeline. Mechanical shearing is effective to deaerate bitumen froth to an air content of below 10 volume percent. Mechanical deaeration of bitumen froth can be achieved either by passing the froth through a confining passageway and shearing the froth with an impeller while it is in the passageway or temporarily retaining the aerated froth in a tank and circulating it repeatedly through a pump.

대표청구항 ▼

1. A method for deaerating aerated bitumen froth produced by flotation in a primary separation vessel and recovered therefrom, comprising:mechanically shearing the aerated froth to reduce its air content sufficiently so that the deaerated froth can be pumped through a pipeline, wherein the mechanica

1. A method for deaerating aerated bitumen froth produced by flotation in a primary separation vessel and recovered therefrom, comprising:mechanically shearing the aerated froth to reduce its air content sufficiently so that the deaerated froth can be pumped through a pipeline, wherein the mechanical shearing is conducted by: a) passing the aerated froth through a confining passageway and mechanically shearing it with an impeller while in the passageway, or b) mechanically shearing the aerated froth by repeated circulation through a pump, or c) a combination of a) and b).