A method for pre-treating bitumen froth for mixing with solvent for froth treatment includes heating the froth to a froth-solvent mixing temperature below the solvent flash temperature and suitably high to provide reduced bitumen viscosity sufficiently low for complete mixing of the solvent and the froth prior to introduction into a separation apparatus. A method of improving energy use in froth treatment includes reducing heat provided to the solvent, increasing heat provided to the froth prior to adding the solvent to reduce bitumen viscosity and adding the temperature-reduced solvent to the heated froth. A froth treatment separation process includes trim heating first and second solvent streams to adjust the first and second stage separation temperatures.

A processing method for perennially and deeply polluted sludge containing oils and water, waste residues, or oil sands in natural oil mines, and a processing system thereof. In the method, a solid substance containing oils and water is in full contact with an organic liquid solvent with a low boiling point and a weak polarity or no polarity at room temperature under pressurized condition to extract oil and water from the solid substance to the liquid, the organic solvent with low boiling point and low latent heat is easily separated from oil and water in the liquid after solid-liquid separation by decompression or heating evaporation, the gas solvent is compressed and condensed for recycling, the extracted oil and water are subjected to oil-water separation, and the extracted oil may be used as fuel or used for refining.

A method for recovering hydrocarbon diluent present in froth treatment tailings, comprising introducing the tailings into a vessel; adding a first portion of steam into the vessel to form a vapour-tailings interface; and operating the vessel to increase the exposure of the tailings to the vapour-tailings interface formed in the vessel.

A process for the treatment of thick fine tailings that include constituents of concern (CoCs) and suspended solids is provided. The process includes subjecting the thick fine tailings to treatments including chemical immobilization of the CoCs, polymer flocculation of the suspended solids, and dewatering. The chemical immobilization can include the addition of compounds enabling the insolubilization of the CoCs. Subjecting the thick fine tailings to chemical immobilization and polymer flocculation can facilitate production of a reclamation-ready material, which can enable disposing of the material as part of a permanent aquatic storage structure (PASS).

A process to utilize at least one water lean zone (WLZ) interspersed within a net pay zone in a reservoir and produce bitumen from the reservoir, includes using Steam Assisted Gravity Drainage with Oxygen (SAGDOX) to enhance oil recovery, locating a SAGDOX oxygen injector proximate the WLZ, and removing non-condensable gases.

A process for the removal of heavy oil/bitumen from oil/hydrocarbon wet and/or water wet tar sand. The tar sand is mixed with an inorganic liquid such as water or a treated effluent and an inorganic solid which is a silicate or metasilicate for a period of time sufficient for the inorganic liquid and the inorganic solid to interact and strip the heavy oil/bitumen from the tar sand. The process includes additional steps to produce clean heavy oil/bitumen and clear effluent.

Pipeline quality bitumen containing less than 0.5 wt. % water and solids may be produced by conditioning oil sands ore in a water-based bitumen extraction process by adding a solvent to the ore before or during a step of creating an aqueous slurry; and agitating the slurry; separating the bitumen diluted with the solvent from water and coarse solids; thermally dehydrating the diluted bitumen at a temperature above about 100 C and below the boiling point of the solvent; separating any remaining fine solids and precipitates by gravitational separation; and recovering the solvent by distillation.

A high temperature high pressure electrostatic treater and method of use are described for removing water from heavy crude oil. The electrostatic treater is comprised of a vessel with a wet bitumen inlet and water outlet in the upper portion of the vessel, a dry bitumen outlet in the lower portion of the vessel, a plurality of electrodes on an electrically isolating support inside the vessel, an entrance bushing, and an interface control to regulate the flow of water through the water outlet. The water outlet is located above the dry bitumen outlet. The electrostatic treater and method reduce the amount of diluent needed to process the heavy crude when compared to the prior art.

A method for processing a froth treatment tailings separated from a bitumen froth produced in a process for recovering bitumen from oil sand ore, includes subjecting the froth treatment tailings to a first solvent extraction process to produce a first extract including bitumen, and a first raffinate, subjecting the first raffinate to a separation process to produce a fine mineral material fraction including fine solid mineral material having a particle size less than 44 microns and a coarse mineral material fraction including a coarse mineral material having a particle size equal to or greater than 44 microns, subjecting the coarse mineral material fraction to a froth flotation process to produce a heavy mineral concentrate and a coarse mineral material tailings, and subjecting the heavy mineral concentrate to a second solvent extraction process to produce a second extract including bitumen and a second raffinate including a debitumenized heavy mineral concentrate.

A separator includes a shell: adapted to be vertically oriented in use; a combined wet gas feedstock ingress and separated liquid egress at the bottom of the shell; a separated gas egress at the top of the shell; a first permeable, fluid flow barrier disposed within the shell at the bottom end thereof proximate the ingress and comprising a first medium; a second permeable, fluid flow barrier disposed within the shell atop and proximate to the first barrier and comprising a second medium; and a third permeable, fluid flow barrier dispose within the shell at the top thereof proximate the egress and comprising the first medium, the third barrier being dispose such that there is a gap between the second and third barriers.