An apparatus and method for separating a feed such as bitumen froth feed are provided. The apparatus comprises a vessel having a top, side walls, and a base. An inlet delivers feed to the vessel interior whereby settling of the feed establishes a heavier phase zone in the vicinity of the base and a lighter phase zone above an interface with the heavier phase zone. The height/diameter ratio of the vessel, the dimensions and position of the inlet and the fluid properties of the feed are selected to allow a feed velocity of the feed discharging from the inlet into the interior to dissipate in the lighter phase zone as the discharged feed entrains lighter phases above the interface and spreads across the vessel interior such that the lighter phases of the feed separate up to an overflow outlet and the heavier phases separate down to an underflow outlet.

In the field of oil sands processing, a process for heating an oil sands slurry stream such as bitumen froth containing bitumen and water and having variable heating requirements includes injecting steam directly into the froth at a steam pressure through a plurality of nozzles to achieve sonic steam flow; operating the plurality of the nozzles to vary steam injection by varying a number of the nozzles through which the injecting of the steam occurs in response to the variable heating requirements; and subjecting the oil sands slurry stream to backpressure sufficient to enable sub-cooling relative to the boiling point of water. A corresponding system is also provided.

In the field of oil sands processing, a process for heating an oil sands slurry stream such as bitumen froth containing bitumen and water and having variable heating requirements includes injecting steam directly into the froth at a steam pressure through a plurality of nozzles to achieve sonic steam flow; operating the plurality of the nozzles to vary steam injection by varying a number of the nozzles through which the injecting of the steam occurs in response to the variable heating requirements; and subjecting the oil sands slurry stream to backpressure sufficient to enable sub-cooling relative to the boiling point of water. A corresponding system is also provided.

The present invention relates to an improved bitumen recovery process from oil sands. The oil sands may be surface mined and transported to a treatment area or may be treated directly by means of an in situ process of oil sand deposits that are located too deep for strip mining. Specifically, the present invention involves the step of treating oil sands with a glycol ether amine described by the following structure: R—(OC.sub.2H.sub.4).sub.x—NH.sub.2 or R—(OCH.sub.2CH(CH.sub.3)).sub.y— NH.sub.2 wherein R is a C.sub.1 to C.sub.6 alkyl group or a phenyl group and x and y independently are 1 to 3.

The present invention relates to an improved bitumen recovery process from oil sands. The oil sands may be surface mined and transported to a treatment area or may be treated directly by means of an in situ process of oil sand deposits that are located too deep for strip mining. Specifically, the present invention involves the step of treating oil sands with a glycol ether amine described by the following structure: R—(OC.sub.2H.sub.4).sub.x—NH.sub.2 or R—(OCH.sub.2CH(CH.sub.3)).sub.y— NH.sub.2 wherein R is a C.sub.1 to C.sub.6 alkyl group or a phenyl group and x and y independently are 1 to 3.

A process for treating a tailings stream comprising water, solids, and optionally polyacrylamide. The process involves (a) contacting the tailings stream with a silicate source for a pre-determined period of time to form a mixture; b) after a pre-determined period of time of at least 5 minutes, contacting the mixture with an activator to initiate gel formation, wherein the gel entraps the solids within the gel; and c) allowing the gel to strengthen and solidify; wherein the gel formation is delayed compared with a non-delayed process.

Disclosed are processes for extracting deasphalted crude oil from oil sand. Deasphalted crude oil can be extracted using a hydrocarbon recycle solvent stream having specified Hansen blend parameters, with the oil sand being contacted with the hydrocarbon recycle solvent stream in a contact zone of a vessel to separate not greater than 80 wt % of the bitumen present on the oil sand. The separated bitumen is considered a deasphalted crude oil stream, since it has an asphaltenes content substantially lower than that of the total bitumen initially present on the oil sand. The deasphalted crude oil stream can be treated using a hydrotreating catalyst or catalytic cracking catalyst to produce transportation fuel.

Solid base catalysts and their use for the base-catalyzed depolymerization (BCD) of lignin to compounds such as aromatics are presented herein. Exemplary catalysts include layered double hydroxides (LDHs) as recyclable, heterogeneous catalysts for BCD of lignin.

A method of recovering one or more insoluble oils from a liquid source using one or more membrane or membrane contactors, comprising the steps of: pumping the liquid source comprising the one or more oils to the membranes or membrane contactors, contacting the liquid source with a first surface of the membrane or membrane contactors, coalescing the one or more oils within the liquid source onto the first surface of the membrane contactors, pumping one or more recovery fluids through the membrane or membrane contactors in contact with the second surface of the membrane or membrane contactors, and removing a first stream of oil coalesced from the second surface of the membranes or membrane contactors.

A method of recovering one or more insoluble oils from a liquid source using one or more membrane or membrane contactors, comprising the steps of: pumping the liquid source comprising the one or more oils to the membranes or membrane contactors, contacting the liquid source with a first surface of the membrane or membrane contactors, coalescing the one or more oils within the liquid source onto the first surface of the membrane contactors, pumping one or more recovery fluids through the membrane or membrane contactors in contact with the second surface of the membrane or membrane contactors, and removing a first stream of oil coalesced from the second surface of the membranes or membrane contactors.