| 摘要 |
Method and apparatus of processing tar sands tailings, sludge from ponds and the like, aqueous mixtures that includes subjecting the mixture to subatmospheric pressure and while so doing causing a vortex to form in the liquid. The bitumen accumulates in the cavity formed by the vortex and from which it can be withdrawn. A solvent is added to facilitate removal of the bitumen. The preferred pressure is 27 to 29 inches of mercury vacuum and a vessel is needed to withstand this. A cylindrical vessel has an inlet for the aqueous mixture disposed tangential to the vessel and a first outlet on the axis of the vessel for the clarified liquid and a second outlet on the same axis for withdrawing the bitumen. A vacuum pump and/or columns of liquid are used to maintain subatmospheric pressure conditions in the vessel during operation. Two or more vessels can be connected in series providing, if desired, continuous flow and a staged series of clarification of the tailings.
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