US 11,718,793 B2
Apparatus, system and method for providing a bitumen-rich stream from bitumen-containing materials
Robert William Palmer, Springdale, AR (US); Stephen Woodson Craig, Little Rock, AR (US); David Woodson Craig, Little Rock, AR (US); and Randell Gween Shelton, Jr., Tool, TX (US)
Assigned to Shingle Resource Recycling, LLC, Springdale, AR (US)
Filed by Shingle Resource Recycling, LLC, Springdale, AR (US)
Filed on May 24, 2021, as Appl. No. 17/328,989.
Application 17/328,989 is a continuation of application No. 15/965,337, filed on Apr. 27, 2018, granted, now 11,015,125.
Application 15/965,337 is a continuation in part of application No. 15/932,291, filed on Feb. 16, 2018, granted, now 10,695,769, issued on Jun. 30, 2020.
Prior Publication US 2021/0348057 A1, Nov. 11, 2021
Int. Cl. C10C 3/00 (2006.01); C10C 3/08 (2006.01); B01D 21/28 (2006.01); C10G 1/04 (2006.01)
CPC C10C 3/007 (2013.01) [B01D 21/283 (2013.01); C10C 3/08 (2013.01); C10G 1/04 (2013.01)] 28 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. An apparatus configured to facilitate dissolution of at least one fraction of bitumen-containing materials into at least one solvent, the apparatus comprising:
a dissolution vessel;
a tumbler configured to agitate the bitumen-containing materials and facilitate wetting the bitumen-containing materials with the at least one solvent; and
at least one solvent distributor configured to discharge the at least one solvent into the dissolution vessel;
wherein the dissolution vessel comprises:
a feed inlet of the dissolution vessel configured to facilitate feeding the bitumen-containing materials into the dissolution vessel;
a catch basin of the dissolution vessel; and
at least one discharge outlet of the dissolution vessel;
wherein the tumbler comprises:
a cage configured to rotate within the dissolution vessel and to receive the bitumen-containing materials, wherein the bitumen-containing materials comprise larger solid objects and smaller solid objects, wherein the cage is configured to partially contain the bitumen-containing materials, and wherein the cage comprises cage apertures configured to retain the larger solid objects that cannot pass through the cage apertures and allow liquid and the smaller solid objects to pass through the cage apertures;
at least one paddle fixed to an interior surface of the cage, the at least one paddle configured to agitate the bitumen-containing materials within the cage as the at least one paddle rotates with the cage, wherein the at least one paddle is configured to rotate in a first direction and a second direction that is opposite the first direction, wherein the tumbler is configured so that rotation of the at least one paddle in the first direction results in a force on the bitumen-containing materials that causes the bitumen-containing materials to move into the cage and away from the feed inlet of the dissolution vessel, and wherein the tumbler is configured so that rotation of the at least one paddle in the second direction results in a force on a remnant of solid bitumen-containing materials remaining in the cage after the dissolution that causes the remnant in the cage to move toward a solids discharge outlet of the cage, wherein solids discharge outlet of the cage is configured to discharge the remnant in the cage; and
a containment space bounded by the cage, wherein the containment space is configured to permit the bitumen-containing materials to be agitated within the cage;
wherein the catch basin is configured to receive catch basin contents, wherein the catch basin contents comprise the at least one solvent, the at least one fraction of the bitumen-containing materials and the smaller solid objects in the bitumen-containing materials, and wherein the catch basin is configured to discharge the catch basin contents through the at least one discharge outlet of the dissolution vessel, thereby providing a mixed-materials stream.