US 11,851,619 B2
Separation of viscous oils into components
Ian Donald Gates, Calgary (CA); and Jingyi Wang, Calgary (CA)
Assigned to Ian Donald Gates, Calgary (CA); and Jingyi Wang, Calgary (CA)
Appl. No. 17/637,231
Filed by SOLIDEUM INC., Calgary (CA)
PCT Filed Aug. 21, 2020, PCT No. PCT/CA2020/051150
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Feb. 22, 2022,
PCT Pub. No. WO2021/035343, PCT Pub. Date Mar. 4, 2021.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/891,135, filed on Aug. 23, 2019.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/891,141, filed on Aug. 23, 2019.
Prior Publication US 2022/0340823 A1, Oct. 27, 2022
Int. Cl. C10G 31/06 (2006.01); C10G 9/00 (2006.01); C10G 9/18 (2006.01); C10G 9/24 (2006.01); C10G 9/36 (2006.01); C10G 9/14 (2006.01)
CPC C10G 31/06 (2013.01) [C10G 9/002 (2013.01); C10G 9/14 (2013.01); C10G 9/18 (2013.01); C10G 9/24 (2013.01); C10G 9/36 (2013.01); C10G 2300/4006 (2013.01)] 20 Claims
 
1. A method of treating a source oil phase comprising a heavy oil, a bitumen, a mixture of heavy oil and bitumen, or a mixture of solvent and heavy oil or bitumen or both, the method comprising:
introducing the source oil phase to a heated lower section within a housing defining a device having an interior space and an exterior surface, to provide an interior source oil phase within the device;
heating the interior source oil phase so as to thermally separate a light oil phase component from the heated liquid interior source oil phase, to provide a vaporized light oil phase rising within an upper section of the interior space of the device;
condensing the vaporized light oil phase within the device on one or more internal cooling fins housed within the upper section of the device, to provide a condensed light oil phase liquid, wherein the internal cooling fins are angled so as to direct the condensed light oil phase liquid downwardly to a light end collection system disposed within the upper section of the device below the cooling fins and above the heated lower section;
injecting a cooling inert gas into a top portion of the device so as to cool the upper section of the device and so as to drive the condensed light oil phase liquid through the light end collection system and out of the device, to provide a light oil phase product; and,
collecting a residual heavy oil phase from the lower section of the device.