Feed delivery system for a solid-liquid separation vessel

• Main Authors: DIEP JOHN KHAI-QUANG, SUTTON CLAY R, KIEL DARWIN EDWARD, SURY KEN N
• Format: Patent
• Language: English
• Published: 28.07.2015
• Subjects: CHEMISTRY; CRACKING HYDROCARBON OILS; DIFFERENTIAL SEDIMENTATION; FLOTATION; FUELS; LUBRICANTS; MAGNETIC OR ELECTROSTATIC SEPARATION OF SOLID MATERIALS FROM SOLIDMATERIALS OR FLUIDS; METALLURGY; MINERAL WAXES; PEAT; PERFORMING OPERATIONS; PETROLEUM, GAS OR COKE INDUSTRIES; PHYSICAL OR CHEMICAL PROCESSES OR APPARATUS IN GENERAL; PRODUCTION OF LIQUID HYDROCARBON MIXTURES, e.g. BY DESTRUCTIVEHYDROGENATION, OLIGOMERISATION, POLYMERISATION; RECOVERY OF HYDROCARBON OILS FROM OIL-SHALE, OIL-SAND, ORGASES; REFINING MIXTURES MAINLY CONSISTING OF HYDROCARBONS; REFORMING OF NAPHTHA; SEPARATION; SEPARATION BY HIGH-VOLTAGE ELECTRIC FIELDS; SEPARATION OF SOLID MATERIALS USING LIQUIDS OR USING PNEUMATICTABLES OR JIGS; TECHNICAL GASES CONTAINING CARBON MONOXIDE; TRANSPORTING; TREATMENT OF WATER, WASTE WATER, SEWAGE, OR SLUDGE

A method of delivering feed, for example a paraffinic solvent treated bitumen froth, to a separation vessel, for example a froth separation unit (FSU). The feed is delivered from one or more side inlets that may be substantially normal to, and flush with, the wall of the vessel. In contrast to certain conventional feed systems used in gravity separators which use a distributor plate to widely distribute the feed with a vessel, the feed is delivered such that it flows down the inside wall of the vessel. This feed delivery is characterized by a Richardson number of greater than 1.0. Such feed delivery is particularly useful where the feed has particles with a bi-modal size distribution to be separated from an overflow stream. The gentle flow serves to mitigate the upward flux of the smaller particles, for example mineral solids, by being trapped below the larger particles, for example precipitated asphaltene aggregates.