Abstract: In a process for destabilizing bitumen-water emulsions to facilitate bitumen recovery therefrom, bitumen-water interfacial tension is increased by reducing or eliminating the activity of functional groups acting as surfactants by treating the emulsions with one or more additives of ionic base to increase the hydrophobic characteristics of bitumen droplets in the emulsions and thus increase their attraction to each other and to gas bubbles. Additives effective for this purpose include salts of the Periodic Table's Group II earth alkali metals cations such as magnesium, calcium, strontium, and barium, and Group III metals cations such as aluminum. Mechanical agitation or injection of a gas stream into the destabilized bitumen-eater emulsion may be used to form bitumen-rich froth. The additives used for destabilization of the emulsions also promote flocculation of clay-size particles in the froth and improve the chemistry of the recovered water.

Abstract: In a method for enhancing the efficiency of bitumen recovery from oil sands ore, CaO lime (or Ca(OH)2) is mixed into an oil sands ore-water slurry prior to or during the operation of slurry-based bitumen extraction processes. The lime is introduced at dosages effective to reduce the electro-chemical attraction between clay particles and bitumen in the slurry, thereby promoting detachment of clay particles from bitumen droplets in the ore-wafer slurry. This occurs because water-soluble asphaltic acids formed at the bitumen-water interface act as surfactants which reduce or eliminate the activity of Ca2+ and Mg2+ ions binding the clay particles and bitumen together. The detachment of clay particles promotes the attachment of air bubbles to the bitumen droplets, thereby forming a bitumen-rich froth which will float to the surface of the ore-water slurry, thus facilitating bitumen recovery.

Abstract: A plate blender for use in the blending of particulate and granular solid materials is disclosed. The plate blender includes a tank having a plurality of vertical, radially extending baffles and with a series of vertically spaced windows in some of the baffles. In one embodiment, one of the baffles is of solid construction and the remaining baffles have a series of vertically spaced windows in each baffle, with the series of windows for each successive baffle in the direction of filling of the vessel being located at a progressively lower level than for the previous baffle so that the filling sequence results in the material to be blended being allowed to flow successively from one blending zone to the next around the circumference of the vessel and with the location and number of windows providing for consecutive layers of material throughout the zones. The plate blender may be employed in the blending of flowable particulate solid materials such as plastic pellets and powders.