Patents by Inventor William P. C. Duyvesteyn

William P. C. Duyvesteyn has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Extraction of bitumen from bitumen froth generated from tar sands
    Patent number: 6007709
    Abstract: A process for the extraction of bitumen from bitumen froth generated from tar sands is presented. In this process bitumen froth, extracted from tar sands using a water process not requiring the use of caustic soda, is treated in a counter-current decantation circuit with a paraffinic solvent to remove precipitated asphaltenes, water, and solids from the bitumen froth. The instant invention produces a dilute bitumen product having final water and solids content of about 0.01 to about 1.00% by weight rendering the dilute bitumen product amenable to direct hydrocracking. This process provides an alternative route to the conventional process utilizing centrifuges to separate bitumen from precipitated asphaltenes, water, and solids thereby avoiding the high capital and operating costs associated with the conventional bitumen froth treatment by centrifugation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 31, 1997
    Date of Patent: December 28, 1999
    Assignee: BHP Minerals International Inc.
    Inventors: William P. C. Duyvesteyn, James S. Hanson, James J. Lutch