Patent ID: 9168466
Filing Date: 2015-10-27
Classification: B01D,C10C,C10G

Abstract:
1. A method for recovering solvent from a non-homogeneous solvent-containing tailings feed stream in a vessel having internals therein, the method comprising: flowing the non-homogeneous solvent-containing tailings feedstream from a top of the vessel, about the internals and to a bottom of the vessel, the internals comprising a plurality of fluidly connected pipes arranged in vertically stacked layers for forming a vertically extending grid; conducting steam within the vertically extending grid of fluidly-connected pipes for flowing therethrough at a pressure greater than the vessel operating pressure for heating a surface of the plurality of fluidly-connected pipes to the temperature greater than a vessel temperature; discharging the steam to the vessel at a plurality of locations throughout the plurality of fluidly-connected pipes to the vessel, the steam flowing countercurrent to the solvent-containing tailings feedstream in the vessel; removing solvent vapour from the top of the vessel; and discharging a solvent-depleted tailings stream from the bottom of the vessel; wherein the steam flows throughout the internals at a pressure greater than a vessel operating pressure for heating the internals to a temperature greater than a vessel temperature.