Patent ID: 8701470
Filing Date: 2014-04-22
Classification: G01N

Abstract:
1. A method of determining particle size distribution in a bitumen-containing fluid comprising: obtaining a sample of the bitumen-containing fluid; determining an optimized diluent combination comprising an aromatic or cycloaliphatic solvent and a paraffinic solvent by diluting the sample with different diluent combinations and selecting the optimized diluent combination, wherein diluting the sample with the optimized diluent combination maintains substantially the same level of deasphalting as the sample; mixing the sample with the optimized diluent combination to form a diluted sample, wherein the diluted sample contains at least a 5:1 ratio of the optimized diluent combination to the bitumen-containing fluid; and determining particle size distribution in the diluted sample, indicative of particle size distribution of the bitumen-containing fluid.