Patent ID: 7097761

Claim:
A method of removing water and solids from crude oil containing water and solids to provide a clean dry oil, comprising: a separation phase, a dehydration phase and a diluent recovery phase, said dehydration phase including: providing a source of crude oil containing water; adding a diluent to said source of crude oil; a separation phase to remove at least a portion of said water; dehydrating said crude oil containing water in a dehydrator having a vaporizing surface of dry crude oil at a temperature sufficient to vaporize water contacting said surface; recirculating dehydrated crude oil to at least said vaporizing surface immediately below said vaporizing surface for maintaining a substantially uniform temperature of said vaporizing surface and to vaporize said water and at least a portion of diluent in said source; said diluent recovery phase including: heating said dehydrated crude to liberate diluent; stripping said diluent from said dehydrated crude; and recirculating recovered diluent to said crude oil containing water in said separation phase. 2 .The method as set forth in claim 1 , wherein said step of stripping said diluent from said dehydrated crude passing said dehydrated crude into a stripping device for separation of said dehydrated crude and said diluent.