Patent ID: 6903138

Claim:
A process for preparing a bimodal emulsion of viscous hydrocarbon in water comprising the steps of: providing a stream of water at ambient temperature; providing at least one liquid additive that tends to gel when mixed with water at temperatures less than a maximum gelling temperature T G of said liquid additive; heating said stream to provide a heated stream at a temperature T C which is greater than ambient temperature and less than said maximum gelling temperature T G ; feeding said heated stream to a static mixer having a mixer inlet so as to impart energy to said heated stream; adding said liquid additive to said static mixer downstream of said mixer inlet, whereby said liquid additive mixes with said stream and said energy is at an effective amount to inhibit gelling of said liquid additive at T C and so as to provide a substantially homogeneous solution of additive in water; dividing said solution into a first portion and a second portion; mixing said first portion with a viscous hydrocarbon in a first dynamic mixer so as to provide a first hydrocarbon in water emulsion having a first average droplet size; mixing said second portion with a viscous hydrocarbon in a second dynamic mixer so as to provide a second hydrocarbon in water emulsion having a second average droplet size; and mixing said first emulsion and said second emulsion so as to provide a final bimodal emulsion.