Patent ID: 7491314

Claim:
A process for the production of a pipeline-transportable crude oil from a bitumen feed, the process comprising; (1) dividing the bitumen feed into two fractions, the first fraction comprising between 20 and 80 wt % of the feed, the second fraction comprising between 80 and 20 wt % of the total feed, the two fractions together forming 100 wt % of the feed; (2) distilling of the first fraction obtained in step ( 1 ) into a light fraction boiling below 380° C. and a residual fraction; (3) thermal cracking of at least part of the residual fraction obtained in the distillation process described in step ( 2 ); (4) distilling of the product obtained in step ( 3 ) into one or more light fraction(s) boiling below 350° C., optionally one or more intermediate fractions boiling between 350 and 510° C. and a heavy fraction boiling above at least 350° C.; (5) combining the second fraction obtained in step ( 1 ), the light fraction obtained in step ( 2 ) and the light fraction(s) obtained in step ( 4 ) to obtain a pipeline-transportable crude oil; and, (6) using the heavy fraction obtained in step ( 4 ) for the generation of power and/or heat.