Patent ID: 7984866

Claim:
An apparatus for producing a pumpable aqueous oil sand slurry, comprising: a rotary digester consisting essentially of: a rotatable drum having a first end and a second end and arranged for rotation about a substantially longitudinal axis of the drum, said rotatable drum consisting essentially of a feed inlet at the first end of the rotatable drum for receiving oil sand and water and a cylindrical slurrying chamber having a substantially non-perforated wall for slurrying the oil sand and water and digesting oil sand lumps, a trommel screen at the second end of the rotatable drum for receiving substantially the entirety of the contents of the rotatable drum and screening out oversize rejects from the oil sand slurry that falls through the trommel screen, said trommel screen having an outlet for discharging oversize rejects, and a drive means operably engaged with the rotatable drum for rotating the rotatable drum about the substantially longitudinal axis of the drum; and a pump box for receiving the oil sand slurry as it falls through the trommel screen; thereby producing the pumpable aqueous oil sand slurry.