Patent ID: 8512576

Claim:
A system for the production or handling of heavy oil, the system comprising a supply of heavy oil, a viscosity-reducing fluid comprising a water-based gel that is immiscible in oil, means for introducing an immiscible viscosity-reducing fluid into the heavy oil at an upstream end of a flow line to create a dispersion of oil and viscosity-reducing fluid, and means for separating the viscosity-reducing fluid at least partially from the oil at a downstream end of the flow line, said separating means comprising a uniaxial involute fluid conditioning unit that is connected to receive the dispersion of oil and viscosity-reducing fluid from the downstream end of the flow line, said uniaxial involute fluid conditioning unit comprising an involute inlet chamber, an intermediate chamber and an involute outlet chamber with a fluid outlet, wherein the uniaxial involute fluid conditioning unit subjects the dispersion to a cyclonic conditioning process without separating the dispersion to form a conditioned dispersion, and the conditioned dispersion then leaves the uniaxial involute fluid conditioning unit through the fluid outlet, and a gravity separator unit connected to receive the conditioned dispersion from the fluid outlet of the uniaxial involute fluid conditioning unit, wherein said gravity separator unit allows at least partial separation of the viscosity-reducing fluid from the oil and having a first outlet for the separated viscosity-reducing fluid and a second outlet for the separated oil.