Patent ID: 7556715

Claim:
Apparatus for heating a bitumen froth by steam, the apparatus comprising: an injector body comprising a bitumen froth inlet for receiving the bitumen froth, a steam inlet for receiving the steam, and an injector outlet; and a static mixer body having first and second spaced ends and forming an enclosed passageway extending between the first and second ends, wherein the first end is in communication with the injector outlet, the static mixer body supporting a plurality of baffles disposed within the enclosed passageway to effect a mixing action of the bitumen froth and the steam flowing through the enclosed passageway thereof to form a heated feed; wherein the steam inlet is disposed to inject the steam into the injector body towards the enclosed passageway in a direction generally parallel to the a longitudinal axis of the enclosed passageway; and wherein the apparatus is operably configured to: (a) force the bitumen froth and the steam through the injector outlet into the enclosed passageway, (b) force the bitumen froth and the steam through the enclosed passageway from the first end to the second end so as to cause the steam to contact the bitumen froth so as to form the heated feed, and (c) force all of the heated feed to exit through the second end of the static mixer body, including when the enclosed passageway is disposed parallel or about parallel to the horizontal axis.