Patent ID: 8114274

Claim:
A process for removing contaminants, namely water and particulate solids, from hydrocarbon diluent-diluted bitumen froth to produce hydrocarbon diluent-diluted bitumen, comprising: subjecting the hydrocarbon diluent-diluted bitumen froth to gravity settling in a primary settler to produce an overflow stream of primary raw hydrocarbon diluent-diluted bitumen, comprising bitumen containing water and some fine solids, and an underflow stream of primary tails, comprising solids, water and residual bitumen; removing the overflow stream of primary raw hydrocarbon diluent-diluted bitumen and subjecting it to gravity settling in a clarifier vessel for sufficient time to produce an overflow first stream of cleaned hydrocarbon diluent-diluted bitumen and an underflow stream of clarifier sludge; diluting the primary tails with hydrocarbon diluent and subjecting the diluted primary tails to gravity settling in a secondary settler to produce an overflow second stream of cleaned hydrocarbon diluent-diluted bitumen and an underflow stream of secondary tails; and mixing the clarifier sludge and the secondary tails to form a mixture of clarified sludge and secondary tails, diluting the mixture with a hydrocarbon diluent and subjecting the diluted mixture to gravity separation to produce a third stream of cleaned hydrocarbon diluent-diluted bitumen and cleaned tails.