Patent ID: 8545679

Claim:
A system for recovering hydrocarbons from a hydrocarbon containing material, the system comprising: a heated enclosure having an interior chamber; an input conveyor for inputting the material to the heated enclosure, the heated enclosure housing a flow line therein with a temperature gradient along the flow line of at least 150 F.°, thereby producing hydrocarbon vapors and stripped solids as the material is moved along the flow line; a heated rotary drum in fluid communication with the flow line for receiving the material from the flow line, the rotary drum having an interior temperature of from 760° F. to 840° F. for generating further hydrocarbon vapors and stripped solids; a condenser in fluid communication with both the flow line and the rotary drum for receiving the vapors from the flow line and the rotary drum and outputting liquids including hydrocarbons; a discharge conveyor for discharging the stripped solids from the rotary drum; one or more input control valves for sealing vacuum downstream from the one or more input conveyors, each input control valve having one or more axially spaced closure gates for redundant sealing downstream from the input conveyor; one or more discharge control valves for sealing vacuum upstream from the one or more discharge conveyors, each discharge control valve having two or more axially spaced closure gates for the redundant sealing upstream from the discharge conveyor; and a vacuum pump for maintaining a selected vacuum of less than 5 inches of water between the one or more input valves and the one or more discharge valves, such that hydrocarbon vapors are drawn from the flow line and the rotary drum into the condenser.