USE OF A REVOLVING DRUM WITH OLEOPHILIC INTERNAL SURFACES TO INCREASE THE PARTICLE SIZE OF BITUMEN PHASE IN AN AQUEOUS MIXTURE

摘要

A revolving drum containing a multitude of oleophilicmechanical surfaces in fixed relationship with theinside drum walls is used to increase the particle sizeof bitumen phase in an aqueous mixture. The mixturetumbles in the drum and the mechanical surfaces,passing through the mixture, capture bitumen phaseparticles that accumulate on these surfaces andincrease in size until they are sloughed off thesesurfaces back into the mixture in the form of enlargedbitumen phase particles. When the water phase of themixture is relatively low in minerals content, therevolving drum and its mechanical surfaces are used totransfer water wetted mineral particles from thebitumen phase to the aqueous phase of the mixture,resulting in a bitumen phase with reduced mineralscontent.