Apparatus, system and method for providing a bitumen-rich stream from bitumen-containing materials

A system comprising:

• an apparatus configured to facilitate dissolution of at least one fraction of bitumen-containing materials into at least one solvent;
• a solid liquid separator;
• and
• at least one solvent-fraction separator;
• the apparatus comprising:
• a dissolution vessel;
• a tumbler configured to agitate the bitumen-containing materials and facilitate wetting the bitumen-containing materials with the at least one solvent;
• and
• at least one solvent distributor configured to discharge the at least one solvent into the dissolution vessel;
• wherein the dissolution vessel comprises:
• a feed inlet of the dissolution vessel configured to facilitate feeding the bitumen-containing materials into the dissolution vessel;
• a catch basin of the dissolution vessel;
• and
• at least one discharge outlet of the dissolution vessel;
• wherein the tumbler comprises:
• a cage configured to rotate within the dissolution vessel and to receive the bitumen-containing materials, wherein the bitumen-containing materials comprise larger solid objects and smaller solid objects, wherein the cage is configured to partially contain the bitumen-containing materials, wherein the cage comprises cage apertures configured to retain the larger solid objects that cannot pass through the cage apertures and allow liquid and the smaller solid objects to pass through the cage apertures;
• and
• a containment space bounded by the cage, wherein the containment space is configured to permit the bitumen-containing materials to be agitated within the cage;
• wherein the catch basin is configured to receive catch basin contents, wherein the catch basin contents comprise the at least one solvent, the at least one fraction of the bitumen-containing materials and the smaller solid objects in the bitumen-containing materials, and wherein the catch basin is configured to discharge the catch basin contents through the at least one discharge outlet of the dissolution vessel, thereby providing a mixed-materials stream;
• the solid-liquid separator being configured to receive the mixed-materials stream from the at least pne discharge outlet of the dissolution vessel, wherein the solid-liquid separator is configured to separate the mixed-materials stream into a liquid-rich stream comprising liquid from the mixed materials stream and a solids-rich stream comprising solids from the mixed-materials stream;
• and
• the at least one solvent -fraction separator being configured to separate the liquid-rich stream onto a solvent rich stream comprising the at least one solvent and a bitumen-rich stream comprising the at least one fraction;
• wherein the at least one solvent-fraction separator comprises a solvent-fraction heater, a flash valve, a flash drum, a bottoms pump, and a recirculation heater, wherein the solvent-fraction heater is configured to receive the liquid-rich stream and provide a heated liquid-rich stream, wherein the flash valve is configured to receive the heated liquid-rich stream and reduce the pressure of the heated liquid-rich stream to provide a saturated stream, wherein the flash drum is configured to receive the saturated stream and provide the bitumen-rich stream and the solvent-rich stream, wherein the bottoms pump is configured to receive the bitumen-rich stream, wherein the bottoms pump and the system are configured to convey a first portion of the bitumen-rich stream to the recirculation heater, wherein the recirculation heater is configured to receive the first portion of the bitumen-rich stream, and discharge a heated bitumen-rich stream to the flash drum, wherein the bottoms pump and the system are configured to convey a second portion of the bitumen-rich stream to a bitumen storage system.