Method for extracing bitumen from an oil sand feed stream

Abstract

The present invention provides a method for extracting bitumen from an oil sand feed stream, the method including at least the steps of: (a) providing an oil sand feed stream; (b) contacting the oil sand feed stream with a hydrocarbon solvent thereby obtaining a solvent-diluted oil sand slurry; (c) filtering the solvent-diluted oil sand slurry thereby obtaining a solids-enriched stream and a filtrate; and (d) removing at least a part of the hydrocarbon solvent from the solids-enriched stream thereby obtaining a solvent-depleted solids-enriched stream, wherein in step (d) the at least part of the hydrocarbon solvent is removed from the solids-enriched stream by purging with a gas stream at a gas/solids weight ratio (related to the solids-enriched stream) of at most 3.0%.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.