Fluid treatment separator and a system and method of treating fluid

Abstract

There is provided a method of treating fluid such as tailings from tailings ponds resulting from oil sands production. A fluid treatment separator has a separation chamber having an oil outlet and a water chamber having a water outlet below the height of the oil outlet. A fluid passage connects between the separation and water chambers. The fluid passage is below the height of the water outlet. A centrifuge flow separator is in the separation chamber. A centrifuge flow diffuser is oriented to direct mixed fluids into the centrifuge flow separator. Preferably, the centrifuge flow diffuser is a ring diffuser and the centrifuge flow separator is a centrifuge cone. A fluid treatment system includes a fluid treatment separator and a phase separator and may include multiple fluid treatment separators and phase separators connected in series.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.