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US 4,790,910 AGranted
Apparatus for extracting hydrocarbons from tar sands
OwnerJaroslav J. Havlikinventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An apparatus and method for extracting hydrocarbons from tar sands. Stationary heater plates have a central opening therethrough through which a horizontal axle extends. Rotors having a central hub and a number of arms are splined on the axle, one closely sandwiched between every two heater plates. A ring is provided between the heater plates closely outward of the rotor arms. Sand retaining pockets are defined between adjacent arms of each rotor, the rotor hub, the ring and adjacent heater plates. Sand is retained in the sand retaining pockets for about one revolution about the axis between feed and removal positions. While retained in the pockets, the sand is heated and hydrocarbons driven off are collected.
Claims19
An apparatus for the separation of petroleum bitumen crude from tar sands, oil shales and other oil bearing materials comprising:
- a plurality of vertical, parallel, stationary heater plate means disposed side-by-side spaced from one another,
- a central aperture through the heater plates normal thereto,
- axle means extending through the central aperture and journalled for rotation about a horizontal axis,
- drive means to rotate the axle means about said axis,
- a plurality of similar thin, rotor plate means coupled to the axle means co-axially thereabout for rotation therewith with one rotor plate means sandwiched between each two adjacent heater plate means,
- each rotor plate means having central hub means about the axle means and a plurality of similar arm means extending radially outwardly from the hub means uniformly circumferentially spaced thereabout,
- the arm means of all the rotor plate means being in axial alignment,
- material retaining ring means located about the rotor plate means radially outwardly of an arc defined by the ends of the arm means on rotation of the rotor plate means,
- a plurality of material retaining pocket means defined for each rotor plate means between:
- (i) each two adjacent arm means,
- (ii) the heater plate means on each side of said rotor plate means,
- (iii) the hub means, and
- (iv) the material retaining ring means,
- each material retaining pocket means moving about the axle means with rotation of the rotor plate means,
- means to insert material from which crude is to be extracted into each material retaining pocket means when two arms forming each respective material retaining pocket means are at a first relative rotational position with respect to the axle means, and
- means to remove material from the material retaining pocket means when two arms forming each respective material retaining pocket means are at a relative rotational position with respect to the axle means displaced from said first relative rotational position by at least a major portion of one revolution of the rotor plate means about the axle means.
13 more elements
An apparatus for the separation of petroleum bitumen crude from tar sands, oil shales and other oil bearing materials comprising:
- a plurality of vertical, parallel, stationary heater plate means disposed side-by-side spaced from one another,
- a central aperture through the heater plates normal thereto,
- axle means extending through the central aperture and journalled for rotation about a horizontal axis,
- drive means to rotate the axle means about said axis,
- a plurality of similar thin, rotor plate means coupled to the axle means co-axially thereabout for rotation therewith with one rotor plate means sandwiched between each two adjacent heater plate means,
- each rotor plate means having central hub means about the axle means and a plurality of similar arm means extending radially outwardly from the hub means uniformly circumferentially spaced thereabout,
- the arm means of all the rotor plate means being in axial alignment,
- material retaining ring means located about the rotor plate means radially outwardly of an arc defined by the ends of the arm means on rotation of the rotor plate means,
- a plurality of material retaining pocket means defined for each rotor plate means between:
- (i) each two adjacent arm means,
- (ii) the heater plate means on each side of said rotor plate means,
- (iii) the hub means, and
- (iv) the material retaining ring means,
- each material retaining pocket means moving about the axle means with rotation of the rotor plate means,
- wherein each heater plate means has a first and a second cut-out portion, each open to a lateral edge of the heater plate means,
- each heater plate means having an arm-like portion between the first and second cut-out portions and of a size and shape which corresponds axially with that of an arm means on the rotor plate means,
- wherein with one arm means of each rotor plate means in axial alignment with said arm-like portion
- (a) the first cut-out portions of the heater plate means are in axial alignment with a space between said one arm means and an adjacent arm means on the same rotor plate means on a first side of the one arm means, forming a material insert opening continuous in axial direction through all rotor plate means and heater plate means, open to a lateral edge thereof and into which material may be inserted;
- and
- (b) the second cut-out portions of the heater plate means are in axial alignment with a space between said one arm means and an adjacent arm means on the same rotor plate means on a second side of the one arm means, forming a material removal opening continuous in axial direction through all rotor plates means and heater plate means, open to a lateral edge thereof and via which material therein may be removed,
- means to insert said material into said material insert opening, and means to remove material from said material removal opening.
18 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.