US Patent 7591929 Oil sand processing apparatus and control system

An apparatus for processing oil sand to produce a liquid stream comprising water and bitumen and a solid stream comprising solid particles, and a method and control system for controlling the apparatus. The apparatus includes a drum having first and second ends, a conditioning zone adjacent the first end, a compressing zone adjacent the second end and a processing zone therebetween. A rotatable spiral trough, having lifting members therein, extends through each zone for imparting a spiral rolling motion to the oil sand. An oil sand inlet communicates with the conditioning zone, while a water inlet communicates with the processing zone. A liquid stream outlet is located at the first end of the drum, while a solid stream outlet is located adjacent the second end. Preferably, the spiral trough has a width through the compressing zone less than through the processing zone and a height through at least a portion of the compressing zone greater than through the processing and conditioning zones.