The CANMET hydrocyclone is a high-performance separation unit developed to de-oil a variety of oily fluids, including high water-cut wellhead production. A large number of heavy oil wellhead production streams in western Canada and elsewhere contain in excess of 70% water by volume. Integration of the CANMET hydrocyclone offers a technically and economically advantageous alternative to conventional gravity-based separation units for the treatment of these production fluids. Hydrocyclones separate fluids of differing densities by means of strong centrifugal forces generated by a high-speed vortex flow within the unit. The CANMET hydrocyclone combines a number of unique design features that result in enhanced performance in a variety of applications compared to conventional designs. Field testing has shown that oil production rates can be increased by the integration of hydrocyclone technology in wellhead production treatment schemes. Hydrocyclones are compact, have very short retention times, and reduce the processing load on downstream gravity-based separators. Important energy consumption and environmental benefits are also gained through reduced heating requirements.