Friday, August 1, 2014

Steam Distillation Equipment In A Nutshell

By Imelda Reid


Distillation is the process of separating liquids based on the difference in their boiling degrees. Steam distillation refers to a process of separating temperature sensitive materials. Materials that are separated by steam distillation equipment break down at high temperature and are insoluble or slightly soluble in water. They do not have to be liquids at room temperature, for instance the isolation of caffeine from the green tea.

Operation Water is incorporated into the vapor distillations equipment to aid in lowering the temperature of the material to be separated. This allows them to evaporate without disintegration. At times pressure may also be lowered to reduce the temperatures in the distiller even further. Condensation follows distillation.

The vapor distillations tool is usually designed using stainless steel or borosilicate glassware to prevent breakage under high pressure. This means that distillation and solvent extraction can be performed in the same unit at atmosphere or even higher pressure without breaking.

There are two main ways of generating vapor in this machinery. External vapor distillations is whereby the steam is led from a vapor path through water trap into the apparatus. On the other hand, internal vapor distillations is whereby hot water is added to the flask that will produce vapor and thus provide an internal steam source. This method is rapid and there is possibility of greater control by the operator.

These components vary depending on scale of operation and type of materials to be distilled. Generally the components fall into three parts. The first part is steam generator where vapor is produced and can be heated by any device. The succeeding part is the distiller where distillation takes place. The heating systems for both parts are separate. The third part is condensation plus receiver which contains a normal condenser for water and a calibrated receiver.

Separation of important oils by use of Steams distillations is an ideal way to separate oils of importance from plants like rosemary, lavender and lemonade grass due to product not required to have presence of liquid like in the simple distillation process. When aromatic herbs are separated by this process, there are usually two resulting compounds; essential oil and watery herbal distillate. The essential oils are used in making of perfumes and also in aromatherapy. The distillates which are usually watery are used in making of soaps, lotions and other skin care products, food processing and also in aromatherapy.

The petrochemical plants and petroleum refineries have adopted using this equipment in their production activities. It is mostly referred as steam stripping. Important functions is also found in the separation of fatty acids from some mixtures and also in the treatment of crude products. It separates and extracts soaps, fatty acids and other valuable organic matter.

When handling the gadgets, ensure you put in mind of necessary precautions. Make sure that there are no leakages as it can lead the machinery having a lower output. Wearing protective gears will be essential to ensure that you are safe from hot surfaces, hot steam and also emitted fumes that could be hazardous. Ensure that you check on the ability and price of your ideal gadget plus also the convenience of acquiring the machines.




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