Continuous Feed Thin Film Distillation / Vacuum Evaporation Equipment

Continuous Feed Thin Film Distillation / Vacuum Evaporation Equipment​

Thin Film Distillation Introduction

The principle of Fractional Distillation Column is that different liquids boil at different temperature. The miscible liquids boil at different temperature and evaporate at different temperature.

When the mixture is heated, the liquid with lower boiling point boils and turns into vapours. So the mixture is heated to a temperature at which one or two components of the mixture will vaporise. Fractional distillation involves repeated distillations and condensations.

Fractional Distillation Column is used to separate the various components of crude oil. Various components of crude oil such as gasoline, paraffin wax, lubricating oil, diesel oil, fuel oil, naphtha, kerosene are separated. Crude oil is heated and the mixture stars boiling. Hydrocarbon gases are introduced into the column.

——Operation

Feed liquid is admitted into still under high vacuum, immediately spread into a very thin film and forced quickly down the evaporation surface. Heated walls and high vacuum drive the more volatile components (distillate) to the external condenser as the less volatile components (residue) continue down the cylinder. The resulting fractions, thus separated, exit through individual discharge outlets. Depending on application, the desired product is either the distillate or the residue fraction. Small amounts of condensable low MW compounds collect in cold trap upstream of vacuum system. For high solvent loads, an optional external condenser may be installed immediately downstream of the still.

——Particular features

Continuous distillation process.
Low operating pressures (100~10000Pa ,100Pa=1mbar).
Short residence time.
High evaporation rates.
Processing of high-boiling, high-viscosity or crystallizing products is possible.
Can be used as a reboiler for column.
Low fouling on evaporator wall.

Thin Film Distillation Parameters