Commercial Vacuum Distillation Still: Uses and Functions

May 11, 2017

Everyone's heard of the chemical distillation process, although most of us are only familiar with a few "still" applications. Distilled water and alcohol distillation probably come to mind when the general populace first hears the term. However, commercial vacuum distillation stills are built for more specialised applications, instances where high boiling temperatures would damage the process medium. That all sounds a bit enigmatic, so details are needed.

Demystifying Commercial Vacuum Distillation

A standard distillation facility boils a liquid and separates the different evaporates as they recondense. That's a well-established fluid separation method, one that's been around for centuries, but it simply doesn't work when certain temperature-sensitive compounds are around. That distillate, if it were boiled, would chemically alter or possibly decompose. In order to avoid these chemical changes, a more appropriate distillation technique is required. Commercial vacuum distillation is the logical solution, for this processing medium uses an airless enclosure to lower that troublesome boiling point. Lowered in this clever manner, the distillate is formed at a reduced temperature, a thermal actuation point that doesn't structurally alter the fluid.

Commercial Vacuum Stills: Applications and Uses

The low-temperature functions of a vacuum distillation mechanism are marked by several process-relevant features. First of all, this technique yields high-purity distillates. If we were to rewind back to the alcohol usage example mentioned earlier, this feature would perhaps be wasted on an average commercial beer, but imagine a fine liqueur, a refined liquid product that's untainted by the effects of a boiling fluid environment. That gentle but precise distillation chamber can surely produce many flavoursome beverages that appeal to the drinks connoisseur. Beyond the beverage industry, there are commercial applications that target process reclamation needs. One example of this need is a solvent recovery unit. Granted, solvents are used in many chemical processing scenarios, places where an eventual product leaves an outlet port or mould, but the actual solvent is left behind in a chemical soup. Therefore, a commercial vacuum distillation assembly, complete with a vessel, is also an environment saver, a device that recovers solvents so that this caustic soup is chemically neutralised. Like a focused fractionation mechanism, the boil-free chambers reclaim specific chemical compounds very quickly.

Known also as a short path distiller, a commercial vacuum distillation still uses the laws of physics to create distillates at low temperatures. That distillate is a super-pure commodity, a beverage or herbal extract, or it's a reclaimed chemical compound. Generally speaking, a solvent is a caustic compound, so a distillation process that can recover this solute producing chemical has to be an essential process asset.

Contact Details

Fusion - Weld Engineering Pty Ltd
ABN 98 068 987619

1865 Frankston Flinders Road,
Hastings, VIC 3915

Ph: (03) 5909 8218

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