Short Path Distiller

Short path distiller (also known as molecular distillation) is a thermal separation process designed for the separation of heat sensitive products. short path distiller is characterized by short product residence time and low process evaporation temperature, and strives to make the distilled product subject to the lowest possible thermal stress. It can be seen that short path distiller is a very gentle distillation process.
 
The short path distiller is equipped with a vacuum system, which can significantly reduce the boiling point of the product by reducing the operating pressure. This is a continuous separation process with product residence times as low as tens of seconds (compared to hours for other traditional separation methods)

Features of short path distiller

1. Since the vapor phase generated by the evaporation of light components can be rapidly cooled on the intercooler, the vapor pressure of the gas phase of light components can be quickly eliminated, and the actual extremely low operating pressure (up to 0.001mbar) is what we call high vacuum.
 
2. The essence of short path distiller is also a kind of wiped film evaporation. The material is scraped into a very thin rotor by the wiped film rotor, which can greatly improve the efficiency of heat transfer. Coupled with the blessing of high vacuum, the light components can be evaporated in a very mild environment. Evaporate at low temperature, especially suitable for distillation of heat-sensitive materials.
 
3. short path distiller is the evaporation of light components after the material is scraped into a thin film, which eliminates the influence of the static liquid column pressure on the vacuum of the traditional kettle distillation, because the thickness of the molecular distillation film after scraping is less than 1mm, so it can be quickly The surface of the liquid film evaporates and condenses on the intercooler to realize a separation process.
 
4. In the short-path distiller, the time from the raw material entering to the completion of separation and leaving the evaporator is very short, only tens of seconds, which can greatly reduce the heating time of heat-sensitive materials and protect the materials.

How short path distiller Works

The pressure difference between the boiling film and the condensing surface is the driving force for the direction of steam flow, and a small pressure drop will cause the flow of steam. Operation at 1mbar requires a very short distance between the boiling surface and the condensing surface, and the distiller based on this principle is called a short path distiller. The short path still (molecular distillation) has a built-in condenser opposite the heating side and allows the operating pressure to drop to 0.001 mbar.
 

Steps:

1. Install the injector (screw the injector clockwise), first, second, and third receiving bottles, and turn on the cooling water circulation button;

2. Open the wiper rotor and adjust to the speed (not to exceed 400 r/min);

3. Turn on the vacuum pump after the liquid nitrogen reaches the required liquid level (not less than 1/2 of the volume of the condensation column);

4. When the pressure no longer drops, adjust the vacuum pump fine-tuning valve (not lower than 0.5 mbar);

5. After the pressure is adjusted in place, turn the injector valve counterclockwise to adjust the injection speed;

6. During the operation of the equipment, feed liquid can be added at any time through the injector;

7. When the remaining liquid volume in the injector is about 50 ml and no more samples are injected, turn off the vacuum pump and turn back the fine-tuning valve. When the pressure reaches 1000 mbar, wait for 10 minutes. After the pressure is exhausted, turn off the heater and remove the Injector, pour out the remaining sample solution, and replace with absolute ethanol;

8. Replace the first and second receiving bottles, put in empty bottles, unscrew the injector, slowly inject absolute ethanol, and use the residual heat to clean the equipment;

9. After cleaning, turn off the cooling water and the rotor, remove the sampler and receiving bottle for another wash;

10. Turn off the power and clean the countertop.
 

Advantages of short path distiller

1. Due to continuous feed, producers can continuously produce large quantities of goods. This paves the way for greater scalability.
 
2. The fast channel distillation system has a compact design and is most suitable for the extraction of a large number of strains.
 
3. Most importantly, the short path distiller device has a high degree of automation and is easy to use.
 

Short path distiller and wiped film distillation

wiped film distillation
In the case of wiped film distillation, the distillation machine uses scrapers to create a film of oil on a heated floor. This allows distillation of liquids of next viscosity and better boiling point and reduces the time spent on the still.
 
The components in the oil evaporate and move to a nearby condenser and condense on that surface. The wipers are engineered to create a thin film on the bottom of the evaporator that also mixes well on the surface. This mixing improves mass transfer and separation efficiency.
 
The heated reservoir holds winterized decarboxylated oil that feeds the stills. The feed is pumped through the feed pump and brought in still under high vacuum pressure.
 
Regulated vacuum pressure is provided by a combination roughing pump and optional turbomolecular pump. Cold fingers and vacuum condensers are sometimes placed between the vacuum and the still to condense volatile molecules in the vacuum so that a high vacuum gradient exists between the still and the vacuum supply.
 
As the wiper rotates, the oil spreads onto the evaporator walls. The wiper continues to mix the fluid as it moves along the column.
 
Operators may want residue or condensate (distillate). Therefore, completely different methods can be run to optimize recovery for both. Some of these compounds do not condense on the condenser, so diffuse through the vacuum and condense on the "cold fingers" put in just before the vacuum.
 
At FBL, we offer a wide variety of laboratory equipment for many application needs. Contact us to purchase tools for short path distiller production essentials. We also provide advice on equipment selection, on-site and online technical assistance, and free gear testing. Contact us today to learn further.

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