Thin Flim Fractional Distillation Column / Additional Azeotropic Distillation Column

0.86 m2 Condenser HTA Fractional Distillation Column for CBD / THC / Hemp oil

——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.

A Fractional Distillation Column setup includes an additional column that sits vertically on top of the boiling flask and to which the condenser is connected. Its purpose is to increase the distance that the vapor must travel to reach the condenser. The columns are typically packed with glass beads or pieces of ceramic to increases the surface area the vapor must come into contact with as it transports to the condenser.

During normal distillation, a substantial amount of the higher-boiling liquid also will vaporize and transport to the collection flask, essentially becoming an impurity in the distilled product. This is especially problematic when the liquids being separated have similar boiling points. The more surface area the higher-boiling liquid contacts along the way, the more likely it is to condense back to a liquid and return to the boiling flask. Fractional Distillation Column uses this increased surface area to improve the efficiency of the distillation.