Shroff S.

R Rotary institute of chemical technology

Department of Chemical Engineering

Subject:- Advance separation techniques

Semester:- 6

Branch:- Chemical Engineering

ALA Topic:- Application of short path distillation unit

Presented by:- Jadav Harsh Hitendra Enrollment no:- 160990105013

Jadhav Ishwar Enrollment no:- 160990105014

Guided by :- Mukesh Sir

Academic Year (2018-2019)

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Content

• Introduction
• Principle
• Construction
• Working
• Type of SPDU
• Factor affecting SPDU
• Advantage and Disadvantage
• Application
• Application of Vitamin E acetate

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Introduction

• Short path distillation is a technique by which heat

sensitive chemicals can be distilled efficiently.
• Short path distillation is usually performed under
vacuum at a pressure less than 0.001 mbar
• It is a process in which distillation apparatus consist of
condenser and evaporator fitted in a single unit.
• The distance between evaporator and condenser surface
is only of few centimeters.
• Hence it provides lowest distillation temperature and
short residence time.
• Thus reduces possibility of thermal degradation of
product

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Principle

The principle of short path distillation can be understood from the figure below:

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Construction

1. Residue Discharge
2. Heater jacket
3. Roller wiper
4. Space under vacuum
5. Internal condenser
6. Feed
7. Geared motor
8. Heating medium inlet
9. Heating medium outlet
10. Exhaust
11. Cooling medium inlet
12. Cooling medium outlet
13. Distillate discharge

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Working

• Feed is continuously fed at top through a rotating distributor plate.

• Distributor is rotated using motor.
• Distributor plate distributes feed uniformly on the heat transfer surface.
• Feed flows down on heat transfer surface by gravity and gets heated.
• Heat required can be provided by thermic fluid, steam or hot water.
• This heat causes partial vaporization of feed.
• Vapor travel through the distillation gap to condenser surface where heat is
removed by cooling coils.
• Cooling medium can be cooling water, chilled water, oil or brine.

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Types of short path distillation units.

• There are mainly two types of short path distillation units based on force used for
distribution of liquid feed:
1. Falling film short path distillation unit; which uses gravitational force to
allow the liquid to be distributed as a thin film on a vertical vaporizer surface .
2. Centrifugal short path distillation unit; which uses centrifugal force
generated by rotor to promote the formation of thin film.
• The separation principle of both type of distillation unit is same
• There is also a third kind of short path distillation unit based on working;
– Reactive short path distillation unit; which is a combination of reactor and a
short path distillation unit
– Reactive short path distillation can be of both; falling film or centrifugal unit
type.

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Factors affecting short path distillation

• The parameters affecting the molecular diffusion are feed and condensation
temperature, feed rate, pressure and concentration of feed.
• With increase in temperature and decrease in pressure, the separation increases.
• By increasing the temperature, product purity increases but its yield decreases.

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Short path Distillation Vacuum distillation

• High purity. • Less purity.

• Temperature variation is • Vast temperature variation.
less. • Denature take place .
• Denature doesn't take
place.

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Advantages and Disadvantages

• Advantages
– Can be used for thermally sensitive substances.
– Components with high boiling points can be distilled easily due to high
vacuum.
– There is minimum pressure drop in the system due to short distance between
vaporizer and condenser unit.
– It requires relatively less maintenance.
– High purity of end products is obtained.
• Disadvantages
─ high vacuum is required for carrying out distillation.
─ High operating cost.

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 It is called molecular distillation when

• If distance travelled by vapor molecules from the vaporization

surface to surface of internal condenser is less than mean free path
of molecule between two successive collision then SPDU is called
molecular distillation.

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Application

• Separation of fat soluble vitamins.

• Grape seed oil decaffeination
• Separation of fatty acids from vegetable oil.
• Increasing citral concentration in lemongrass oil.
• Removing phthalates from sweet orange oil.
• Separation of waxes, fats and natural oils.
• For fish oils, petroleum residues, solvent removals.
• In fractionation of milk fat.
• For enrichment of carotene.
• For recovery of polyphenols, tocopherols and sterols from deodorizer distillate.

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For separation of vitamin E

• Use for synthesis of vitamin E as well as natural vitamin E.

• In 100kg crude vitamin E acetate it contain 78.75kg pure vitamin E
acetate. 13.73 kg residue and 7.5kg low boiling impurities.
• Pure vitamin E obtain as light yellow pure oil.
• Deodorizer distillate of edible oil is source of natural vitamin E.
• It concentration varies from 3-10% by mass in distillate of soybean
oil depending upon operating condition of deodorizer.
• Concentration upto 40% by mass can be carried out in SPDU.

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Distillation of vitamin E acetate

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Short path distillation for recovery of Polyphenols from
deodorizer distillate

• Polyphenols are identified as the natural compounds which impart antioxidant

property and thus improve shelf life.
• During physical refining of rapeseed oil, polyphenols gets separated and
concentrates in the distillate along with fatty acids, tocopherols, sterols, etc.
• Thus oil obtained as bottom product is lean in polyphenols and hence lags in
antioxidant property.
• So in order to obtain natural antioxidant, deodorizer distillate is treated in short path
distillation to separate them from free fatty acids which act as oxidants.

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Short path distillation for recovery of Polyphenols from
deodorizer distillate

• The effect of various parameters was studied experimentally which is stated as

follows:
– At 110°C about 43% of the material was evaporated to the distillate phase
whereas at 170°C the total distillate yield was approximately 86%.
– A separation factor near one is equivalent to an inefficient separation.
– Separation efficiency between FFA and tocopherols increases with decrease in
evaporation temperature with decrease in distillate rate.
– Whereas when experiment were carried out for different feed rates (100-300
mL/h) at 110°C no significant change was observed

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Continue..

Oil and Fat Industry

• Separation of free fatty acids from vegetable oil Fractionation of
tall oil

Petrochemical Industry
• Fractionation of synthetic and petrochemical waxes to soft-and
hard waxes

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Continue..

Chemical Industry
• Separation of long chain acid chlorides from impurities and free
acids
• Solvent separation from silicon oils
• Concentration and purification of esters
• Purification of organic esters
Food Industry
• Separation of solvents from flavors
• Concentration of juices or extracts

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Continue..

Pesticides produce
• Purification and refining of pesticides and its intermediate

Polymer Industry
• Purification and concentration of monomers Purification and
concentration of polymers Purification of softeners

Painting industry
• Subtractive solvent of polyurethane partial polymer and separation
of TDI monomer

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Continue..

Cosmetic industry
• Producing wool alcohols and wool acid of sheep oil Wiping off
pesticides of cosmetic substrate

• Pharmaceutical and Food Industry

• Concentration of sugar / Glucose solutions and fruit pulps.

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 Thank you

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