GB496677A - Improvements in distillation of high boiling liquids such as fatty acids - Google Patents

Abstract

Apparatus for distilling fatty acids &c. comprises a heating zone 5 for the liquid, a vapour zone 6 above the zone 5, and a separating zone 7 above and in open communication with the zone 6, the zones 6 and 7 being enclosed by an insulated double-walled partition 9. The zone 7 has spiral vanes 8 to collect the entrained liquid drops from the vapour. The vapour is guided by a bell-shaped insulating wall 15 over coils 17, 18 after superheating steam in a coil 16, from which it passes down a pipe 28 to jets 30 immersed in the liquid. The distillate is fed into the coil 17 and after being heated passes down through pipe 29 into the heating zone 5. Water is fed to coil 18 and a mixture of hot water and steam passes out by pipe 37 to a separating chamber, from which <PICT:0496677/III/1> the steam passes to the coil 16. The distillate after passing over the coil 18, passes upwards over cooling coils 20, 21, and the condensate collects in the space 38 and is drawn off by a pipe 41. In the Specification as open to inspection under Sect. 91, a process is described consisting of vaporizing the liquid with the aid of heat and high vacuum, separating entrained material and unvolatilized material from the vapours without reducing their temperature, and pre-heating the fatty acid feed to substantially the temperature of the still by indirect, countercurrent contact with the hot vapours free from entrained and unvolatilized material. The hot vapours may also be used to heat water to generate steam, and may be brought into indirect contact with steam, liquid feed, and water successively to superheat the steam, preheat the feed, and generate saturated steam. The high - boiling liquid may be vaporized while in intimate contact with a stream of water vapour generated and superheated by contact with the hot vapours being distilled. This subject-matter does not appear in the Specification as accepted.