Distillation: apparatus – Apparatus – Systems
Reexamination Certificate
1997-09-23
2001-10-16
Manoharan, Virginia (Department: 1764)
Distillation: apparatus
Apparatus
Systems
C137S386000, C159SDIG002, C202S181000, C202S185100, C202S234000, C203S001000, C203S002000, C203S100000, C219S679000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06303005
ABSTRACT:
The invention relates to a process for producing high-purity liquid chemicals, by distillation wherein the liquid to be purified is heated by microwave radiation, and a device for implementing this process having a heat source acting on the container of liquid and a condensation device connected to the liquid container wherein the heat source is a microwave radiation source that is arranged above the liquid to be purified.
Chemicals usually contain a certain amount of impurities. To separate the liquid chemical from the impurities it is usually distilled. Distillation comprises evaporating the liquid and condensing the vapors to produce the distillate which is collected together (simple distillation) or in a separate manner according to boiling ranges (fractional distillation). As simple distillation does not achieve complete mixture separation it is only used when high purity is unimportant. Fractional distillation is used, for example, in the treatment of petroleum or the production of alcohol.
Since, according to Raoult's law, the higher-boiling substance also sends a quantity corresponding to its content and vapor pressure into the vapor of the lower-boiling substance, accurate separation is only possible by means of a multiplicity of successive distillation steps. Rectification, in which a so-called distillation column is connected between evaporator and cooler, is a process for the very fine separation of liquid mixtures.
The object of the invention is to provide a further distillation process for producing high-purity liquid chemicals and a device for implementing this process.
The process according to the invention comprises heating the liquid to be evaporated by means of microwave radiation preferably in the uppermost layers while deeper layers remain cooler. This measure may prevent higher-boiling impurities from being entrained into the vapor by bubble formation. In the corresponding device the heat source in the form of a microwave radiation source is arranged above the liquid to be purified.
In development of the invention, convection within the liquid is extensively prevented by introducing horizontal nets or perforated plates into the liquid. This measure may also reduce the effect by which impurities are entrained upwards by the heat transfer within the liquid and find their way into the distillate.
Furthermore, the liquid level in the liquid container is kept constant during the distillation process in that the liquid container is supplied from a level system. For this purpose the liquid container is connected to a storage vessel from which a pump pumps the chemical to be purified into an overflow pipe which is connected in the upper part to the storage vessel and whose bottom end opens into the liquid container at the bottom.
All elements which come into contact with the chemical in the course of the distillation process must be resistant to the chemical used. Glass may be used as material in the case of chemicals which are not excessively aggressive; if the chemical to be purified is hydrofluoric acid, for example, which attacks glass, polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) may be used for example.
The sub-claims provide further embodiments and developments of the invention.
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Manoharan Virginia
Mikrowellen-Systeme MWS GmbH
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