Distillation: apparatus – Apparatus – Systems
Patent
1997-03-04
2000-12-26
Manoharan, Virginia
Distillation: apparatus
Apparatus
Systems
96199, 55443, 196111, 202205, 554205, B01D 310, C07C 5144
Patent
active
06165325&
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a vacuum vessel for continuous or semicontinuous treatment of fatty oils in connection with deodorization. The vacuum vessel comprises spaces through which the oil which is to be treated is brought to pass and means to heat or cool said oil. At the bottom of the vessel there are perforated pipes arranged to lead stripping gas into the oil. The vessel is also connected to a vacuum source.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
When producing consumer products out of different vegetable or animal oil deodorization is a part of the refining process. During the deodorization the oil is heated to a high temperature 180-275.degree. C. in order to remove contaminants and unwanted substances from the oil. These substances have a lower boiling point than the different triglycerides which constitute the fatty oil. The deodorization is carried through under vacuum 1-20 mbar and the removal is facilitated by adding stripping gas to the oil. The stripping gas may consist of an inert gas or steam. The stripping gas makes the mixing of the oil and the removal of the unwanted substances easier.
For many types of oils it is useful to heat the oil under vacuum with addition of stripping gas during a pretreatment step prior to the deodorization to remove the dissolved air and at that hinder oxidation of the oil.
The deodorized oil is also in many cases subjected to a further treatment with injection of stripping gas under vacuum during a simultaneous cooling.
The vacuum vessels which are used for preheating or cooling the oil which is to be deodorized have previously usually consisted of cylindrical pressure vessels with inserts provided with baffles. The baffles have been arranged such that the oil flows in a plug flow. In the vessels there are tubes for the heating/cooling medium and pipes for distribution of stripping gas. The cylindrical vessels have usually had double curved side walls which were welded to the cylindrical surface. The shape described above makes the application of the necessary couplings and connections for oil, heating/cooling medium, stripping gas and vacuum very costly and complicated. The cleaning of the vacuum vessels is also made more difficult.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
According to the invention it is now proposed that the vacuum vessel is designed in quite another way, which both secures a good treatment of the oil, gives a cheaper production cost for the vessel and facilitates the cleaning. The vacuum vessel according to the invention is mainly characterized in that the vessel has the form of a container with a principally rectangular bottom with partitions which are parallel with a long side of the container. These partitions delimit channels connected in series through which the oil passes. The bottom of the first channel as seen in the direction of flow is arranged on a higher level than the second channel as seen in the flow direction in such a way that the oil is brought to pass through the vessel by means of gravity. The vessel has a low height in relation to the length of its sides.
With such a design of the vessel the oil is forced to flow a long distance which gives a good treatment at the same time as the height of the vessel is limited. The channels are confined by the bottom of the vessel. The height must only with such a distance exceed the height of the partitions that a necessary gas space is obtained.
The means which heat or cool the oil can advantageously comprise U-tubes through which flows a heating or cooling medium. Each channel comprises suitably one or several U-tubes. If the vessel shall be used as a regenerative the cooling medium can advantageously consisting of not yet treated oil which, when passing the vessel, is heated by the oil which is to be cooled. With such an arrangement the connections to the source for heating or cooling medium are located at one short side of the vessel.
Suitably the connections for the perforated pipes for stripping gas are arranged at the other short side of the vessel. The perforated p
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Hillstrom Anders M.A.
Sjoberg Peter
Alfa Laval AB
Manoharan Virginia
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