Low temperature vacuum distillation and concentration process

A continuous method of directly substantially reducing the alcohol content of an entire original alcohol product feed substrate to produce a dealcoholized low calorie comprising the steps of:

• feeding an original feed substrate from a supply source through a feed line;
• heating said feed substrate with means for heating said feed substrate to a temperature of less than 100.degree. C. (212.degree. F.);
• feeding said feed substrate under pressure at a regulated flow rate through an atomizing nozzle disposed within a volatiles separator and concentrator unit having at least one expansion chamber having a frustoconical shaped upper portion and an inverted frustoconical lower portion, each of said at least one expansion chamber having a sidewall with a maximum diameter in its central portion and means of directing at least a portion of any stray spray toward said sidewalls, said means of directing comprising a baffle;
• pulling a vacuum in said each of said at least one expansion chamber;
• producing a cone spray pattern from said atomizing nozzle forming a layer of small droplets extending to the side of each of said at least one expansion chamber;
• vaporizing said droplets between said nozzle and said sidewall forming a vapor containing alcohol therefrom and forming a thin film of liquid on said sidewall of said lower portion of said first expansion chamber consisting of any nonvolatilized droplets from the spray nozzle striking the sidewall;
• vaporizing at least a portion of said thin film of liquid on said wall exposing said thin film for a relatively short period of time to convection currents, indirect heat transfer from said sidewall, and the vacuum in said first expansion chamber to vaporize a portion of the liquid containing alcohol and other volatiles producing a vaporized product;
• collecting the nonvolatilized feed substrate as a reduced alcohol concentrate product;
• passing the vaporized product through a condenser forming a condensate product.

A continuous method of directly substantially reducing the alcohol content of an alcohol containing feed substrate to produce a dealcoholized low calorie concentrate product and an increased alcohol containing condensate product comprising the steps of:

• heating said feed substrate to a temperature of less than 100.degree. F. (212.degree. F.) to a
• heating said feed substrate to a temperature of less than 100.degree. F. (212.degree. F.);
• feeding a feed substrate from a supply source through a feed line and through an atomizing spray nozzle disposed within a cylindrical expansion chamber of a multistage volatile separator and concentrator column comprising a cylindrical column having a plurality of rectifying plates positioned above said cylindrical expansion chamber and a plurality of dealcoholizing plates positioned below said cylindrical expansion chambers forming a conical spray pattern of fine droplets within said cylindrical expansion chamber;
• exposing said droplets to a vacuum formed within said expansion chamber;
• forming a vapor condensate product;
• forming a concentrate product collecting in a base chamber containing a heating element containing a suitable heating medium therein for reboiling said concentrate product;
• and controlling the liquid level in said base chamber.

A continuous method of separating at least two chemical components having different boiling points from a liquid at low temperature, comprising the steps of:

• feeding a feed substrate having at least one component having a low boiling point and at least one component having a high boiling point from a supply source through a feed line;
• heating said feed substrate through means for heating said feed substrate at a temperature of less than 100.degree. C. (212.degree. F.);
• pumping said feed substrate under pressure at a controlled flow rate into a volatiles separator and concentrator unit having a first vacuum expansion chamber defining a frustoconical shaped upper portion and an inverted frustoconical lower portion, said first expansion chamber having a sidewall with a maximum diameter in its central portion;
• pulling a vacuum in said volatiles separator and concentrator unit;
• pumping said pressurized feed substrate through an atomizing nozzle disposed within said first expansion chamber producing a cone spray pattern forming a layer of small droplets extending to the side of said vacuum first expansion chamber at about the maximum diameter thereof;
• vaporizing said droplets between said nozzle and said sidewall forming a vapor therefrom having a higher concentration of the component having a lower boiling point;
• forming a thin film of liquid on said sidewall of said lower portion of said first expansion chamber consisting of any nonvolatilized droplets from the spray nozzle striking the sidewall;
• vaporizing at least a portion of said thin film of liquid on said sidewall producing additional vaporized product;
• collecting the nonvolatilized liquid as a concentrate product having a higher concentration of the component having a higher boiling point;
• passing the vaporized product through a condenser forming a condensate product.