US 8,617,359 B2Granted

Method for distilling a starting material and installation for carrying out said method

AssigneeMarkus Lehmann

InventorsMarkus Lehmann, Markus Braendli

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Abstract

A method for distilling a starting material that includes a liquid Fd to be distilled, uses a gas-tight container system that is resistant to excess and/or negative pressure. The container system includes a condenser for condensing the liquid Fd, which has turned to vapor and whose temperature can be adjusted, to give the condensation product, and a vapor chamber connecting the evaporator and the condenser. The pressure and temperature in the vapor chamber are monitored and controlled so that distillation is always carried out in a range close to the saturation vapor pressure of the liquid Fd to be distilled. If the pressure is too high, it is reduced so that especially foreign gas is removed. An installation includes a container for distillation according to method.

Claims25

Dependent claims

A method for distilling a starting material, which consists of a liquid to be distilled Fd, using a gas-tight container system that is resistant to excess and/or negative pressure, said container system comprising an evaporator with the liquid starting material the temperature of which can be adjusted, a condenser for condensing the liquid Fd which has turned to vapor and the temperature of which can be adjusted to give the condensate, as well as a vapor chamber connecting the evaporator and the condenser, the condenser having a condensation pathway with an end thereof, the temperature in the vapor chamber being the mixed temperature (Tm) and the pressure in the vapor chamber being the mixed pressure (pm) wherein the vapor chamber is provided with a pressure sensor for measuring the mixed pressure pm established therein, wherein the vapor chamber is provided with a temperature sensor for measuring the mixed temperature Tm established therein and a pressure regulator, the method comprising the following process steps:

a) the evaporator with the liquid starting material is brought to a first temperature T1, and the condenser to a second lower temperature T2;
b) the mixed pressure pm and the mixed temperature Tm are measured;
c) the saturation vapor pressure ps of the liquid starting material at the measured mixed temperature Tm is determined;
d) a set-pressure range is determined, which is limited by a lower pressure limit p1, which is at least 0.1% above the saturation vapor pressure ps and an upper pressure limit p2, which is at the most 6% above the saturation vapor pressure ps;
e) the mixed pressure pm is compared with the set-pressure range;
f) the mixed pressure pm is reduced by the pressure regulator exactly until it has reached the lower pressure limit p1 by sucking off gases at the end of the condensation pathway in the condenser to remove foreign gas from the container system;
g) the steps a) to e) are repeated, until the mixed pressure pm has reached the upper pressure limit p2;
h) the steps f) and g) are repeated until the distillation is to be stopped.

5 more elements

A distillation installation for distilling a starting material that includes a liquid to be distilled, the installation comprising:

an International Organization for Standardization (ISO) container system having an ISO container in which is housed a condenser having a condensation pathway with an end thereof directly at the condensate and a temperature regulating unit for adjusting the temperature of the condensate, an evaporator having a temperature regulating unit for adjusting the temperature of the starting material, and a vapor chamber connecting the evaporator and the condenser and configured to allow pressure equilibrium that includes a mixed pressure pm between the evaporator and the condenser;
a pressure sensor disposed in the vapor chamber for measuring the mixed pressure pm established therein;
a temperature sensor disposed in the vapor chamber for measuring the mixed temperature Tm established therein;
and
a pressure regulator disposed to suck off gases at the end of the condensation pathway in the condenser directly at the condensate by reducing the mixed pressure pm of the vapor chamber.

2 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.