• The short retention times eliminate product dilapidation

• It has floating wipers that maintain the thin film

• The best thin film distillation equipment improves unit efficiency

• They offer reduced downtime, optimal running costs, low maintenance costs

• They also come with energy saving features

Ideally, as seen above, the process of wiped film distillation is done through equipment that will enable the molecules to escape from the warm liquid into a surface in the condenser without degrading their value. At YHCHEM, we offer wiped distillation equipment among other products such as vacuum filtration units. We also offer professional advice on equipment selection. Contact us today for lab equipment orders.

The short path distillation process and its counterpart, the short path wiped distillation process, are popular distillation methods that produce better flavor in their products. Both processes achieve similar results through different means. Short path distillation is the process of separating mixtures, depending on their volatility differences, in a mixture of boiling liquid under condensed pressure. As the mixture receives heat, its vapors rise into a vertical condenser where water is used to cool them down. This technique is commonly applied with compounds that become unstable at higher temperatures.

Typically, the term acquires its name given the short distance the distillate covers in the short path distillation equipment. It travels just a few centimeters. A vacuum is used on the setup allowing the distillate to flow from one flask to the next, and in the process, the sample is separated and purified.

Below is a summary of the steps involved.

• A liquid solution is suspended in evaporating glassware or a flask that connects through a short feed to a chilling unit or condenser.

• The evaporating glassware is then put in a heating mantle. Here, the solution’s temperature rises to set boiling points, allowing distinct compartments of the solution in question to evaporate.

• Vapors are now drawn into the condensing unit via the feed under vacuum conditions. This is where the separated gas phase layer of the liquid solution cools and converts to a liquid state.

• The distillate material is put in different glassware depending on their weight. This enables chemists to merge several required elements from one sample.

Wiped film distillation is a thermal separation process for products that are sensitive to heat. The equipment used to achieve this process is known as a wiped film evaporator, and in the case of certain wiping systems, it can also be referred to as a thin film evaporator. The low evaporation temperature and short residence time causes little thermal stress on the distilled product and this results to a gentle distillation. The thin film distillation equipment is designed with the capabilities of handling challenging evaporating requirements when the materials in question are of low thermal conductivity, sensitive to heat, and highly viscous.

The technology of wiped film distillation introduces a mechanical agitated thin film of materials to a hot surface, which yields the separation of volatile compounds. The entire process is ideal for separating, concentrating, decolorizing, refining, and deodorizing, as well as offering wider product development opportunities in the pharmaceutical, polymers, chemical, and food industries. Some of the typical products that can be handled under this process include fatty amines, fatty acids, esters, tall oil, plasticizers, urea, fruit juices, and rocket fuel.