Newbie seeking help regarding vacuum pipelines for solvent recovery in reaction vessels
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I’m just starting to work with this process; these past few days I’ve been modifying the procedure, specifically the step of solvent distillation in the reaction vessel. I only applied vacuum to the pipeline coming down from the condenser; no vacuum was applied to the receiving tank below. The feedback was that there is a pressure difference of 10 meters between the reaction vessel and the receiving tank; the receiving tank is not under vacuum, so there is a risk that the distillate won’t be able to pass through due to the imbalance in vacuum levels. Is there anyone who can explain the principle? When I did it before, I thought that as long as there was negative pressure in the reactor, that would be enough? What does a pressure difference of 10 meters mean? Thank you all in advance.
Is the receiving tank in front of or behind the vacuum source? If it is in front, it must be under negative pressure
Connecting the vacuum from above the receiving tank ensures that the condensate does not enter the vacuum pipeline. But if vacuum has already been applied at the point where it comes off the condenser, an additional balance pipe can be installed on the fraction collection tank, so that the condensate can flow down.
The concern mentioned in the feedback regarding the distillate not being able to pass through refers to the situation where, if a vacuum is applied between the condenser and the receiving tank, the pressure inside the receiving tank will be higher than that in the pipes, and as a result the distillate may be prevented from falling into the tank.
This should be placed at the bottom of the receiving tank after condensation; when the liquid density is close to or exceeds 1, it will flow downward. 1 atmosphere equals 10 meters of water.