A system and method for extracting essential oils from organic material is provided. One embodiment places organic material into an extraction chamber that is a cylindrical wall of rigid material, wherein a diameter and a height of the extraction chamber is sized to define an interior that accommodates a desired amount of an organic material having essential oils; fills the extraction chamber with a solvent after the organic matter has been placed into the extraction chamber; and moves a vortex plunger disposed over the surface of the organic material in a repeated upward and downward motion during an agitation process so that the vortex vanes generate a fluid vortex in the solvent, wherein the fluid vortex causes the solvent to be drawn upward into the organic material and then to be pushed downward through the organic material so that the solvent extracts essential oils from the organic material.

Settling devices for separating particles from a bulk fluid with applications in numerous fields. The particle settling devices include a first stack of cones with a small opening oriented upwardly or downwardly. Optionally, the settling devices may include a second stack of cones with a small opening oriented downwardly or upwardly. The cones may be concave or convex. These devices are useful for separating small (millimeter or micron sized) particles from a bulk fluid with applications in numerous fields, such as biological (microbial, mammalian, plant, insect or algal) cell cultures, solid catalyst particle separation from a liquid or gas and waste water treatment.

A system and method for extracting essential oils from organic material is provided. One embodiment places organic material into an extraction chamber that is a cylindrical wall of rigid material, wherein a diameter and a height of the extraction chamber is sized to define an interior that accommodates a desired amount of an organic material having essential oils; fills the extraction chamber with a solvent after the organic matter has been placed into the extraction chamber; and moves a vortex plunger disposed over the surface of the organic material in a repeated upward and downward motion during an agitation process so that the vortex vanes generate a fluid vortex in the solvent, wherein the fluid vortex causes the solvent to be drawn upward into the organic material and then to be pushed downward through the organic material so that the solvent extracts essential oils from the organic material.

A system and method for extracting essential oils from organic material is provided. One embodiment places organic material into an extraction chamber that is a cylindrical wall of rigid material, wherein a diameter and a height of the extraction chamber is sized to define an interior that accommodates a desired amount of an organic material having essential oils; fills the extraction chamber with a solvent after the organic matter has been placed into the extraction chamber; and moves a vortex plunger disposed over the surface of the organic material in a repeated upward and downward motion during an agitation process so that the vortex vanes generate a fluid vortex in the solvent, wherein the fluid vortex causes the solvent to be drawn upward into the organic material and then to be pushed downward through the organic material so that the solvent extracts essential oils from the organic material.

The present disclosure relates to settling devices for separating particles from a bulk fluid with applications in numerous fields. The particle settling devices of the present disclosure may include a stack of truncoconical cones that may be arranged in opposite orientation, apex to base. Other embodiments include several concentric vertical tubes attached to conical surfaces at the bottom, with inclined settling strips attached to the vertical tubes in annular regions between the tubes. These devices are useful for separating small (millimeter or micron sized) particles from a bulk fluid with applications in numerous fields, such as biological (microbial, mammalian, plant, insect or algal) cell cultures, solid catalyst particle separation from a liquid or gas and waste water treatment.

Separators for separating a multi-phase composition include a separator casing defining a chamber and a permeate outlet, at least one hydrocyclone within the separator casing, and at least one ceramic membrane. Each hydrocyclone includes a hydrocyclone inlet, a tapered section downstream of the hydrocyclone inlet, an accepted outlet, and a reject outlet. The ceramic membrane may be disposed within the separator casing and downstream of the accepted outlet of the hydrocyclone or may be disposed within at least a portion of the tapered section of the hydrocyclone. The ceramic membrane includes a retentate side and a permeate side, where the permeate side is in fluid communication with the chamber. Systems and methods for separating a multi-phase composition into a lesser-density fluid, a greater-density fluid, and a medium-density fluid using the separators are also disclosed.

Separators for separating a multi-phase composition include a separator casing defining a chamber and a permeate outlet, at least one hydrocyclone within the separator casing, and at least one ceramic membrane. Each hydrocyclone includes a hydrocyclone inlet, a tapered section downstream of the hydrocyclone inlet, an accepted outlet, and a reject outlet. The ceramic membrane may be disposed within the separator casing and downstream of the accepted outlet of the hydrocyclone or may be disposed within at least a portion of the tapered section of the hydrocyclone. The ceramic membrane includes a retentate side and a permeate side, where the permeate side is in fluid communication with the chamber. Systems and methods for separating a multi-phase composition into a lesser-density fluid, a greater-density fluid, and a medium-density fluid using the separators are also disclosed.

A vortex breaker for a particulate separator has a first set of vanes spaced along a perimeter of a first shape and a second set of vanes spaced along a perimeter of a second shape, where the second shape resides within the first shape. Each of the vanes has a top edge, a bottom edge, an inside edge, and an outside edge. The vanes in the first and second sets of vanes intersect the first and second shapes, respectively. The vanes in the first set are oriented in a first rotational direction, and the vanes in the second set are oriented in a second rotational direction that is opposite the first rotational direction. The first set of vanes and the second set of vanes define fluid flow paths between the outside edges and the inside edges of the sets of vanes.

A system and method for extracting essential oils from organic material is provided. One embodiment places organic material into an extraction chamber that is a cylindrical wall of rigid material, wherein a diameter and a height of the extraction chamber is sized to define an interior that accommodates a desired amount of an organic material having essential oils; fills the extraction chamber with a solvent after the organic matter has been placed into the extraction chamber; and moves a vortex plunger disposed over the surface of the organic material in a repeated upward and downward motion during an agitation process so that the vortex vanes generate a fluid vortex in the solvent, wherein the fluid vortex causes the solvent to be drawn upward into the organic material and then to be pushed downward through the organic material so that the solvent extracts essential oils from the organic material.

A system and method for extracting essential oils from organic material is provided. One embodiment places organic material into an extraction chamber that is a cylindrical wall of rigid material, wherein a diameter and a height of the extraction chamber is sized to define an interior that accommodates a desired amount of an organic material having essential oils; fills the extraction chamber with a solvent after the organic matter has been placed into the extraction chamber; and moves a vortex plunger disposed over the surface of the organic material in a repeated upward and downward motion during an agitation process so that the vortex vanes generate a fluid vortex in the solvent, wherein the fluid vortex causes the solvent to be drawn upward into the organic material and then to be pushed downward through the organic material so that the solvent extracts essential oils from the organic material.