Bulbous Fractional Collector in Distillation Head

Abstract

A distillation head with fraction collector is disclosed. In embodiments thereof, the fraction collector has a bottom portal which is raised up from the floor or bottom thereof. Fractions which condense fall to the floor and a lip of the bottom portal, raised from the floor of the fraction collector, prevents condensed fractions from falling downwards through a path of entry. Rather, condensed fractions exit in liquid form out a side portal. The fraction collector further has side walls which are, in embodiments, partially vertical and/or partially curvilinear and/or partially bulbous. The distillation head also can have a top portal through which a vacuum can be applied.

Claims

1. A distillation head, comprising: a vertical tube extending into a fraction collector; a fraction collector having a side portal exit region extending from said fraction collector to a condenser which is perpendicular to said vertical tube; said fraction collector being free from obstruction other than said vertical tube forming a shelf therein.

2. The fraction collector of claim 1, further comprising vertical side walls, said vertical side walls interrupted by a section of curvilinear side walls.

3. The fraction collector of claim 2, wherein said curvilinear side walls are within a top quarter of a length of said vertical side walls.

4. The fraction collector of claim 1, further comprising a top vacuum portal.

5. The fraction collector of claim 4, wherein said top vacuum portal extends to an outside of said distillation head.

6. The fraction collector of claim 1, wherein said fraction collector comprises bulbous side walls which curvilinearly extend into said vertical tube at a bottom side thereof and a to vacuum portal at a top side thereof.

7. The fraction collector of claim 6, wherein said vertical tube extends into said fraction collector less than 25% by height.

8. A fraction collector comprising: a horizontal bottom side; a combination of a vertical and curvilinear side wall; a bottom side; wherein a space between said bottom side, said side wall, and a top side, opposite said bottom side, define an interior space of said fraction collector and a vertical tube extends past said bottom side into said interior space of said fraction collector.

9. The fraction collector of claim 8, further comprising a side exit portal whose bottom most extent is at said bottom side of said fraction collector.

10. The fraction collector of claim 9, wherein said fraction collector further comprises a top portal at said top side and said vertical tube and said top portal have a same circumference and are aligned horizontally with each other.

11. A fraction collector forming a bulbous section between a vertical tube entering into a bottom side of said bulbous section and a top portal, said top portal aligned with said vertical tube.

12. The fraction collector of claim 11, wherein said top portal is formed from a piece of glass which is continuous with said bulbous section.

13. The fraction collector of claim 12, wherein a bottom side of said bulbous section curves into and is continuous with said vertical tube, said vertical tube extending both upwards and downwards past a point where said bulbous section meets said vertical tube.

14. The fraction collector of claim 13, wherein a side exit portal cuts into said bulbous section and has a bottom side which is horizontal and continuous with said bottom side of said fraction collector.

15. The fraction collector of claim 14, wherein said vertical tube extends into said bulbous section at least 10% and no more than 40%, by height thereof.

16. A distillation head comprising: a fraction collector forming a unitary structure with a lower tube, said lower tube extending above a bottom side of said fraction collector; an exit portal on a side of said fraction collector.

17. The distillation head of claim 16, wherein said fraction collector is a single glass unit fixedly attached within said distillation head.

18. The distillation head of claim 17, wherein a space between a portion of said lower tube which is within said interior space of said fraction collector and side walls of said fraction collector is where vapors passing up through said lower tube are condensed into liquid before flowing through said exit portal.

19. The distillation head of claim 18, wherein where said exit portal joins with said fraction collector each of said exit portal, said exit portal extends to and is horizontally in line with said bottom side of said fraction collector.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0014] FIG. 1 shows a top and side perspective view of a distillation head.

[0015] FIG. 2 shows a bottom and reverse side perspective view thereof.

[0016] FIG. 3 shows a side view, the reverse side being a mirror image thereof.

[0017] FIG. 4 shows a front view thereof.

[0018] FIG. 5 shows a rear view thereof.

[0019] FIG. 6 shows a top plan view thereof.

[0020] FIG. 7 shows a bottom plan view thereof.

[0021] FIG. 8 shows a cutaway view of the side along section line 8-8 of FIG. 6.

[0022] FIG. 9 shows another version of the distillation head of FIG. 1, having one of any height thereof.

[0023] FIG. 10 shows a cutaway view of the side of FIG. 9 along section line 8-8 of FIG. 6.

[0024] FIG. 11 shows a taller version of the distillation head of FIG. 1.

[0025] FIG. 12 shows a cutaway view of the side of FIG. 11 along section line 8-8 of FIG. 6.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS OF THE DISCLOSED TECHNOLOGY

[0026] The distillation head of embodiments of the disclosed technology has a flat collecting surface 360 degrees around an upward extending tube. A prior version having some of the elements of this patent is found in U.S. Pat. No. 10,029,188 to the same inventor. However, the prior version has a distillation key and larger collecting surface. The present technology has a fraction collector formed from a cylindrical base and mid-region with narrowing top side. The fraction collector is entirely open within it's outer walls but for the lower tube entering therein the area contained within the outer walls. This allows the fraction collector of the present technology to be used with shorter distillation heads lacking a distillation key or the like of the prior versions.

[0027] The tube entering into the fraction collector creates a shelf at the top edge of the tube and circumferential lip just beneath the shelf where vapors condense. The shelf is equal height/joins with a side exit portal. In this manner, hot vapors extend up the tube and when the vapors cool and become liquid or solid they do so to the side of the tube and fall to the shelf where they then exit rather than falling back down the tube.

[0028] Thus, the shelf is 360 degree collection dish to the exterior of a vertical distillation tube and near the top edge thereof (within 10% of a distance from top of the vertical tube). A vacuum to pull discharge is at the top side of the distillation head, and in embodiments, is only at the top side thereof. Having a vacuum at the top side prevents condensed fractions in liquid form from being sucked into the vacuum as the vacuum is calibrated, in embodiments of the disclosed technology, to be less strong than what is able to pull liquid from the fraction collector up through a vacuum placed a top side of the distillation head. Purity of the distillate fractions has also been increased with the present technology.

[0029] The technology is best understood in view of the following discussion of the stages of distillation and figures. Discussing the figures simultaneously, FIG. 1 shows a top and side perspective view of a distillation head. FIG. 2 shows a bottom and reverse side perspective view thereof. FIG. 3 shows a side view, the reverse side being a mirror image thereof. FIG. 4 shows a front view thereof. FIG. 5 shows a rear view thereof. FIG. 6 shows a top plan view thereof. FIG. 7 shows a bottom plan view thereof. FIG. 8 shows a cutaway view of the side along section line 8-8 of FIG. 6. FIG. 9 shows another version of the distillation head of FIG. 1, having one of any height thereof. FIG. 10 shows a cutaway view of the side of FIG. 9 along section line 8-8 of FIG. 6. FIG. 11 shows a taller version of the distillation head of FIG. 1. FIG. 12 shows a cutaway view of the side of FIG. 11 along section line 8-8 of FIG. 6.

[0030] The distillation head 1 is connected to a condenser 200 or other devices through which distilled fractions (distillate) exits via a side exit region or portal 50 into the condenser upper region 52. A vertical tube 10 (or substantially vertical tube) is situated above material to be distilled which is heated such that vapors there-from rise up the vertical tube 10 into a fraction collector 40 (see also definition in the summary section).

[0031] The fraction collector 40 has an unencumbered/unobstructed interior which is free from blockage and open to passage of vapors and/or liquids there-through but for a top region 12 of the vertical tube 10 which extends above a plane defined by the bottom-most side 49 of the fraction collector 40. This bottom most plane (side) 49 is a horizontal plane in embodiments of the disclosed technology and is situated along, for example, the line in FIG. 3 which is horizontal and just below the top section 12 of the vertical tube 10, dividing a top section 12 of the vertical tube from the rest of the vertical tube 10. The bottom most extent of the fraction collector 40 can also be seen, for example, in FIG. 8 at a horizontal dashed line extending in line with a bottom 59 of the exit portal 50 as the exit portal 50 is in line with/has a lowest extent equal to that of the fraction collector 40 interior space. That is, the bottom side 49 of the fraction collector is at a same height as a bottom side 59 of the exit portal or exit region 50 are both horizontal in embodiments of the disclosed technology. The terms horizontal and vertical are used with reference to the top and bottom as described in the summary and/or with reference to how FIG. 8 is shown on the page and/or with reference to how the device is designed for use with vapors extending from the vertical tube 10 at a bottom until the fraction collector 40 which is mostly above the vertical tube 10.

[0032] The fraction collector 40, in embodiments of the disclosed technology, can be bulbous. This means that a central region thereof is wider than the at least a top portion thereof and in some embodiments, also a bottom portion thereof. There can be a combination of a straight vertical walls and curvilinear walls. In one such embodiment, there is a vertical wall 45 above a curvilinear lower side wall 46 and curvilinear upper side wall 44, the length of the lower side wall 46 being less than that of the upper side wall 44. The rounded nature of the top and bottom regions of the side wall prevents vortexes and/or abrupt de-condensation at shape edges as each of the edges is somewhat rounded in the fraction collector excepting for the bottom side 49 which is used for condensation to gather there-on.

[0033] A top edge or top portal 42 of the bulbous fraction collector 40 is open to a top portal 42 which is vertically at the top of the fraction collector 40 and opens into a vacuum portal region 30 and top portal 32 of the vacuum portal region. A vacuum can be attached thereto to pull gas upwards and out of the distillation unit 1 while condensed vapors fall to the bottom of the fraction collector 40, along the bottom edge 49 in liquid form. Such liquid condensation exits through the side exit portal 50 by way of gravity. Continued warmer vapors extending up through the vertical tube 10 substantially or fully can prevent vapors from falling back down the vertical tube 10. Instead, the condensation takes place at the cooler sides and falls outside the vertical tube 10 on to the floor or bottom side 49 of the fraction collector 40.

[0034] Note that, in embodiments of the disclosed technology, the vertical tube 30/vacuum portal 30 is aligned with, or substantially aligned with, the lower tube 10. In this manner, it is as if the lower tube 10 is interrupted by the fraction collector 40 before continuing above the fraction collector 40, e.g. above the top extremity 42 of the fraction collector.

[0035] As seen perhaps most easily in FIG. 3, the fraction collector interior space is defined by, in some embodiments of the disclosed technology, a bottom most side 49 (being solid glass or other solid material interrupted by a vertical tube 10), a top most side 42 (being the top portal) and side walls 44, 45, and 46 extending there-between. A side exit portal 50 cuts into a portion of a side wall 46 and/or 45 for distillate to exit from the fraction collector. The vertical tube 10 extends into the interior space defined by, and as defined herein, the fraction collector 40 at a top section 12 thereof. This forms a condensation region 48 of the fraction collector 40 which is exterior to the vertical tube 10/12, lower than an upper most extent of the vertical tube 10/12, and within the fraction collector 40. In this condensation region 48 within the fraction collector 40 and exterior to the vertical tube 10 vapors which condense collect as liquids before exiting from the side portal, the side portal having a lower most extent aligned with the lower most extent of the fraction collector 40 as described above.

[0036] Referring now to FIG. 1 in specific, an entry portal region 20 is shown which attaches to a flask or other holder of a material (liquid, solid, or combination thereof) to be distilled in embodiments of the disclosed technology. The material being distilled passes upwards through the lower vertical tube 10, which, in embodiments, is inline with the entry portal region 20. In some embodiments, the lower tube 10 has interior flanges 15 and/or Raschig rings to support or is packing material which allows for more even heating or the like. Vapors then extend further upwards and out of the lower tube 10 into the fraction collector 40 which extends, and has an interior space which extends, around the lower tube 10, a side exit portal 50, and an upper extent/portal 42. The side walls are vertical, curvilinear, linear, and/or a combination thereof. A vacuum can be applied to the top portal 32, pulling gas, such as atmospheric air, upwards and aiding in the pull of vapors. The pull of the vacuum/suction is calibrated, in embodiments of the disclosed technology, to be less strong than required to pull vapors and/or pull liquid out of the distillation unit 1. Rather, the vapors cool in the fraction collector 40 and condense to the bottom of the fraction collector exterior to the lower tube 10, as warmer vapors continue to rise (preventing condensation) directly above/out of the top side of the lower tube 10. These condensed vapors, now liquid, exit through the side portal 50 and drop down into the condenser 200.

[0037] While the disclosed technology has been taught with specific reference to the above embodiments, a person having ordinary skill in the art will recognize that changes can be made in form and detail without departing from the spirit and the scope of the disclosed technology. The described embodiments are to be considered in all respects only as illustrative and not restrictive. All changes that come within the meaning and range of equivalence of the claims are to be embraced within their scope. Combinations of any of the methods, systems, and devices described herein-above are also contemplated and within the scope of the disclosed technology.