New volatile oil extraction equipment

Abstract

The present invention discloses a novel volatile oil extraction device, belonging to the field of pharmaceutical equipment. It mainly consists of an extraction tank (1), a light oil separator (2) and a condenser (3). The light oil separator (2) is communicated with a heavy oil separator (4) through a first overflow pipe (5), and the heavy oil separator (4) is communicated with the extraction tank (1) through a second overflow pipe (6). The present invention has novel design, scientific structure and convenient operation. It can effectively extract and separate light oil and heavy oil at the same time, and can prevent problems such as long-term thermal oxidation and polymerization caused by the repeated reflux of heavy oil into the extraction tank (1), achieving the purpose of effectively collecting and protecting traditional Chinese medicine volatile oil, enriching the composition of volatile oil components, improving the extraction rate of volatile oil, and promoting the clinical efficacy of traditional Chinese medicine preparations containing volatile oil.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a novel volatile oil extraction device, which is applicable to the extraction and separation of volatile oils from traditional Chinese medicinal materials and plants, and belongs to the field of pharmaceutical equipment. Background Art

[0002] Volatile oils are a class of volatile aromatic substances present in the flowers, leaves, stems, roots or fruits of plants, and can be extracted and extracted by steam distillation, extrusion, cold soaking or solvent extraction methods. Volatile oils are generally composed of small molecule components and have a wide range of functions. They mostly have functions such as aromatic resuscitation, dampness elimination, and guiding drugs upward. They can act on local or systemic parts, especially showing good pharmacological activities in the cardiovascular system, central nervous system, respiratory system, gastrointestinal system, and antibacterial, antiviral, anti-inflammatory, and anti-cancer aspects.

[0003] Traditional Chinese medicines are often used in the form of compound prescriptions. The types of volatile oils in compound prescriptions are rich and diverse, and many contain both heavy oils with a relative density greater than 1 and light oils with a relative density less than 1 at the same time. At present, during the volatile oil extraction operation in the workshop, most use a volatile oil extraction tank to extract volatile oils from more than 2 kinds of raw medicinal materials at the same time. The composition of volatile oil components is complex and contains both light oil and heavy oil at the same time. Due to design limitations of existing volatile oil extraction equipment, light oil is relatively easy to collect above the aromatic water layer, but after the heavy oil is enriched, it sinks below the aromatic water layer and will flow back into the extraction tank with the aromatic water layer to be heated and oxidized and polymerized cyclically, resulting in the inability to extract light oil and heavy oil at the same time, poor richness of volatile oil, and low efficiency of volatile oil extraction.

[0004] Chinese Patent CN201720528223.4 "A Volatile Oil Extraction Device" discloses a novel volatile oil extraction device that can extract heavy oil and light oil in raw medicinal materials at the same time. However, this device has many non-detachable corner structures and is difficult to clean. And when the light oil flows into the light oil collector at the lower end point A of the communication port of the light and heavy oil collector, due to the action of water flow traction and inertia, the heavy oil that has not been separated and sunk into the heavy oil separator in time is extremely easy to enter the light oil collector, and finally enters the round-bottom flask through the lower end point B of the communication port of the water return pipe and the steam outlet pipe, resulting in a significant reduction in the recovery rate of heavy oil. And this device is a glass instrument, which is suitable for extracting and analyzing volatile oils in the small-scale test stage of the laboratory and cannot be used for workshop production. Therefore, there is an urgent need to invent a volatile oil extraction device that can extract and separate heavy oil and light oil simultaneously, accurately and completely, so as to improve the efficiency of volatile oil extraction, enrich the composition of volatile oil, and improve the clinical efficacy of traditional Chinese patent medicines containing volatile oils. Summary of the Invention

[0005] In view of the common technical problems that existing volatile oil extraction equipment cannot extract heavy oil and light oil simultaneously, or even if it can extract light and heavy oil simultaneously, it cannot efficiently separate the two, the technical problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a new type of volatile oil extraction equipment that can efficiently extract and separate light oil and heavy oil simultaneously.

[0006] The inventor improved and optimized the existing volatile oil extraction equipment. By setting up a scientifically structured heavy oil separator 4 and new structures such as an "air vent valve 7", a "partition plate 8", and a "communication hole 9", the purpose of effectively separating and collecting light oil and heavy oil simultaneously is achieved, and problems such as long-term thermal oxidation and polymerization caused by the repeated backflow of heavy oil into the extraction tank 1 can be prevented, achieving the purpose of effectively collecting and protecting volatile oil, enriching the component composition of volatile oil, and improving the extraction rate of volatile oil.

[0007] The technical problem solved by the present invention is specifically realized by the following technical solutions:

[0008] A new type of volatile oil extraction device mainly consists of an extraction tank 1, a light oil separator 2, and a condenser 3. It is characterized in that the light oil separator 2 is connected to the heavy oil separator 4 through a first overflow pipe 5, and the heavy oil separator 4 is connected to the extraction tank 1 through a second overflow pipe 6.

[0009] The upper port 10 of the light oil separator is higher than the upper port 11 of the first overflow pipe, the upper port 11 of the first overflow pipe is higher than the upper port 12 of the second overflow pipe, and the lower port 13 of the first overflow pipe is flush with the light oil discharge piston 14.

[0010] In the present invention, the light oil separator 2 is marked with a measurement scale line, and its 0 reference line is flush with the upper port 11 of the first overflow pipe. The heavy oil separator 4 is marked with a measurement scale line, and its 0 reference line is flush with the heavy oil discharge piston 15; the measurement accuracy of the measurement scale line is 1 mL.

[0011] In the present invention, an air vent valve 7 is provided at the upper end of the heavy oil separator 4, and a partition plate 8 is arranged from bottom to top at the middle position inside the heavy oil separator 4.

[0012] Preferably, the partition plate 8 is a rectangular structure, and a communication hole 9 is provided at the lower end of the partition plate 8.

[0013] Preferably, the communication hole 9 is circular, with a hole diameter of 0.5 - 1.0 cm and a quantity of 6 - 12.

[0014] Further preferably, the hole diameter of the communication hole 9 is 0.8 cm and the quantity is 10.

[0015] In the design and improvement process of a new volatile oil extraction device of the present invention, the inventor noticed that existing volatile oil extraction devices cannot extract heavy oil and light oil simultaneously, and are prone to loss of volatile oil components, resulting in a low extraction rate of volatile oil. When using a conventional volatile oil extraction device to collect volatile oil, heavy oil easily enters the extraction tank 1 with the return water and is cyclically heated and oxidized and polymerized; when using a conventional heavy oil extraction device to collect volatile oil, there is also a situation where light oil easily enters the extraction tank 1 with the return water and is cyclically heated and oxidized and polymerized.

[0016] In view of the common technical problems existing in the extraction of volatile oil from the above-mentioned raw medicinal materials, the inventor optimized and improved the oil-water separator directionally on the basis of a conventional volatile oil extraction device, and added a heavy oil separator 4 to the conventional overflow pipeline. A ventilation valve 7 is provided at the upper end of the heavy oil separator 4, and a partition plate 8 is arranged inside it from bottom to top, so as to realize the full separation of light oil and heavy oil in an independent space, and the light and heavy oils are collected separately. This new volatile oil extraction device can especially avoid the occurrence of the phenomenon that heavy oil enters the extraction tank 1 through the return water pipe and is cyclically heated and oxidized and polymerized, improves the extraction rate of volatile oil, especially heavy oil, and improves the quality of volatile oil.

[0017] Specifically, during the volatile oil extraction operation, the raw medicinal material slices and water are added to the extraction tank 1 in proportion, and steam is turned on for heating extraction. As the temperature and pressure inside the extraction tank 1 gradually increase, the water boils, and sufficient steam generated by the boiling water effectively brings out the volatile oil in the traditional Chinese medicine slices. The oil-water mixed steam carrying sufficient volatile oil enters the condenser 3 from bottom to top through the steam delivery pipe 16 and is condensed, changing from a gas phase to a liquid phase and flowing back into the light oil separator 2 for stratification. Specifically, the upper layer is light oil, the middle layer is aromatic water, and the lower layer is heavy oil. Since a ventilation valve 7 is provided at the upper end of the heavy oil separator 4, the pressure inside the heavy oil separator 4 can be guaranteed to be balanced with the external pressure, and the upper port 10 of the light oil separator 2 is higher than the upper port 11 of the first overflow pipe, and the upper port 11 of the first overflow pipe is higher than the upper port 12 of the second overflow pipe, which is conducive to the unobstructed flow of the mixed liquid.

[0018] When the oil-water mixed liquid level in the light oil separator 2 is higher than the upper port 11 of the first overflow pipe, the heavy oil and aromatic water in the lower layer of the light oil separator 2 enter the heavy oil separator 4 through the first overflow pipe 5 due to the siphon effect, and the light oil in the upper layer continues to be retained in the light oil separator 2 and waits to be collected.

[0019] The heavy oil and aromatic water mixture flowing into the heavy oil separator 4 is further stratified in the heavy oil separator 4. The lower layer is heavy oil, and the upper layer is aromatic water. The heavy oil in the lower layer continuously accumulates at the bottom of the heavy oil separator 4 and waits to be collected. The aromatic water will flow into the extraction tank 1 along the second overflow pipe 6 to realize circulation.

[0020] The core component of the present invention, the heavy oil separator 4, is novel in design and scientific in structure. An air vent valve 7 is provided at its upper end to ensure the balance of internal and external pressures and unobstructed liquid flow. Inside the heavy oil separator 4, a rectangular partition 8 is provided from bottom to top, which can effectively prevent heavy oil from flowing into the extraction tank 1 through the upper port 12 of the second overflow pipe due to the siphon effect and inertia before it sinks and accumulates, improving the quality and yield of heavy oil.

[0021] The present invention is novel in structure, scientific in design, convenient in operation, and has remarkable technical effects. Compared with the existing volatile oil extraction equipment, the present invention has the following substantial features and improvements:

[0022] 1. The present invention can extract light oil and heavy oil simultaneously and separate them, enriching the components of volatile oil and increasing the yield of volatile oil.

[0023] 2. An air vent valve 7 is provided at the upper end of the heavy oil separator 4 to ensure the balance of internal and external pressures of the separator and unobstructed liquid flow, so as to enable the smooth flow of volatile oil into the light oil separator 2 and the heavy oil separator 4.

[0024] 3. A rectangular partition 8 is provided inside the heavy oil separator 4 from top to bottom, and a communication hole 9 is provided at the lower end, which can effectively separate heavy oil from aromatic water, and can effectively prevent heavy oil from flowing into the extraction tank 1 through the upper port 12 of the second overflow pipe due to the siphon effect and inertia before it sinks and accumulates, thus avoiding the re-oxidation and polymerization of heavy oil by heat and reducing heavy oil loss and increasing the heavy oil extraction rate.

[0025] 4. The volatile oil extraction device of the present invention can significantly increase the yield of volatile oil, shorten the extraction time, save energy and reduce consumption, and has broad prospects for popularization and application. Brief Description of the Drawings

[0026] For the convenience of understanding and mastering the technical solution of the present invention, the drawings will be briefly introduced below. It should be noted that the following drawings should not be regarded as limiting the scope of the technical solution. For those of ordinary skill in the art, other related drawings can be obtained based on the following drawings without creative efforts.

[0027] Attached Figure 1 is a schematic structural diagram of a novel volatile oil extraction device

[0028] The reference numerals in the drawings are described separately as follows: 1 - extraction tank; 2 - light oil separator; 3 - condenser; 4 - heavy oil separator; 5 - first overflow pipe; 6 - second overflow pipe; 7 - air vent valve; 8 - partition; 9 - communication hole; 10 - upper port of light oil separator; 11 - upper port of first overflow pipe; 12 - upper port of second overflow pipe; 13 - lower port of first overflow pipe; 14 - light oil drain piston; 15 - heavy oil drain piston; 16 - steam delivery pipe.

[0029] Appended Figure 2 is a plan view of the baffle structure (locally enlarged)

[0030] The reference signs in the appended drawings are described separately as follows: 8 - baffle; 9 - communication hole. Specific embodiments

[0031] The specific embodiments of the present invention will be further described in detail below with reference to the appended drawings.

[0032] In order to make the objectives, technical solutions and advantages of the present application clearer and more distinct, the technical solutions in the embodiments will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the appended drawings. Obviously, the following embodiments are a part of the embodiments of the present application, rather than all of them. Generally speaking, the components and connection manners described and shown in the appended drawings and in this embodiment can be arranged and disposed in other ways. Due to limited space, they will not be listed one by one here.

[0033] Therefore, the detailed description of the embodiments below does not limit the scope claimed by the present application. Equivalent substitutions or modifications made by those of ordinary skill in the art without creative efforts shall be included within the protection scope of the present invention.

[0034] Embodiment 1 Structure and operation process of a new type of volatile oil extraction device

[0035] As shown in the appended Figure 1 drawings, the present invention mainly consists of an extraction tank 1, a light oil separator 2 and a condenser 3. The light oil separator 2 is connected to a heavy oil separator 4 through a first overflow pipe 5, and the heavy oil separator 4 is connected to the extraction tank 1 through a second overflow pipe 6. The upper port 10 of the light oil separator is higher than the upper port 11 of the first overflow pipe, the upper port 11 of the first overflow pipe is higher than the upper port 12 of the second overflow pipe, and the lower port 13 of the first overflow pipe is flush with the light oil discharge piston 14. The light oil separator 2 is marked with a measurement scale line, and its 0 reference line is flush with the upper port 11 of the first overflow pipe. The heavy oil separator 4 is marked with a measurement scale line, and its 0 reference line is flush with the heavy oil discharge piston 15.

[0036] During the volatile oil extraction operation, the cut crude drugs and water are added to the extraction tank 1 in proportion, and steam is turned on for heating extraction. As the temperature and pressure inside the extraction tank 1 gradually increase, the water boils, and sufficient steam generated by the boiling water effectively carries out the volatile oil in the Chinese medicinal slices. The oil-water mixed steam carrying sufficient volatile oil enters the condenser 3 from bottom to top through the steam delivery pipe 16 for condensation, is transformed from the gas phase into the liquid phase and flows back into the light oil separator 2 for stratification. Specifically, the upper layer is light oil, the middle layer is aromatic water, and the lower layer is heavy oil. Since a ventilation valve 7 is provided at the upper end of the heavy oil separator 4, the pressure inside the heavy oil separator 4 can be ensured to be balanced with the external pressure, and the upper port 10 of the light oil separator 2 is higher than the upper port 11 of the first overflow pipe, and the upper port 11 of the first overflow pipe is higher than the upper port 12 of the second overflow pipe, which is conducive to the unobstructed flow of the mixed liquid.

[0037] When the oil-water mixed liquid level in the light oil separator 2 is higher than the upper port 11 of the first overflow pipe, the heavy oil in the lower layer and the aromatic water in the middle layer of the light oil separator 2 enter the heavy oil separator 4 due to the siphon effect through the first overflow pipe 5, and the light oil in the upper layer continues to be retained in the light oil separator 2 for collection.

[0038] The mixture of heavy oil and aromatic water flowing into the heavy oil separator 4 is further stratified in the heavy oil separator 4. The lower layer is heavy oil, the upper layer is aromatic water, and the heavy oil in the lower layer continuously accumulates at the bottom of the heavy oil separator 4 for collection. The aromatic water will flow into the extraction tank 1 along the second overflow pipe 6 to achieve circulation.

[0039] Example 2 Experiment on Extracting Volatile Oil from Prescription 1 with a New Volatile Oil Extraction Equipment

[0040] 1 Materials and Methods

[0041] 1.1 Materials

[0042] Angelica sinensis 68.5 kg, Ligusticum chuanxiong 34 kg, stir-fried Atractylodes macrocephala 34 kg, provided by Lunan Hepu Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd.

[0043] 1.2 Methods

[0044] Take the above-mentioned Chinese medicinal slices of the same batch, add 12 times the amount of water, and use a conventional volatile oil extraction equipment and the volatile oil extraction equipment of the present invention to extract volatile oil respectively. The aperture of the communication holes of the new volatile oil extraction equipment is 0.8 cm, and the number is 10. The extraction time for both groups of experiments is 8 hours.

[0045] 2 Results

[0046] The results are shown in Table 1. Under the condition that the extraction time and extraction temperature are the same, the volatile oil yields of the two groups of the same prescription are 0.45% and 0.57% respectively. Compared with the conventional volatile oil extractor, the volatile oil yield of the volatile oil extractor of the present invention is increased by more than 26%.

[0047] Table 1 Results of the volatile oil extraction test for Formula 1

[0048]

[0049] Test on the extraction of volatile oil from Formula 2 by the new volatile oil extraction equipment in Example 3

[0050] 1 Materials and methods

[0051] 1.1 Materials

[0052] 15 kg of Notopterygium incisum, 15 kg of Saposhnikovia divaricata, 15 kg of Atractylodes lancea, 5 kg of Asarum sieboldii, 10 kg of Ligusticum chuanxiong, provided by Lunan Houpu Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd.

[0053] 1.2 Methods

[0054] For the above formula, for each batch of the Chinese herbal medicine pieces of each flavor, add 12 times the amount of water, and extract the volatile oil by using a conventional volatile oil extraction equipment and the volatile oil extraction equipment of the present invention respectively. The aperture of the communication holes of the new volatile oil extraction equipment is 0.5 cm, and the number is 12. The extraction time for both groups of tests is 8 hours.

[0055] 2 Results

[0056] The results are shown in Table 2. When the conditions such as the extraction time and extraction temperature are kept consistent, the volatile oil yields of the two groups with the same formula are 0.85% and 1.01% respectively. Compared with the conventional volatile oil extractor, the volatile oil yield of the volatile oil extractor of the present invention is increased by more than 18%.

[0057] Table 2 Results of the volatile oil extraction test for Formula 2

[0058]

[0059] Test on the extraction of volatile oil from Ligusticum chuanxiong by the new volatile oil extraction device in Example 4

[0060] 1 Materials and methods

[0061] 1.1 Materials

[0062] Ligusticum chuanxiong pieces, provided by Lunan Houpu Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd.

[0063] 1.2 Methods

[0064] Take 20 kg of Ligusticum chuanxiong pieces of the same batch, and extract the volatile oil by using a conventional volatile oil extraction equipment and the volatile oil extraction equipment of the present invention respectively. The aperture of the communication holes of the new volatile oil extraction device is 0.5 cm, and the number is set to 12. The extraction time for both groups of tests is 9 hours.

[0065] 2 Results

[0066] As shown in Table 3, under the condition that the extraction time, extraction temperature and other conditions are kept consistent, the yields of volatile oil from cinnamon twig in the two groups of experiments are 0.63% and 0.81% respectively. Compared with the conventional volatile oil extractor, the yield of volatile oil of the volatile oil extractor of the present invention is increased by more than 29%.

[0067] Table 3 Results of volatile oil extraction test of Ligusticum chuanxiong

[0068]

Claims

1. A new type of volatile oil extraction device mainly consists of an extraction tank (1), a light oil separator (2), a condenser (3) and a heavy oil separator (4), and is characterized in that, The light oil separator (2) is communicated with the heavy oil separator (4) through a first overflow pipe (5), and the heavy oil separator (4) is communicated with the extraction tank (1) through a second overflow pipe (6); The upper port (10) of the light oil separator is higher than the upper port (11) of the first overflow pipe, the upper port (11) of the first overflow pipe is higher than the upper port (12) of the second overflow pipe, and the lower port (13) of the first overflow pipe is flush with the light oil drain piston (14); An air vent valve (7) is provided at the upper end of the heavy oil separator (4), a partition plate (8) is arranged from bottom to top at the middle position inside the heavy oil separator (4), and a communication hole (9) is provided at the lower end of the partition plate (8).

2. The new type of volatile oil extraction device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The light oil separator (2) is marked with a measurement scale line, and its 0 reference line is flush with the upper port (11) of the first overflow pipe. The heavy oil separator (4) is marked with a measurement scale line, and its 0 reference line is flush with the heavy oil drain piston (15).

3. The new type of volatile oil extraction device according to claim 2, characterized in that, The measurement accuracy of the measurement scale line is 1 mL.

4. The new type of volatile oil extraction device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The partition plate (8) is of a rectangular structure.

5. The new type of volatile oil extraction device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The communication hole (9) is circular, with a pore diameter of 0.5 - 1.0 cm and a quantity of 6 - 12.

6. The new type of volatile oil extraction device according to claim 5, characterized in that, The communication hole (9) has a pore diameter of 0.8 cm and a quantity of 10.

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