Continuous rotary extraction system for plant essential oil

Abstract

The utility model discloses a continuous rotary extraction system for plant essential oil, which comprises a crusher, a feeding belt, a stock bin, a feeding screw and a rotary extraction kettle which are connected in sequence, the rotary extraction kettle is a turnover horizontal device, a steam chamber is arranged at the front end of the feeding direction of the rotary extraction kettle, the steam chamber is connected to a cyclone separator through an air outlet channel, and the cyclone separator is connected with the feed belt. A gas outlet of the cyclone separator is sequentially connected with the condensing device and the oil-water separator, the feeding screw penetrates through the steam chamber and then is communicated with the rotary extraction kettle, and a slag leaf outlet and a steam inlet are formed in the bottom of the rotary extraction kettle corresponding to the feeding direction. According to the utility model, the rotary extraction kettle rotates along with the kettle body, materials roll in the kettle and are in full contact with water vapor, so that essential oil can be extracted to the maximum extent, meanwhile, continuous and stable operation of production can be ensured, and the condition that caking is possibly formed on the kettle wall by adopting vertical extraction or spiral extraction is avoided; the continuous extraction efficiency of the plant essential oil can be effectively ensured.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This utility model relates to a continuous rotary extraction system for plant essential oils, specifically a control system for continuous extraction of plant essential oils using a rotary extraction vessel, belonging to the field of essential oil extraction technology. Background Technology

[0002] Essential oils are widely used in the food, daily chemical, tobacco, and pharmaceutical industries, and are closely related to people's daily lives. Diverse consumer demands have driven the growth of fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) such as food, cosmetics, and medical products, correspondingly fueling the rapid development of the fragrance and flavor industry. Essential oils can be divided into natural and synthetic essential oils. Because synthetic essential oils are chemical products, people prefer to use natural essential oils, which are generally extracted from plant materials.

[0003] Steam distillation is the most common method for extracting natural plant essential oils. When using this method, fresh or dried plant materials are first placed in the extraction vessel, and steam is introduced from below to evaporate the essential oils from the plant, turning them into water vapor containing essential oils. After being collected and cooled through a conduit, the water vapor will condense into a liquid state. The essential oils are then separated according to the difference in specific gravity and density between water and essential oils. Oils that are lighter than water will float on the surface, while oils that are heavier than water will sink to the bottom. The remaining water is the hydrosol.

[0004] In practical production applications, the extraction of plant essential oils mainly employs intermittent production, resulting in low production capacity. It requires manual loading and unloading, leading to high labor intensity for workers, high unloading temperatures, significant safety risks, long extraction times per batch, and high energy consumption due to repeated heating and cooling processes. This high production cost limits the scale of enterprise development and reduces competitiveness. With technological advancements in the industry, continuous distillation extraction technology has been gradually applied in plant essential oil extraction in recent years. This technology uses vertical extraction vessels equipped with stirring devices, representing a significant improvement in extraction technology. However, its biggest drawback in actual production is the tendency for dead zones, clumping, and bridging to form on the vessel walls, affecting the full utilization of the equipment and the extraction rate of essential oils. Therefore, developing a high-efficiency continuous extraction process has extremely high application value for the development of the plant essential oil industry.

[0005] In the prior art, Chinese patent CN112824517A discloses a continuous plant essential oil distillation extraction device and its application. The device's inlet and outlet are connected to a distillation extraction tank via U-shaped pipes. Water or solvent injection can isolate the distillation tank from external air. Inside the distillation tube, a scraper or spiral propeller moves the material along a microporous baffle in the distillation tank. A steam generator is integrated into the bottom of the distillation tank. After passing through a condenser and an essential oil / hydrosol separator, the steam returns to the distillation tank via a circulation pipeline. This device is suitable for the continuous extraction of essential oils from most granular, powdered, and blocky plant materials, significantly improving the extraction efficiency. However, both the inlet and outlet of this device are U-shaped pipes, which are inconvenient for material feeding and discharging, and make automated continuous operation difficult.

[0006] Chinese patent CN216106845U also discloses a production apparatus for continuous preparation of plant essential oils. The apparatus consists of a screw feed extractor, a condenser, a buffer tank, and an oil-water separator. The screw feed extractor is used to extract plant essential oils, enabling continuous extraction. A baffle plate is installed inside the screw feed extractor to prevent solid materials from entering the condenser. By setting up a buffer tank, the condensed extract can be gently introduced into the oil-water separator, where oil and water separation is completed. Through the structural design of the oil-water separator, the continuous extraction of essential oils can be achieved.

[0007] It is evident that although the aforementioned patent changed the extraction method of the existing vertical extraction vessel to a spiral extraction method, it did not solve the problem that the material may form clumps on the inner wall of the extractor during extraction, which affected the extraction efficiency of the device. Utility Model Content

[0008] The purpose of this invention is to provide a continuous rotary extraction system for plant essential oils. The system uses a rotary extraction vessel, which allows the material to tumble and come into full contact with water vapor as the vessel rotates, maximizing the extraction of essential oils. At the same time, it ensures continuous and stable production and avoids the formation of clumps on the vessel wall that may occur with vertical or spiral extraction methods. This effectively guarantees the continuous extraction efficiency of plant essential oils.

[0009] This utility model is achieved through the following technical solution: a continuous rotary extraction system for plant essential oils, comprising a crusher, a feed belt, a hopper, a feed screw, and a rotary extraction vessel connected in sequence. The rotary extraction vessel is a tilting horizontal device with a steam chamber at its front end in the feeding direction. The steam chamber is connected to a cyclone separator via an outlet channel. The gas outlet of the cyclone separator is connected to a condenser and an oil-water separator in sequence. The feed screw passes through the steam chamber and connects to the rotary extraction vessel. A slag outlet and a steam inlet are provided at the bottom of the rotary extraction vessel corresponding to the feeding direction.

[0010] The rotary extraction vessel includes a vessel body and a vessel tail. The vessel body of the rotary extraction vessel is connected to the steam chamber and is equipped with a front seal. The feed screw extends through the steam chamber to the front end of the vessel body of the rotary extraction vessel. The vessel body of the rotary extraction vessel is connected to the vessel tail and is equipped with a rear seal. The slag outlet and steam inlet are both located on the vessel tail of the rotary extraction vessel. The vessel body of the rotary extraction vessel is rotated relative to the vessel tail and the steam chamber, and a rotation drive component is provided on the vessel body of the rotary extraction vessel.

[0011] The front end of the rotary extraction vessel is higher than the tail end, and its installation slope is 2 to 5 degrees.

[0012] Several lifting plates are installed on the inner wall of the rotary extraction vessel. The lifting plates are arranged in a staggered pattern and are inclined towards the front end of the vessel, forming an angle of 10 to 30° with the inner wall.

[0013] The cutting board is 200×150mm.

[0014] A steam flow meter is installed on the steam inlet pipe, and the conveying and weighing scale of the feed screw is interlocked with the steam flow meter and the tilting drive component for control.

[0015] A temperature sensor is installed in the steam chamber, and the temperature sensor is interlocked with the steam flow meter for control.

[0016] A discharge screw and a slag conveyor belt are installed sequentially at the slag outlet.

[0017] Airlock valves are installed between the hopper and the feeding screw, and between the rotary extraction vessel and the discharge screw.

[0018] An induced draft fan is installed in the system to connect the air outlet channel and the exhaust port of the condenser.

[0019] Compared with the prior art, this utility model has the following advantages and beneficial effects:

[0020] (1) This utility model adopts a continuous extraction system of plant essential oils composed of a silo, a feeding screw, a steam chamber, an induced draft fan, a cyclone separator, a discharge screw and other devices and a rotary extraction kettle. Through the interlocking control of process parameters such as material feed rate, steam flow rate and rotation speed, the efficient extraction of plant essential oils in the rotary extraction kettle is realized.

[0021] (2) This utility model adopts a rotary extraction kettle to replace the existing vertical extraction and spiral extraction methods. The rotary extraction kettle realizes the material flipping and extraction by rotation. At the same time, the rotary extraction kettle is tilted to ensure that the material runs stably towards the tail of the kettle when flipping, so that the slag after extraction can be discharged from the tail of the kettle, ensuring the continuous extraction of the equipment, as well as the full mixing and heat transfer of the material with steam.

[0022] (3) By setting a lifting plate on the inner wall of the rotary extraction vessel, the present invention can effectively prevent materials from bridging and clumping on the vessel wall by optimizing the arrangement, tilting and angle and size of the lifting plate. When the vessel rotates, the material in the vessel moves with the lifting plate. When the lifting plate moves from the bottom horizontal to the top horizontal, the material detaches from the lifting plate, thus preventing the material from agglomerating and clumping in the vessel.

[0023] (4) In order to ensure that the material inside the rotary extraction vessel does not escape and that the outside air does not enter the rotary extraction vessel, the present invention sets a front seal and a rear seal on the rotary extraction vessel, which can effectively ensure the stable operation and extraction operation inside the rotary extraction vessel.

[0024] (5) This utility model is equipped with air lock valves at the inlet and outlet positions of the rotary extraction vessel, which can block water vapor and extraction gas. At the same time, the extraction gas is cleaned by the steam chamber and cyclone separator before entering the condenser, so as to ensure the continuous and stable operation of the condenser and the cleanliness of the condensate.

[0025] In summary, this utility model provides a continuous extraction process for plant essential oils based on a rotary extraction vessel. It can continuously feed materials and continuously produce plant essential oils, solve the problems of clumping on the inner wall and material agglomeration, realize continuous automatic production, has a high degree of automation, large processing capacity, and high extraction efficiency, and is suitable for large-scale industrial production. Attached Figure Description

[0026] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of this utility model.

[0027] Figure 2 This is a block diagram of the process control logic involved in this utility model.

[0028] Among them, 1—crusher, 2—feed belt, 3—hopper, 4—feed screw, 5—steam chamber, 6—rotary extraction vessel, 6-1—vessel body, 6-2—vessel tail, 6-3—front roller ring, 6-4—drive gear, 6-5—rear roller ring, 6-6—front support roller, 6-7—drive motor, 6-8—rear support roller, 6-9—front seal, 6-10—rear seal, 6-11—lifting plate, 6-12—base, 7—discharge screw, 8—slag conveyor belt, 9—air outlet channel, 10—cyclone separator, 11—first-stage condenser, 12—second-stage condenser, 13—oil-water separator, 14—induced draft fan. Detailed Implementation

[0029] The present invention will be further described in detail below with reference to the embodiments, but the implementation of the present invention is not limited thereto.

[0030] Example 1: Continuous Rotary Extraction System

[0031] This embodiment relates to a continuous rotary extraction system for plant essential oils, which mainly includes a crusher 1, a feed belt 2, a hopper 3, a feed screw 4, a steam chamber 5, a rotary extraction vessel 6, a discharge screw 7, a slag conveyor belt 8, an exhaust channel 9, a cyclone separator 10, a primary condenser 11, a secondary condenser 12, an oil-water separator 13, and an induced draft fan 14, etc.

[0032] See also Figure 1 As shown in the structure, the crusher 1, feed belt 2, hopper 3, and feed screw 4 are sequentially connected to the rotary extraction vessel 6. The rotary extraction vessel 6 is arranged horizontally and includes a vessel body 6-1 and a vessel tail 6-2. The front end of the vessel body 6-1 is connected to the steam chamber 5. The feed screw 4 extends through the steam chamber 5 to the front end of the vessel body 6-1. The vessel body 6-1 can rotate relative to the vessel tail 6-2 and the steam chamber 5. Therefore, a tilting drive component is provided on the vessel body 6-1 to drive the vessel body 6-1 to rotate. Furthermore, a front seal 6-9 is provided at the connection between the vessel body 6-1 and the steam chamber 5, and a rear seal 6-10 is provided at the connection between the vessel body 6-1 and the vessel tail 6-2. This ensures the sealing of the rotary extraction vessel 6 and prevents the extraction gas inside the vessel from escaping or the outside air from entering the vessel, which would affect the extraction efficiency. A steam inlet is provided in the middle of the tail 6-2 of the vessel to introduce steam from the tail 6-2 into the vessel body 6-1, so that steam can come into contact with the material entering from the front end of the vessel body 6-1 and be turned over for extraction. A slag outlet is also provided at the bottom of the tail 6-2 to discharge the extracted slag from the vessel body 6-1.

[0033] In order to ensure sufficient contact between the material and steam inside the vessel body 6-1 and to ensure stable discharge of the material from the slag outlet during use, the rotary extraction vessel 6 can be tilted, that is, the front end of the vessel body 6-1 of the rotary extraction vessel 6 is higher than the tail end 6-2, ensuring that its installation slope is between 2 and 5 degrees. During extraction, the material can be stably conveyed to the tail end 6-2 while being turned over, so that the slag after extraction can be discharged from the tail end 6-2, ensuring continuous extraction of the equipment and sufficient contact and heat transfer between the material and steam.

[0034] The rotary extraction vessel 6 in this embodiment also solves the problem of material agglomeration on the inner wall, which is common in existing vertical and spiral extraction vessels, seriously affecting extraction efficiency and increasing the difficulty of equipment maintenance. By setting several 200×150mm lifting plates 6-11 on the inner wall of the vessel body 6-1 of the rotary extraction vessel 6, the lifting plates 6-11 are arranged in a staggered pattern, and the lifting plates 6-11 are inclined towards the front end of the vessel body 6-1 at an angle of 10 to 30° with the inner wall. When the vessel body 6-1 is rotated, the lifting plates 6-11 can move the material from the bottom of the horizontal rotation to the top of the horizontal rotation, and then the material detaches from the lifting plates 6-11 and falls down. This can prevent the material from agglomerating and clumping in the vessel and prevent agglomeration on the inner wall of the vessel body 6-1, which would affect the heat transfer efficiency.

[0035] To ensure continuous rotary extraction in the rotary extraction vessel 6, the conveying rate of the feed screw 4 is interlocked with the steam flow rate and rotation speed of the rotary extraction vessel 6 during extraction. Typically, the conveying rate is controlled by a weighing scale on the feed screw 4, ranging from 0 to 5 t / h; a steam flow meter is installed on the steam inlet pipe, controlling the steam flow rate from 0 to 2 t / h; and the rotation speed is set according to the rotation drive component, controlled from 1 to 3 revolutions per minute. During extraction, a temperature sensor in the steam chamber 5 collects the outlet temperature of the rotary extraction vessel 6. Comparing this outlet temperature with a preset temperature value allows for further adjustment of the steam intake to achieve the preset outlet temperature, thereby ensuring the extraction efficiency of the rotary extraction vessel 6. (See [link to relevant documentation]). Figure 2 As shown.

[0036] After the material is rotated and extracted in the rotary extraction vessel 6 for approximately 35-45 minutes, the extraction is complete. The resulting mixture of essential oil and water vapor passes directly through the steam chamber 5 and, under the action of the induced draft fan 14, enters the cyclone separator 10 through the exhaust channel 9 for dust removal. The dust-removed gas is then sent to the condenser, where the condensate is further sent to the oil-water separator 13 to separate the plant essential oil and hydrosol. Simultaneously, the rotary extraction vessel 6 discharges the residue from the essential oil extraction through the residue outlet via the discharge screw 7, and finally, it is transported to the residue storage area via the residue conveyor belt 8. This completes the continuous extraction of plant essential oil.

[0037] In an alternative implementation, for the tilting drive component, a method may be adopted. Figure 1 The structure shown comprises a front roller ring 6-3, a large drive gear 6-4, and a rear roller ring 6-5 distributed and fitted on the outer wall of the vessel body 6-1. The front roller ring 6-3, the large drive gear 6-4, and the rear roller ring 6-5 are respectively fixed on the corresponding bases 6-12 and arranged sequentially along the material conveying direction. A drive motor 6-7 is installed on the large drive gear 6-4 to drive the vessel body 6-1 to rotate. The front roller ring 6-3 is mounted on the base 6-12 via a front support roller 6-6, and the rear roller ring 6-5 is mounted on the base 6-12 via a rear support roller 6-8 to support the vessel body 6-1.

[0038] In an optional implementation, to prevent water vapor and extractant gas from escaping, airlock valves are installed between the hopper 3 and the feed screw 4, and between the rotary extractor 6 and the discharge screw 7. The airlock valves can be existing rotary feeders, consisting of a cylindrical outer shell and a central shaft. The central shaft is divided into 8 to 12 storage hoppers by partitions. The partitions and the outer shell are tightly connected to form an airlock function. During operation, the material enters the space between the partitions and completes the material handling function as the central shaft rotates, while simultaneously preventing gas from escaping with the material.

[0039] In an optional implementation, the condensation device may employ a primary condenser 11 and a secondary condenser 12 arranged in series. The gas after being dusted by the cyclone separator 10 enters the primary condenser 11 and the secondary condenser 12 in sequence. Under the cooling of circulating cooling water, corresponding condensates are obtained in the primary condenser 11 and the secondary condenser 12, respectively. At the same time, the non-condensable gas obtained from the primary condenser 11 and the secondary condenser 12 is then vented by the induced draft fan 14.

[0040] In summary, all the equipment and control instruments involved in this embodiment (such as flow meters, temperature sensors, conveying and weighing scales, etc.) can be automated and interlocked using a DCS system to achieve continuous and automated production of plant essential oils, improve equipment processing efficiency, and realize large-scale batch production.

[0041] Example 2: Continuous Extraction Control Process

[0042] This embodiment uses the continuous rotary extraction system of Example 1 for continuous extraction control process, and the specific steps are as follows:

[0043] S1. Raw material preparation: Collect sufficient camphor tree branches and leaves and place them in the raw material storage area.

[0044] S2. Turn on all system devices and check if all devices are in good working order, and whether the system, water, electricity, and gas are unobstructed and the control system is functioning normally.

[0045] S3. Open the rotary extraction vessel 6 and simultaneously introduce steam to heat the rotary extraction vessel 6.

[0046] S4. Start the crusher 1 and simultaneously start the feed belt 2. Use a grabber to grab the collected branches and leaves into the crusher 1 to crush the material to 3-6cm, and then continuously convey it to the hopper 3 via the feed belt 2.

[0047] S5. Once the reactor reaches the predetermined temperature (95°C), turn on the circulating cooling water of the primary condenser 11 and the secondary condenser 12, as well as the induced draft fan 14 (controlling the pressure in the steam chamber 5 between -20Pa and 0Pa).

[0048] S6. Turn on the feeding screw 4 to transport the crushed material in the hopper 3 to the rotary extraction vessel 6 (note that the steam control temperature inside the vessel should be greater than 100℃ and the pressure in the steam chamber 5 should be maintained). The material conveying rate should be controlled between 0 and 5 t / h, and the rotation speed of the rotary extraction vessel 6 should be 2 revolutions / minute.

[0049] S7. Control condenser temperature: the first-stage condenser 11 is less than 60℃ and the second-stage condenser 12 is less than 45℃. At the same time, monitor the outlet temperature (maintain at 99~102℃). When the outlet temperature deviates from the preset temperature, the system automatically controls the steam flow to adjust it.

[0050] S8. After the temperature and pressure inside the kettle have stabilized for about 35 to 45 minutes, turn on the slag conveyor belt 8 and the discharge screw 7 to discharge the slag and transport the slag to the slag yard.

[0051] S9. The condensate obtained from the primary condenser 11 and the secondary condenser 12 is sent to the oil-water separator 13 to separate crude camphor oil and camphor hydrosol.

[0052] The above description is merely a preferred embodiment of the present utility model and is not intended to limit the present utility model in any way. Any simple modifications or equivalent changes made to the above embodiments based on the technical essence of the present utility model shall fall within the protection scope of the present utility model.

Claims

1. A continuous rotary extraction system for plant essential oils, characterized in that: The device includes a crusher (1), a feed belt (2), a hopper (3), a feed screw (4), and a rotary extraction vessel (6) connected in sequence. The rotary extraction vessel (6) is a tilting horizontal device with a steam chamber (5) at the front end of its feed direction. The steam chamber (5) is connected to a cyclone separator (10) through an air outlet channel (9). The gas outlet of the cyclone separator (10) is connected to a condenser and an oil-water separator (13) in sequence. The feed screw (4) passes through the steam chamber (5) and then connects to the rotary extraction vessel (6). The bottom of the rotary extraction vessel (6) corresponding to the feed direction is provided with a slag outlet and a steam inlet.

2. The continuous rotary extraction system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The rotary extraction vessel (6) includes a vessel body (6-1) and a vessel tail (6-2). The vessel body (6-1) of the rotary extraction vessel (6) is connected to the steam chamber (5) and is provided with a front seal (6-9). The feed screw (4) extends through the steam chamber (5) to the front end of the vessel body (6-1) of the rotary extraction vessel (6). The vessel body (6-1) of the rotary extraction vessel (6) is connected to the vessel tail (6-2) and is provided with a rear seal (6-10). The slag outlet and the steam inlet are both located on the vessel tail (6-2) of the rotary extraction vessel (6). The vessel body (6-1) of the rotary extraction vessel (6) is flipped relative to the vessel tail (6-2) and the steam chamber (5), and a flipping drive component is provided on the vessel body (6-1) of the rotary extraction vessel (6).

3. The continuous rotary extraction system according to claim 2, characterized in that: The front end of the rotary extraction vessel (6-1) is higher than the tail end (6-2), and its installation slope is 2-5°.

4. The continuous rotary extraction system according to claim 2, characterized in that: Several lifting plates (6-11) are provided on the inner wall of the body (6-1) of the rotary extraction vessel (6). The lifting plates (6-11) are arranged in a plum blossom pattern, and the lifting plates (6-11) are inclined towards the front end of the body (6-1) and form an angle of 10 to 30° with the inner wall.

5. The continuous rotary extraction system according to claim 4, characterized in that: The copying plate (6-11) is 200×150mm.

6. The continuous rotary extraction system according to claim 2, characterized in that: A steam flow meter is installed on the pipe at the steam inlet, and the conveying and measuring scale of the feed screw (4) is interlocked with the steam flow meter and the overturning drive component for control.

7. The continuous rotary extraction system according to claim 6, characterized in that: A temperature sensor is installed in the steam chamber (5), and the temperature sensor is interlocked with the steam flow meter for control.

8. The continuous rotary extraction system according to claim 1, characterized in that: A discharge screw (7) and a slag conveyor belt (8) are installed sequentially at the slag outlet.

9. The continuous rotary extraction system according to claim 8, characterized in that: Airlock valves are provided between the hopper (3) and the feeding screw (4), and between the rotary extraction vessel (6) and the discharge screw (7).

10. The continuous rotary extraction system according to claim 1, characterized in that: An induced draft fan (14) is provided in the system to connect the exhaust channel (9) and the exhaust port of the condenser.

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