Apparatus, systems, and methods for extracting organic compounds
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing solvent extraction systems for organic compounds from plant matter require expensive and hazardous cooling equipment, posing safety risks and being capital intensive due to the need for extremely cold temperatures and hazardous solvents.
Innovation Solution
A closed extraction loop system utilizing a cooling chamber and fluid lines to connect extraction loop components, allowing for solvent recovery and operation within a controlled, cold environment without the need for laboratory chillers or hazardous solvents, using a conventional freezer converted into a cooling chamber with a rack apparatus and integrated fluid lines for efficient fluid transfer.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If conventional freezers are used for cooling extraction system components, then capital expenses are reduced and safety is improved, but the cooling effectiveness and temperature control precision may be insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The system divides the cooling function into two parts: a conventional freezer provides baseline cooling, while a refrigeration system with condenser and evaporator provides supplemental cooling and precise temperature control for specific components. This segmentation allows using inexpensive conventional freezers while maintaining effective cooling where needed.
Solution Approach 2:
A heat exchanger is introduced as an intermediary between the refrigeration system and the extraction system components. The heat exchanger transfers cold from the refrigeration system to the extraction components, enabling precise temperature control without directly connecting the complex refrigeration system to all components.
2Productivity
If hazardous solvents are used for extraction, then extraction efficiency is improved, but safety risks and harmful factors increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses supercritical CO2 as the extraction solvent instead of hazardous organic solvents. CO2 is non-flammable, non-toxic, and environmentally friendly. The system maintains controlled pressure and temperature to keep CO2 in supercritical state for effective extraction, then allows it to return to gaseous state for easy separation from the extract.
Solution Approach 2:
The system exploits the phase transition of CO2 between supercritical and gaseous states to achieve extraction and solvent removal. By controlling pressure and temperature, CO2 transitions to a supercritical state for extraction, then returns to gaseous state for easy separation, eliminating the need for harmful solvent recovery processes.
3Temperature
If expensive cooling equipment like laboratory chillers are used, then temperature control precision is improved, but capital expenses and device complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The cooling function is segmented between a simple conventional freezer for general cooling and a targeted refrigeration system with condenser and evaporator for precise temperature control of specific extraction components. This reduces overall system complexity while maintaining where needed.
Solution Approach 2:
The system merges the conventional freezer with a supplemental refrigeration system, combining the simplicity and low cost of conventional freezers with the precise temperature control of professional refrigeration equipment. The freezer handles bulk cooling while the refrigeration system provides precise control for critical components.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The system provides a safer, cost-effective means for extracting organic compounds by maintaining cold temperatures within a controlled environment, reducing the risk of solvent leaks and hazards, and enabling efficient solvent recovery, thus improving operational safety and reducing capital expenses.
Implementation Method 1
these extraction processes commonly rely on liquid or supercritical solvents to extract the desired compounds (herein referred to as 'extract') from the parent (i.e., plant) material. Upon doing so, a phase transition may be initiated in the solvent to separate the solvent from the extract.
Implementation Method 2
The fluid line is fluidly connected to the first extraction loop component and the second extraction loop component and enables fluid transfer between them.
Implementation Method 3
Upon doing so, a phase transition may be initiated in the solvent to separate the solvent from the extract.
Data Source
AI summary
An extraction system that includes a cooling chamber and a closed extraction loop. The cooling chamber includes a body, a lid, and an interior defined therebetween, as well as a channel extending through the cooling chamber body from the interior to the exterior. The closed extraction loop includes a first extraction loop component located within the interior of the cooling chamber and a second extraction loop component located exterior to the cooling chamber. A fluid line is incorporated into the channel defined in the cooling chamber body and is fluidly connected to the first extraction loop component and the second extraction loop component, thereby enabling fluid transfer between them. Also disclosed are extraction system that include cooling chambers featuring a rack apparatus and an adapted freezer.