Vacuum Essential Oil Extraction System
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Solution Overview
Problem
Traditional methods for extracting essential oils from plant material using high-pressure systems are expensive and hazardous due to the high pressures involved.
Innovation Solution
A vacuum closed system is employed to extract essential oils, which includes a solvent source, a material container, a recovery chamber, and a vacuum pump to pull the solvent through the plant material, capturing the extracted oil in the recovery chamber.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If high-pressure systems are used to force solvent through plant material, then extraction efficiency is improved, but safety hazards and system cost increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent inverts the conventional high-pressure extraction approach by using vacuum (low pressure) to pull solvent through the plant material. Instead of forcing solvent through at high pressure, the system creates a pressure differential by removing air from the recovery chamber, allowing atmospheric pressure to naturally push the solvent through the material, thereby achieving extraction without hazardous high pressures
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the pressure parameter from high (conventional) to low/vacuum (innovative). By operating the extraction system under vacuum conditions rather than high pressure, the system maintains extraction effectiveness while eliminating the safety hazards and high costs associated with high-pressure equipment
2Productivity
If high-pressure systems are used to force solvent through plant material, then extraction efficiency is improved, but system cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent inverts the conventional high-pressure extraction approach by using vacuum (low pressure) to pull solvent through the plant material. Instead of forcing solvent through at high pressure, the system creates a pressure differential by removing air from the recovery chamber, allowing atmospheric pressure to naturally push the solvent through the material, thereby achieving extraction without hazardous high pressures
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces expensive high-pressure equipment with simpler, less costly vacuum equipment. The vacuum pump and sealed chambers required for this system are generally less expensive than the high-pressure pumps, thick-walled pressure vessels, and safety systems required for conventional high-pressure extraction, thereby reducing overall system cost
3Object-affected harmful factors
If vacuum is used to pull solvent through plant material, then safety and cost are improved, but extraction efficiency may decrease
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a sealed system with a vacuum pump as an intermediary mechanism. The vacuum pump creates a pressure differential that acts as a driving force, pulling the solvent through the plant material at controlled rates. This intermediary mechanism enables efficient extraction under vacuum conditions by maintaining the pressure differential throughout the extraction process
Solution Approach 2:
The patent ensures continuous extraction by maintaining the vacuum pressure differential throughout the process. The sealed system prevents air leakage, and the vacuum pump continuously operates to maintain the pressure difference, ensuring that the solvent continuously flows through the plant material and extraction proceeds efficiently without interruption
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
This method safely and efficiently extracts essential oils, reducing costs and hazards associated with high-pressure systems while maintaining the quality and yield of the extracted oils.
Implementation Method 1
a vacuum pump in fluid communication with the recovery chamber and structured to remove air from within the recovery chamber and pull solvent from the solvent source through plant material in the material container
Implementation Method 2
create a vacuum in the recovery chamber... the vacuum in the recovery chamber pulls fluids (cooling fluid or solvent from the solvent chamber) through the material in the material column and into the recovery chamber
Implementation Method 3
The material in the material column and the solvent in the solvent chamber are cooled; either pre-cooled or by using a cooling liquid, such as liquid nitrogen
Data Source
AI summary
A system and method of extracting essential oils from plant material through the use of a low pressure alcohol-based closed system that includes a solvent chamber connected to a material column that in turn is connected to a recovery chamber. Plant material in the material column and the solvent in the solvent chamber are cooled using a cooling liquid, such as nitrogen. A vacuum pump connected to the recovery chamber creates a vacuum in the recovery chamber to draw the cooled solvent through the cooled plant material and extract essential oils, which are collected in the recovery chamber.