Why WFE/SPD?

Part 1 of 5  Heat Sensitive Materials

Wiped film distillation is a fairly niche distillation technique. 

While it has been around for decades, it is not as common as traditional pot/reactor distillation.  Though less common, wiped film distillation is a very efficient and powerful method of completing a distillation.  Many companies run inefficient reactor strips, when a wiped film still would be a better option.

The question arises: How do you know when wiped film distillation is a good option?

This five part series will explore a few reasons or circumstances that wiped film could be a good choice for your distillation.  Should you wish to discuss a specific application, please message me, and we will set up a free call.

Reason one to consider wiped film distillation: Heat Sensitive Materials

Wiped film distillation is widely considered the best option for distillations of heat sensitive materials. 

The reason for this is wiped film distillation is a continuous process.  The feed material enters the cylindrical still body and flows down the inside wall of the cylinder.  Any material that is volatile will leave the wall as vapors and condense as distillate on the condenser.  The rest of the material flows down the heated wall and out of the still as the residue stream.  The residence time in the still depends on the feed rate and the still size, but in general, the material is exposed to the heated portion of the still about 15-120 seconds.

Comparatively, if a distillation is done in a reactor, it is very common for the distillation to take multiple hours or even days.  That entire time, all of the material is heated to the boiling temperature.  If the material is susceptible to thermal degradation, then that degradation is very likely to occur using this type of distillation.  On a wiped film still, it is very common to perform distillations at temperatures that damage the material in traditional equipment.  There is often no damage, simply because the material only feels the heat of the still for a short amount of time.