High-Gravity Distillation （Rotating Zigzag Bed）

High-Efficiency Rotary Distillation Unit

In the pharmaceutical and chemical industries, the recovery of organic solvents (such as methanol, ethanol, etc.) is typically achieved through distillation using gas-liquid mass transfer equipment like tray columns or packed columns. Due to the weak gravitational field, slow liquid film flow, and low mass transfer coefficients, such equipment is characterized by large size, low space utilization, low production intensity, and high capital investment. Therefore, our high-gravity distillation system serves as an excellent alternative to traditional distillation columns: with a high-gravity factor reaching 100–1000g, it dramatically reduces liquid film thickness and increases mass transfer coefficients by 1 to 3 orders of magnitude. The Height Equivalent to a Theoretical Plate (HETP) is significantly lowered, resulting in separation efficiency far surpassing conventional trays or packed columns. Owing to extremely rapid mass transfer rates, the height of a high-gravity distillation tower is only 1/10 to 1/5 of a traditional column, substantially saving space and material costs, making it ideal for confined spaces or mobile production. Additionally, its ultra-short residence time (on the order of milliseconds) minimizes degradation of heat-sensitive substances, while energy consumption is reduced by 20%–50% compared to conventional distillation/packed columns. In industries such as APIs, pharmaceutical intermediates, agrochemicals, and fine chemicals, organic solvents derived from extraction, reaction, elution, centrifugation, and filtration processes can be separated, purified, and recovered using high-gravity technology to meet reuse standards. Furthermore, high-gravity distillation can be coupled with Mechanical Vapor Recompression (MVR) to reduce energy consumption, integrated with pervaporation membranes to produce anhydrous solvents, and process mixed solvents from other industrial operations.

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Technical Parameters

The equipment operates on the following principles:
(1) Utilizing centrifugal force to disperse the liquid before it contacts the gas, ensuring more thorough interaction than direct liquid-gas contact. This significantly increases the gas-liquid interfacial contact area and enhances mass/heat transfer rates and efficiency, thereby drastically reducing the equipment size.
(2) A rotor with a specially designed structure rotates at high speed within the housing. The gas phase enters the equipment through the gas inlet, flows from the rotor’s outer edge into its interior, while the liquid phase enters the rotor’s center via the liquid inlet. Inside the rotor, the two phases form an extremely high-specific-surface-area gas-liquid interface that continuously renews itself, achieving high-efficiency mass and heat transfer. Ultimately, the gas phase exits the housing through the gas outlet and is condensed in a condenser, while the liquid phase is collected within the housing and discharged through the liquid outlet.

	← Gas phase
	→ Liquid phase
	By replacing the gravitational field with a centrifugal force field, the gas-liquid contact and transfer processes are intensified, thus significantly reducing equipment volume.

Height Comparison: Packed Column vs. High-Gravity Distillation Machine

Real object comparison:

Application Areas:
This technology is applied to organic solvent recovery and product separation/purification, including but not limited to: ethanol, methanol, acetone, ethyl acetate, acetonitrile, tetrahydrofuran, dichloromethane, NMP, DMF, DMSO, toluene, isopropanol, and tert-butanol. It also covers stripping and air sparging processes. Industrialized applications span multiple sectors:
1. Purification of botanical drug monomers
2. Pharmaceutical intermediate manufacturing
3. Fine chemical production
4. Petrochemical industry
5. Biochemical industry
6. Environmental protection sector (biomass energy production, waste gas/liquid treatment)

Specifications and Models of Distillation Machines

Model	Overall dimensions (mm)length x width x height	Mother Liquor Processing Capacity			Product purity
Model	Overall dimensions (mm)length x width x height	Methanol(50%+water)	Ethanol(50%+water)	Acetone(50%+water)	Product purity
450	1240x620x1840	300kg/h	150kg/h	300kg/h	Methanol：99%-99.6% Ethanol：95%（v/v） Acetone：98%~98.5%
650	1500x1000x2020	550kg/h	350kg/h	700kg/h
850	1650x1200x2020	900kg/h	550kg/h	1000kg/h
1100	1850x1350x2020	1200kg/h	800kg/h	1400kg/h
1300	2050x1600x2020	2200kg/h	1500kg/h	2600kg/h
1700	2550×1890×2520	1.5m³-3.5m³

Notes: 1. The composition and concentration of the feed will affect the processing capacity shown in the above table.
2. Apart from the multi-component mixed solvents (methanol, ethanol, and acetone) mentioned in the table above, this unit is also capable of separating them.

Common Separation Indicators for Several Materials

Operating Pressure	Original Material	Finished Product Concentration
Ordinary Pressure	Ethanol/water	Ethanol>95%v/v
	Acetone/water	Acetone≥98.5%
	Ethyl acetate/water	Ethyl acetate>99%
	Acetonitrile/water	Acetonitrile>85%
	Tetrahydrofuran/water	Tetrahydrofuran>94%
	Dichloromethane/water	Dichloromethane>99.5%
Negative Pressure	DMF/water	DMF>99.5%
	DMAC/water	DMAC>99.5%
	DMSO/water	DMSO>99.5%
	NMP/water	NMP>99.5%

Process Flow Chart

Comparison with traditional distillation column

Comparison between High-Efficient Rotary Distillation Machine and Traditional Distillation column under the Same Separation Efficiency
Name	High-efficient Rotary Distillation Machine	Traditional packing column
Height	4.5-6.5m	15-30m
Covered area	15m2	50m2
Vial Eq.Time	20min	120min
Maintenance costs	Low	High
Fillers	None	With
Energy consumption	Energy saving 20%-30%	High energy consumption
Maintenance time	-2h	≥1day
Operating pressure	Both negative pressure and normal pressure are acceptable	Both negative pressure and normal pressure are acceptable
Factory conditions	Regular 25mm ground foundation	Professional factory buildings are required
Civil conditions	Especially applicable Professional factory buildings are not required	Specially designed civil engineering standards
Thermosensitive materials	Solvent recovery can be directly achieved in lot of transportation costs.the workshop，which shall save a	Not applicable
Recycling form		Centralized recycling

Case Description:


Model CX-1100		Model CX-1300
Main Equipment: Feed tank, evaporator, high-gravity distillation machine, condenser, power distribution cabinet. Accessories: Piping, pneumatic valves, flanges, flow meters, thermometers, pressure gauges, etc. Control System: PLC Footprint (L×W×H): 6000×2700×6500 mm		Main Equipment: Feed tank, evaporator, high-gravity distillation machine, condenser, power distribution cabinet, vacuum system Accessories: Piping, pneumatic valves, flanges, flow meters, thermometers, pressure gauges, etc. Control System: PLC Footprint (L×W×H): 520025006500mm
Feed Concentration	Ethanol 60%, water	Feed Concentration	N,N-Dimethylformamide（DMF）15%，water；
Feed Flow Rate	500 L/h	Feed Flow Rate	500 L/h
Ethanol Purity (Top Product)	95% vol	Distillate Purity	DMF ≤0.5% in water
Residual Ethanol in Bottoms	0.5% wt	System Operating Pressure	Negative pressure operation; Column top: -91~92 kPa (gauge); Total pressure drop: 5 kPa
Distillation Mode	Continuous/Batch	Distillation Mode	Continuous/Batch distillation
Distillation Machine Motor Power	Rated: 37 kW Operating: ~20 kW	Distillation Machine Motor Power	Rated: 37 kW Operating: ~20 kW
Steam Consumption	~0.45 T/h (at 0.3 MPa, inlet temp. ≈135°C)	Steam Consumption	~0.75 T/h (at 0.3 MPa, temperature ≈135°C)
Cooling Water (Primary Condenser)	~50 T/h (30°C, ΔT=5°C)	Cooling Water (Primary Condenser)	~80 T/h (ΔT=5°C)
Brine Solution (Secondary Condenser)	6–8 T/h (recommended)	Brine Solution (Secondary Condenser)	~10 T/h (recommended)