Practical Approach in

Fatty Acid Distillation

Hari Krishna Shukla

Shutek Oleo S A, Costa Rica
 Basic Principles
 Boiling point difference
 Boiling & Non boiling components

 Condensation of vapors

 Heat of evaporation

 Flashing

 Mechanical entrainment
 Contents of crude fatty acids
 Aldehydes, methyle ketones, and unsaturated
hydrocarbons,(.01 to 0.1%)
 Dissolved air, (0.02 %)
 Moisture, (1 t0 3 %)
 Pitch from polymerization, (.01 to .1 %)
 Triglycerides. ( Subject to split degree)
 Fatty acids
 Product quality

 Product quality in terms of color, heat

stability of distillates and yield depend on
the fact how far the process has separated
the by product of
 Aldehydes,
 Methyle ketones,
 Dissolved air and
 Unsaturated hydrocarbons.
 Nature of fatty acids
 Highly heat sensitive ,
 Oxidation and

 Severe degradation if air

infiltration at elevated
temperature.
 Operating temperature ?
 Prior to dissolved gases (air) removal
 140 °C Maximum
 Prior to low boiling by product removal
 200 ° C Even Skin temperature.
 For a maximum stress of 15 Min.
 240 °C for unsaturated fatty acids,
 250 °C for saturated fatty acids.

 For few seconds only

 260 °C and Never above 260 °C
 Prevent air ingress
 Welded connections
 Clamped flanges with sealed welds.
 Tongue and groove flanges
 Improved gasket material

 Seal less pumps

 Canned motor pump
 Magnetic coupling pumps

 Welded fittings, instruments etc.

 Options available
 Structured packing
 Reduced pressure drop
 Facilitates lower operating temperature.
 Falling film reboilers
 Reduction in thermal stress,
 Improved product quality,
 Improved heat transfer.
 In-built condensers
 Quick condensation
 Contd.
 Options available
 Seal less pumps
 Reduction of leak (in & out)
 Improved flange connections,
 Optimal Liquid gas ratio,
 Low rpm pumps at bottom of columns
 Optimum operating vacuum.
 Process Control
 DCS
 Forward or backward feed back control

 Multivariable process optimizer

 Mass flow meters

 Capacitance level indicators

 Processing steps

 Step -I
 Degassing,

 Dehydration and
 Removal of low boiling components.
 Contd.
 Processing steps
 Step-I
 Enough stripping section needed otherwise
 Product will have
 Bad smell,
 Poor quality
 Poor heat stability

(Mono, di & trialdehydes are formed

in small quantities during
Hydrogenation.)
 Processing steps

 Step-II
 Distillation
and / or
 fractionation of fatty acids

 Contd.
 Processing steps

 Step-III
 Removal of pitch
High boiling substances
Residue

Un-split oil / fat.

 Thanks

 I will be happy to take any question