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Batch splliting fat process
Greetings.
Im plaining making a autoclave for splitting tallow ussing live steam injection at 180-250psi, the procces is quite simple, but now days is discontinued and reemplaced for continous splitting towers that operates at 60-70bar, im currently making soap ussing mainly tallow, but the salting and separation of glycerine usually takes arround 2 days in the kettles, besides that the recovery of the separated glycerine/lye/salt is difficult.
The current goal is to split the fat in a batch process, arround 6-8 hours of steam injection at 220psi with or without ussing zinc oxide as catalizer to obtain sweet water and fattyacid mixture for making soap, that process would save atleast 1 day of the soap process.
Said that, i have no experience in the process, there isnt much information about it, my current steam boiler (30hp) makes 300psi max, so i would like to know if someone could give me any advise, im planning making a 60cm diameter tower, 5meters high with 1/2inch 316SS, Cap enddings.
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3 Replies
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Wow, serious engineering! Be careful, please. The Victorian newspapers of England are full of accounts of boiler explosions. Live steam at 250 psi. Wow.
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Hi @Belassi . how are you, i have been working with the boiler for a long time without issues, ussing the right water and making the proper manteniance should be enought for a small 30hp boiler, for making soap and deodorizing tallow the injection of steam is a must here, and very cheap conssidering the diesel cost in my country, the tower welding will be certified to operate at the pressure condition, and at least two relief valves are going to be used in the boiler and the autoclave, besides that the boiler it self is very automatized.
i need help with the tower dimensions, as i said before the arent enought information or patents for low pressure fatsplitting autoclave, im ussing about 2 tons of tallow /week, so im looking for a 500kg volume tower and i want to know if i could use a smaller diameter and keeping the height, for example 45cm diameter, 7m height (about 1100liters full volume) is a lot cheaper to make compared with 70cm diameter same height , but the poor informations about the proccess talks for 70cm or higher diameters and 6m to 12m height.
Any tip would be aprecciated, residence time for the reaction and power consuption are not relevant for the proccess, the literature claims that 8 hours are enogut, but i will be fine if it takes 12 hours to complete.
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A smaller diameter tower is advantageous according to this patent.
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