In the material concentration process of industries such as pharmaceuticals and food, Hunan Hexin Pharmaceutical Equipment Co., Ltd. has developed a stainless steel spherical concentration pot. With its spherical structure design and efficient heat transfer performance, it achieves low-temperature concentration treatment of thermosensitive materials such as medicine and juice, and is suitable for solvent recovery and material concentration needs in batch production, providing stable and reliable concentration solutions for the industry.
1、 Equipment structure and working principle
The equipment is centered around "efficient heat transfer and mild concentration" and consists of three core components. It completes concentration operations through steam heating and vacuum negative pressure coordination:
•Main structure designAdopting inner and outer double-layer stainless steel materials (inner layer 304 or 316L stainless steel, outer layer 304 stainless steel), the inner diameter range of the spherical tank body covers 0.5-5m ³, suitable for different production capacity requirements; The thickness of the tank wall is 8-12mm, and the compressive strength meets the pressure vessel specifications while reducing heat loss; The top is equipped with a feed inlet, vacuum interface, and pressure gauge, while the bottom is equipped with a discharge valve and a drain outlet. The structural layout takes into account both operational convenience and cleaning needs.
•Heat transfer and heating systemSaturated steam is introduced into the interlayer, and heat is transferred to the materials inside the spherical tank wall. The condensed water from the steam is discharged through a drain valve to ensure stable heating efficiency; Compared to traditional vertical concentration tanks, the spherical structure increases the heating area by more than 20%, and the material is uniformly heated inside the tank, avoiding material denaturation caused by local overheating.
•Vacuum concentration mechanismBy using an external vacuum pump to create a negative pressure environment of 0.06-0.09MPa inside the tank, the boiling point of the material can be reduced (the boiling point of water can be lowered to 45-65 ℃), which is suitable for thermosensitive materials such as traditional Chinese medicine and enzyme preparations, reducing the damage of effective ingredients; Meanwhile, the negative pressure environment accelerates solvent evaporation, increasing the concentration rate by 30% -50% compared to atmospheric pressure concentration.
2、 Core technical features
•Mild concentration guaranteeThe negative pressure low-temperature concentration process is combined with a stirring device (optional anchor or paddle stirrer) to evenly flip the material inside the tank and avoid local overheating; The stirring speed can be adjusted by a variable frequency motor (5-30r/min) to adapt to materials of different viscosities (100-5000cP), ensuring stable material quality during the concentration process.
•Energy saving and environmentally friendly designThe steam interlayer adopts polyurethane insulation layer with a thickness of 50-80mm, and the heat loss rate is controlled within 5% to reduce energy consumption; The secondary steam generated by evaporation can be recovered through a condenser, and the purity of the condensed water meets the process water standards. It can be recycled for raw material pretreatment to reduce water resource waste.
•Convenience of operation and cleaningEquipped with PLC control system and touch screen, it can set parameters such as concentration temperature, vacuum degree, stirring speed, etc., display real-time operating data, support automatic start stop and fault alarm; Polishing treatment of the inner wall of the tank (roughness Ra ≤ 0.8 μ m), without any hygiene dead corners, in compliance with GMP standards; During cleaning, automatic flushing can be achieved through the CIP in-situ cleaning system (optional), reducing manual cleaning workload.
•Security performance guaranteeThe tank body is equipped with a safety valve, pressure sensor, and temperature sensor. When the pressure or temperature inside the tank exceeds the set range, the equipment automatically cuts off the steam supply and alarms; Stainless steel material is resistant to acid and alkali corrosion, suitable for materials with different properties such as traditional Chinese medicine extracts and acidic fruit juices, extending the service life of equipment.
3、 Application scenarios and practical value
This device demonstrates significant adaptability across multiple industries, with core values concentrated in three areas:
•Widely used in the industryIn the pharmaceutical field, it is used for the concentration of traditional Chinese medicine extracts and Western medicine mother liquors to ensure the retention rate of effective ingredients; In the food industry, it is suitable for concentrating fruit juice, jam, and dairy products to maintain product flavor and nutrition; In the chemical industry, it can be used for solvent recovery and intermediate concentration to meet the purity requirements of the process.
•Balancing Cost and EfficiencyLow temperature concentration reduces material loss, and the qualified rate of finished products remains stable at over 98%; Reduce labor costs; The equipment occupies a small area.
•Controllable maintenance costsStainless steel material is wear-resistant and corrosion-resistant, and only requires regular inspection of the sealing components and valve status for daily use; The core components (such as mixing motors and vacuum pumps) are designed with standardization, making maintenance and replacement convenient.
At present, Hunan Hexin Pharmaceutical's stainless steel spherical concentrator has become a commonly used equipment for batch concentration operations in the pharmaceutical and food industries. Its mild concentration process and stable operating performance provide practical support for material quality assurance and production efficiency improvement.