EPIC Provides Turnkey Solutions for Industrial Distillation
Our process design, engineering, and fabrication experts work with you to understand your separation needs, develop a detailed 3D model, and fabricate custom industrial distillation equipment and distillation systems to meet your goals and your budget. Designing industrial distillation equipment to achieve your desired separation requires an engineer experienced in process equipment integration and proven scale-up methods to ensure correct:
- Increase scale mechanical design
- Sizing of each industrial column
- Selection of the proper equipment
- Project management of distillation skid fabrication (to specification and tolerance)
- Commissioning at production rates
We have decades of experience and 420+ successful system startups with multi-scale industrial distillation columns and distillation systems. We have worked extensively with both batch and continuous distillation operations. Our systems can be stand-alone distillation columns or larger systems that incorporate multiple columns and other unit operations.
Ready to talk to an EPIC engineer about your industrial distillation equipment project? Call 314-714-1580 or contact us.
Distillation Equipment Examples
View more distillation systems and plants in our photo gallery
View more distillation systems and plants in our photo gallery
Cost of Distillation Equipment
Each of EPIC’s distillation systems is custom-built to the customer’s specification and therefore, the price can vary. To get pricing information or discuss your project with an EPIC engineering specialist, please call 314-714-1580 or fill out the form below.
Industrial Distillation Case Studies
EPIC has designed distillation applications for a variety of industries including alternative energies, ethanol, food flavors, an many more. Select a case study below to learn more about EPIC’s industrial distillation equipment capabilities.
Pilot Scale System with Industrial Distillation Equipment Achieves 90% CO2 Sequestration
A modular distillation skid design allowed safe and timely off-site construction of a pilot-scale distillation skid. The pilot plant is testing an experimental new technology for CO2 removal from power plant flue (or exhaust) gas. CO2 was removed from flue gas in a two-step distillation process with solvent reclamation. Read the full CO2 Sequestration from Coal Fired Flue Gas case study…
Key Features: Modular skid weighing 39,000 lbs and standing 51 feet tall, dual packed distillation units, DeltaV DCS, Class 1, Div 1
A Dual Skid Continuous Distillation System Provides Compact Solution
A two-part design was developed for an ethanol extraction system that needed to fit into a small space as part of EPIC’s turnkey responsibility process. Overall project timeline shortened due to on-site upgrades and skid fabrication progressing in tandem. The finished “plug and play” skid was delivered as two separate framed pieces to the client site and successfully navigated to the installation spot. Continue to the Innovative Distillation Skid Design case study…
Key Features: Two distillation units, reflux loops, hot oil system, heat exchanger, hydrotesting, FEA analysis, vacuum pump system to lower required energy inputs.
Read Full Case StudyVacuum Distillation Column Design Scale-Up
EPIC designed and fabricated a stainless steel vacuum distillation system for a liquid flavors company in the food and beverage industry. The client needed to scale up the production of an existing batch distillation process of a proprietary liquid flavor that had seen a spike in popularity. Process engineers at EPIC worked closely with the customer – who could not provide an original P&ID – to design a larger, improved version of the original vacuum distillation system.
Key Features: split-level modular column design, dedicated pressure control unit (TCU), vacuum pump, 230-gallon stainless steel tank.
Read Full Case Study
Turnkey Processes
EPIC specializes in delivering turnkey distillation systems. Our services include:
Concept Development
You bring the process technology; we help design your system
Front End Loading (FEL)
Get a fixed-bid quote and preliminary distillation system design
Industrial Distillation Equipment Design
Detailed design of your distillation column or system with 3D modeling and simulation
Automation & Controls Engineering
In-house controls developed by EPIC’s automation engineers
In-House Fabrication & Assembly
Production-style fabrication in controlled shop conditions
Process System Installation
Our unique approach helps you avoid production downtime and gets you to startup faster
Startup & Commissioning
We remain onsite during full startup, punch list resolution, and operator training
Parts & Customer Service
Contact EPIC anytime to keep your powder liquid mixing system running smoothly
Types of Industrial Distillation Processes
- Vacuum distillation – This form of distillation relies on the basic principle that boiling occurs when vapor pressure exceeds ambient pressure for a liquid. The pressure above the liquid being distilled is reduced via vacuum to below its vapor pressure, causing it to boil
- Fractional distillation – Distillation process where chemical components are separated into “fractions” based on their properties. The most common method is to heat the liquid to a specific temperature that causes several components to evaporate.
- Steam distillation – Used for temperature-sensitive materials or materials that begin eroding at sustained high temperatures. By adding water or steam to the distillation process, the boiling temperatures of the other substances are brought down, allowing lower temperatures to be used.
- Solvent Recovery Systems – While distillation is not the only process used for solvent recovery, it is one of the most common ones. Solvent reclamation can be achieved with absorption, evaporation, distillation, liquid extraction, precipitation, crystallization, and other separation unit operations. EPIC’s process engineers are well-versed in solvent recovery systems and can help you design a custom application to recycle solvent or recover it for further use. Contact an engineer today to discuss your needs.
- Azeotropic distillation – Distillation systems where an “entrainer” is added in order to break an azeotrope. The entrainer additive causes the other substances present to separate into immiscible liquids.
- Extractive distillation – Type of distillation where a solvent is introduced to the mixture which changes the relative volatilities of the other substances, allowing them to be separated through normal distillation methods. This is used when two substances have a very similar boiling point.
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