Enhancing Lime Essential Oil Extraction Efficiency with Swirl Flow and Condensation Techniques

Twisted Tape , Plain Tube , Essential Oils , Lime

This research aimed to: 1) investigate the effects of twisted-tape-induced swirl flow installation, lime mass, and condensation on the yield of lime essential oil, and 2) evaluate the energy cost of lime essential oil production. A 50-liter stainless steel distillation apparatus, fueled by LPG, was used to generate steam at 104 °C with a flow rate of 1.5 l/hr. Twisted-tapes-induced swirl flow with a constant twist ratio (y/w) of 3.0 were installed inside the heat exchanger tube. Cooling water temperatures of 10, 15, and 20 °C, along with lime masses of 15, 20, and 25 kg, were systematically varied during the study.
The research results showed that : 1) The installation of twisted-tapes-induced swirl flow enhanced heat transfer between the steam and the heat exchanger walls, promoting better condensation of water and essential oil vapors. This resulted in 34.7%, 14.8%, and 6.9% higher essential oil yields compared to the plain tube for lime masses of 15, 20, and 25 kg, respectively.
2) The essential oil yield increased with higher lime mass. The mass of lime of 25 kg produced amount of essential oil higher than the mass of 15 and 20 kg lime of approximately 34.7 and 14.8 percent, respectively. 3) The lower condensation temperatures produced higher essential oil yields. Cooling water at 10 °C yielded 6.7% and 14.4% more essential oil compared to 15 °C and 20 °C, respectively. 4) Energy analysis indicated that producing essential oil with a lime mass
of 25 kg and a cooling water temperature of 10 °C, using twisted-tapes-induced swirl flow, consumed 0.21 kg/hr of LPG. The specific energy consumption was 952.4 MJ/cc, with a production profit of 569.4 THB.

Thesis · Mechanical Engineering

Wanlop Punsing

Phetchaburi Rajabhat University

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TH-M.ME-001

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