Patent ID: 9221735
Filing Date: 2015-12-29
Classification: B01D,C07C,F28B

Abstract:
1. A process of distilling ethanol in an ethanol production facility comprising: pumping ethanol into a rectifier through an inlet flow supply line positioned at the bottom of said rectifier, said rectifier including an ethanol vapor outlet flow line; heating said ethanol to produce ethanol vapor, wherein said ethanol vapor is directed to said ethanol vapor outlet flow line; providing an air cooled condenser, said air cooled condenser including a plurality of individual condenser modules, each of which has cooling coils and a condenser inlet flow supply line, said cooling coils in fluid communication with the condenser inlet flow supply line; positioning at least one air blower below said cooling coils for directing air over the cooling coils to remove heat therefrom; receiving a stream of ethanol vapor by said condenser inlet flow supply line from a said ethanol vapor outlet flow line; condensing the stream of ethanol vapor to liquid ethanol during a distillation step by passing said ethanol vapor through said air-cooled condenser cooling coils thereby eliminating the need to cool said ethanol vapor with a water cooled condenser thus reducing the use of water in the ethanol production facility by more than 25%; and storing the liquid ethanol in a storage medium, wherein the air used to cool the air-cooled condenser is at a temperature of 78° C. or less.