Stills come in all sizes, shapes and materials of construction. A Still is basically a tank with some means of injecting steam at the bottom of the tank in a way that allows its uniform distribution, such as perforated crosses or plates, false bottoms, manifolds etc. The opening of the still can be a simple manhole cover or a full size lid with the same diameter as the tank, depending on the unloading method. Most stills operate at atmospheric pressure, some are designed to stand higher pressures, in the 2 bar range.
Condensers are of various types.
The oil separator is the one component which is the most critical to the overall product recovery and profitability of the plant, whether conventional or continuous. Except in modern facilities, the separator often seems to get the least engineering attention from distillery operators in the field. The separator too, comes in a wide range of homemade designs, although the main idea is that of a continuous decanter sometimes referred to as a Florentine flask. Distillers of heavy oils, such as vetivert, are usually much more aware of the efficiency requirements of the separator than the distillers of light oils such as citrus oils need to be. The Steam boiler is in most cases an oil or gas fired package boiler.