Article 525 words
Date: 24/10/2019
Topic: Swam Vacuum Never misses a beat.
Product: Dry Screw Multi-stage Vacuum pump
Six years ago, Dr Leo Cahill the owner of Australian Mint & Flavours – Melbourne,
selected Swam International for its vacuum pump requirements for their ongoing production.
Swam’s turnkey package Dry Screw Vacuum pump supported with two-stage boosters
is now in its fourth year of operation, and has not missed a beat.
Dr Cahill states that “The Vacuum pump is a critical component to our production.”
“Making Mint Oil is where art and science work together.
“There is the Art of separation & extraction, along with the Science of Physics.”
Consistency and reliability are very much the key factors.
Our production is not a continuous operation.
Every time we start up, we depend upon everything working as it is designed to do.
To date, there have never been any problems with the pumping system or the quality of our oils, with no loss of downtime or product. “Swam have definitely proved themselves, I am very happy with their product and customer care.”
Today any quality mint oil undergoes a second distillation or rectification which requires the application of heat. The problem is too much heat damages the flavour and can even leave burnt notes in the oil which detracts from the quality of the flavour and therefore the final product.
The best way to overcome this dilemma is by utilising “low temperature” distillation.
This is where the science / physics come into play. By employing a deep vacuum system, the distillation temperature science/physics. At normal atmospheric pressure, water will evaporate as steam at 100 °C. However, at the vacuum level employed by Australian Mint & Flavours, water would evaporate off at under 2 deg C. When applied to mint oils, Australian Mint Oils distill at a maximum of around 50 deg C which preserves the quality and taste which is superior to what one normally sees in imported mint oils.
To achieve this quality, it is crucial to have a vacuum system that can control and maintain the right level of deep vacuum pressure throughout the extraction process.
So the vacuum pump needs to
- Pump down to the required vacuum pressure, in order to reach the desired evaporation point at each of the various stages throughout the distillation and,
- Maintain the desired vacuum pressure so that the desired evaporation point is maintained.
Each system is unique, requiring specific engineering and systems design.
The vacuum pump selection is also critical in terms of pump time and reliability.
Concerning Australian Mint & Flavours, a 3 stage vacuum system was selected.
The system is a skid mounted vacuum pump with 2 stage boosters to speed up the pump downtime, the dry Screw Vacuum pump is the latest technology to provide and maintain the deep vacuum pressures required.
This article is approved for public release by Dr Leo Cahill. Australian Mint & Flavours Pty Ltd. Melbourne Australia. Factory 1, 5 Ovata Drive Tullamarine Melbourne 3043 Australia (61-3) 9310 3271 https://www.austmintoils.com/
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