What is the function of a condenser in distillation?
Answers
A condenser is a cooling unit used in the distillation process.
Distillation is a separating technique used to separate two liquids based on the difference between the boiling points of the liquids present in the mixture.
In the distillation process, preferential boiling takes place i.e. the liquid with less boiling point, boils and raises as the vapours and the vapours are cooled by condensation.
Condensation is a process in which the temperature of the vapours are lowered below their boiling temperature and it cools and forms the liquid droplets which are collected in a separate flask.
The liquid obtained through distillation is called the distillate.
Through the distillation process, we can separate and purify a mixture of liquids, based on the difference in their boiling point.
And to cool these vapours the condensing unit is used which is called a condenser is fitted in the distillation unit.
The condenser is also used in the reflux reactions in which the liquid is heated to a specific time and the vapours are continuously cooled back to the liquid form and return to the reflux flask. For cooling the vapours back to liquid droplets the condenser is fitted.
Hence we can say that the main aim of the condenser is to cool the vapours, release heat to the surroundings and collect the liquid back through the condensation process.
There are mainly three types of condenser used –air-cooled condenser, evaporative condenser and a water-cooled condenser.
In an air-cooled condenser, it uses ambient air for the cooling process, whereas in a water-cooled condenser we attach the tube given in the condenser to a water connection, the water will cool the vapours. And in evaporative condensers, the vapours are cooled through the evaporation process, which happens while we spray water on the exterior surface of the refrigerant tube.