This is a continuous 3 reactor system with 3 hours of hold time. The system is fed methanol and catalyst under PLC control, and it is capable of reupping the catalyst as the oil leaves the first reactor. This is not a pressurized system running at the boiling point of methanol. The glycerin is decanted off automatically from the bottom of each reactor and off a final static glycerin separator. Methanol is flashed off under vacuum in a controlled loop heating system and recovered in a 15°F recovery condenser (not shown). After distillation the methyl esters are water washed twice using soft water. The wash water is separated using static separating tanks. The water is sent to the soap stock system.
ESTERIFICATION SYSTEM
