File talk:Steam dist.svg

Incorrect setup

This setup seems incorrect. The flask in the middle should not exist. The steam with the vapor of the desired substance (say, essential oil) should be fed to the condenser, and both liquids should be collected in the flask at right.
The intention of this setup seems to be to combine the steam distillation with a fractional distillation to separate the water and the oil. However, there is no cooling or temperature control in the middle flask, meaning that either some of the oil vapor will proceed to the condenser, or some of the water will condense in the middle flask, or both.
--Jorge Stolfi (talk) 18:09, 7 April 2020 (UTC)