ABSTRACT
Condenser is a device designed to separate one or more components of a vapour mixture by reducing a gas or vapour to its liquid form. This study was undertaken with a view of investigating thedesign and performance analysisof outer jacket Allihn and Graham glass condensers.AutoCAD design tool was used in designing Allihn and Graham condensers, varying the number of bulbs from one to ten (1-10) on the outer jacket. The following specifications were kept constant: outer bulbs size of diameter θ 48mm, distance from bulb to bulb length of 18mm inner tubeθ 09/679mm, outer tube length θ 40/720 mm, bulbs and tubes of θ 26/60mm, outlets and inlets θ 09/1.5mm and the length of quick fit 84mm with the exception of Graham condensing models which inner tubes are coils.For types "As" Allihn and Graham condensers, the outlet and inlet tubes were joined to their jackets while for the types "Bs" Allihn and Graham models, the outlet and the inlet tubes were joined directly to their inner tubes.Twenty (20) assorted pieces of each type "As" and "Bs" of these modified structures of Allihn and Graham condensing models were fabricated. The performances of these condensers were determined using extraction procedures involving the leaves of lawsonia inermis (natural dye) with acetone as solvent. The used solvent was recovered and distillation of borehole water was carried out and the distillate was collected for a period of 1 hour at intervals of 5 minutes each. Results of extraction showed that the highest yield of 43.00% was obtained in condensing model with 7 bulbs Graham type "As" and type "Bs" model with 41.36%. Allihn type "Bs" model with 7 bulbs also gave a yield of 39.99% while the Allihn "As" model was 39.95%. The highest volume of solvent recovery was in Allihn type "As" condensing glass models with 4 bulbs giving a total recovery (84.66%) out of 300 mL used for the extraction. Type "Bs" Allihn model with 4 and 5 bulbs recovered a total of 80% respectively. In the case of the Graham models, model with 2 bulbs on the outer jacket for both types "As" and "Bs" gave the highest volume 85% and 79.33% respectively. The highest volume of distillates 287 mL was collected with condensing model with 10 bulbs for type "As" Allihn condensers while the highest distillates 274 mL was collected from model with 9 bulbs of Allihn type "Bs" condenser, Condensing model with 2 bulbs of both types "As" and „Bs"Allihn model gave distillate of 268 mL and 266 mL respectively.Condensing model with 3 bulbs of Graham condenser type "As" produced the highest volume of 270 mL followed by the model with 9 bulbs with total distillate of 260 mL. Then, the type "Bs" model with 10 bulbs produced the highest distillates of 283 mL, followed by condensing model with 3 bulbs 264 mL.These distillates were collected for a period of 1 hour at intervals of 5minutes each. Statistical analysis using ANOVA indicated that increase in the number of bulbs on the outer jacket of glass condensers hadconsiderable effects on the overall performances on extraction processes while increase on the number of bulbs had no significant effects on the overall performance in solvent recovery and distillation. This correlation will helps in determining which kind of models to be used in performing experiments for optimum yield and minimise materials used for fabrications.