The diagram illustrates the process of extracting essential oil from plant raw materials for use in the manufacture of perfume.
Overall, the process consists of several stages, beginning with heating water to produce steam and ending with the separation of essential oil from condensed water. The main stages involve steaming the plant material, vaporising the essential oil and then cooling the vapour in a condenser.
Initially, water is placed in a container and heated using a heat source. As the temperature rises, the water produces hot steam, which is directed through a pipe into a separate chamber containing the plant raw material. The steam passes through the plant material, causing the essential oil within it to be released. As a result, a mixture of steam and vaporised essential oil is produced and rises to the upper part of the chamber.
In the next stage, this mixture is transferred through a pipe to a condenser. Inside the condenser, the vapour is cooled as it passes through the coiled tube, causing both the essential oil and steam to condense. Finally, the condensed liquid is collected in a container, where essential oil is obtained separately from the condensed water.
