Solvent Dewaxing – continued.

The figure provided here illustrates a schematic for a dewaxing process.

Notice on the left hand bottom corner, the feed (wax-laden oil) is mixed with solvent and introduced into a steam heater. This increases the temperature of the mixture and wax dissolves in the solvent. After that the mixture is chilled to cause wax to separate out (though still contained in the liquid).

The chilled mixture is routed to a rotary filter. In the filter, oil passes through the mesh to the center of the filter drum, while wax is caught on the surface of the cylinder. Notice on the right hand side of the filter, collected wax is routed to a heater and then to an evaporator.