New SGA Scientific 24/40 10-Plate Silver Vacuum-Jacketed Oldershaw Distillation Column

1-Inch ID Borosilicate Glass Fractional Distillation Column | 10 Theoretical Stages

• Manufacturer: SGA Scientific

• Condition: New (Unused)

• Plate Count: 10 Theoretical Stages

• Joint Configuration: 24/40 Top and 24/40 Bottom Ground Glass Joints

• Thermal Protection: Silvered Vacuum Jacket with Corrugated Expansion Bellows

Overview

Achieve sharp, repeatable separations for complex liquid mixtures. The New SGA Scientific 10-Plate Oldershaw Distillation Column is a premium, laboratory-scale fractional distillation apparatus engineered for precision boiling point separations.

Constructed from heavy-duty borosilicate glass, this column features 10 internal perforated trays (plates) and downcomers. Each tray functions as an individual theoretical stage, forcing rising vapor to bubble repeatedly through descending liquid reflux. Compared to simple distillation or standard packed columns, this Oldershaw architecture provides exceptional vapor-liquid contact in a compact 19-inch footprint, making it an essential component for high-purity solvent recovery, reaction product isolation, and petrochemical testing.

Condition & Critical Unit Details

• Condition: New — Unused laboratory glassware in pristine structural condition.

• Metallurgy / Coating: Silver-coated vacuum jacket designed to minimize radiant heat loss.

• Thermal Stress Relief: Integrated corrugated expansion bellows to safely absorb differential thermal expansion.

• Joint Standard: 24/40 standard taper ground glass joints top and bottom for broad lab compatibility.

• Sourcing: Available for immediate dispatch from HiTechTrader’s facility in Coatesville, Pennsylvania.

Master Technical Specifications

Core Engineering Advantages

10 Theoretical Stages for Sharp Fractionation

The Oldershaw design utilizes perforated plates with weir-and-downcomer assemblies. As vapor ascends, it passes through the perforations, bubbling directly through liquid held on each plate. This mechanism maximizes equilibrium stages, allowing laboratories to separate closely boiling compounds, purify sensitive reaction products, and isolate high-purity fractions with accuracy.

Silvered Vacuum Jacket for Near-Adiabatic Stability

Radiant heat loss can disrupt the delicate vapor-liquid equilibrium inside a fractional column. The outer vacuum jacket is treated with a mirror-finish silver coating that reflects thermal radiation back into the column. Combining deep vacuum insulation with radiant silvering ensures near-adiabatic operating conditions, protecting sensitive fractionations from ambient room temperature variations.

Corrugated Expansion Bellows (Thermal Stress Protection)

High-temperature distillation creates significant thermal expansion differences between the hot inner column and the cool outer jacket. SGA Scientific integrates corrugated expansion bellows into the outer jacket, absorbing linear thermal expansion during heating and cooling cycles. This feature dramatically reduces glass fatigue and thermal shock risks during repeated high-temperature runs.

Universal 24/40 Ground Glass Joints

Equipped with standard 24/40 top and bottom ground glass joints, this column integrates easily into existing laboratory setups. It pairs smoothly with standard distillation heads, boiling flasks, reflux splitters, and vacuum adapters without requiring custom glassblowing.

Typical Applications

This 10-plate Oldershaw column is well-suited for high-precision analytical, academic, and industrial workflows, including:

• Solvent Purification & Recovery: Reclaiming high-purity solvents from reaction mixtures.

• Petrochemical & Hydrocarbon Fractionation: Boiling point analysis and fuel cut separations.

• Pharmaceutical & Specialty Chemical R&D: Purifying active intermediates and volatile reagents.

• Essential Oil Refinement: Separating volatile terpene profiles and natural extracts.

• Academic Chemistry Teaching: Demonstrating multi-stage fractional distillation equilibrium.

Complete Your Distillation & Processing Workflow

Building an efficient fractional distillation train requires pairing quality glass with reliable temperature, vacuum, and fluid control. At HiTechTrader, we supply complete equipment stacks to support your process:

• Reaction & Heating Systems: Integrate this column directly with high-pressure laboratory reactors or pilot-scale Parr reactors for continuous synthesis and fractionation.

• Fluid & Vacuum Handling: Maintain precise column pressures and feed rates using precision laboratory pumps.

• Purity & Fraction Analysis: Verify distillate fractions using advanced analytical instruments and used GC-MS systems.

• Glassware & Hardware: Explore our full collection of laboratory distillation equipment and used laboratory equipment to complete your benchtop setup.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

What is an Oldershaw distillation column?

An Oldershaw distillation column is a specialized, laboratory-scale fractional distillation apparatus constructed from borosilicate glass that uses a series of internal perforated plates (trays) and downcomers to achieve high separation efficiency. Each tray functions as an individual theoretical stage where rising vapor bubbles through descending liquid reflux. A silver vacuum jacketed Oldershaw column combines deep vacuum insulation with a radiant heat-reflecting silver coating to maintain near-adiabatic conditions, enabling precise separation of liquid mixtures based on close boiling point differences.

What makes an Oldershaw column superior to a Vigreux or packed column?

An Oldershaw column provides discrete, measurable theoretical stages via perforated trays. Unlike packed columns (which can channel) or Vigreux columns (which offer fewer theoretical plates per inch), the Oldershaw column ensures positive liquid-vapor contacting across every plate, delivering higher separation efficiency per unit length.

Why is the silver coating important on a vacuum jacket?

A vacuum eliminates heat transfer via conduction and convection, but heat can still escape via thermal radiation. The reflective silver coating acts as a thermal mirror, bouncing radiant heat back into the column to maintain stable internal temperatures.

Does this column accommodate thermal expansion during high-temperature runs?

Yes. The built-in corrugated expansion bellows absorb the mechanical stress caused by thermal expansion differences between the inner column and the outer jacket, protecting the borosilicate glass from cracking.

Buy the New SGA Scientific 10-Plate Oldershaw Column

HiTechTrader offers this new SGA Scientific 24/40 10-Plate Silver Vacuum Jacketed Oldershaw Distillation Column for laboratories requiring precise, multi-stage separation glassware.

Contact HiTechTrader today to:

• Request formal pricing and lead-time confirmation.

• Verify exact joint, flask, or distillation head compatibility.

• Arrange secure, padded domestic or international freight shipping.

HiTechTrader | Coatesville, Pennsylvania | Est. 1982

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