SOLD:Chem Tech KDT-6

Selling off a fully functional Chem Tech Services KDT-6 still with custom rolling base. Works very well, but don’t have the labor to keep running it. Cold trap is made for liquid nitrogen or acetone / dry ice (no immersion chiller included).

Asking $85,000. Local pickup in Nevada City, CA.

Includes:

  • Complete operational still
  • Leybold D8B rotary vane pump
  • Leybold 90i turbo pump
  • All Julabo heaters
  • One gallon extra bucket of Marlotherm
  • One gallon of Across International 19 Grade mechanical vacuum pump oil
  • Extra o-rings and clamps
  • Three 5L cylindrical collection flasks
  • Two Edwards diffusion pumps with 60 ml diffusion oil (not tested)
  • Leybold vacuum pump repair kit in box
  • Leybold A1203 absorption trap
  • Thyrcont Smartline digital vacuum gauge
  • Box of random extra parts

DM me here with questions or more details.

wanna sell one of those diffusion pumps?

Very likely. Let me DM you pictures of them on Monday when I’m back at the shop. Not totally sure of the model number etc. at the moment.

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For anyone looking, we have only one of the diffusion pumps left with this machine. Rotary vane and the turbo pump are still around.

Bump.

Hi I am interested in the kdt6.

What is the purpose of the C-clamp on the top shelf? Is something broken there or are you just missing a nut/bolt?

In the pic it looks like the motor/shaft are out of alignment with the still body. Can you verify everything is ok there? It might just be the angle the pic was taken at, I’m not sure.

Did you buy the still new and how long have you owned it?

Thanks.

The C-clamp on the shelf holds the upper stainless assembly to the rolling table. It’s sort of a kludgy hack, but it works.

The motor and shaft for the wiper drive system were placed back on and not aligned when we moved it (had to remove the drive motor to get it through the doors). I just put them back in their general position so they wouldn’t get lost.

The system is about two years old, and it had a complete rebuild from one of the lead techs at Delta Separations before we acquired it. There are plenty of rebuild parts (including a full kit for the Leybold pump) included. It’s run two distillations since the rebuild and pulls single digit millitorr vacuum on closed dry system.

There’s only one diffusion pump left as I sold the other one to @NewLevelProcess. He’s seen the still in real life and can confirm it’s in good shape. We just don’t have the labor or the crude supply chain to run it in California with the current state of the market.

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Can confirm it has an amazing amount of spare parts almost two complete rebuild kits. It has all the options one could want on a unit this size. Working condition. The top motor is mounted on a ring stand you can reposition by hand.

As a bonus @mcoffin is a really cool dude to hang out with and talk.

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Thanks for the replies guys.

@mcoffin can you expand on the quoted statement a little bit if possible? I am just curious.

I have been under the impression that stills this size are considered “lab scale” or in other words small. I know WFE’s can get extremely large so maybe it’s all relative.

How can you not find enough crude to run this in CA?

Or is it more of a numbers issue getting the whole operation to be profitable with current prices?

Also, in terms of the labor, doesn’t it really only take one person to run and monitor the still? Or are you saying you don’t have the labor needed to pre-process the crude?

Sorry if I’m pressing too far into your personal business, feel free to disregard if you don’t want to answer.

My intent with the still is to learn a new skill that I could possibly use to transition into my own rec business somewhere, not necessarily CA. My current skills would lend themselves towards a type 7 extraction business but the cost/logistics of this really make it difficult for a sole proprietor to be successful. Especially in CA.

Do you need a type 7 license with C1D1 to run the still in CA? How about to pre-process crude?

I know you need to use some flammable solvents to pre-process the crude and to clean the still but I don’t think I’ve seen stills in C1D1’s before on the legal market.

Yes

No, you need a type 7 for butane based extraction, type 6 for ethanol (in essence - the exact verbage is different). You usually have the unit in a c1d2 rated area but since the unit isn’t dealing with solvent it doesn’t necessarily have to be. And the fire dept may want to talk you into doing things with it, but at the of the day it’s not their jurisdiction so you can politely tell them it’s none of their business.

Type 7 for propane/butane. Type 6 for ethanol and heptane. If youre purchasing raw u winterized crude, a type 6 would be best. If you’re buying trim and want a larger portfolio of products, type 7 would be best.

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Hey @Tech1145 -

I suppose the greatest issue with running a “lab scale” device like this in California is the competition with folks running pilot scale systems. Distillate is a commodity here, just like flour at a bakery. We have no problem sourcing crude, it’s mostly a resource allocation decision. Our lab space is pretty small so we have chose to focus on other more boutique products.

It would be a fine machine to build skills on and transport to emerging adult use markets. Luckily, @NewLevelProcess answered all your other question (thanks!).

I would like to piggyback on what @NewLevelProcess said about your local Fire Department. They can be be very challenging to appease since they’re looking at stuff they don’t understand and seem to believe my daily goal is to die in a fiery lab explosion. Stills like this deal with a trivial amount of traditional flammable liquids.

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do you have an email i can hit up on? interested in this system.

@bipedal - just sent a DM here…

Item has been sold. Thanks for looking.

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Single Stage KDT-6

Glad you sold your’s. Mine is 65K. My has a large steel frame and a lot of Julabo’s. (I laughed out loud)