Hello Everyone, I operate a ets Mep 30 with a corken t91 recovery pump. On Friday we were operating as normal, then the frequency of the pump changed and pressure gauges on the return / recovery side started spiking over 100psi before I shut it down. Normal operating pressures are at or below 50psi. Had to recover the rest of the run passively through the pump and it sounded off. There are no blockages or packing / o ring remnants after a quick inspection. After a few times trying to see if it would operate as normal it started knocking and was quickly turned off. Has anyone experienced this? Tried reaching out to Corken with no available techs in the area or any feedback on what could be going on. Belt is tight, Oil is clean. Anyone rebuild these? Located in Maine. Any information or feedback is much appreciated. Thanks!
Occasionally you have to take the head apart and clean it with solvent. But that is more related to compression issues / vapor going backwards in the system than frequency (sticking valves). Piston rings if gas is leaking out the oil port.
Not too much can usually go wrong with these, they are pretty reliable compressors. Easy to take apart and rebuild yourself. Corken has videos how to do everything on their website.
hello, there are a few spots i like to keep an eye on with the corken. the first is the recovery pathway all the way back to storage. gotta make sure thats free and clear of any obstructions. Outlet, tube and shell all the way thru coils and into storage tank. if thats clear the next is the check valves that are located at the top of the corken tower. there are 2 there that keep the flow going towards storage tank, they sometimes get gunked up or collect debris. Your corken manual will have detailed instructions how to perform this.
Another spot to keep a constant eye on is the vapour input side. make sure there is no liquid sneaking its way into there.
As for loud noises, the corken is fairly notorious for hard starts. usually worse under pressure.
This ^^^^
If there is an obstruction post pump outlet, one would expect a pressure increase and a change in the way the pump sounds…although not much change in actual reciprocation frequency…
…but such a blockage would be expected to stop passive recovery in its tracks….so ?!?
Assuming you got the pump bundled with your MEP, you may be better served by hitting up ETS for initial support (Or at least in parallel)
Seem to have found a clog in one of the condensers, got a quote from ets for some corken replacement parts. Hopefully that does the trick. Thank you to everyone who reached out and thank you to @etsgang for the quick response time and customer service. Much appreciated.
Damn that’s a heavy clog holding 100 psi but glad it got solved
Might want to place a trap on that condensor for liquid 
It’s weird because I was able to recovery passively through them but as soon as I added any type of pressure from the pump, or compressed air, it would not pass through at all… The condensers are still chilled down thawing now I will take a closer look tomorrow once I am able to fully take it apart and hopefully update with good news as soon as the new parts arrive.
Let it thaw out, then push with n2 lightly. Make sure to keep on the mol sieve beads so your gas stays dry.
Is it possible its ice? Once you go passive everything heats up just enough to melt the ice and no longer clog
Pump generates heat. So I would expect the opposite.
Update: Ets with the overnight quickness! I ended up getting a new version of the tube and shell condenser with a brand new prv. Customer service is top notch…
Anyways I found a clog in the far condenser coil, I believe it was an ice clog from some improperly stored fresh frozen we had ran, even though we have two expansion chambers with fresh 13x mol sieve beads… I thawed out and blasted ethanol through all the lines and condensers. Cleaned the heads with solvent, Doing a fresh oil change and taking a look at the belt tomorrow. Thank you to everyone for your input. Much appreciated.
When i run passive my internal solution tempature is warmer then when i run active. I also seem to be able to move more vapor passivley then activley
Fair enough. Seen it too.
Guess I know what I want next for Luna
If water froze on that spot maybe have look if the cooling temp is realy needed there and avoid ice formation all together
What do you want for the luna!?
Bigger vapor path and another condenser
What s the vapor path size now ?
And the vessel volume of biomass ?
…and the distillation vessel volume?
Rebuilt the corken with new discharge and suction valves, new washers, and cleaned the head out with solvent. Fresh oil change, and a new / updated tube and shell condenser coil. The machine is now operating as it should. Much quieter, quicker recovery. Besides the clog in one of the condensing coils it was in need of some maintenance. Appreciate everyones input and the customer service from @ETSgang was top notch.
Note: Keep up with your maintenance!