All,
I’m looking for a cheap but effective solution for homogenizing 50L bulk batches of distillate. Looking at jacketed glass or steel reactors but they are extremely expensive for what I’m trying to do. I don’t need to decarb, I don’t need to vac the oil at any point, I only need to reliably heat and homogenize 50L of distillate at a time and then be able to remove it from the vessel easily.
Thanks in advance for any advice you can provide.
Thanks,
-Will
Perhaps a 5-gallon bucket warmer with a mixing paddle/stick? Reactor would still be the easiest route for that big of a batch; my mind is drawing a blank on other options.
Lol same here, can’t think of a good reasonable solution somewhere between a 5 gallon and a full on reactor setup. There has to be something out there that someone is using
So just get a stainless steel container capable of holding the total volume.
50L is what, 13 and some change gallons? So round up to 15 gallons. Here is your container: McMaster-Carr (they also sell a fitted lid separately you can look up if you want the lid)
Now you need to heat it, so just get 1 or 2 of these: McMaster-Carr (with the spring it should fit around the 16" diameter container I linked you and if it doesn’t just scale up to a slightly larger band heater or get a longer spring).
So two band heaters, the stainless container, you’re looking at what, $500 or less? Get yourself a paint mixer with an extra long arm on it so once the oil is warm you can homogenize it. Get yourself some swagelok stainless pipe and a peristaltic pump with a little peristaltic tubing and now you can pump the distillate into any volume container you want after homogenization.
Not sure you’ll find a cheaper solution.
edit some minor changes and also McMaster is usually good at shipping almost immediately as well, so it also provides a solution that can be implemented in less than a week most likely pending their inventory.
Maybe this could work?
I like briskheat barrel heaters they last a very long time, uline also are nice. I have been pleasantly surprised by some of the cheap alternatives that have actual temp ranges on the dial control (sold for honey heaters etc) and they for the most part seem to hold accurate and consistent temps but could probably get the job done for a simple project.
The kettle I linked would be a 59” circumference for a wrap, idk what would be better one band at the middle/bottom or a skinny heat tape covering more area. I’d want to do multiple bands and run them to a controller for fun.
BriskHeat 30gal drum heater.
58.5” length might need to get a smaller spring or do something else to attach it.
Its called a keg, chop the top , stir with a drill. Bodda bing
Hold my beer…
15 gal? Use a beer keg.
Heat using a water bath (baine marie) made out of a 55gal drum
See Eg “Maria”.
Homogenize? Remove keg from water bath, and roll it around the shop floor?
Don’t have space for that?
Take one of these harbor freight furniture dollies, place it wheels up on the floor. Now you spin the keg in place.
See How do you Homogenize? for further details.
Bonus points: use OEM keg, get a tap for it. You can now use N2 to dispense liters.
Whatever happens next, I am for it.
I was going to look for a cheaper option until I saw that you were responding. I should have known better 
when OP say homogenize, does he mean make the distillate a homogenous solution=well mixed separate runs, or does he mean fluid enough to run through a homogenizing procedure to mix with presumable water and emulsifiers to produce a drinkable fluid product.?
My guess?
Make all the liters similar enough to sell as the same “batch”.
Okok you got me beat by a few hundred dollars then. Kegs look to be maybe $120 or so, water bath is pretty much free. While your build is definitely cheaper, if OP is worried about spending $150 vs $500 in the grand scheme of things, he’s probably got a lot bigger problems on his plate than how to cheaply homogenize distillate haha.
@cyclopath that dollie trick is..well…trick. def gonna use that one.
Did you catch the pedal powered upgrade (no pics unfortunately) linked above?
If you move the keg so that the rear tire spins the keg on rollers as well. Then you probably don’t need the 2 extra guys to run it
Certainly cheaper than spending a couple grand on an actual drum roller or a pneumatic mixer.
A cheap old treadmill could get you rolling hands free.
You can get a little fancy and go cement mixer style (modified for your specific container)
what in the AI…
cheap and effective dont really go together
I have a Silverson mixer for sale that would do 50 liters at a time perfectly.
