Newbie CLS help

[headhunterz]

I just bought my first preowned 1/4 pound setup. I will be blasting out doors

Is it absolutely necessary to pressure test the system with nitrogen?

I am looking for someone to help me get started and running, willing to pay for your time!

[DiNKLB3RG]

you can pressure test with compressed air.

nitrogen, an inert gas, is used during runs so that you don’t have an explosive mix of hydrocarbons and oxygen.

it’s pretty necessary to pressure test.

[headhunterz]

So I can just connect my pump to the system and run a vacuum to do a pressure test?

[DiNKLB3RG]

vacuum and pressure are opposites here. you’re going to want a air compressor or nitro tank to bring your system to ~100 psi and leave it over night to check for leaks.

[cyclopath]

What you got for a pump?

I use a CMEPOL or TRS 21 for pressure testing up into the 350psi range (hydro test above 120 or so).

I insist they hold for at least a couple of days.

@Graywolf

If you are building and testing our own, when I worked at an ASME fabricating shop, we hydrotested our products to certify them and fully flooded them and brought the pressure up using a Sprague hydrostatic pump, with no compress gases involved.

If we are operating a certified system that is at least 3X stronger than the pressure we are testing it to, and are just looking for leaks, we don’t have to hydrostatically test it, we can simply use air. If you doubt its capabilities, hydrostatically test it first and then with air so you can see the bubbles.

That doesn’t mean we stand in harms way when doing so. We tested our units in a plastic barrel full of water, but only went to 100 psi looking for leaks. We also stood beside it, with it tilted away from us, not over it.

As noted, compressed air rebounds like a big spring when released and at 100 psi is compressed air looking to occupy about 6.7 times more space. In pressure testing a sanitary assembly, the clamps are the weak link, so failures will launch the components vertically from a barrel.

[Dred_pirate]

Once you have pressure tested it and it is safe to operate. We’ll definitely, gladly give you a rundown of how to use it, and safely.

[Jimikushking]

No but you have to vacuum down your system and let it sit 10:15 minutes see if you’re losing vacuum But also recommend you want a gauge on the top and preferably a gauge that you can move around on or put on top of your collection pot to see where your pressures are if you’re running passive

[Voidx]

10 to 15 minutes?
Overnight.

[Voidx]

You should first do a vacuum test. Vac it down and while its still on, close every valve you can find. Turn it off. Leave it overnight. When you return in the am release any valves that lead to a pressure gauge to see if any hoses or pathways lost vacuum. If there are zero leaks. Proceed with a pressure test. If you have a leak. You need to get comfy properly tightening and securing your system, checking gaskets etc. (Id really suggest a torque wrench set to 95 for all your bolts, they strip easily)

Pressure test… depending on the system I drive it all the way up until the prvs go off. (Overkill) You probably want to go up to 100psi and then same process as vac test. Close it all off. Check it the next day.

[cyclopath]

@Jimikushking

you have to vacuum down your system and let it sit 10:15 minutes see if you’re losing vacuum

acceptable as a vac test before every run.

which is entirely different from “commissioning” (or recommissioning as in OP’s use case). @Voidx is on point.

(also) testing vac while in a dry ice slurry is advised as well. I’ve had multiple systems that would pull atmosphere into the solvent tanks when they got cold. Tuffsteel gaskets solved that for our robot-with-a-bomb.

[GrzA]

Reread everything, sleep it off and in the morning get that thing on Craigs list…

[Curious_Roberto]

I whack my clamps with a rubber mallet then re-apply torque. Helps with this issue.

(you probably already know this lol)