Pneumatics, Head Pressure, and Parallels

Hey guys I’m new to this forum and new to using forums in general. Ive got a couple questions regarding pneumatic recovery pumps and how they work when used in a CLS(specifically Haskell gas boosters with a bhogart reactor), also how would the solvent recovery tanks react to the air pressure of the pneumatics(should I expect to see a rise in pressure and continuously have to release head pressure?), and what is the best way to connect multiple solvent recovery tanks?(series or parallel)
Thank you for any responses

I used some Bhogart brand gas boosters for a long time while working at another facility. Generally they work quite well and are built very similar to the Haskell. Those pneumatics will pump very well against positive pressure so if you don’t have a chiller / condenser for your solvent between the out port of your pump and your tank you will drive up the pressure. Make sure you have an adequate heat exchanger or condensing coil, you shouldn’t have to continually release head pressure from your recovery tank if you’re doing things right. I think they recommend 25 CFM of air at 90 PSI in order to properly drive the gas booster and the Haskell is similar requirements.

I’ve only run with multiple tanks using them in series. I wasn’t the biggest fan of doing it that way and if I set up a unit like that again I would rather have them parallel.

the air pressure is driving the pump, and does not end up in your solvent.
That would be a Bad ThingTM

this video shows the concept reasonably well.

Although it doesn’t show the exact mechanism of the pump you’re referring to.

If you have multiple tanks you will need a scale to tell you when you’ve hit 80% full. Anymore is dangerous and can cause the vessel to rupture.
So you will need to run your tanks off a manifold.
The pnumatic pump really shouldn’t be much different than other styes of pump you’ve probably seen, other than the fact that it is air powered.

Yes the booster will raise your tank pressure. If you don’t have some sort of way to condense the vapor you will have crazy high pressures. You would not want to vent your vapor to try to assist the pump, after all the point is recovery of the solvent.

1 Like

Could one safely use two tanks with “80% fill” dip-tubes AND head space (gas) interconnects on the same scale? :thinking:

What is an 80% diptube? Are you reffering to a float guage?
The interconnected tanks could work? Never tryed it!

Hadn’t considered the float valve approach. Figured on just dropping a short diptube into each tank so that at 80% liquid fill, solvent is directed over to the other tank. I guess cross connecting those to a vapour fill on the other tank, rather than to each other makes more sense.