Removing atmosphere before introducing hydrocarbon

I’m curious how you passive recovery guys go about doing multiple runs into the same collection pot and only pouring out the splatter platter once without adding atmosphere to the system? Been reading and watching videos and keep seeing people mention not to add hydrocarbons with atmosphere still in the system but I can’t figure out how I would go about removing the atmosphere once I’ve already done a run and have solvent in my collection base. I understand how to pull a vacuum through the whole system including the line leading up to the solvent tank or recovery tank and how to recover assuming my recovery tank is empty. I’m wondering how I could avoid recovering the gas and pouring out before running another column and how I could recover into a partially full tank when all said and done. The lid on my collection pot only has a pressure gauge and a vapor recovery port and the tri clamp ferrule for the column. If my solvent tank is still holding solvent for the next run and my collection base still has liquid solvent I’m unable to remove the atmosphere on the line leading to the solvent tank before injecting the solvent into the second column.

Do I have to recover my gas before running the second column? If I’m recovering into a partially full tank is it okay to not vacuum the line leading up to the tank?

Any help would be greatly appreciated, thanks guys!

You need enough valves to isolate your column from the rest of the system. Then you can vac your 2nd column without pulling tane. I recommend nitrogen assist if you dont already have it

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This is my current setup. Where would I need to add valves? I can separate the column from the rest of the system but how can I vacuum the line to the tank before injecting from or recovering into a tank that still has solvent? Thanks!

Well, if you don’t have a valve at the end of your line. You can bleed the air from the hose.

Screw the hose on the flared end, hand tight, BARELY crack the solvent tank valve, then BARELY loosen the hose from the flared end, you will hear air hiss out, let the air bleed out until you have liquid coming out, then tighten hose onto the flared end.

Also, those clamps suck donkey balls, you need to upgrade those asap.

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I love my piab.

https://www.piab.com/en-US/products/vacuum-pumps/standard/

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Awesome, that’s what I was looking for!

I like them for the ease of removal because they’re only 1.5” and I’m running in an open area but I should probably be using high pressure clamps. I’ve been told it’s not really necessary unless you’re going larger than 1.5 but I’ll take your advice. Thanks!

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I have had those before, and the older ones may have been good enough, but I have yet to see new single pin clamps that look ok to use. They seem to be made of the thinnest materials ever now.

I’m not one to rant about safety, I’m a basement blaster due to necessity, but those clamps are a line I won’t cross anymore haha.

You can find double pin clamps, but they end up costing almost as much as the high pressure clamps.

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Haha for sure! I have a double pin that I’ll at least swap to the top of the collection for now but I’ll order some high pressure clamps. They’re relatively cheap until you go up in size anyway, I just wanted to utilize the ones I already had and was told they’d be alright. Appreciate the help man, thanks again!

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The single pins I had wore out pretty quickly. The metal stretched out so much the ends would touch lol.

If you don’t mind the gold color, bvv is selling them for 9.50 a piece. It’s 3.50 cheaper than the standard non gold ones right now. I just recently picked up some of them myself. Shipping adds like a little tho, so I’d pick up a few.

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Wow haha yeah I’m going to order some off amazon tonight so I can get them faster. Thanks man!

Hit up @Killa12345 before joke-azon or any other place. This guy is the go to for cls stuff.

And he leaves nice little thank you notes in the boxes.

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It’s just a few 1.5” clamps but I’d be happy to give you my business @Killa12345

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What? I never got a thank you note?! I need to order more this week anyway… I’ll give him another chance :sweat_smile:

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on the top og my column i had a 4 way splitter. top was guage, one side was to pull a vac and the other was the feed line. both had a valve to lock out.
i would run my system and then purge the material column with nitrogen. vent the column and replace.
then you can hook up a vac to the extra fitting and vac down just the column. then you just open the feed again and roll through.
I keep my butane storage tank in a dri ice slurry to keep it chilled. Ipush it to the column with nitrogen and i had my nitro set to go into the tank or to purge the column through the feed line.
When your done you burp the nitro from the tank and the colection base. then you can passive recover like a mofo.
hope that makes sence. it was a heavily modified system.

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This setup allows for in line crc.

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you just close the valve between your material column and collection pot…
Let it recover, close the valve between column and collection pot, take off the material column (above the valve), empty it, re pack it, then re-connect it to the collection pot. Pull vac on just the column.
Repeat extraction process.

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That doesn’t remove the atmosphere from the line leading up to the tank though, just the column. I have no where to pull a vac from if the tank still has solvent. I have a street tee and a valve on the way that I will use to connect the vacuum and gas line to solve the problem without having to burp atmosphere out.

Thanks @Etohthekid I ended up going a similar route with a street tee and valve!

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Ahh, I see your issue. My bad. @Etohthekid nailed it

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Since @Curious_Roberto alluded to it, but didn’t spell it out.

Save time by putting an additional valve with a JIC swivel on the end of your hose that attaches to solvent tank or vac pump so that you can close it before disconnecting from the solvent tank or vacuum pump. That way you wont have to crack the fitting on the other end of your hose to bleed air out each time. If you have a spare tank of warm gas, or N2, just swap that valved hose end over after injecting solvent to push it out of the column.

Also works well on the line from condensing coil to solvent tank if you need to disconnect your coils often

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