How deep is the vacuum on the welch diafragm ? Most diafragms i know don t go as deep
And in the destillate game vacuum is everything good vacuum makes the ride easyer and more “controlable” deu to the cfm - preassure stabels fast
And i am deffinatly sure that even If 50% of the starting material evaporates of in the Edwards she still runs > oil change and ready to go
It’s not for distilling high boiling point compounds but rather for low BP “volatiles”
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Understandable completely. However let me suggest that cutting back on the starting compound as a way to test the waters is only one prudent way to proceed. On any given run using a traditional SPD the boiling flask is best to start with half full if possible but certainly as close as you can get. I say “best” because what you learn from your first run then can be applied to your next more readily. Starting with a limited amount of crude will teach you only how to run a limited amount and not really how to proceed with subsequent runs.
So perhaps another way to test the waters without undue risk is rather to limit your starting temperature(s) you plan to use ultimately instead. Then when the temperature is achieved and you can see how things are running and test what vacuum level you can hold (or not hold) then you can edge the tmeperature up in increments to creep up on the target settings. Let us say you decide to shut down instead. You will have lost almost nothing by starting out cooler and edging to warmer. Then as a problem arises you can tap the experts here or other places an reconfigure as needed and proceed with your run.
I would go so far even as to foresake any sort of degumming or ph adjustments or any such other well known and used mechanism and stick ONLY to heat, vacuum, and patience on a first run which again is an option as a start to “see” how things proceed without them (I use no scrubs or ph adjustments at all). Once you get a run under your belt with just the basics and can dial in the temp and vacuum then at that point I would suggest adding the next step in your planned or suggested SOP of refinement.
When you start with a very limited amount your pressures and temps will be very much different than a regular run. Another obvious option of course is to start with a flask half full but a flask that is only say 250 ml instead. Any smaller size flask can be run in a larger mantle with enough fiberglass cloth or sand to fill in the extra space. I have used both sand and fiberglass to run 50ml flasks in my old 250 ml mantle. Just put the flask in and dump sand right into the flask. Use a shop vac to remove if needed. Then you will be emulating a larger run and normally I would expect the values to be consitent across both smaller and larger boiling flasks.
I leverage very small devices to do gram/ounce size runs and would not attempt a regular SPD on a greatly reduced flask because you end up cooking the same molecules over and over just in order to heat the upper part of the glass on your SPD. In a traditional SPD the compound itself is the carrier of heat for the upper thermal stack and if you severley limit your system in terms of reduced thermal carrying capacity then what is left over in the boiling flask must carry out that duty with a limited number of molecules for doing this. The problems begin to stack up against you.
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Thanks!
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Put the sand into the flask?
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You missed @beaker, as we do.
So, small flask, big mantle; sand is to fill the extra space…
Or see what others have said on the subject of sand in ones mantle (@spdking is not a fan)
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This is dangerous and has over shooting issues.
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This (*can) be dangerous and has (*increased liklihood) of overshooting issues. Most anything we do with vacuum, heat, pressure, and/or solvent choice presents very real dangers.
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Yes but the process of Wich heat is distributed against a insulator(sand bed) is a dangerous process and also can cause damage to the glass/mantle. The core thermometer doesn’t actually see temps at a higher rate than without the sand. Meaning it takes alot of energy to heat up such a mass prior to transferring the energy.
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The late, great @Beaker used to purge solvents with fire in his home lab (not recommended for anyone reading). While yes, very dangerous, he did it in a controlled and relatively predictable manner. Dangers can be mitigated and prevented with thought and good practice. I very much appreciate his novel approach, albeit a dangerous one.
People have and will continue to do dangerous things when extracting and purifying cannbis extract. Every time you place something under vacuum or pressure, you are introducing serious dangers and risks. Those risks can be mitigated with good practice. Knowing the limitations of the practice in question can help, too. Putting a 500ml flask in a 20L mantle is not what we’re necessarily presenting (yes, that would be very likely to be problematic).
Most everything we do in the lab is dangerous. Not everyone can afford the best tool for the job when it is needed, and parts on hand may be as good as some of us will ever get. If you have another solution, we’re all ears. If not, maybe help mitigate the risks for those attempting this tek (if you can really call it that). I’m sure there’s something in that noggin that can help more than “don’t do it; it’s dangerous”.
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Are those metal beads? That’s Really bitching idea
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Yep. Common name “bead bath”. Not mine.
@Soxhlet probably points at the beads themselves in one of the threads hit by that search query up thread.
Seemed cool enough to snap a picture for you lot…
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the amorphus shape of the beads in that dry bath suggest they were made by pouring into h20 or oil while still molten.
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Wouldn’t that break the glass as it cools? I’ve never heard of woods metal before this but I’ve poured babbitt bearings a couple times
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Does that process lend the beads to become more efficient in the transfer of energy? Or is it just more a efficient process to actually make the beads? Sounds like a pretty violent process/reaction.
Sounds like fun. Pretty clear they were dropped into something.
Im gonna guess water, because done wrong with oil = fire and most industrial process tends to avoid that failure mode where possible.
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Woods metal is the same as cerrobend,bendalloy,or cerrosafe, it is just a bismuth alloy.
It could break the glass? not sure.
It is just an easier process than forming a bunch of small balls, process isn’t too bad.
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