So…Im thinking of taking on more hemp finally and have a tough decision to make…
Should I construct a big still or buy alot of rotos?
Jacketed reactor style still utilizing a shell and tube into collection reactor
or
Run a bunch of rotos?
I do have a few rotos that maybe if I remove 80% of the solution via still i could finish it off in my large rotos…
A few issues I see are…
I use heptane will that be ok in a still?
Ideally 200L recovery per hour or more is great, is this possible with a still (agitation, under vacuum, with sexy shell/tube?)
Is this possible with 40k budget? (I can probably get alot of materials and labor for a good deal)
I really like moving towards the still build as I can make the project locally and get some builders involved instead lf buying crap from China but future I need to know if this is possible!
You still need a roto even with a still. A agitated pot is the worst thing you can do. It torches the material. Heptane is more problematic than alcohol but isn’t a issue. To safely do it with a still you actually need a incredible amount of hardware to maintain 60+ gallons a hour. And serious electrical supply for the heating portions. You also need to invest in explosion proof pumping apparatuses or else your still will be analogous in effect and load legs but that is also problematic
Also a vodka still that type of build is what distillers call a risk bomb/fire. They are also opperates under vapor through put passivated flow. In lab this isn’t allowed and only typical for booze bc the assembly opperates under a different condensation principle process but extremely similar.
Prob not. Not what you are trying to do. We sell a machine that we seriously have low margins. The machine is 75k and the discharge controller and sensors and relay box and complete two pump system in that price costs 25k. And that’s bare min without causing I jury or death with crappy components.
The chiller on its own to fully sustain 60-80g a hour is like a 20hp+ chiller and those go for about 20-24k and I could be mistaken. And then you’ll need min 100-150amp style heater and those setups cost wise are around ten ground maybe a couple grand less. So like 40 grand maybe some surplus shit can be used but generally you need a valued design that applies all the components the right way with correct function. The only way to otherwise do it is a vapor zig zag shotgun system at around 4" on all components and with a key setup and no pumps you could do it for alot less. But you aren’t going to be getting nearly the speeds your asking. You need a bare min component setup. Rotovaps can be tricked and ran faster when pushed. Falling films will just dump out alcohol laden liquid and also clog up as well as not handle heat right if they aren’t setup for that.
40k is maybe doable… I’d recommend doing your chilling with water and some fans. Should be able to knock off enough BTUs off with a few sizeable units for 2-3k. I’d probably rock a series of brazed plate heat exchangers to get enough surface area in there.
Your fire Marshall will love none of this.
But it’s probably buildable. Maybe 100LPH easily, and 200LPH would require some tinkering.
There was a post not too long ago about someone wanting to use a cooling tower in lieu of a chiller, and from my understanding it was worth it for them to go that route. 1-2K for a used cooling tower, there-there-abouts
I always recommend checking eBay for lab equipment. I am consistently amazed at some of the stuff I see on there and the prices are sometimes comically low.
Not many details on this unit but it looks like it’s capacity could meet your needs, it appears to at least come with a decent sized chiller, among other accessories, and the asking price is $35k OBO.