You need to look at the wattage or the BTU’s of the freezer then calculate specific heat of the solvent/crude. you can then calculate the time needed to achieve the desired temp based on BTU’s per gallon and the time frame your working with. for example the specific heat of ethanol is .614 BTU’s/lb for 1 degree F so it would be .614 x 6.57 equaling 4.03 BTU’s to drop one gallon 1 degree in 1 hour if you want to get from 60f to -40f in 18 hours you would need 7,254 BTU’s or 2,121 watts at 100% efficiency. You will also need to factor in the thermal conductivity of your solvent mix as well and if you decided to go with jacket reactors, fluid flow rates through the jacket will play a part and can be easily calculate based off the delta T (difference in temp going in and out).
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I prefer Methanol for winterization especially if its all going to be post prossed. Filters quicker with less losses. Down side is PPE is absolutely a must and the laten heat of evaporation is about 20% higher.
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Not an issue if you LLE to hexane!
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