link?
Edit: or maybe start a thread in Manufacturers and let us grill you on it 
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yes send a link
@cyclopath @thedjreese you can find all the info on my website Beaker&Wrench - Laboratory equipment supplier or check my instagram @beakerandwrench.
I will probably not be posting it in the forums, as all the information is available online. Feel free to send me an email if you’re a serious inquiry, thanks so much in advance 
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Good to see you here, Dr. Paul!
Love this Site! I’ve been spreading the word…
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You have the liquid trap setup? I run a dry ice/acetone bath. Are you referring to the feedlines for that? If you are, we’re they the standard 11/16 compression fitting they use for a lot of instrument/chiller interfaces?
I just ordered the KDT-6 - 2 stage. I would love to pick your brain on the system. I have 3 years experience on a 6" wiped film.
I think the biggest issue is proper degassing. I would love to hear how you accomplish this at scale? I don’t really want to use the machine itself to degas as i want to optimize its operating time. I have heard people using vac ovens and roto’s but i have not tested either yet. We have used 5L fractional stills up to this point but its not efficient or scalable.
I would also be curious what the real throughput we can expect?
Im coming from glass and going to stainless…Any suggestions?
Would love to jump on a call if you would be open. Thanks for any and all information you decide to share. Greatly appreciated.
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@Humboldt_origins
I am very familiar with the 6, I’m assuming your doing two stage for different cuts?
Degassing is certainly a big problem, I find that when not fully decarbed I get very spontaneous spikes in pressure, with terpenes I usually get a steady up tick in pressure that eventually drops and starts building up again.
I find that you can sort of turn your WFE into a makeshift TFE by lowering your evaporator temp to 120*C or lower, run your wipers higher and turn your feed rate up, and run low vacuum (roughing pumps only, no diffusion or molecular turbo. This helps prevent violent bumping and unwanted cannabinoid distillation), should help strip light volatile compounds that will condense in your trap system, while your internal condenser will stay clean and your feedstock will run to the raffinate collection to be removed for molecular distillation. The process of running the stock over the evaporator will also help to decarboxylate, i find it usually takes 2-3 passes depending on feed rates. This is kind of annoying and turns up throughput time on one of your rigs.
Or just get some type of thin/falling film.
What vacuum are you used to running? I usually do rough cuts around 130mTorr and slim cuts around 0.4mTorr to 3.4mTorr, with a build out planned to go deeper.
Are you used to peristaltic pumps or gear pumps for feed? And are you using a small glass feed tank like the 2L that comes on most, or the 5L stainless with vacuum sealing ability? These fees tanks have their own pros and cons
Having stainless allows for a wider maximum wiper speed range which is useful. Stainless is also much easier to prevent damage to equipment. But it has a huge disadvantage with no visibility, this can be hard for novice WFE operators, however experienced folks should be able to get 80% of their system status from their vacuum gauge.
There’s plenty more I can talk about with Chemtech, let me know how I can help you with a DM
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@Humboldt_origins
If you do use your WFE or get a thin/falling film be sure to have adequate cold traps, those light volatile compounds can and will run through any other instruments down stream to the vacuum and the vacuum it’s self. I’ve found terps in my pump oil several times when the traps weren’t set up correctly.
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advancedcannabisdistillationequipment
we should be included in this list. we have been manufacturing units for the past 7 years both in glass and stainless steel and we can even do carbon steel if someone needs that. we offer 2 inch to 6 inch units for purification and terpene recovery/separation. another area we work with is extraction using ethanol and ethanol recovery and have a major tweets on the typical CO2 extraction systems.
our system can be fully jacketed, no jacket or band heaters
Would you happen to remember what the throughput rate and power requirements for the KDT-6 - 2 Stage unit is?
Having a hard time getting a response from Helderpad…
Contact the actual manufacturer, CTS https://www.chemtechservicesinc.com/
They have feed rates listed on their site. Cut the rate in half for a more accurate number.
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Thanks for the endorsement🙋♀️
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I love your style, a true wizard!!! great info/stuff on your thread
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Hey, DrJosh…when did YOU ever manufacture distillation equipment? Everything on your site is from Pope Scientific (of the Great State of Wisconsin!). You’re mis-representing yourself.
I haven’t had the pleasure of a 2 stage KDT6, though I’ve had a “soft approval” to purchase one from accounting for months…
I have set up a pope TFE to pump into a KDT6 WFE that worked…ok I honestly don’t like Pope systems. They are affordable and available which is great, but I just don’t find their build quality to be as robust as Chemtec. But if your pockets aren’t deep enough I’m never going to knock someone using a pope.
In terms of throughput I’ve gotten the SS KDT6 to run at about 2L/Hr, producing single pass 86%-95% D9. That’s with winterized, fully degassed EtOH crude as a feedstock and vacuum at 0.3mTorr - 0.04mTorr. Your mileage may vary and I have gotten upwards of 3L/hr but the single pass SOP doesn’t work at those feed rates and usually requires a second pass
Power they list is 230v 14.7kw
Edit: grammar and spelling
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Hey I just called Chemtech on Friday to try and get quotes for a Mini-5. They were out of office and are getting back to me next week.
Since your posts are a little dated, I wanted to check back in with you about your current distillate production rate on the unit. 700g/hr is about .7L/hr correct? Even though you can get to 85-95% in one pass do you still usually run two passes to get proper quality? I don’t mean a “devol” run mind you, I’ve never fully understood why anyone would do this in their WFE. I mean do you usually perform two real “cuts”.
Do you mind sharing how much the initial Mini-5 purchase was and also the cost of the upgraded KDL-6 evaporator core? You don’t want to sell it by any chance, do you?
In my head I think about things like this: For these WFEs that are 6" and under, it seems the actual production rate for a finished product is pretty slow (versus a pot still) especially considering the need for multiple passes (I have heard the 2" Popes are around 350ml/hr!) but the trade off is, in theory, with a proper feed pump the units require much less monitoring, adjustment and cleaning/maintenance than a pot or flask based still system that might run a little faster, say around 1L/hr or more.
It seems to me that once you are trying to produce an amount of distillate that necessitates a WFE system larger than 6", the production rates vs. a pot still system improve and the residence time/isomerization issue for 20L+ boiling flasks make the choice to run WFE over a pot still fairly obvious.
Do these points sound accurate, or are they still up for debate?
Edit: I have also heard of a couple operations that are using a “cheap” WFE (Pope) for doing a first pass (again, not a devol run) and then a pot based system for the second pass. Their rationale was that they get better separation and speed with the pot system and are able to run the second pass quick enough to avoid isomerization issues.
@SoStupendous or anyone else feel free to weigh in as well.
I second this concern!! Dr. J, if your a re-seller, fine. If your a guy that mods equipment, fine. If your a guy that says he builds shit that doesnt exist, no good!!! We’re calling you out Doc!!
sorry guys, we are a basic manufacture, and make our own machines. we are not a re-seller- that is why we are getting so many orders for customs builds such solvent recovery units, WFE, etc. if you guys need any custom or off the shelf units, just give us a call