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BUTANE EXTRACTION AND RECOVERY SYSTEM

Gray Wolf

A Posse ad Esse. From Possibility to realization.
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I have been fumbling with a system to extract cannabis oil using butane, where the butane is recovered and recycled, instead of simply evaporating to atmosphere. Here is my prototype test sled, generally based on the original work done by Foaf, and whom was kind enough to provide me with useful support in this endeavor.

He sagely observed that N-Butane is also known as R-600 refrigerant, which is used places where toxic refrigerants are unsuitable, such as a food propellant in pressurized cans.

I will post my progress in stages, because I am still shaking out the operational portion of it, but here is skunk pharm's vacuum botanical oil extraction unit assembled and ready to roll, though I run it on the patio instead of my kitchen.

The system consists of a Schedule 10 304SS stainless column with plumbed blanking flanges, in which the prepared material is placed. A 130 micron stainless filter at both ends, faced with a paper filter, contains the material.

The column sits over an electro-less nickel plated pressure pot, connected by a 3/4" stainless Swagelok tube and controlled by a stainless ball valve.

The top flange has a stainless ball valve and a 3/16" stainless vent tube running from the top of the column, to the pressure vessel below.

The pressure pot has a port for a refrigeration vacuum pump, an oil less refrigerate recovery machine, and a vacuum gauge rated in microns.

To operate the system, after loading the material into the column, the whole system is pulled down below 1000 microns vacuum using the vacuum pump, which also helps boil off any residual water in the material being processed.

When vacuum is achieved, the lower column valve is closed and the vacuum pump shut off.

A valve is opened that allows liquid butane to flow from a 50# butane recovery tank into the column and out through the top vent valve, back down into the collection vessel below. The top valve can be closed if soaking the material is desired.

The refrigerant recovery system is then switched on, which creates a push pull that circulates butane from the storage tank, through the material, and then again pulls it off as a gas and recompresses it back as a liquid in the original refrigerant recovery storage tank.

The extracted cannabis is left behind in the lower pressure vessel.

The lower pressure vessel and column are heated to speed up the process, which will otherwise grind to a halt as the butane temperature plummets from boiling under vacuum.

For system shakedown, I didn't bother to heat the column, and simply set the pressure pot in a larger pot of flowing water to supply heat.

My initial attempts at pulling a vacuum were scattered on the column, so I machined .210" O-ring seals into the blanking flanges, which solved the problem.

Here are the equipment shake out photos. More on process later.

 

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Gray Wolf

A Posse ad Esse. From Possibility to realization.
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A couple more attachments:

Click on the ghost to the right of the plumbing picture, to see the AutoCad schematic.
 

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Cannasylum

Member
Wow this is far beyond the simple tube I've used. Great job on the build Cant wait to see the results!! Good luck!!
 

DevilWeed

Member
Nice nice nice!!! :D:D

Have you seen the Tamisium reactors? Similar concept without the vacuum (wish it had it actually). I plan to purchase one in the near future.
 
T

Tr33

curbsideservice has a working BHO recovery unit him and his partner created, wish he would post his data also in this thread also.
 

Gray Wolf

A Posse ad Esse. From Possibility to realization.
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Nice nice nice!!! :D:D

Have you seen the Tamisium reactors? Similar concept without the vacuum (wish it had it actually). I plan to purchase one in the near future.

Yeah, I looked at it, have read glowing reports, and admire the engineering, but besides being as expensive (~$1,200) as the more complicated components for my system, it is not nearly as fast.

Sure purty thangs though and I will covet a shoot out when I bring this system on line!

For running smaller quantities, their system is also probably cheaper in the smaller sizes, because the equipment cost is about the same with my system, regardless of column length.
 

Gray Wolf

A Posse ad Esse. From Possibility to realization.
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ICMag Donor
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curbsideservice has a working BHO recovery unit him and his partner created, wish he would post his data also in this thread also.

Me too! Perhaps you can offer him encouragement?

Tell him that I will offer him a hug from here and that our international class drop dead gorgeous IC Mag chicks find brain power sexy and it gives them wet pants.

They will no doubt clammer to stroke his fevered brow and maybe even bear his children if he is purdy as well as smart, and treats them right.
 
That's an impressive "sled". Some forged SS fittings, SS ball valves, Parker brand stuff...$$ Nice indeed!

I'm looking forward to understand your refrigerant recovery machine.
 

kb5178

Member
Any progress on this unit Grey Wolf? I have the Tamisium Extractor and am getting great product put the process is far to slow.Can you give some moore specs on the equipment you are using please .Thank you for takeing the time to share!
 

Trichgnomes

Member
Gray Wolf-

Kudos on the outstanding progress! Looks like quite the system. :)

A quick question though, will you be recovering disposable canisters? Or will you be using a bulk source of butane?

Regarding this quote below, I was under the impression that R-600 is iso-butane, and that N-Butane (being a superior solvent for our purposes) must be sourced from a specialty gas department of some sort. Perhaps I have been misled...

He sagely observed that N-Butane is also known as R-600 refrigerant, which is used places where toxic refrigerants are unsuitable, such as a food propellant in pressurized cans.

kb5178- How slow is it? And are you using a transport solvent in the recovery tank? I have read that it speeds up recovery time significantly.
 

dope_roor

Member
hey GW got a few questions:

how important is it for the vac to be oil less?

what is the contraption next to the vac pump and front of gas tank?

is the resin being sprayed into the pressure pot? are you scraping the pot for collection or using a transport solvent? (i've also hypothesized lining with parchment or teflon)
 

Gray Wolf

A Posse ad Esse. From Possibility to realization.
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Gray Wolf-

Kudos on the outstanding progress! Looks like quite the system. :)

A quick question though, will you be recovering disposable canisters? Or will you be using a bulk source of butane?

Regarding this quote below, I was under the impression that R-600 is iso-butane, and that N-Butane (being a superior solvent for our purposes) must be sourced from a specialty gas department of some sort. Perhaps I have been misled...



kb5178- How slow is it? And are you using a transport solvent in the recovery tank? I have read that it speeds up recovery time significantly.

Thanks bro!

For startup, I am using our regular cases of Lucienne 4X and a can tapper to load it in the recovery vessel, via using the refrigerant recover machine, after pulling 29" of vacuum on the tank with the AC vacuum pump.

I am currently searching for a refrigerant vendor who can supply R-600 in bulk at an attractive price, because amongst other things, loading one can at a time with a tapper is tedious and time consuming, plus picks up air that must be vented and wastes butane in the purge.

R-600A is Isobutane, and R600 is N-Butane. Both are simple alkanes and I see no reason either wouldn't work, though I have only used N-Butane.

In my simple organic chemistry 101 analysis, the alkanes mostly use the Greek alphabet after the first four, which the acronym Mary Eats Peanut Butter helps keep them in perspective. Methane, Ethane, Propane, and Butane, followed by (Greek) Pentane, Hexane, Heptane, etc.......................

In theory, all should work well, and the simple alkanes are just strings of carbon molecules stuck together end to end, with hydrogen taking up the rest of the four possible carbon bonds, so they are relatively inert.

Isobutane simply has a side link, which makes it look like the Mercedes Benz star, vis a vis a zigzag line with carbons at the intersections and ends for N-butane.
 

Gray Wolf

A Posse ad Esse. From Possibility to realization.
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hey GW got a few questions:

how important is it for the vac to be oil less?

what is the contraption next to the vac pump and front of gas tank?

is the resin being sprayed into the pressure pot? are you scraping the pot for collection or using a transport solvent? (i've also hypothesized lining with parchment or teflon)

It is extremely important that the recovery machine be oil less, because the other machines use an oil separator, which still allows equipment destroying compressor crankcase dillution and contamination of the end product.

Not sure by your description, which piece of equipment you are talking about, but perhaps the next post will help sort it out.

I will be discharging into a 3500ml Pyrex beaker inside the collection vessel, but we will see how well that works out.

Foaf has also suggested using PTFE (Teflon) bags to line the receiving vessel.

Hee, hee, hee, isn't R&D a hoot?
 

Gray Wolf

A Posse ad Esse. From Possibility to realization.
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ICMag Donor
Veteran
Any progress on this unit Grey Wolf? I have the Tamisium Extractor and am getting great product put the process is far to slow.Can you give some moore specs on the equipment you are using please .Thank you for takeing the time to share!

Thanks for asking bro! Progress has been made, but I am still shaking out the system and have alas been short of time due to property management and new tenant issues!

I have cycled the unit several times with just butane in it and am not yet satisfied with the speed. When the vacuum boils the butane, it chills the solution down the point that the boiling slows to a crawl. Something that Foaf noted, and which bears repeating.

I added a wrap of 24' (~$100) of heat cable to the bottom of the collection vessel, covered with reflective heat tape, which makes a big difference and have a heat mat coming (donated free) to add heat to the bottom of the vessel.

What I am working on now, is reducing internal obstructions to the vacuum. As many of ya'll know, when pulling a vacuum, it becomes progressively harder as there become fewer and fewer molecules to grab and as they become fewer and further apart, their attraction to other molecules is dramatically reduced. Anything that impedes the flow of the few remaining molecules, dramatically slows down the system.

I had already pulled all the Schrader valves out of my hoses and connections, but went back and pulled out all the Schrader valve depressors to open up the ports. That sped it up some too, but not enough. I also wrecked an unrecoverable expensive hose!! @#$%

My next move is to replace my check valves on the vacuum ports with full port ball valves. It will make the system less mistake resistant, but will increase the operational speed and efficiency.

I will also replace both 6' vacuum 1/4" refrigerant hoses with as short as available 3/8" ones. I plan to do that this week but then also planned to do it yesterday, before the hot water tank went out in a rental and the new one that I installed was defective. Up late installing yet another one and didn't get much else done beyond tenant support moving in.

My electronic vacuum gauge that measures in microns, stuck at 1500 microns and now says the same thing even with no vacuum, so until I find a suitable replacement, I am just using the analog gauges on the refrigerant recovery machine. More on the replacement gauge, after a little more research.

I think we have a winner here, but if R&D were a straightforward sure thing, it would always work the very first time. My experience in aerospace R&D also suggests that if cutting edge technology were a slam dunk, there would be more heroes doing it successfully. Concepts are easy, it is the sorting out of the details that makes it a success.

That brings to mind an experience that I had sorting out new installations, where I installed a state of the art acid fume extraction and makeup air ventilation system of my own design for a Titanium chemical milling operation, after the leading big boy engineering firm in the area failed to perform, even under law suits and duress.

After I lost the original bid for the project, I might note. I was lower priced, but didn't have nearly as impressive doctorate credentials to support the needs of this acknowledged number one leader in their field, whom had millions per day on the line once the operation was shut down for upgrades.

The installation using outside vendors, progressed with the usual unlimited opportunities for contribution and personal control, and as it zeroed in on D-Day start up, I positioned all my resources to do it in as short a time as possible, not only because of the millions per day being lost in salable product, but also for the customers whose production lines would be shut down and folks laid off, as soon as product ceased to flow.

The first time the switch was bumped, all the motors were running backwards and I seriously lacerated my hand forcing a stiff control valve against a sharply un-deburred internal sheet metal edge.

The project was seeeeriously complicated by the seriously ego challenged way over his head maintenance manager trying to remain masterful, and in so doing insisting that I clean up my own blood, while still bleeding like a stuck pig, so that his personnel didn't have to suit up to handle hazmat biological waste.

OK by me after the blood flow was quenched and gawd bless him for paying my hourly rate to operate a mop in front of the folks he was striving to impress, so as to save his ego instead of maintaining the budget. I have to have set a new record for janitorial service budgets and hey, I shoveled horse and cow shit growing up on the farm and have even been dragged through it. Not a problem, but dooo bring money to watch me do it now days!

Cutting to the chase of this story, after the wires were switched by the electrical heroes and we again hit the start switch, everything came on line in such perfect balance, that I closed up my briefcase and simply started the four hour journey home aghast. Ohmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm!!!!!!!!!!!!1

To this day, I am still aghast, because that is the only time in my entire career that nothing needed tweaking after the initial bolting in place, on such a complicated system.

We R&D engineers run our long strings of numbers and smile confidently, but the truth is that although we strive to be perfect, usually actually survive by being able to keep a straight face while sorting out our shortfalls. If it were easy, there would be more people doing it and less opportunity for innovation.

The long way to say that I don't have my shit together yet on this subject, but it looks promising and my success rate has historically been high, so I am still full of myself! More as the shakedown progresses.

For those of ya'll paying attention and would like to keep track, I am using an ~$300 on E-bay ~6.3 scfm CPS Pro-Set refrigeration vacuum pump for initial evacuation and a RefTec Microvac II oil-less refrigerant recovery system to pull off the gaseous butane and recompress it back to a liquid. I paid $254 buy it at this price on E-Bay for it and there were 10 available at the time.

I also picked up the electo-less nickel plated paint pressure pot for the lower vessel, off E-Bay, by buying the complete pressure painting setup, so ended up with some unused equipment. The guns are free to anyone paying the shipping and handling, with my blessings!

The Swageloc fittings were salvaged out of my treasure trove of collected, salvaged, and donated parts, and some are expensive, so if I were starting with a clean sheet of paper, the design would no doubt be different. Most of the purchased plumbing parts came from Paramount Plumbing Supply, using a commercial account for best prices.

Please enjoy the concept and let your mind run free! I only ask that those of ya'll whom benefit from my brain farts, share your own brainfarts as freely with the rest of us'n admiring folkels.

Here are a few resources!

The vacuum pump that I use to initially pull the system down is a CPS Pro-Set VP6S, designed for evacuating refrigeration systems. I paid about $295 for it on E-bay, as I recall.

The refrigerant recovery system is a RefTec Microvac II oil-less refrigerant recovery system, which I picked up for about $260 on E-Bay.

The 50# refrigerant recovery tank also comes off E-bay for ~$85.

I picked up the refrigerant connectors and hoses from a local refrigeration shop.

I picked up the CPS Products can tapper to transfer butane from lighter fuel cans to our recovery tank, from Mytoolstore.com doing business as Tool Shack, on line, at Foaf's direction.

More if you have questions, but that brings us to the next question!!!!!!

May I suggest that we expand this thread to include all competitive systems, with maybe a shoot out at the end when the different systems are shaken out?

In addition, if ya'll can share the details and pictures of the competitive systems, we can most likely collectively figure out how to speed them up too!

Hee, hee, hee, lets have fun!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Lu lu lu lu lu lu lu lu lu lu lu!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1
 

dope_roor

Member
cool i think what i was referring to is the refrigerant recovery system as for the oilless pump i think your vacuum pump is not oil less but the refrigerant recovery system pump is?
 

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