Lizard Fish
Active member
So I built my terp, need to fill my brand new recovery tank. Do you fill into the liquid flare or into the vapor flare? Thanks.
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Filling recovery tank
- Thread starter Lizard Fish
- Start date
Roji
Active member
I would unscrew the flares fitting from the tank and clean it with alcohol or some other solvent first. Remove any manufacturers greases/oils. Dry it out, replace fitting (tape the threads) then draw it to a complete vacuum.
You can fill at either port. Most use the vapor side.
You can fill at either port. Most use the vapor side.
On the Terp, the fill goes in the vapor port of the storage tank.
hobb3s93
Member
so im sure this has been covered plenty of times but didnt find anything when i searched water in rc tank or air in rc tank.
just started running my mkiii at the end of october, and im pretty sure ive pulled either air or water into the tank(or both). is inverting a chilled rc tank and burping the vapor valve till freezing solvent comes out the best way to evacuate the air?
i know i forgot to vac down the material column once and didnt think of the implications till after so im guessing i got air in my rc tank.
im using a 30# mastercool rc tank , me being new to cls , tanks, etc. i had naively beleived that a 30# tank holds 30# pounds solvent. or atleast the tank itself weighed 30# empty as a reference point when weighing ur remaining solvent.
the side of tank says some stuff about 17.xx #'s im guessing this is the tare weight , can anybody confirm this for me?
my tank total right now weighs about 22#'s and ive only been able to pull about 4.5 lbs solvent last run . are u able to pull out all the solvent of a cold tank or is pressure never gna be high enough?
do u most people here only fill their tanks to 75% like recommended?
just waiting on ecogreen and the problem at the port to clear up so i can start running again. anyone in socal with an extra eco green tank they feel like getting rid of?
just started running my mkiii at the end of october, and im pretty sure ive pulled either air or water into the tank(or both). is inverting a chilled rc tank and burping the vapor valve till freezing solvent comes out the best way to evacuate the air?
i know i forgot to vac down the material column once and didnt think of the implications till after so im guessing i got air in my rc tank.
im using a 30# mastercool rc tank , me being new to cls , tanks, etc. i had naively beleived that a 30# tank holds 30# pounds solvent. or atleast the tank itself weighed 30# empty as a reference point when weighing ur remaining solvent.
the side of tank says some stuff about 17.xx #'s im guessing this is the tare weight , can anybody confirm this for me?
my tank total right now weighs about 22#'s and ive only been able to pull about 4.5 lbs solvent last run . are u able to pull out all the solvent of a cold tank or is pressure never gna be high enough?
do u most people here only fill their tanks to 75% like recommended?
just waiting on ecogreen and the problem at the port to clear up so i can start running again. anyone in socal with an extra eco green tank they feel like getting rid of?
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You should probably be burping the air out of your tank after you complete every run. Get your tank cold so that your solvent should be liquid and then open the vapor port and the air will come out.
To purge water you need to invert the tank and use the vapor port.
There should be several stamps on the side of your tank:
TW 17 means that the tare weight of your tank is 17#s, there should also be a WC stamp which is the water capacity of the tank (probably around 27#s for that tank). Butane has a different specific gravity than water so you can use less.
About 8 lbs of solvent is a good safe point for your tank, if you aren't running super large columns you shouldn't need more.
Also just noticed your question about using all of the solvent, it depends on your column size. A 1.5" x 36" column you probably wont use more than 2lbs for a flood, you shouldn't be worried about using all of the solvent in your tank just have a little more than double your column flood weight.
The Terpp site has a nice column calculator that will tell you approximately how much solvent you should need for a column
To purge water you need to invert the tank and use the vapor port.
There should be several stamps on the side of your tank:
TW 17 means that the tare weight of your tank is 17#s, there should also be a WC stamp which is the water capacity of the tank (probably around 27#s for that tank). Butane has a different specific gravity than water so you can use less.
About 8 lbs of solvent is a good safe point for your tank, if you aren't running super large columns you shouldn't need more.
Also just noticed your question about using all of the solvent, it depends on your column size. A 1.5" x 36" column you probably wont use more than 2lbs for a flood, you shouldn't be worried about using all of the solvent in your tank just have a little more than double your column flood weight.
The Terpp site has a nice column calculator that will tell you approximately how much solvent you should need for a column
Roji
Active member
I'm not the best at math but I calculated that my 30# tank that tares at 15.4# should not be filled to more than 27 lbs total or 11.6 lbs of butane. You have to calculate volume. Your tank will have a water capacity stamp. Mine is 11.9L WC 26.2# .
So 80% (standard fill cap) of 11.9L is 9.52L. 9.52L of butane weighs 11.6#
My tare weight of 15.4# + 11.6# = 27# gross weight
hobb3s93
Member
thanx man just looked at it and its tw is 17.6 so only got about 4.5 to 5 # solvent when i need closer to 10 or 11.
and your correct in i'm using about 8 lbs to complete each run so just waiting till a can get a new tank to start again.
the reason i asked about the total amount is the last run i did wouldn't go past 4.5 so i figured i didn't have much more than that in the tank but wasn't sure if the remaining amount was not supplying enough pressure to push thru.
im running a 3x36 so cant work with it till tank shows up but ill try bleeding the air and water while i wait.
terpp suggested 4.5 lbs to fill the column so around 9 # total but i overflowed my collection spool the time i tried 10# so ive been using closer to 8# recently.
blackbart1720
Member
Hello all, I'm new to closed loop processing and just got my MKIII up and running. Have a few questions.
1. Have a mastercool #30, should I have cleaned it internally before filling it? Is my tain now contaminated?
2. I distilled and transferred all of my #30 tain to said tank, is my RT overfilled?
3. Should I upgrade to a #50? Are there any benefits?
4. What is the best brand of tank to use? Yellowjacket?
1. Have a mastercool #30, should I have cleaned it internally before filling it? Is my tain now contaminated?
2. I distilled and transferred all of my #30 tain to said tank, is my RT overfilled?
3. Should I upgrade to a #50? Are there any benefits?
4. What is the best brand of tank to use? Yellowjacket?
1. Have a mastercool #30, should I have cleaned it internally before filling it? Is my tain now contaminated?
Not necessarily if it was new and filled with inert gas, but you need to make sure you keep water out.
2) If you have 30 lbs of butane in a 30lb tank, I am not sure how to say this but you need to get it the fuck out of there RIGHT AWAY, it is a serious safety hazard and explosion risk.
I repeat
2) If you have 30 lbs of butane in a 30lb tank, I am not sure how to say this but you need to get it the fuck out of there RIGHT AWAY, it is a serious safety hazard and explosion risk.
3) Yes, you need one if you run enough solvent to require one and your recovery times will probably be a little faster with a bigger tank regardless.
4) There is no best brand, but a lot of people use the mastercool tanks
Not necessarily if it was new and filled with inert gas, but you need to make sure you keep water out.
2) If you have 30 lbs of butane in a 30lb tank, I am not sure how to say this but you need to get it the fuck out of there RIGHT AWAY, it is a serious safety hazard and explosion risk.
I repeat
2) If you have 30 lbs of butane in a 30lb tank, I am not sure how to say this but you need to get it the fuck out of there RIGHT AWAY, it is a serious safety hazard and explosion risk.
3) Yes, you need one if you run enough solvent to require one and your recovery times will probably be a little faster with a bigger tank regardless.
4) There is no best brand, but a lot of people use the mastercool tanks
Please be familiar with ALL of your equipment before using a CLS.... this is where we will start seeing issues with CLS's, operator error! Please listen to FS, and get down to around 17lbs of R600(n-butane) in that tank, if you in fact have 30lbs of butane in a 30 lb tank, you are WAY overfilled, and putting you and anyone near at serious risk. Please research extensively prior to playing with flammable gasses!
I recommend venting any water any time you start up a dormant system. To do so, set the tank upside down and after it has settled for an hour, crack the vent valve to blow the water sitting on the bottom (formerly top) of the tank. It will be noticeably different than the butane that will soon follow it, so when it shifts color and texture, close the valve.
You can burp any trapped non condensable gases outside in a safe area, by setting the tank upright, with the vapor hose removed, and cracking the vapor valve.
Those entrapped atmospheric gases will be on top of the butane vapors and come off first.
There will be a distinct sound shift as those gases leave and the fuel gas mix gases start, because they are at a lower pressure.
I vent my tanks every time I start a dormant up, after I've let the recovery tank soak in its 31.9F ice bath and stabilize.
After the tank chills to ice bath temperatures, I open the vapor valve with the hose attached and loosen the hose until it bleeds through the fitting vent hole and I hear/smell a complete vent.
I also vent my tank any time I know I have screwed up and aspirated atmosphere, or if I note excessively high pressure on the pump discharge gauge, and my infra red gun show low temperatures where the pump discharge hose enters the valve in the top of the tank.
A 30# tank will hold about 30#'s of water at standard temperatures and pressures.
Because n-Butane has a specific gravity of ~.601, that means that chock full, the tank would hold about 30 X .601, or 18# of n-Butane.
Due to the nature of the liquid gases, ANSI/ASME/DOT, etc, only allow an 80% fill. That is because of the expansion rate of the gases in question as they warm up, and the high pressures they can develop.
18# X .80=14.4 lbs of n-Butane, that you can safely put in a 30# refrigerant recovery tank.
More is also unnecessary, and we usually operate with around 10# of n-Butane for a Mk III.
May I make a point clear however, you can't free flood that 10# of butane through the column, and into the lower recovery tank, without over filling it and aspirating liquid into your pumps.
Theories abound on the best way to operate the Mk III, but it is designed to flood from the bottom, and if you time how long it takes for you to feel the sudden chill of the top vent with your hand, you will know exactly how long it takes to flood that column, packed the way it is.
The Mk III was designed for a 1 1/2" X 24 or 36" column, and without increasing the volume of the lower spool, dumping much more than one column volume will put you over the edge.
WolfWurx has been using Manchester, which are made in the US. So far they've had excellent luck.
I personally have used Mastercool tanks with good results as well, so no strong preferences.
blackbart1720
Member
Thanks for the input everyone. I originally filled my recovery tank to 70%, however, I called ecogreen and asked what the correct filling % for the RT and they said that a 30# RT should accept all of the 30# isobutane, so against my better judgment I proceeded to do so and top it off. With my background high-pressure steam it just didn't seem right, hence why I inquired here.
Thanks again everyone. On a side note I distilled a considerable amount of mystery oil out of the isobutane.
Thanks again everyone. On a side note I distilled a considerable amount of mystery oil out of the isobutane.
blackbart1720
Member
I knew better than to do this and kick myself for blindly going forth.
blackbart1720
Member
Tank is down to 17 lbs. thanks again everyone. Taking every step carefully from now on!!!
Know your tank's tare weight, and always use a scale when loading... the term 'bomb' definitely applies to overfilling your storage tank.
blackbart1720
Member
Will do and thanks.
hobb3s93
Member
hows is product coming out with the iso butane? have u ran their n-butane?
