Co2 Extraction a reality!!!

whereisbrianV. said:

Build tutorial?

No one should attempt to build a high pressure machine with out ASME tested vessels and a team of engineers. You could kill yourself and others with one mistake, best case you will bust your eardrums not good odds for the loner winging it.

Even with the most reputable builders we still had problems with getting quality work. The pressures and stress put on the machine are extreme. Parts have to be tested to 3000psi and gaskets and valves are made of Teflon. Even with these over-engineered parts there are failures regularly. We spend more time testing and repairing the machine than running it, truly a labor of love.

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I have to disagree to a limited extent. If an individual is foolish enough to attempt the build and blows themselves up then they have done us a favor. We call it Darwinian Selection.

ONE CAVEOT: THOW SHALT NOT BLOW UP THY NIEGHBORS!!

Seriously, I have seen the result of the catastrophic failure of tanks that were subjected to similar pressures. You would have though that someone set off a bomb. Also, the tank that failed was a heavy steel tank that partially fragmented upon failure.

Lucky that nobody died. The IDIOT filling scuba tanks had overfilled an HP tank (BAD PRACTICE) and left the fill station set up for 4200 psi. He then took an old 63cf steel tank from a customer and hooked it up, started filling and walked away. I watched it unfold. I headed for the exit pausing only long enough to tell the IDIOT "you have a problem there". I was gone before it blew up but I read about it in the news the next day and went back to have a look. Amazing what a tank of compressed air can do...

thegreenman91 said:

I work on a waters machine as well, maybe I could help. We run supercritical pressures and extract LOTS of waxes. As far as I know dewaxing is only possible while running cosolvents.

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And therein lies the chagrin! At sub critical pressures yield is low and at super critical pressures non targeted elements come along for the ride.

Are ya'll fractionating on the way back down to dump the waxes, or removing them afterwards?

JamesFarmer said:

I have to disagree to a limited extent. If an individual is foolish enough to attempt the build and blows themselves up then they have done us a favor. We call it Darwinian Selection.

ONE CAVEOT: THOW SHALT NOT BLOW UP THY NIEGHBORS!!

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Yeah, the wife, kids, critters, neighbors, and neighbor's property part, that is the real fly in the Darwinian selection ointment.

The problem with incompetence, is the deeper it is on a given subject, the less we are aware of our incompetence.

I wholeheartedly agree that any SCFE CO2 system design should be reviewed by a competent mechanical engineer, preferably with PE license and experience with CO2 throughout its range.

At the cost of building one in the first place, and the high cost of one failure, it is a cheap investment.

Gray Wolf said:

The problem with incompetence, is the deeper it is on a given subject, the less we are aware of our incompetence.

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This is currently my greatest fear...
not to be done in by an incorrect attempt, but by something I didn't even know I was doing wrong...

whereisbrianV. said:

Co2lover - what pressure and temp are you running?

The waters machine has some issues with it's PC controlled PLC. Even if the programming was perfect the PC can't react fast enough provide a real saftey from building pressure.

What do you mean by dewaxing inside the machine?

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In the material chamber I start with 200 Bar and go up until 300 bar. like 50c

CS1: 2600, 47C
CS2: 1000, 38C
CS3: 750, 25C

However I cannot keep 750 in the 3rd one. Something to do with my recycler as its the old version. im asking Waters to fix it for free.

Interesting. We want to use the stuff for edibles and vapes. We just find the machine inefficient compared to others. We played with an Apex that worked better in our opinion. I hear good things about IES. Its hard for us to maintain pressures. Even when waters stops by they give us modes that the machine cannot maintain. like 1000, 1000, and 300 in the collections.

Co2lover said:

Interesting. We want to use the stuff for edibles and vapes. We just find the machine inefficient compared to others. We played with an Apex that worked better in our opinion. I hear good things about IES. Its hard for us to maintain pressures. Even when waters stops by they give us modes that the machine cannot maintain. like 1000, 1000, and 300 in the collections.

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What do you mean the machine cannot maintain those modes?

Anyone figure out how to get high off Co2 oil yet?

thegreenman91 said:

What do you mean the machine cannot maintain those modes?

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As soon as we begin to run the conditions and pressures. The pressures in the collectors start changing themselves. We believe the issue is with the recycler.

We've had issues with our recycler too. Sometimes things from the third vessle make it to the recycler, especially during ethanol runs for cleaning.

thegreenman91 said:

We've had issues with our recycler too. Sometimes things from the third vessle make it to the recycler, especially during ethanol runs for cleaning.

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Yeah. Thats it. Waters wants us to pay extra to update the recycler. Its like guys the machine has been shit from the start. Now you want us to put more money into it? No way.

Waters is a mostly analytical equipment company, specializing in equipment for ANALYSIS not equipment for production level extraction. I have the understanding that they are currently developing their SFE machine to better suit it for our industry. This is why they offer long service agreements and lease options. We are the guinea pigs for them to develop and upgrade their machine to a workable level for our industry.

Are these vessels under pressure? Im assuming so since you are running CO2. Have the vessels been ASME Certified? Anything about 20lbs of pressure could be very dangerous, be careful.

IES out of Denver has been developing sCO2 machines for the cannabis industry, they are fully automated (run 24/7 without a need to change out orifices) and the oils and terpenes are going straight from the expansion cups to the shelf (Zero Post Processing / Winterization needed!). The future of extraction is here, no need to use your client as "guinea pigs".

Currently our most popular model, the ISO-CDM.20-2X-2F system is producing 5,100 grams of Shelf-Ready product straight out of our expansion cups - NO WINTERIZATION REQUIRED.

Our systems are certified fully automated and capable of running 24/7 without a need for an employee to be standing idly and watching over the system.

Lets get you and your team into our Denver Area Facility for a live demonstration and tour.

Our Mark-III design boasts:

Full Automation || "Set it and Forget it"

• Easy to use touch screen interface
• Certified for autonomous use
• Extensive Data Collection

Zero Winterization Required with multiple Fractions:

• Proprietary multi-stage automation allows for Unlimited Fractionation
• Shelf Ready product straight from the expansion cups

Modulating Needle Valve:

• Allows for maximum mass flow at any given parameter through proprietary algorithm


ROI within the first 30 days on all of our models

• IES machines are coming in at a price point well below our "competitors"

A.V.E. Technology:

• Automated Venturi Technology allows for full separation of Terpenes, Oils and Waxes from solvent
• Ensures process condition stability to achieve maximum V.O.C. retention

Industry’s foremost onsite training and development program

• 2-3 day Onsite Training with our industry leading engineering team

Parameter Settings:

• Temp Range: -20°C to 60°C
• Pressure Range: 500psi [33 bar] – 3500psi [233 bar]

Quick Closures (Patent Pending):

• Hinged for ease of use
• Drastically improved turnover times

Manufactured in Colorado
ETL & EPR Certified

We always use ASME stamped vessels.

IsolateSystems said:

Are these vessels under pressure? Im assuming so since you are running CO2. Have the vessels been ASME Certified? Anything about 20lbs of pressure could be very dangerous, be careful.

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Where are your ASME stamps?

I basically just read this post from first to last and its interesting to see how the topics tone changed from how and is it possible to its possible but still being debated as to how. My question is after researching different companies that put out systems for SCF extractions, which ones do you all suggest now that people have dialed in the process more? Everyone is obviously claiming to be the best in their pitches and it seems like a giant dick swinging contest. They all offer training w/ purchase. They all claim to be ASME or IES certified, the only real big difference i've actually seen is simply the design and power usage. They are all pretty customizable as far as being able to add tubes for material to be run. Anyone have a preference or opinion and why?