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sight glass?!

dopecook

Member
why would it not work with dry ice and inline dewaxing? also, what if it was dry ice, without the extra filter?
 

Gray Wolf

A Posse ad Esse. From Possibility to realization.
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I think GW covered it already, but if you want to see what is going on, you need to use something like a metaglass product.

Sight glasses are usually rated to about -20f and usually that -20 is only rated for a certain amount of exposure time. I don't think I've ever found a sight glass that could handle extreme temps. You would have to use something like a cross with two metaglass endcaps as a replacement.

http://www.visilume.com/index.php/p...or-tri-clamp-and-na-connect-sanitary-fittings

I know I've found stuff that goes colder, I'd just have to figure out where I saved the links.
 

dopecook

Member
So i brought my better, smarter half up to speed on the debate, and she says i'm not getting one :)

Safety first and always listen to your wife.
 

dopecook

Member
I'm bringing this thread back :)

We have a MKIII-ish extractor, and we use dry ice to cool our solvent.

What sight glass could I use, and where would it be safe to put it. (I don't always run bottom to top, sometimes I run it like a BHOgart)

Would I have to switch to warmer solvent if I want to use a traditional sight glass?

Thanks!
 

Gray Wolf

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If you place the sight glass after the valve at the top of the column, it can't experience hydraulic lock like it can between the valves.

It can't see hydraulic lock between the dump valve and the lower tank either, because there is expansion room.

Glass and borosilicate have high compressive strength for column loads, but little tolerance for bending or tension.

Ultimate tensile is lowered by both heat and cold. The compressive strength is less affected.

Ultra high pressure sight glasses are usually crosses with flow windows on two sides of the cross, perpendicular to the flow.

A conventional tubular sight glass has the glass in tension when under pressure, and high pressure ones have columns of glass under compression.

These pretty penny ones are rated for up to 3000 psi:
 

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furrywall11

Member
Where's the best place to get a high pressure sight glass and have it delivered quickly?

Starting to get the heebees running with my glacier tank sight glass just might be the one rated for 50 psi...
 

BrainChild

Member
Last edited:

Gray Wolf

A Posse ad Esse. From Possibility to realization.
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I have the site glass terpp sells, the inline union style. Not tubular. They went through quite a few different kinds until settling on this style. They claim it's rated to 400 psi. I like it a lot. Shipped quick too
https://terppextractors.com/collections/accessories/products/inline-union-sight-glass

This also seems like a great company, Borosilicate, PTFE gaskets...they are more spendy though https://www.chem-flowtronics.com/full-view-sanitary-sight-flow-indicators-model-1150/
The Terpp flowmeter should work. It has a boresilicate wafer in compression, rather that a tube in tension.


The Chemflowtronics is the tube style and doesn't rate it for pressure.
 

Dirt Bag

Member
So what is my concern? That the borosilicate will shatter due to the combination of tensile pressure and temperature change? Have you ever had one shatter? Anyone?
I don't want to take any unnecessary risks, but what constitutes a risk varies from person to person.
Here are a few things people consider risky.
Please rate them from 1-10. One being 100% safe and 10 being 100% fatal.
  1. Drinking and driving
  2. Smoking
  3. Stock car racing
  4. Unprotected sex with a stranger
  5. Alligator wrestling
  6. Skydiving
  7. Extracting indoors
  8. Driving a car with 1 lugnut per wheel
  9. Walking a tightrope across the grand canyon
  10. Huffing paint
  11. Surgery
  12. An inline sight glass above your column like this.
20180619_073429.jpg

Seriously though GW, why would I need anything rated at 3000psi? The maximum pressure my system ever sees is when I pressure test @ 100psi of N2 (before each use). As you can see, I have no dewaxing sleeve and haven't even been freezing my column because of the condensation that accumulates during reassembly and testing. The coldest and highest pressure at the column is achieved during flooding, has never even reached 70psi, and is typically around 50psi.
I'm not trying to be facetious, but am genuinely curious and value your opinion. Should I be worried here and move this to the totally unnecessary location below the dump valve? Or is this "acceptable"?

UPDATE: confirmed through multiple other reliable sources, this style of sight glass is not suitable for the application pictured above.
Yes, this is in essence what Gray Wolf wrote, but he didn't really come right out and say it, so I wanted to clarify: NOT SUITABLE.

On a related topic, we have two sight glass for sale. HMU
 
Last edited:

Gray Wolf

A Posse ad Esse. From Possibility to realization.
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So what is my concern? That the borosilicate will shatter due to the combination of tensile pressure and temperature change? Have you ever had one shatter? Anyone?
I don't want to take any unnecessary risks, but what constitutes a risk varies from person to person.
Here are a few things people consider risky.
Please rate them from 1-10. One being 100% safe and 10 being 100% fatal.
  1. Drinking and driving
  2. Smoking
  3. Stock car racing
  4. Unprotected sex with a stranger
  5. Alligator wrestling
  6. Skydiving
  7. Extracting indoors
  8. Driving a car with 1 lugnut per wheel
  9. Walking a tightrope across the grand canyon
  10. Huffing paint
  11. Surgery
  12. An inline sight glass above your column like this.
View attachment 459971

Seriously though GW, why would I need anything rated at 3000psi? The maximum pressure my system ever sees is when I pressure test @ 100psi of N2 (before each use). As you can see, I have no dewaxing sleeve and haven't even been freezing my column because of the condensation that accumulates during reassembly and testing. The coldest and highest pressure at the column is achieved during flooding, has never even reached 70psi, and is typically around 50psi.
I'm not trying to be facetious, but am genuinely curious and value your opinion. Should I be worried here and move this to the totally unnecessary location below the dump valve? Or is this "acceptable"?

UPDATE: confirmed through multiple other reliable sources, this style of sight glass is not suitable for the application pictured above.
Yes, this is in essence what Gray Wolf wrote, but he didn't really come right out and say it, so I wanted to clarify: NOT SUITABLE.

On a related topic, we have two sight glass for sale. HMU


Russian Roulette. Glass is at its weakest in tension and subject to thermal shock.


No I have never blown one up, but yes I saw pictures of one that ruptured and have heard of another.
 

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