Recovery Unit, Butane Tank for Lil' Terp Style System

[Lebniis]

Lots of inspiration lately, I thank all those who have written about and documented construction/operation of their closed systems.

Please help a friend out

I basically want to build a Lil' Terp. Sourced all the parts, but need some advice on a refrigerant recovery unit and butane tank.

Can someone recommend a refrigerant recovery unit that is <400? Is there anything good quality and new in this price range?

Secondly, with a 1-1/2" X 24" column, I would like to get the most cost effective butane tank possible without getting too big/small of a tank. I see the Lil' Terp uses a Sanitary Spool, and that is cool but I would like to know of other options. A 30# refrigerant tank seems excessively big and but also a good option.

Input on these topics would help greatly in progressing this along.

Thanks!

 

[Gray Wolf]

Some of the folks have scored their Appions on E-Bay for $450 new.

Ostensibly the 30# refrigerant tank would work.

 

[Lebniis]

Gray,

Would you recommending upgrading the Lil Terp to 3/8" coupling, 3/8" ball valve, and 3/8" refrigerant hose in order to minimize recovery time with the Appion Twin?

You rock.

 

[Lebniis]

Another question, how is oil not sucked up by the recovery unit when butane is passing through the column ? From my understanding the recovery unit is always recovering vapor while BHO is released into the column. Your Lil' Terp design has a short Weld Ferrule but I would like to replace this with a 6" Spool cut down to 4" so that the oil can be released at the bottom of the pot.

 

[Gray Wolf]

Gray,

Would you recommending upgrading the Lil Terp to 3/8" coupling, 3/8" ball valve, and 3/8" refrigerant hose in order to minimize recovery time with the Appion Twin?

You rock.

Yes, our next prototype will be 3/8" for developing a process using pumps.

 

[Gray Wolf]

Another question, how is oil not sucked up by the recovery unit when butane is passing through the column ? From my understanding the recovery unit is always recovering vapor while BHO is released into the column. Your Lil' Terp design has a short Weld Ferrule but I would like to replace this with a 6" Spool cut down to 4" so that the oil can be released at the bottom of the pot.

With the Lil Terp, the pump is not attached and running until the end of the process, when the butane liquid has already drained from the column.

After the first pass with the butane, the column is reflooded by inverting the whole assembly and drained by setting it upright again. It won't flood if you extend the column down into the collection chamber.

It is the Terpenators, which have the pump running all the time, and their down pipes do extend to within an inch of the bottom of the collection tank.

 

[Sativa Dragon]

Hello folks, peeked my interest, is there a link to the build thread, or concept? I am a bit of a Mad inventor myself and Extracts have never really interested me until lately.

Peace

 

[Gray Wolf]

Hello folks, peeked my interest, is there a link to the build thread, or concept? I am a bit of a Mad inventor myself and Extracts have never really interested me until lately.

Peace

https://www.icmag.com/ic/showthread.php?t=240005&highlight=Passive+butane+extraction

https://www.icmag.com/ic/showthread.php?t=245953

https://www.icmag.com/ic/showthread.php?t=203067

http://skunkpharmresearch.com/passive-butane-extractor-and-reclaimer/

http://skunkpharmresearch.com/mk-iii-terpenator/

 

[Sativa Dragon]

Very nice Gray Wolf, thank you very much, and might I add you are a very multi faceted human. I have followed some of your projects with great intrigue.

Glad your here.

 

[Gray Wolf]

Very nice Gray Wolf, thank you very much, and might I add you are a very multi faceted human. I have followed some of your projects with great intrigue.

Glad your here.

Thanks for the good thoughts bro! According to some, a multi faceted and layered onion.............

 

[Lebniis]

Hello folks, peeked my interest, is there a link to the build thread, or concept? I am a bit of a Mad inventor myself and Extracts have never really interested me until lately.

Peace

Check out grays website, pm him for info not sure if he linked it.

 

[Lebniis]

With the Lil Terp, the pump is not attached and running until the end of the process, when the butane liquid has already drained from the column.

After the first pass with the butane, the column is reflooded by inverting the whole assembly and drained by setting it upright again. It won't flood if you extend the column down into the collection chamber.

It is the Terpenators, which have the pump running all the time, and their down pipes do extend to within an inch of the bottom of the collection tank.

Was there a census on a site glass for the sanitary spool 6"?

Also, wouldn't you remove the column and invert only the column as I would think the bho would flow back into the column if the whole assembly was inverted.

 

[Gray Wolf]

Was there a census on a site glass for the sanitary spool 6"?

Also, wouldn't you remove the column and invert only the column as I would think the bho would flow back into the column if the whole assembly was inverted.

Could you elaborate on your first question?

Having the butane with some BHO already dissolved in it, flow back into the column to extract more resin, is typically how passive systems work, whether it is a Lil Terp, or a Tamisium.

 

[Lebniis]

Could you elaborate on your first question?

Having the butane with some BHO already dissolved in it, flow back into the column to extract more resin, is typically how passive systems work, whether it is a Lil Terp, or a Tamisium.

Haha, woops. Consensus.


Really what I'm getting at is trying to understand when the collection tank is considered full and ready for recovery. You are doing it by weight if I remember correctly.

What I would do is...

Flood column, invert for period of time, set back down and flood column as a flush. With a 24" column on a 6" spool it would seem that I would need to recover butane once after every column is 'run'.

Then during column switches, there is an obvious period of time where the lid is open to the atmosphere. But would do you do a column switch even before recovering the butane (So as to do 2 column 'runs' for every 1 recovery)?




Anyone have info on how I would go about transferring butane from LP5 tank to 50# refrigerant tank?

 

[Gray Wolf]

Haha, woops. Consensus.


Really what I'm getting at is trying to understand when the collection tank is considered full and ready for recovery. You are doing it by weight if I remember correctly.

What I would do is...

Flood column, invert for period of time, set back down and flood column as a flush. With a 24" column on a 6" spool it would seem that I would need to recover butane once after every column is 'run'.

Then during column switches, there is an obvious period of time where the lid is open to the atmosphere. But would do you do a column switch even before recovering the butane (So as to do 2 column 'runs' for every 1 recovery)?




Anyone have info on how I would go about transferring butane from LP5 tank to 50# refrigerant tank?

The butane has to be removed from the Lil Terp or Tamisium to change the columns, unless you are operating below about -0.5C/31.5F temperature, the butane will be boiling.

The Terpenators have isolation valves allowing column change, so you could add one to a Lil Terp, but you would lose the butane in the still wet column and introduce oxygen into your butane, which makes it capable of igniting.

Tamisium takes liberties that I am not comfortable with, so there is more than one way to do it, but I always evacuate all of my tanks and columns to full vacuum, before introducing butane, so there is no possibility of an explosive mixture.

As far as transfering butane, if you hook a hose from the liquid port on the full tank, to the vapor port on the empty tank, and set the full tank in hot water and the other one in cold water. The butane will transfer all by itself. I split it into two 50# refrigerant tanks, so that the transfer goes faster.

You can also use a refrigerant transfer pump, like an Appion.

 

[Lebniis]

Great info that's very helpful. How many more questions do I have to ask before I can get your class certificate ?

Thanks a lot. Maybe I'll get a chance to come up there and buy you a beer/ take your class.

 

[Lebniis]

Hey all,

Parts came in to build the Lil Terp. Waiting on a few more components and welding to be done. Good thing I have friends in both welding and machining so that is covered.

I'll have pics up soon.


Another question about what tank purchase. If I get a tank with a float/dip tube, will that keep me from having to weigh the tank to know when it is full?

 

[Gray Wolf]

Hey all,

Parts came in to build the Lil Terp. Waiting on a few more components and welding to be done. Good thing I have friends in both welding and machining so that is covered.

I'll have pics up soon.


Another question about what tank purchase. If I get a tank with a float/dip tube, will that keep me from having to weigh the tank to know when it is full?

Good show! Look forward to your pictures!

We only run about 5 pounds of butane in the storage tank, so that the remaining tank surface area is available to condense the incoming vapors from the pump.

 

[Lebniis]

Yeah, I imagine I would not need an 80% full 50lb tank either.

So I also got the 6"x12" spool since they were out of the 6" by 6". I do have the possibility if cutting it in half and welding an end on and thus giving me the chance to make another lil terp in the future.

I picture 'swishing' the oil around in the collection spool/tank while recovering the butane in order to give the warm oil more surface area. Do you have any experience recovering out of the 6"x12" spool? And did you see a exponential difference in recovery time?

 

[Lebniis]

Also, what inline filter should I use before the Appion?