The SRK Science Thread 2.0

lalalaa

FIRE!

well, I’m trying to find steel tubing that’s schedule 160, and at least 1/8 thick and about 9 inch to 12 inches long. I have a feeling that isn’t thick enough, nor is it safe for long term use due to fatigue, and massive surface area.

I need to do the maths

DUN DUND DUUNNN

HEART!

CAPTAIIIIN PLANEEET!

let me post a quick picture

Spoiler

http://i830.photobucket.com/albums/zz225/omfg_its_jr/chamber_zpsd62f73ed.png

What’s this for anyway?

It’s to do supercritical or sub-supercritical fluid extraction of mildly polar compounds from varying plant materials. I need to do this right, due to the dangers associated with gas, pressure at that level, and the legal issues if something went wrong. So I need to do this right, which also means a blast chamber in the event of absolute failure.

In short, I’m trying to build one of these: http://www.supercriticalfluids.com/products/supercritical-fluid-extraction-products

i also need to look up the material solubility of commonly manufactured gaskets, because co2 becomes an aggresive solvent as the pressure goes up. At supercritical levels, co2 solvating power starts dissolving acryilic badly, and iirc polycarbonate to a lesser degree.

WIND!

admittedly that’s a terrible picture. LOL

I’d like to know about the materials first, but the diagram would be the better place to start

WATER!

oh gosh. Basement lab supercritical fluid extraction? I respect the passion but what is the endgame? Are you doing this for research purposes or are you going to ferngully the local forest to obtain milligram quantities of desired natural product? Thoughts on isolation? Please make a dedicated thread and keep us posted on this insane adventure.

Question: How would you test for 800 psi leaks? hahaa. Likely to lose an arm like that guy in that Cantina scene.
ā€œi’ll be carefulā€
"YOU’LL BE DEAD!"

We do hydrotest up to 20 kpsi at our shop. Ain’t nothing but a G thang.

At this point, it has to do how he builds it. (Then we worry about the appropriate NDTs)

EARTH!

That is gangster. What would happen if there is a leak at that pressure?

its all for extraction of polar substances from plants.

ill start a thread once I start. but that won’t be for at least a year. I need to look around for pumps, machine shops, and do ample research on the engineering of these sort of systems.

safety and me not losing a limb ia my first priority.

I know that, but are you trying to isolate a specific active substance or just obtain some alkaloid milieu. If it is the former, the extraction may prove to be the easy part. Do you have some emabrrassing disease you are trying to self treat? Is there some research you have a hypothesis on? Getting in on the evershady supplement business before the FDA gains oversight? A new marketing angle for some nutricuetical bs? Do you have land or will you be poaching plants (surely not growing your own)? So many questions. hahaa

We haven’t had a hydrotest fail catastrophically yet knocks on wood. Normally, in a defective part, you’d just see a pressure drop and the operator would just shut it down. At times, the operator might see movement in the part and shut it down before a pressure drop would be observed.

I’ve spoken to inspectors who witnessed failed hydrotest for ASME Section VIII div 2 pressure vessels where upon which the heads were improperly welded, those things flew off hahahaha.

The worst thing I’ve seen done is an over pressurized air test and since air is compressible, the energy associated with the pressure-volume work makes the part explosive and you have shrapnel flying all over the place.