Author Topic: Refrigerated Recirculating Chillers temp question  (Read 1828 times)

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wyndowlicker

  • Guest
Refrigerated Recirculating Chillers temp question
« on: April 06, 2003, 03:27:00 PM »
What would bee the minimum lowest temperature you would bee looking for one of these to hit?Is 30C cold enough to effectively transfer heat from a condenser?Basically whats the coldest Ill need one of these to get? :P


foxy2

  • Guest
huh? 30C? Thats not even refridgerated.
« Reply #1 on: April 06, 2003, 04:03:00 PM »
huh?
30C?

Thats not even refridgerated.  They should go to 5C at least, unless your getting it really cheap.  The ones I've seen will go below 0C, if you have plain water and turn the temp way down it will freeze it solid.

The temp you'll need depends on what your condenseing.  I can imagine situations where you want hot water in the condenser.

wyndowlicker

  • Guest
Hey now,
« Reply #2 on: April 06, 2003, 04:12:00 PM »
Hey  :-[ ,


  Sorry I meant to type 15c Will this bee cold enough for say Distilling off DCM from Ketone. :P Or distilling safrole.Im not used to Working in C. SO 5c is plenty cold?I havent even had to think about bottom end temps.Ive been using ice water.Im just tired of going to go buy ice! :P


VinnyC

  • Guest
Yes that is plenty cold enough...
« Reply #3 on: April 06, 2003, 08:40:00 PM »
Yes that is plenty cold enough...

You could always use those plastic "cooler" deals instead of ice. Buy 4, then use 2 while 2 are freezing, then swap as needed.

Cheers!


wyndowlicker

  • Guest
Thanks vinn!
« Reply #4 on: April 06, 2003, 11:02:00 PM »
Hey now,


  I was basically wanting to know because the colder you get the more expensive they get. ;D Thanks for the input Vinn! :P


RoundBottom

  • Guest
make your own.
« Reply #5 on: April 07, 2003, 01:05:00 AM »
i'm in the process of writing up a "how to make your own cooling recirulator", as i build it. 

basically it's pretty damn simple.  the costs are variable, the largest 2 costs are the pump and the fridge.

summary:

- take an old fridge or bar fridge and drill 2 holes in the side
- put a bucket inside to hold the water (get fancy if you want and drill a hole in the bottom edge of the bucket and glue an adapter into it)
- run a hose from the bucket out one hole in the side of the fridge to your pump (putting it outside keeps the heat from warming the inside of the fridge)
- connect the pump to your aparatus as per usual
- connect the outflow through the other hole in the side of the fridge and back into the bucket

if you really want to be fancy, use bulkhead adapters and proper hose nipples on the inside and outside of the fridge.  makes hooking up the hose easier.

voila, chilling recirculator.  be careful when drilling through the side of the fridge as you don't want to puncture any cooling coils.  or drill out the door if you can handle the aggrivation.

pictures and writeup to follow.


wyndowlicker

  • Guest
Thats sweet!
« Reply #6 on: April 07, 2003, 11:41:00 AM »
Im all over it RB Ive got one ready for drilling!saved some cash!Damn its so simple its ingenious!Ill have one done by sundown! :P


sYnThOmAtIc

  • Guest
Problems will occur
« Reply #7 on: April 07, 2003, 09:35:00 PM »
Hey ol buddy, Not trying to criticize you but I have tried that and you will not get great results. First off you will get better results with a chest style deep freezer with a copper coil array inside rather than a pooled collection of water in a refridgerator. It is harder to cool water in a puddle than water running in copper coils over freezer blower outputs. Actually the best thing to convert into a water chiller is a well water fountain or dehumidifier.

Round here you can get a local trading paper and pick one up for round twenty bucks. With the water cooler you may only need to up the freon pressure to get cooler temps or replace or adjust thermostat depending on type installed. All the ones I have messed with were fixed causing me to have to remove the thermostat and hardwire it and up the pressure on the low side by five lbs. Dehumidifiers are easy to convert I like the older ones with horizontal coils (vertical coils work but you either have to bend them down or find a way to encase them as they are with a water jacket). The easiest way is to take a plastic tupperware notch out for the two coils and place in back silicone around notches and silicone lid on. Then drill a hole in the top to pour water in. The only probelm with that one was it ended up leaking too much cause the pan was too thick not allowing the coils to go fluch against the back of the case anymore putting pressure at the notch in tha pan causing it to leak at the notches. Anyway once you have horizontal coils you can notch out a plastic gladware bakeware pan and coat it with expanding foam or just a few alteranting layers of fiberglass and aluminum foilor other sort of insulating material. pour in one pint water one pint methanol or antifreeze and turn the dehumidifier on highest setting. AND VIOLA makes water 10c during a distillation of methanol. Roughly -5 just standing. THough I have to say that upping pressure in small duty pumps and encasing the coils in a solid jacket of water with constant heat being removed will cause pump failure after about 50 distillations in my experience.

THOUGH THE BEST IDEA IS!! To just fucking save 200 dollars and go buy a bath heater/chiller/circulator tihngy on auction. They are creat and compact. And can be used for amny things. Heating chilling or just movingor a combination. I have seen some thart have a range of -20to80c


RoundBottom

  • Guest
overkill
« Reply #8 on: April 07, 2003, 10:32:00 PM »
considering most people make do with a bucket and ice, i think the extra hassle of making copper cooling coils might be a little much.  a standing (actually, with the inflow, it's a swirling) pool of water kept at average 5°C is more than enough for almost all solvent distillation, and will do fine for those that still distill sassy.

if you want to collaborate on a writeup, and include both versions, let me know.


sYnThOmAtIc

  • Guest
Damn? You can actually get the bucket of water
« Reply #9 on: April 07, 2003, 10:43:00 PM »
Damn? You can actually get the bucket of water in the fridge at a constant 5c? well I guess the old fridge I tried to do something similar with was too old and didn't remove heat fast enough who knows just wouldn't stay cool enough for me. Actually its not hard to make the coils. At the hardware store you can get pre coiled copper now just a few dollars moore per foot. Even the spooled 10" packages are easy to coil but now coiling from straight lenghts is too time consuming yes.

I did not know you had already built and tested this. I thought you were referring more to an idea to try and was just trying to give helpful pointers as the refridgerator method I tried did not cool water very well once I added a heated condenser inline. Just figured you would find something smaller and cheaper that would produice better results for test project. But like I said I wasn't trying to criticize or burn you just pathetic attempt to help.
All my meth induced flaming attitude days are gone man. for now  ;)