Noob question about benchtop pressure vessels.

[noobpressue]

I'm in the cannabis industry in Washington state. We are using heat and pressure to make a chemical reaction possible in one of our products. Currently the time it takes is much too long and I believe it can be sped up by increased pressure. The current pressure is formed by expanding gasses in a closed glass jar that has about 110 to 120 degrees of heat applied to it that is causing the gas. If I could create more pressure within the jar I believe it would speed up my process.

Does anyone know of a solution that fits the following requirements:

Benchtop or smaller than industrial.
Less than $5000 (preferably less than $1500)
Fits at least 2 small 4 oz Kerr canning jars. (chamber would need to be at least 6 inches tall and 4 inches in diameter)
Creates a strong pressure, but one that is adjustable, to find the optimal pressure that won't break the jars.
Creates said strong pressure while maintaining a semi accurate temp of 110 to 120 degrees F.

Thanks for any responses

 

Assuming the canning jars do not shatter (and results may vary between identical jars from the same manufacturer), I think your biggest challenge could be sealing around the rim. Does it need to be glass? Temperature is easy to measure, but you are also interested in pressure (which will be directly affected by fluid temperature).

Might the processing time pass more quickly if employees refrained from indulging in free product on the job? Just wondering

"Everyone is entitled to their own opinions, but they are not entitled to their own facts."

 

You might want to first contact your state's ASME Code authority to determine the requirements for your proposed equipment.

"Everyone is entitled to their own opinions, but they are not entitled to their own facts."

 

[TGS4]

I think that you need to quantify your exact pressure requirements and your material requirements. You seem to have focused on glass because that is what you were using - basically canning-type process.

Do you need the heat or the pressure or both?

 

[Compositepro]

What you need is a pressure cooker. Start with a home kitchen unit for a couple hundred dollars or less. This is readily available for home canning. Then scale-up, if needed, to commercial/industrial equipment.

 

[btrueblood]

Is the gas, or any of its components, flammable or toxic? If so, then things are a bit trickier than just buying a pressure cooker. Not clear if you need to retain the pressure created in the canning jars after the process is complete? Is the compound formed in said chemical reaction stable in air at room temperature, i.e. can you cook the product in a pressure cooker, then cool down and relieve pressure and attach jar lids?

You're probably going to need to be more specific if you want some help.

 

[EdStainless]

The pressure cooker is a great first step.
If you need more go to someone like Parr. They build small pressure containing units (we used to call them bombs).
But you need to think safety. Pressure regulation, emergency relief and things like that.

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P.E. Metallurgy, Plymouth Tube

 

[JStephen]

Pressure cookers are generally good for 15 psi gauge pressure. If you need higher, you're into something different.
Keep in mind pressure cookers create pressure with steam, so when you hit 15 psi, you're also at 250 degrees or whatever, so there's not normally a way to adjust pressure and temperature independently.