The HiVE30™ is a USA-made, hybridized wiped/thin film system made to be budget-friendly and simple to use while also maintaining high throughput and quality distillation capabilities. The HiVE30™ is a modular system, meaning users have flexibility in configuring the system for different distillation techniques.
The HiVE30™ has a variety of features that give it a competitive advantage in the wiped/thin film market. Its stainless steel construction allows for better thermoregulation, including the proprietary Aerogel insulated thermal wrap which ensures consistent temperature across the entire evaporation surface.
The HiVE30™ also utilizes simple connections for easy assembly and breakdown, reducing cleaning and maintenance costs as well as potential downtime. Because of the simplicity of the HiVE30™, users can easily switch between short path thin film distillation and external condenser thin film distillation. Below, we will take a closer look at each of these configurations and when it is best to use them.
External Condenser Thin Film Operation
The HiVE30™ includes a stripping cone attachment which replaces the dual collection attachment on the bottom of the evaporator. This stripping cone has a single receiver connection and is utilized during a volatile stripping pass to remove higher-boiling-point compounds. These “volatiles” are much lighter than the heavy compounds that are being targeted, and they must be removed prior to performing a heavy-compound distillation with the short path thin film configuration.
In conjunction with the stripping cone attachment, the external condenser between the vacuum pump and the evaporator body will be used to collect these lighter compounds. These light compounds will move out of the evaporator body and be recondensed further down the vapor path, while the heavy-targeted compounds will stay in the residue and be collected below the stripping cone attachment.
The residue will then be passed through the system again with the short path thin film configuration installed.
Short Path Thin Film Operation
The second configuration is used to target heavy-boiling-point compounds and utilizes the internal condenser and dual collection ports.
This is what is known as short path thin film distillation, and it allows the user to collect the heavy-targeted compounds. The vapor path of the distillate becomes much shorter in this configuration, and all distillate is collected on the internal condenser rather than further down the vapor path on an external condenser.
The short path thin film configuration minimizes the distance the vapor has to travel, allowing heavy compounds to be efficiently distilled and collected without degradation.
The two fractions collected in this configuration are the targeted distillate which will be used for end-product creation and formulation, and the second fraction is the spent residue that no longer contains any of the targeted compounds.
HiVE30™ Upgrade Kits:
The HiVE30™ also includes a variety of modular upgrade kits to increase throughput and expand the capabilities of the system.
These upgrade kits are designed to reduce downtime, increase distillation efficiency, and improve and add to the overall platform of an already very capable distillation system.
Discharge Pump Kit (DPK)
The Discharge Pump Kit adds two discharge pumps to the system allowing for continuous collection of residue and distillate fractions. This reduces the overall downtime of the system and makes it much easier to collect fractions instead of dealing with large glass receiving flasks. When paired with the Feed Pump Kit, the system becomes fully continuous and can be loaded and run without stopping to refill or replace receiving vessels.
Feed Pump Kit (FPK)
The Feed Pump Kit adds a feed pump between the body of the evaporator and the feed tank, giving users the ability to fill the system at a precise speed thus increasing overall efficiency. The Feed Pump Kit and the Discharge Pump Kit together create a continuous processing solution and allow for the collection of residue and distillate fractions as well as constant feed without having to stop or release vacuum on the system.
Booster Pump Kit (BPK)
The Booster Pump Kit increases vacuum flow exponentially by adding a roots blower booster pump to the standard rotary vane vacuum pump already included with the system. The Booster Pump Kit allows for better vacuum flow rates (higher CFM) during stipping and high-vacuum distillation passes. The Booster Pump Kit also requires the use of the Dual Cold Trap Kit.
Dual Cold Trap Kit
The Dual Cold Trap Kit adds a second high-efficiency trap to the vacuum path to ensure no volatiles or unwanted vapors enter the vacuum system. The Dual Cold Trap Kit dramatically increases trapping efficiency, as well as lowers overall vacuum levels.
Dual Pump Manifold Kit (DPMK)
The Dual Pump Manifold Kit adds a pump cart and manifold for quick and easy switching between vacuum pumps. The mobile cart makes moving the large pumps incredibly simple and allows the whole system to be moved more easily if needed.
Pressure Control Kit (PCK)
The Pressure Control Kit adds a precision pressure controller to accurately control pressures from high vacuum to atmosphere. This helps dial in specific vacuum ranges during volatile stripping or high vacuum distillations.
Modularity Conclusions
The HiVE30™’s modular design gives users the ability to perform volatile stripping as well as medium-to-heavy compound stripping and polishing. These two configurations are both needed to successfully target and distill heavy-boiling-point compounds in botanical crude oil, and having a system that can perform in both situations will guarantee a high-quality end product.
The HiVE30™ also includes a variety of modular upgrade kits which greatly expand the system’s capabilities and allows users to create the highest quality end products desired at faster speeds with more repeatability between runs.
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