clearSTILL-200 Wiped Film Distillation

The clearSTILL 200 is a single-stage wiped film distillation machine designed to refine and clarify viscous oils. Featuring a single evaporator, a substantial jacketed reservoir, a cold finger and a condenser, a roughing pump and a turbo vacuum capable of meeting a wide range of separation goals.

The equipment may be used for low boiler stripping operations and oil refinement and purification. The equipment supports throughput capacity of 2-3L per hour and is manually operated. The equipment can be ordered at the time of production with a GMP compliant documentation package that will aid in GMP commissioning & qualification.

clearstill 200 wiped film distillation machine

The clearSTILL 200 is a manual single-stage wiped film evaporator that is based on our clearSTILL 400 technology. The machine contains a single stainless still with independent temperature control for evaporator jacket, condensing finger, roughing pumps and turbo pumps. It is designed to provide an avenue for those looking for superior distillation equipment at the ground level. With the clearSTILL 200 you can expect outputs of 2-3L per hour of distillate. This is a great starter machine for those looking to get their feet wet into distillation.

Manual System with Manual Control

The clearSTILL-200 features:

  • Gear pump feed pump
  • Large heated reservoir
  • Jacketed piping
  • High temperature Maintenance
  • Residual & distillate gear pumps
  • Continuous oil removal
  • Vacuum conditioning system is capable of deep vacuum

Dimensions: 70”x42”x71” (LxWxH)

Electrical: 240V, 3 phase, 50/60 Hz, 26 FLA

Certifications: UL 508A components

Wetted Materials: 316SS, PTFE, Silicone Rubber

Warranty: 12 months, Parts & Workmanship

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Additional Services Available

GMP Equipment Documentation Package | #80-9606

Manufacturing Line Commission (GMP) | #80-9629

Maintenance (12 months) | #80-9609

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need to decarboxylate before distillation?

It is not required to decarboxylate before subjecting to falling film evaporation.

Will I be able to separate THC from CBD on my plants using this equipment?

No, the boiling points of THC and CBD are too close to separate one from the other without impurities present.

Does distillation replace chromatography?

No, distillation separates a mixture of liquid components by boiling point. Chromatography separates a mixture of liquid components by chemical interactions.

How do I clean the distillation equipment?

Using canola oil, the system is cleaned according to a predefined cleaning protocol.

Why do vacuum pumps require maintenance?

Vacuum pumps typically use an oil ring to produce a seal that creates vacuum. Volatiles in the winterized oil that don’t condense during degassing can follow the vapor flow path all the way to the vacuum pump, contaminating the pump lubricating oil, compromising its performance.

The clearSTILL vacuum pumps don’t require oil for operation, eliminating that maintenance.

What is a finger cleaner and how do you automate cleaning of the finger?

The “finger” of a wiped film evaporator is the condenser and must be cleaned due to cross contamination of the condenser from lot to lot. Many machines require cleaning the condenser between batches or lots. This requires that the condenser be cleaned between batches. An automated cleaner sprays a cleaning solvent over the condenser, cleaning it. The finger is heat flashed to dry.

What yield should we expect from the wiped film? What is the potency of the distillate?

Yield and potency are highly dependent on the aggressiveness of the operating conditions. For example:

  • The boiling point of ethanol is 78oC. If the evaporator temperature is set at 100oC above the boiling point, it is expected that most of the ethanol will evaporate and condense and the ethanol yield will be high. However, the exceedingly high temperature can cause other components to also vaporize, decreasing the potency of the distillate product.
  • If the temperature is set at the boiling point of ethanol, it is likely that some of the ethanol will evaporate, but not all. Thus, the yield of ethanol will be comparatively much lower than in the aforementioned case, but the distillate product will have fewer impurities.

The clearSTILL has been engineered to achieve a throughput of 4-6L/hr and increase the potency from 50-65% in winterized oil to 65-90% in the distillate depending on the standard operating procedure

What is entrainment and how do I prevent it?

  • Entrainment comes from inadequate degassing. Highly volatile components (gasses, residual solvents, etc.) aggressively vaporize on the heated surface, causing liquids to contaminate the headspace and the condenser. Thus, oil components that have not been evaporated contaminate the distilled oil.
  • Special entrainment separator wiper design is required to eliminate entrainment.

What is the surface area of the unit and how does that impact throughput?

  • 0.6 m^2. Smaller the number, the slower the throughput. As the amount of temperature controlled surface area decreases, the unit functions at a lower throughput and efficiency, and with higher impurities. This stems from having increased control over highly viscous liquids and vapors at their saturation temperatures and pressures.
  • Having evenly heated evaporative and condensing surfaces maximizes throughput and minimizes impurities by gently evaporating volatile components from a highly viscous mixture. The surface area for heat transfer is fully utilized by the use of wipers to evenly distribute the mixture on the heated surfaces. Controlling the wiping speed and feed inlet flow allows for precise control over residence time of evaporation and chemical potential between the evaporative and condensing surfaces.

What is the footprint, power, and heat load for the equipment?

  1. L 103″ x W 44″ x H 72″, 80 FLA at 230VAC, 50/60 hz, 3 phase
  2. Heat load of equipment is estimated at 3000 W-hr

What extraction method will give the cleanest distillate?

  1. Specially denatured ethanol is typically used for ethanol extraction due to the high cost of pure 200 proof ethanol.
  2. Denaturants are comprised of a wide variety of toxic and non food grade chemicals. Those denaturants are always detectable in the final distillate.

Input requires decarboxylated oil.

  1. Input for requires winterized crude oil.
  2. Input requires decarboxylated oil.
  3. First wiped film evaporation stage: degassing
    1. Degassing involves removal of volatiles and gas with heat while stirring. Typical ethanol removal is 80-90% using a rotovap or falling film evaporator, degassing using a wiped film evaporator achieves >98% ethanol removal which is required for wiped film evaporation.
    2. Degassing can be done with a stirred tank reactor, but the disadvantage of degassing with a stirred tank reactor is degradation of active targets such as CBD or CBG and breakdown of the oil. This method is also commonly a batch, compared to the continuous operation of a wiped film evaporator. – Aaron
  4. Second wiped film evaporation stage: distillation
    1. Degassed, winterized oil is wiped onto the heated exterior surfaces of the wiped film evaporator column where the more volatile cannabinoids vaporize into the headspace. The internal condenser condenses the cannabinoid vapors to produce the distillate product. The pressure of the system is GREATLY reduced to decrease the boiling point of the target cannabinoid products. Lower boiling points prevent product degradation and decrease heat load requirements.
    2. If you choose to degas with a stirred tank reactor, both stages of the clearSTILL wiped film evaporator can be set to distillation operating conditions to achieve a high purity distillate. – Aaron
  5. Output distillate often feeds either chromatography or crystallization processes.

What does WFE do?

  • Also known as molecular distillation, the system is similar to short path distillation equipment in the sense that there is a short distance between the evaporator and condenser. Depending on the operating conditions, wiped film evaporators can degas winterized oil or distill degassed winterized oil. The distillation column is comprised of a permeable vertical cylinder and a rotating wiper blade that wipes a thin film of winterized oil over the evaporative surface. The condenser is typically only 1-2 inches away from the evaporator so that when the volatile components begin to evaporate into the headspace, they migrate towards the chilled surface of the condenser and condense to a liquid, distillate product.
  • Degasses winterized oil.
  • Makes distillate from degassed winterized oils.
  • Removes color, terpenes, flavor, and other impurities.
  • Makes oil consistent so that it can be used in a product for consistent results.
  • Upgrades potency of target distillate.

What is the advantage of a dual still?

  • Continuous degassing and distillation in a continuous two step operation that will yield a first pass distillate.
  • If operating with only distillation parameters, increased distillation production and better control of the distillate product with no handling required in between operations.

Get in touch with our team to request a quote, learn more about our training or get help with your business plan.

We are dedicated to providing you with the best advice, quality and service in the industry.

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