Site Requirements and Utilities for a Hydrocarbon System

Everything your facility has to have in place before an N.B. Oler hydrocarbon system can be commissioned, with the actual numbers. Read this before you buy, not after. Most of what goes wrong on an install is a utility that was sized by guess, or ordered too late.

9 ft Ceiling height Minimum preferred in a C1D1 booth
2.8 CFM Vacuum pump Free air displacement, minimum
480V / 55A Chiller service Three phase, 60 Hz, or more

The extraction room

Room rating C1D1 rated room or booth, commissioned and operational
Ceiling height Over 9 ft preferred
Gas detection LEL sensors for your solvents. CO2 detection as well if you chill with liquid CO2
Interlocks Sensors tied into booth safety interlocks and high-fan settings
Also required Emergency lighting, no-smoking signage, NFPA 704 placards
System placement Inside the C1D1 booth or approved C1D1 space, grounded against static build-up
Seismic Restraints may be required, bolted to the floor. Your Certificate of Conformance decides

Booth build-outs run up to 12 weeks. This is the single most common reason a finished system sits in a crate. Order the booth when you order the system.

Chilling, pick one

Option A, liquid CO2

Dewar supply pressure 250 psi recommended
Line to the system 1/2 inch stainless, 304 / 316 / 316L, 0.049 or 0.065 inch wall or thicker
Consumption Budget about 75 L per run on a 20 LB system, 200 to 300 L on a 40 LB
Production volume Several runs a day means a bulk tank, with a cooling coil and a pressure builder so you are not venting LCO2 on hot days
Placement Where the tanker can reach it, or run a fill line

Option B, liquid-to-liquid chiller

Temperature -40 °C minimum, -70 °C recommended
Power 480VAC / 60Hz / 3Ph / 55A or more
Placement Outside. The heat load will overwhelm your HVAC if you put it indoors
Its own cooling May need plant water, glycol or a cooling tower. Confirm when sizing
Nitrogen blanket Plumbed to the chiller, bottle set at 100 psi maximum

Which one

LCO2 is lower capital and higher running cost, and it scales by buying more gas. A chiller is higher capital and lower running cost, and it scales by running more hours. At a few runs a week LCO2 usually wins. At production volume the chiller usually does. Call us with your run schedule and we will work the crossover with you.

Vacuum, heating, nitrogen and solvent

Vacuum pump C1D1 rated, compatible with propane and butane, 2.8 CFM free air displacement or greater
Pump placement In the C1D1 space, venting into the booth exhaust plenum or outside clear of ignition sources
Heating recirculation Hot water, hot oil or another thermal fluid. Tell us if it is not water so we can check chemical compatibility
Heating power 208V / 80A or 480V / 40A or more. Flag any power shortfall early
Amperage limited? Propane, butane or natural gas can fire the hot water system instead
Nitrogen K-type bottle in the C1D1 space or plumbed in, regulated between 15 and 100 psi
Solvent grade Research or analytical grade propane and butane. Instrument grade must be distilled several times before use
Solvent handling Know your local rules for filling and charging, confirm Maximum Allowable Quantities with your AHJ, and have a plan to dehazardize the system

Non-negotiable

Never exhaust the vacuum pump inside the building into unclassified space.

Delivery and rigging

  • The system arrives assembled. One or two vessels may need to be set on the skid depending on transport.
  • A 20 LB system weighs about 1,500 lbs empty. Lift-gate service is possible and costs more freight.
  • Unloading, uncrating and rolling it into your C1D1 space is your responsibility.
  • Have a forklift or loading dock lined up, or a rental arranged.
  • No forklift possible? Tell your N.B. Oler rep before the truck is booked.
  • Gravel or dirt lot? Tell your rep. A Gradall may be needed.

Documentation for your AHJ

Your Authority Having Jurisdiction, usually your local fire marshal or building inspector, may require any of these. Tell us which ones you need and we will produce them.

Certificate of Conformance What roughly 98 percent of AHJs actually want. Serialized to your individual system, includes site-specific seismic calculations, and points back to the parent ECR
Engineering Certification Report The parent report. PE stamped and peer reviewed
Proof of training Signed certificates for every operator. Some AHJs require them

Dealing with your AHJ is your responsibility. We help with the paperwork and the questions, and extra documentation may carry extra fees.

Pre-delivery checklist

Everything on this list must be connected and working before we arrive to commission and train. We require a minimum two-week lead time to schedule a site visit.

  1. C1D1 booth commissioned, fans and sensors operational
  2. Nitrogen connected
  3. LCO2 or chiller connected, dewar or tank filled
  4. Hot water recirculation connected and holding temperature
  5. Vacuum pump connected and functioning
  6. Solvent and biomass on site, AHJ approval for solvent use in place
  7. Spare parts on hand, including an ultrasonic cleaner sized for your 4 or 6 inch filters and a second set of sintered filters
  8. Pre-visit video call with N.B. Oler completed

Questions on any line in this document? Call 541-330-6409 during shop hours, Monday to Thursday, 8 to 4 Pacific. We would rather answer a sizing question now than reschedule a commissioning visit later.

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