System Comparison, 10, 20 and 40 LB
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Three closed loop hydrocarbon systems, built in Bend, Oregon, on the same architecture. They differ in how much biomass they hold, not in how they work. Every one is passive recovery, 250 psi, ASME certified, and runs crude or live resin without reconfiguration.
| 250 psi | MAWP, every system | ASME Section VIII Division 1 |
| Passive | Solvent recovery | No pump in the solvent path, on any model |
| 1 hour | Run time | Same on every system, capacity is what changes |
Side by side
| 10 LB | 20 LB | 40 LB Double Barrel | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Material columns | 1 × 6" × 48" | 2 × 6" × 48" | 4 × 6" × 48" |
| Dry material per run | 4,500 g 9.9 lb |
9,000 g 19.8 lb |
18,000 g 39.6 lb |
| Live resin per run | Consult | 16,329 g 36 lb |
up to 72 lb |
| Rated throughput | 10 lb/hr | 20 lb/hr | 40 lb/hr |
| Run time | ~1 hour | ~1 hour | ~1 hour |
| Recovery column | 12" × 52" ASME | 12" × 52" ASME | 12" × 52" ASME, jacketed, bowl base |
| Solvent tanks | 1 × 100 lb ASME | 1 × 100 lb ASME | 2 × 100 lb ASME |
| Solvent MAQ design | 100 lb | 100 lb | 200 lb |
| Molecular sieve | 6" × 24" | 6" × 24" | 6" × 48" |
| Color remediation | 6" CRC | 6" CRC, 12" × 6" jacketed media column | 8" CRC |
| Internal MAWP | 250 psi | 250 psi | 250 psi |
| Operating range | -65 to 50 °C | -65 to 50 °C | -65 to 50 °C |
| Recovery | Fully passive | Fully passive | Fully passive |
| LCO2 per run | Consult | ~75 L | 200 to 300 L |
| Heating service | Consult | 208V/80A or 480V/40A | 24 to 48 kW at 100 °F, 6 GPM |
| Footprint, W × L × H | Consult | 30.25" × 58" × 86" tall | 44" × 110" × 87" tall |
| Fits a standard door | Yes | Yes | Yes, the rack separates into sections |
| Lead time | Consult | 20 weeks | 26 weeks |
Every system: ASME Section VIII Division 1 pressure vessels, in-line stainless sintered filtration, sight spools, 3/4 inch jacketed chilled recovery lines at 4 or more pounds per minute, and cooling by liquid CO2, liquid nitrogen or chiller. Configurations vary by build, your build sheet governs.
How to choose
The honest version, rather than the one that sells you the biggest machine.
Start with your biomass supply, not your ambition
The most common mistake is buying for the volume you hope to have in two years. A 40 LB system running at a third of capacity costs the same to own as one running full, and it consumes 200 to 300 L of LCO2 per run whether the columns are packed or not. Buy for the material you can actually feed it this year. The racks are laid out so a second pair of columns or a CRC column can be added later without rebuilding the skid.
Then count your ovens
Extraction is rarely the bottleneck. Five runs a shift on a 20 LB system puts 45 kg of biomass through the machine, and the output has to be purged, and then packaged. If your vacuum oven bank and your packaging line cannot keep up with a 20 LB system, a 40 LB will not make you more product, it will make you more backlog.
Getting it into the room
Both systems are built to be moved in. The 20 LB rolls in on its own rack at 30.25 inches wide. The 40 LB is 110 inches long assembled, which fits almost no doorway, so the rack separates into sections, goes through the opening, and is reassembled on the other side. Measure your narrowest point of access, the door, the corridor turn, the elevator, and tell us before the truck is booked. It is far cheaper to plan the route than to take a wall out.
Then check your room and your power
The 40 LB draws 24 to 48 kW on the hot side and doubles your solvent Maximum Allowable Quantity to 200 lb, which changes what your AHJ will approve. Two systems that fit the same floor space can have very different permitting outcomes. See Site Requirements and Utilities.
The short answer
Most operations should start with the 20 LB.
It handles 9,000 g of dry material or 36 lb of live resin per run, carries a full PE report for permitting, and the rack is built to be expanded. Step up to the 40 LB when you are genuinely running the 20 LB to capacity and your post-processing can absorb the output.
What the double barrel actually buys you
The 40 LB is not simply a 20 LB with more columns bolted on. The layout is where the throughput comes from.
Four material columns feed one recovery column in two pairs. One pair soaks while the other drains, so the recovery column is never idle waiting on a load. On a single-sided system the recovery column spends a meaningful share of every cycle doing nothing. On the double barrel it does not.
That is also why the 40 LB needs two 100 lb solvent tanks rather than one larger one. The alternating pairs each need their own charge ready to go.
Accessories and standalone equipment
| Equipment | Key specifications |
|---|---|
| Diamond Miner | 250 psi, -65 to 50 °C, 1.3 to 2.3 L capacity. Standard 8.6" × 9" × 10" at 80 in³, extended 12" tall at 141 in³. Adjustable PRV so you can ride the saturation curve down. Jacketed and non-jacketed |
| Drop-in tube-in-shell condenser | 6" tri clamp connection, adds 6" of height and inserts 6-1/2" into the vessel. 1,100 in² of cooling surface, designed to 1,200 psi, CRV rated 100 psi with a 22 psi inlet needle valve. Adds 60 percent cooling surface to an empty 100 lb solvent tank and 125 percent when that tank is half full |
| Stand-alone Aqua-Tech CRC column | 4 inch and 6 inch. 250 psi PRV, gauge -30 inHg to 300 psi, sight spool, jacketed bottom spool for thermal control, on its own rolling rack. Filters included |
| Hot water skid | 150 psi, 80 to 185 °F, 6 gpm, 26" × 34" × 66" |
| C1D1 hot plate | Billet aerospace-grade aluminum, 20 psi max, 180 °F max, 1 gpm, 18" × 12" × 1.5", 216 in² surface. 1/4" MNPT no-spill quick connects, manifoldable |
What ships with every system
- The 2026 Training Binder, including the Hydrocarbon Operators Manual, sintered filter technical specifications, safety and process training, technical briefs on CRC media, molecular sieves, diamond formation and cannabinoid storage, an operators run log, a certification exam and a certificate of completion.
- A full PE report for engineering review and permitting.
- A serialized Certificate of Conformance with site-specific seismic calculations, on request for your AHJ.
- Onsite commissioning and training, three days minimum and five days recommended. Training is required and is quoted separately at $3,500 per day. It is not included in the purchase price.
Gaskets, PRVs, clamps, fittings and valves for every system are stocked and ship immediately. The service schedule and reorder list for your model is in the Operators Manual and on the product page.
All prices are published on nboler.com. We are the only ASME fabricator in this category that puts them online. Call 541-330-6409 Monday to Thursday, 8 to 4 Pacific, to talk through a configuration.