Unconfigured Ad Widget

Collapse

Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

Pumps for Methoxide 2

Collapse
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

  • Pumps for Methoxide 2

    Hi Dudes

    I'm still trying to figure out this forum and I don't know how I can make sure my thread is continued. I had posted the reponse below on the 'Pumps for methoxide' thread but post it here again in hope of a follow up:

    Thanks for all of the responses and my apologies for the delay in responding. Had a birth to attend. In answer to some of your questions:

    - I need the pump as I currently mix the methoxide in 2 of 25L HDPE drums (carboy) but I am wrecking my back doing this and I also want to scale my operation up to 400L of WVO at a time. So, I was hoping to get away with using the pump to recirculate methanol through the methoxide container until the NaOH was thouroughly dissolved, and then use the same pump to transfer it to the mixer.

    - Like you all I am thouroughly disgusted that a 1" clearwater pump cannot be purchased as cheap as it can in the US. I will try to get one of these for transfering the WVO into the mixer and then the mixed batch into settling containers.

    In case you are interested, and as a lesson in safety, my reason for transferring the batch immediately following mixing is that I caused a fire by trying to reheat the the solid glycerol so I could drain the mixer. The plug of glycerol in the outlet suddenly gave way and liquid glycerol splashed into the catching bucket, but it also splashed up onto the burner that I was heating the mixer with. My advice...don't try this at home and always keep a fire extinguisher next to your mixer even if you heat electrically. This was the only thing that prevented a real and expensive disaster.

    By transferring immediately I also keep the mixer clean and can process another batch almost straight away. I have not gone down the KOH path as my wife has developed a sudden interest in soap making, and I also intend to burn the glycerol to heat a boiler for heating the larger 400L setup.

    - My main concern with pumps is the materials the housing, impeller and seals are made of. This information is really difficult to get hold of, but I have an old dishwasher water pump that I will give a go. Since the fire I am wary of the pump situation with the methoxide because if a seal or housing fails while the pump is operating you could be in real trouble.

    - I have researched and found a drill powered pump with brass internals. By using an air drill to drive it I eliminate any ignition sources, but no pump sales people can tell me if methoxide attacks brass. Does anyone here know?

    - What would be great is a list of metals and plastics that Sodium Mehtoxide does not attack. Can anyone help with this?

    - And Darren, thanks for the offer of washing machine / dishwaher pumps. I may yet take you up on this.

    Thanks heaps for any help you can give.

    Regards
    Sirus
Working...
X