Cannabis Industry Heat Exchanger

Sanitary Heat Exchangers for Cannabis

In the cannabis industry, heat exchangers, particularly shell and tube models, have become essential components in cannabis extraction systems. These devices optimize heat transfer, ensuring efficient extraction while preserving the delicate compounds of the cannabis plant.

Sanitary shell and tube heat exchangers are designed to rapidly heat or cool extraction media, like CBD Oil, to precise temperatures. In this setup, the process fluid flows through inner tubes while the utility fluid circulates in the outer shell, indirectly heating or cooling the process fluid through the tube walls. These exchangers can handle the significant temperature changes required in extraction methods such as supercritical CO2 or ethanol extraction. Their ability to quickly transfer heat, deal with phase changes during extraction and post-processing stages, maintain the purity and potency of cannabinoids throughout the extraction processand, and to winterize or process cannabis distillates make them essential to the industry.

Heat exchangers play a critical role in extraction, winterization, solvent recovery, decarboxylation, and distillation of cannabis products. Manufacturers construct these heat exchangers with materials that meet industry standards for purity and safety, including designs meeting 3-A Sanitary Standards. Advanced design and engineering have also addressed scalability and maintenance concerns, affording seamless integration into existing extraction systems.

Botanical Extraction Solutions Achieving high-purity CBD and THC products demands advanced knowledge of botanical extraction processes to maximize yield and productivity. HeatX leads the CBD/THC extraction sector with a comprehensive range of plate and tubular heat exchangers tailored for your extraction needs.

Ethanol Extraction: Cryogenic Cooling: Ethanol undergoes subzero chilling using plate or tubular heat exchangers, utilizing specialized heat transfer fluids like Dynalene, to enhance extraction performance.

Evaporation: Extracted CBD/THC oils are separated from ethanol solvent in heat exchangers, followed by evaporation into a flash tank to reclaim ethanol vapors and isolate CBD/THC oils.

Condensation: Ethanol vapors are condensed back into liquid form for recycling using advanced plate or tubular heat exchangers.

Energy Recovery: Heat exchangers recover energy between evaporation and cryogenic cooling stages, reducing chiller workload and optimizing process flow.

Hydrocarbon Extraction: Cryogenic Cooling: Propane or Butane hydrocarbons are chilled to liquid form in plate or tubular heat exchangers before being used as solvents for CBD and/or THC extraction.

Evaporation and Recovery: Hydrocarbons evaporate at ambient conditions, allowing for efficient recovery while CBD/THC oils are collected.

Condensation: Gaseous hydrocarbons are condensed back into liquid form for reuse in subsequent extraction cycles using heat exchangers.

Cannabis oil dripping into a brown glass jar
Shell & Tube:
Sanitary Applications
  • Evaporators & Condensors
  • Clean-in-Place
  • Stock and Custom Models Available
Shell and Tube
Plate & Frame:
Sanitary Applications
  • Fully Customizable
  • Multiple Materials Available
  • Easy Service and Maintenance
Plate and Frame
Brazed Plate:
Sanitary Applications
  • Compact Form Factor
  • Multiple Materials Available
  • Varous Connections
Embossed Plate
Tube-in-Tube:
Sanitary Applications
  • Fully Customizable
  • High Temperature & Pressure
  • Temperature Crossing
Tube-in-Tube

Heat exchangers are integral to cannabis extraction because they control temperatures at every stage of production and ensure purity. They maintain precise temperature control during CBD extraction and THC extraction, separating cannabinoids and terpenes. Cannabis heat exchangers condense and recycle solvents like ethanol or CO2, making the process more economical and environmentally friendly. They follow hygienic standards, making sure temperature-sensitive processes produce high-quality extracts.

Common heat exchanger types used in the cannabis industry include:

  • Shell and Tube Exchangers: Provide accurate temperature control with a small footprint. In cannabis solvent recovery and high-volume processing, they’re durable and versatile.
  • Plat Heat Exchangers: Ideal for sanitary cannabis processing settings because of their quick heat transfer, ease of cleaning, CIP systems, and compact size and scalability.
  • Coil Heat Exchangers: An effective, simple method of heating and cooling frequently used in laboratory or small-scale settings.

Because of its longevity, resistance to corrosion, and capacity to uphold hygienic standards, stainless steel is ideal for heat exchangers in the cannabis processing industry. It's resistant to chemical interactions with solvents such as CO2 or ethanol and can withstand temperature fluctuations. Non-reactive coatings and food-grade gaskets may be used to improve performance and guarantee product safety.

Heat exchangers use smooth, non-reactive surfaces, like stainless steel, that prevent contamination, ensuring product purity. By keeping the heating or cooling medium and the product apart, their design removes the possibility of cross-contamination or direct contact. Many are compatible with Clean-in-Place (CIP) systems, which enable easy cleaning without disassembly, preserving hygienic conditions and satisfying regulatory requirements for sanitary processing. HeatX cannabis heat exchangers meet Sanitary Heat Exchangers .

Since heat exchangers condense and recycle solvents like ethanol or CO2, they are important for solvent recovery in cannabis extraction. The heat exchanger cools and condenses the vaporized solvents back into liquid form. Reusing the recovered solvent reduces operating expenses and waste. Heat exchangers enable recovery while preserving the quality of cannabinoids and terpenes in the final product.

Heat exchangers contribute to terpene preservation during processing using temperature control by preventing degradation and ensuring terpenes aren’t exposed to high heat for extended periods. Careful control preserves the quality of the cannabis extract by retaining the terpenes' flavor, fragrance, and medicinal qualities.

When selecting heat exchangers for cannabis applications, essential safety features to consider include:

  • Explosion-Proof Design: Heat exchangers should be built to handle flammable solvents like ethanol or CO2 under high pressure, with explosion-proof components to prevent accidents.
  • Temperature and Pressure Controls: Integrated sensors and automatic shutoffs maintain safe operating conditions and prevent overheating or excessive pressure.
  • Corrosion-Resistant Materials: Using stainless steel or other corrosion-resistant materials ensures durability and prevents contamination from chemical reactions.
  • Leak Detection Systems: Early leak detection prevents solvent loss and minimizes the risk of fire or contamination.
  • Clean-in-Place (CIP) Compatability: CIP systems allow safe and hygienic cleaning without dismantling, reducing the risk of exposure to harmful residues.

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