Sciencemadness Discussion Board - Searching for large glassware

Searching for large glassware

bwpatton1 - 4-7-2015 at 10:32

I have done a little home chemistry here and there over these past couple years and now I'm wanting to get into alternative fuels as I go off to college. Im looking for larger round bottom boiling flasks and bigger Erlenmeyer flasks to react small quantities of biodiesel and manufacture ethanols. I made my first batch of biodiesel the other day and had to scale the amounts down because the largest beaker I has was a 1L! Any glassware larger than 1L is helpful, I don't mind making stuff work. If anybody has any larger stuff they are looking to get rid It would be greatly appreciated, send me a PM.

Bradley

aga - 4-7-2015 at 13:28

There are many forums out there related to biodiesel.

I knew one guy who used discarded hot water heaters after removing the heating element and cleaning thoroughly.

bwpatton1 - 4-7-2015 at 16:57

I will be constructing the "appleseed" style processor which utilizes a modified water heater at some point in the future. I wanted to be able to experiment with blends in smaller batches first, thus the need for glassware. I guess I could use HDPE bottles but what is the fun in that?

hyfalcon - 4-7-2015 at 18:40

If you're into biodiesel then check this business out. I've ordered from them several times.

https://www.dudadiesel.com/

Container porn

https://www.dudadiesel.com/search.php?query=%2Bcone+%2Btank+...

[Edited on 5-7-2015 by hyfalcon]

byko3y - 5-7-2015 at 08:57

My 10 L Woolf bottle got a crack really fast. It's a known problem with large glassware: it's fragile, it has low heat resistance, and those are the reasons why large glassware is rarely used and costs a lot. Percelain has all the properties of glass, plus it has much better heat resistance for thick walled devices. Just a regular shitty 5 mm thick porcelain has heat shock resistance of 2 mm thick borosilicate glass and can withstand up to 1100°C temperature, while 600°C is a maximum for a borosilicate glass, and quartz devices cost A LOT. I would be glad to own some porcelain flasks with ground joints.
MingVase.JPG - 51kB

But for most of devices a metal is used. The metal rocks. It's rigid, and at the same time it can be modified at any time (holes, connections), and can be repaired after an incident. Using simple devices you can assemble a device from copper and solder which can withstand up to 300°C.

Funkerman23 - 5-7-2015 at 15:14

Quote: Originally posted by byko3y

My 10 L Woolf bottle got a crack really fast. It's a known problem with large glassware: it's fragile, it has low heat resistance, and those are the reasons why large glassware is rarely used and costs a lot. Percelain has all the properties of glass, plus it has much better heat resistance for thick walled devices. Just a regular shitty 5 mm thick porcelain has heat shock resistance of 2 mm thick borosilicate glass and can withstand up to 1100°C temperature, while 600°C is a maximum for a borosilicate glass, and quartz devices cost A LOT. I would be glad to own some porcelain flasks with ground joints.

But for most of devices a metal is used. The metal rocks. It's rigid, and at the same time it can be modified at any time (holes, connections), and can be repaired after an incident. Using simple devices you can assemble a device from copper and solder which can withstand up to 300°C.

If Dr Bob or the old gaurd chimes in to agree( not that I doubt your statement) then you may have just saved me 60 bucks( if not more). I was mulling over a 4 liter beaker/ flask& mantle & stirrer set up with much of the OP's needs in mind: bulk preparations. I've used , and use, flasks up to 3 liters but trying to get anything for larger volumes is hit or miss, with HUGE problems getting it all together for a reasonable cost.A decent 5 liter mantle is $200 plus, the overhead stirrer,paddles& needed bearings 'n such is another $250 plus and the flasks alone are almost always over $70. Not so easy on a undergrads ramen budget. Going the rubber stopper route might save SOME money but Butyl rubber isn't resistant to everything and silicone has its weak points too( good luck finding large amounts of silicone stoppers in an amateur friendly business). Pardon the wall text.

bwpatton1 - 9-7-2015 at 17:44

Both very valid points. I hadn't considered the heat resistance of the borosilicate glass in larger quantities. I was merely looking to the glass to for the resistance to more chemicals, biodiesel has a tendency to be corrosive. I might have to change my approach to this topic, further research is required.

The Volatile Chemist - 10-7-2015 at 10:17

So, basically, to summarize, we all would like to own O. Chem reactors and the like. OK.

There's some nice ones on AliBaba and Aliexpress for cheap, say $1000 a pop in bulk...

Funkerman23 - 10-7-2015 at 16:58

Quote: Originally posted by The Volatile Chemist

So, basically, to summarize, we all would like to own O. Chem reactors and the like. OK.

There's some nice ones on AliBaba and Aliexpress for cheap, say $1000 a pop in bulk...

Oh Lord, is there some truth in that!

The Volatile Chemist - 16-7-2015 at 13:03

There is indeed. Too bad my reactions don't work in large glass vessels - like vinegar bottles :/

aga - 16-7-2015 at 13:56

Conjecture:-

If you do not know it will work at X scale, then glass is best, so you can see what is going on, and panic accordingly if it mis-behaves.

I guess this is one of the differences between amateur and industrial chemistry.

You tend not to see any industrial sites with 200,000 litre RBFs, and the Bunsen from Hell driving it.

zed - 17-7-2015 at 15:23

Ummm. Strong bases of the biodiesel type, aren't terribly compatible with glass.

HDPE is nice. Resists NaOH, and it can take a fair amount of heat.

Locally, used 55 gallon drums sell for about 10 to 20 dollars each.

skip - 18-7-2015 at 05:51

You don't need glass to make bio -D. The reactors are made of plastic for this.

Magpie - 18-7-2015 at 13:51

Quote: Originally posted by aga

You tend not to see any industrial sites with 200,000 litre RBFs, and the Bunsen from Hell driving it.

Here's a picture of a Bunsen burner on steroids

. It is used for heating incoming crude oil at refineries:

The Volatile Chemist - 21-7-2015 at 13:21

Great! All we need now is an awesome glassblower to make a 200,000L RBF! Make it have at least a few 24/40 connections on it, please.