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North Slope Chillers

Industrial Water Chiller Systems

Emma Pollock

A Beginners Guide To Cannabis Extraction

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What are cannabis extracts and what are they used for?
The goal of cannabis extraction is to create a product with a high concentration of cannabinoids. Cannabis extracts come in different forms including powders, rosins, and oils and are believed to have powerful medicinal properties. 

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Cannabis Extraction

 The goal of cannabis extraction is to generate a high-concentrate cannabinoid (the active ingredients in cannabis)  product for potential beneficial use.

Timothy Welty, chair of the department of clinical sciences at Drake University’s College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, in Des Moines, Iowa, explains that “CBD (a cannabinoid found in cannabis plants) is kind of a tricky drug because it’s not very well absorbed orally. Less than 20 percent of the drug is absorbed orally. If it isn’t made in the right way, you may not be getting much drug into your systemic circulation.”

Common Cannabis Extraction Methods

There a few different methods employed when extracting active ingredients from cannabis plants. Here are a few of the more common methods:

Solvent Extraction

For this method, cannabis trimmings are steeped in ethanol. The ethanol is evaporated, leaving the plant extracts behind.

CO2 Extraction

This method is extremely technical but yields the most potent results. Supercritical CO2 passes through plant trimmings, dissolving the extracts. The extracts are then separated from the CO2.

Ice Water Extraction

This method results in what’s most commonly referred to as “Bubble Hash”. Cannabis trimmings are mixed with ice. Water is added and the mixture is strained through several layers of mesh. 

(For more details on cannabis extraction methods, check out this blog article. )

THC vs CBD

Quality cannabis extracts contain a high concentration of cannabinoids. The two main players when it comes to cannabinoids are tetrahydrocannabinol (THC)  and cannabidiol (CBD). Put simply, THC is what gets you “high” while CBD is often sought after for its claimed medicinal properties.

THC

Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) is the most potent psychotic found in cannabis plants. As mentioned above, it’s found in higher percentages in marijuana. Besides giving you  a “high,” THC can cause feelings of lethargy and dysphoria and may even make anxiety and seizures worse.

CBD

Cannabidiol (CBD) does not have intoxicating effects like THC. CBD oil is often used to treat epilepsy and pain. Some claim that CBD relives sleep issues, depression, anxiety, and other mental health disorders. It may even counteract the psychoactive effects of THC. CBD usage has been linked with side effects like decreased appetite, fatigue, weakness and sleeping problems.

Hemp vs Marijuana

All cannabis extracts start with a cannabis plant. While the terms cannabis, marijuana and hemp are often used interchangeably (i.e., CBD oil is often referred to as marijuana oil) , if you want to understand cannabis extracts, it’s important to know the difference between the three.

Cannabis is a family of plants. Marijuana and hemp are two different types of plants that fall under the umbrella of cannabis. While marijuana typically has a higher percentage of THC, hemp usually has a higher percentage of CBD

Common Uses for Cannabis Extracts

Research on the benefits of cannabis extracts is limited. Studies, however, have indicated that extracts, specifically CBD oil, can help with the following symptoms and diseases:

Epilepsy

Epilepsy is the only condition with significant scientific evidence that supports CBD as a viable treatment option. Three separate clinical trials have indicated that pharmaceutical-grade CBD reduces seizures with minimal side effects. The CBD-based medication Epidiolex is currently used to treat two rare forms of epilepsy: Lennox-Gastaut syndrome and Dravet syndrome.


Pain/Inflammation

While there hasn’t been enough human trials to confirm CBD’s effect on pain and inflammation, animal trials indicate it could be a successful treatment. Some research has found that CBD reduced levels of chronic inflammation in rats and mice.


Anxiety

Some human clinical trials suggest that CBD could be an effective treatment for anxiety disorders including generalized anxiety disorder, panic disorder, social anxiety disorder, obsessive–compulsive disorder, and post-traumatic stress disorder.

Cancer

An article published in the British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology that CBD can prevent cancer cells from spreading. While more research is needed to further support this claim, CBD’s anti-cancer properties are currently being researched throughout the United States.

Keeping Roots Healthy With Hydroponic Water Chillers

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Why should you add a water chiller to your hydroponic setup?

Hydroponic water chillers are used to carefully control the temperature of hydroponic water. Controlling the water temperature keeps the root zone healthy and increases nutrient absorption. While water chillers can be relatively expensive, they provide the efficiency and ease of use that other cooling solutions simply cannot.

When it comes to any type of gardening, the root zone is where the magic happens. The root is the start of a plant’s vascular system– where nutrients are absorbed. For healthy plants, it’s crucial that this area be well-cared for.

One especially amazing aspect of hydroponics is the opportunity for careful control and care of the root zone. More specifically, growers have the opportunity to precisely control the temperature of the roots.

Why Roots Need to Stay Cool

When hydroponic water and, consequently, the root zone, get too warm, the plants can wilt, growth can be stunted, and dangerous pathogens can breed. This is predominantly caused by low oxygen. The warmer a solution gets, the less oxygen it’s able to support and transport to the root zone. What’s more, as temperatures rise, root zones actually need more oxygen! High hydroponic water temperatures put plants in a tough situation: roots need more oxygen but nutrient solutions are actually carrying less oxygen than usual.

Enter: Water Chillers

While there are plenty of other options for keeping hydroponic water cool, water chillers are by for the most effective solution. While chillers have a higher price tag that other cooling methods, serious hydroponic growers often find they pay for themselves in time and physical labor saved.


Pros and Cons of Using a Water Chiller in Your Hydroponic Garden

If you’re not sure whether you’re ready to add a chiller to your setup, it can be helpful to look at the benefits and a few potential drawbacks.


Pros

  • High oxygen levels- Water chillers provide the cool temperature necessary to hold increased quantities of dissolved oxygen.
  • Higher root growth and increased nutrient absorption- this is a direct result of increased oxygen levels.
  • Decreased risk of harmful pathogens- Highly oxygenated, cool environments prevent the growth of pathogens that could damage plants.
  • Adaptable- no matter what your setup (ebb and flow, drip, nutrient film technique, etc), a chiller can easily be incorporated into your system
  • More precise control- compared to other cooling methods, water chillers offer more precise control. They can often be set to specific temperatures.
  • Require less time and work- once it’s set up, utilizing a water chiller is often as easy as flipping on a switch.

Cons

  • Expense- While they’re becoming more affordable, water chillers are still a fairly significant expense. Some growers may have a hard time justifying the purchase.
  • Noise- Most hydroponic equipment generates some type of noise and chillers are no exception.

How to Determine Hydroponic Water Chiller Size

If you’ve decided a chiller is for you, you’ll need to determine the cooling power your hydroponic setup requires. When chillers are too small, they won’t function properly. While oversized chillers won’t harm plants, there’s no need to spend more money than you need to.

To figure out what size chiller you’ll need, follow these steps:

  1. As accurately as you can, calculate the total gallons of water in your hydroponic system.
  2. Next, you’ll want to get your grow room to maximum temperature. At the hottest part of the day, turn on any equipment in your garden that produces heat.
  3. Bring your water down to your desired temp (typically 60-70F) using ice packs or frozen water bottles.
  4. Once you’ve reached your desired temperature, remove the ice packs and let the water circulate.
  5. After letting the water circulate for an hour, take the temperature again.
  6. Subtract your starting temp from your temperature after one hour – this is your temperature differential.
  7. Next, use the following formula to calculate the BTUs you need:

Gallons of Water X 8.34 lbs (weight of a gallon of water) X Temperature Differential

8. Finally, use this formula to calculate the total tons of cooling capacity required then oversize by 20%.

Tons = BTU/hr. ÷ 12,000

If you need any help determining which chiller size is best for your hydroponic setup or have any other questions concerning incorporating a chiller into your garden, please feel free to contact us at (866) 826-2993 or [email protected]. We’d love to help.

A Crash Course on High-Quality CBD Extraction

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Increased research on the potential benefits of cannabidiols (CBD and THC) extracted from cannabis plants has led to growing popularity in CBD and THC oils. These high-value extracts require careful extraction methods to go from cannabis plant to oil. Here are a few of the most common CBD and THC extraction methods.

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CBD vs. THC- What’s the Difference?

THC and CBD are the two main cannabinoids extracted from cannabis plants. Marijuana has a higher percentage of THC while hemp has a higher percentage of CBD. Put simply, THC has the psychoactive properties associated with getting “high” while CBD is said to have more calming, medicinal properties.

Common Extraction Methods

Solvent Extraction

This simple extraction method works by using ethanol as a solvent to remove extracts from cannabis plant trimmings. It usually looks something like this:

  1. Ethanol is added to trimmings and mixed for a couple of minutes to allow the ethanol to dissolve extracts from the plant materials.
  2. The ethanol is strained from the trimmings.
  3. The ethanol/extract mixture is slowly heated until all ethanol evaporates and only the plant extracts remain.

Solvent Extraction Pros:

  • Inexpensive- This method doesn’t require any fancy machinery.
  • Simple- This method is pretty straightforward and can even be done at home.

Solvent Extraction Cons:

  • Dangerous- Ethanol is extremely flammable.
  • Could Damage CBD/ THC- Ethanol could potentially denature the CBD or THC if overheated or overmixed.

CO2 Extraction

The CO2 Extraction method uses supercritical carbon dioxide to pull phytochemicals from cannabis plants. Supercritical materials are not quite a liquid but not quite a gas and possess the properties of both. This state is ideal for plant extraction because supercritical CO2 can move through materials like gas and dissolve materials like a liquid.

CO2  extraction typically follows these steps:

  1. The CO2 is prepared in a compression chamber. First, CO2  gas is turned into a liquid; this is done by dropping the temperature to under -69°F and increasing the pressure to over 75 psi. Next, the the temperature and pressure are both raised until the liquid becomes supercritical.
  2. The supercritical CO2 passes through cannabis trimmings in an extraction chamber where it dissolves and collects extracts from the plants.
  3. The CO2 / extract solution then enters a lower-pressure separator chamber. The lower pressure causes the CO2  and plant extracts to separate. The CO2 returns to the CO2 chamber and the cannabis oil is drained from the separator.

CO2  Extraction Pros:

  • Safe when done by professionals- CO2 is used in countless food products and is perfectly safe for consumption
  • Yields high-quality CBD- machines leave very little room for error

CO2  Extraction Cons:

  • Very expensive- setup costs start at approximately $40,000
  • Not for novice chemists- it’s best to leave this method to the professionals

Ice Water Extraction

Ice water extraction creates a powdery resin extract often referred to as “hash” or “bubble hash.” There are several variations to this method, but they all follow these general steps:

  1. Finely-chopped plant trimmings are mixed with either ice or dry ice.  This step is supposed to help separate extracts from the plant material.
  2. Water is added to the ice and trimmings and the entire mixture is strained through a mesh bag. (Often, the mixture is strained multiple times through progressively smaller-micron mesh bags until the purest-possible extracts are obtained)
  3. The extracts settle at  the bottom of the strained mixture. The excess water is drained from the top and the extracts are left to dry until they become powdery.

Ice Water Extraction Pros:

  • Inexpensive- Again, no fancy machinery needed!
  • High Yield- If done correctly, this method produces a relatively large amount of plant extract.

Ice Water Extraction Cons:

  • Not always practical- This method can be labor intensive and time consuming.

Temperature Control During Extraction

Regardless of the method used, careful temperature is control is an important element of high-quality yield in CBD and THC extraction. Extreme temperatures damage cannabinoids. Additionally, many processes need specific, extreme temperatures to be effective; if ideal temperatures are not maintained, the extraction process could completely flop. North Slope Chillers’ extraction chillers offer precise temperature control at sub-zero temperatures. Give us a call at
(866) 826-2993 and we’d be happy to tell you more about our products.

What is Process Cooling?

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Commercial environments typically utilize two types of cooling: comfort cooling and process cooling. Comfort cooling is what we are typically most familiar with– think air conditioning and other cooling systems used to keep living and work places at comfortable temperatures. While most people aren’t as familiar with process chilling, we all regularly use items that couldn’t exist without the help of that type of system.

Put simply, process cooling removes unwanted heat from processes to keep things running smoothly.

Some common products that rely heavily on this kind of cooling are: chemicals, beer and other fermented beverages, dairy products, plastic products, printed materials, jewelry, most metal items, and internet technology.

Chemical Products

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Think of the chemicals you use at home. Just a few that come to mind are rubbing alcohol, antifreeze, battery acid, white-out, and glass cleaner.

The production of these goods require extreme care. One of the most challenging aspects of processing, handling and storing chemicals is maintaining a consistent temperature. Temperatures even a few degrees above “ideal” can quickly damage chemical products and create a chemically hazardous environment.

Fermented Beverages

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If you’ve ever enjoyed a refreshing beer, you have process cooling to thank.

High-quality brews require careful temperature control during the fermentation process. Ideal beer fermentation temperature is between 68 and 72° F. For lager, ideal fermentation temps are between 45 and 55°F. Fermenting above these temperature ranges will create extremely fruity-flavored esters and harsh-flavored fusel alcohols. Additionally, high temps could slow or stop fermentation altogether.

Dairy

Cheese, ice cream, milk, yogurt, you name it!  It all requires careful temperature control to prevent unwanted bacteria growth and undesirable textures.

Cooling is also used during dairy production to keep both the products and equipment from overheating.

Plastic

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We are surrounded by plastic. Containers, toys, electronics, furniture, office supplies, beauty items and even clothing almost always have some sort of plastic element.

Process engineers working in plastics know that cooling effectiveness during extrusion and molding makes the difference between a commercially viable product or an expensive misshapen pile of spent polymers (and dissatisfied customers). Achieving and maintaining ideal temperatures is critical to high-quality plastic goods.

Printed Materials

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Even in an era of e-readers, there’s still printed goods all around us: packaging, magazine, books, brochures, posters, and newspapers, just to name a few.

During the printing process heat is generated due to friction within the system. In order to avoid damage or slowed production, cooling is vital.

Jewelry, Coins, and Badges

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While not everyone is familiar with electrical discharge machinery (EDM), most people probably have a piece of jewelry, decorative buckle, metal badge, or coin that’s been manufactured with the help of EDM. EDM is also used to create the intricate cuts and holes needed for certain technology.

EDM uses electrical discharges to shape the materials being cut to the desired measurements. This process is extremely accurate, and is usually used on hard materials. The water used in this process can heat up very quickly, requiring robust cooling solutions to maintain the ideal temperature for optimal performance.  During the EDM process, some metal enters the water as small particles. Deionized water helps to promote a higher metal removal rate and enhances the machine’s capacity to deliver a more precise cut.

Metal Items

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Welding is a crucial part of creating kitchen appliances, buildings, cars, and more. Essentially, if it has a metal element, it probably requires welding.

Because welding uses such extreme high temperatures, effective cooling is critical to a successful weld. When welding equipment is properly cooled, there is  decreased equipment downtime and higher, more uniform quality.

Internet Technology, Surgery and Entertainment

Ever wondered how internet data can be transmitted from one computer to millions across the country or even the world? Internet data is comprised of a series of 1’s and 0’s which are communicated via a laser beam turning on (1) and off (0). These 1’s and 0’s from the laser are carried through fiber optic cables at close to the speed of light (299,792,458 meters per second).

Other popular and common applications of laser technology include surgery (laser eye surgery), and entertainment. DVD and Blu-Ray players use lasers to read information off of disks.

Due to the high temperatures that come with laser use, a cooling system is used to mitigate heat and stabilize equipment for optimal laser performance. Cooling helps extend the lifespan of equipment by preventing overheating. Maintaining consistent temperatures also preserves the accuracy of the laser for longer periods of time.

Cooling from North Slope Chillers

For each of the products and processes listed above, proper cooling can be the difference between a top product and damaged goods. North Slope Chillers offers high-quality, dependable chiller systems and accessories, including custom options. For more information about our product offerings, give us a call at (866) 826-2993.

Lager vs. Ale

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Around the world there are various styles of brilliantly crafted beers. From popular crisp lagers to heavy roasted stout there is a beer for just about everyone.

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Beer is comprised of four main ingredients: water, yeast, malt and hops. It seems so simple!

So, how do breweries create such unique flavors? The answer is in the fermentation process, specifically the temperature. Monitoring temperature and responding appropriately to shifts throughout the brew cycle make or break delicious and unique craft beers.

When it comes to beer, there are two main categories – ales and lagers.

Lager

Process cooling plays an essential part in brewing both ale and lager. Lagers have a lower fermentation temperature. Lagers are brewed with bottom fermenting yeast. Bottom fermenting yeast strains work effectively at lower temperatures typically around 41°F–50°F.  The lower temperature causes the yeast to work less vigorously and create carbon dioxide more slowly. This process allows for hop flavors to slip in, leaving lagers with the common “crisp” finish. Another unique characteristic about lager brewing is it is finished with a chilled storage.. To make the perfect lager, it is crucial for breweries to store lagers at the perfect chilled temperature.

Pale lager is the most widely consumed and commercially available type of beer. However, lagers can be pale, amber, or dark colored. The only factor that makes a lager, a lager, is the fermentation process.

Popular lager brands are: Miller, Stella Artois, Bud Light, Corona, and Heineken.

cheers pints of beer
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Ale

Ales are all about the hops! And, Ales cover a very wide spectrum. Ales have a higher fermentation temperature and are brewed with ale yeast. Typically top fermenting yeasts work best in the general range of 60°F–78°F. This warmer temperature allows sweet, full bodied, and fruity flavors to be infused in ales. The peppery finish of a French saison, or the fruity esters of German wheat beers are results of finding the perfect fermentation chilling methods to control temperature.

There are many varieties of ales including bitters, milds, abbey ales, pale ales and IPAs. Although these unique ales have very distinct characteristics, they are all typically fuller-bodied with nuances of fruit and spice as well as a pleasantly hoppy finish.

Ales are often thought of as darker than lagers ranging from rich gold colors to reddish amber tones, but they can also have lighter colors. The fermenting process at higher temperatures gives these beers very distinct fruity tones, acidity and pleasantly bitter seasoning. Along with these flavors, ales can also be brewed with rich coffee and chocolate flavors. To put it in simple words, ales are more assertive than lagers.

Popular ale brands are: Guiness and Blue Moon

variety of beer bottles
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Easy Temperature Control

Whether you’re looking for a light, crisp lager, or a flavorful stout, there is a beer out there for you! Hundreds of home breweries are popping up all across the country thanks to new technology that makes home brewing easier than ever. North Slope Chillers take the hard work out of temperature control; no matter what type of brew you’re crafting, we’ve got you covered! Give us a call at (866) 826-2993, and we’ll help you find the best product for your brewing needs.