Why Temperature Decides Extract Quality
In ethanol extraction — the most common method in licensed cannabis processing — the temperature of the solvent at the moment it contacts plant material is the single biggest lever on quality. Warm ethanol is a greedy solvent — it grabs the target compounds, but it also dissolves waxes, lipids, and chlorophyll that you then have to winterize back out. Cold ethanol is far more selective, so a colder wash means a cleaner crude and less downstream processing.
That is why operations chase lower temperatures. The chiller is the equipment that gets the ethanol cold and, just as importantly, holds it there for the full duration of the run without drift.
Target Temperatures by Approach
| Approach | Ethanol target temp | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Basic / budget | −20°C | Workable, more post-processing |
| Standard | −40°C | Good selectivity, common target |
| Deep cold-wash | -60 to −80°C | Cleanest crude, minimal winterization |
Most commercial operations target −40°C as the practical sweet spot. Reaching -60 to −80°C requires an ultra-low temperature (ULT) cascade system and delivers the cleanest possible crude — worth it when downstream labor and time are the bottleneck.
The Mistake That Undersizes Chillers
The most common sizing error is sizing the chiller only for the pre-chill — getting the ethanol down to temperature before the run. But the chiller also has to hold temperature during active extraction and, in many setups, support solvent recovery at the same time. A chiller that can reach −40°C with an empty loop but can't hold it under full process load will let your solvent warm mid-run.
Size for the full process load, not just the pre-chill. Account for the heat the biomass and recovery process add back into the loop, then add a 15–25% safety margin.
Which Series Fits
- LT Series (to −12°C): light pre-chilling and solventless work, not deep ethanol.
- ELT Series (to −30°C): entry-level ethanol pre-cooling.
- SLT Series (to −50°C): standard −40°C ethanol extraction at production scale.
- ULT Series (to −80°C): deep cold-wash for the cleanest crude.
Match the series to your coldest required temperature first, then size capacity to your solvent volume and throughput.
FAQ
SLT or ULT for ethanol?
SLT (to −50°C) handles standard −40°C production extraction; ULT (to −80°C) is for the deepest cold-wash and cleanest crude. Match to your coldest required temperature first.
Why does my chiller seem undersized mid-run?
Usually it was sized only for the pre-chill. It also has to hold temperature under process load and often support recovery at the same time — size for the full load plus a 15–25% buffer.
Sizing an Ethanol Extraction Chiller?
Tell us your solvent volume, target temperature, and throughput and we will match the right series to your operation.