Patents Assigned to APEKS LLC
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Patent number: 11242329Abstract: A system for processing cannabinoids and recovering solvent has a vessel for a mixture of cannabinoids and solvent. A pump forms a vacuum in the system to draw the mixture into a first heat exchanger to pre-heat the mixture. A falling film evaporator receives the mixture from the first heat exchanger, and boils the mixture to form a solvent vapor. The falling film evaporator collects the cannabinoids from the mixture as a crude oil. The first heat exchanger receives the solvent vapor. Heat is transferred to incoming mixture of the system, and cools and condenses the solvent vapor to form solvent condensate and vapor. A second heat exchanger receives and further cools the solvent condensate and vapor to form further condensed solvent and some solvent vapor. The pump receives the further condensed solvent and some solvent vapor and increases pressure to form solvent liquid and recovers solvent liquid for reuse.Type: GrantFiled: January 25, 2021Date of Patent: February 8, 2022Assignee: Apeks, LLCInventor: Benjamin K. Stephens
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Publication number: 20210214331Abstract: Cannabinoids can be separated or extracted from plant material. Versions can include a process for separating trichomes from plant material, including mixing plant material with a fluid in a metered feed system and forming a slurry; pumping the slurry into a turbulent processor, agitating the slurry between rotating and static teeth and shearing trichomes from the plant material to form a mixture of fluid, trichomes and plant material; coarse filtering the mixture and removing portions of the plant material to form an interim mixture; and then second filtering the interim mixture and removing other plant material and some trichomes to form a resulting mixture comprising other trichomes and fluid.Type: ApplicationFiled: March 30, 2021Publication date: July 15, 2021Applicant: Apeks LLCInventor: Benjamin K. Stephens
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Publication number: 20210214330Abstract: Cannabinoids can be separated or extracted from plant material. Versions can include a process for separating trichomes from plant material, including mixing plant material with a fluid in a metered feed system and forming a slurry; pumping the slurry into a turbulent processor, agitating the slurry between rotating and static teeth and shearing trichomes from the plant material to form a mixture of fluid, trichomes and plant material; coarse filtering the mixture and removing portions of the plant material to form an interim mixture; and then second filtering the interim mixture and removing other plant material and some trichomes to form a resulting mixture comprising other trichomes and fluid.Type: ApplicationFiled: March 30, 2021Publication date: July 15, 2021Applicant: Apeks LLCInventor: Benjamin K. Stephens
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Publication number: 20210187413Abstract: A system for processing organic material can include an extraction system to extract soluble compounds from the organic material using a compressed solvent to form diluted soluble compounds. The system also can include a filter system to pump and filter the diluted soluble compounds through a membrane filter. The membrane filter can remove a retentate comprising undesirable components. The membrane filter also can permit passage of a permeate comprising desirable components and the compressed solvent. The undesirable components comprise a larger molecular weight than the desirable components. The system can further include a depressurization system to depressurize the permeate and allow the compressed solvent to convert from a fluid to a gas. The depressurization system also can separate the desirable components from the gas.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 21, 2020Publication date: June 24, 2021Applicant: Apeks LLCInventors: Ryan Marienau, Jeremy Sexton, Andy Joseph
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Publication number: 20200139274Abstract: A filter plug assembly comprises a base having a first base surface with at least one base surface channel, the base surface channel including a flow cavity opening of a flow cavity extending through the base to a second base surface, the base surface channel further including an instrument cavity opening of an instrument cavity extending through the base to the second base surface. The assembly may further include a filter retaining piece, a filter fastener for releasably securing the filter retaining piece to the base while holding the filter between the filter retaining piece and the base forming a filter plug sub-assembly, and an extraction vessel fastener such that an instrument connected to the instrument cavity may sense a condition of a process fluid or mixture within the filter plug sub-assembly without contacting a source material within the extraction vessel.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 20, 2019Publication date: May 7, 2020Applicant: APEKS LLCInventors: Andrew Paul JOSEPH, Samuel SHOMPER, Jeremy SEXTON
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Publication number: 20180099235Abstract: A dual phase re-circulating extraction apparatus comprises at least one extraction vessel, at least one separation chamber, and a circulation conduit configured to direct a process fluid into the extraction vessel, where it may come into contact with a source material to form a mixture, and is then passed to the separation chamber, where the process fluid separates from the extracted material, and the process fluid is recirculated back to the extraction vessel. The apparatus includes a gas pump, at least one heat exchanger, and a liquid pump, each connected to the conduit, to efficiently convert a relatively low pressure gas after separation to a relatively high pressure liquid or supercritical fluid for extraction. The apparatus can be configured to enable a batch mode process allowing continuous flow to the separators while the extractors are cycled online and offline in a sequence to enable servicing and reloading.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 5, 2017Publication date: April 12, 2018Applicant: APEKS LLCInventors: Andrew Paul Joseph, Samuel Shomper, Jeremy Sexton
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Publication number: 20160228789Abstract: A fractional extraction apparatus comprises one or more extraction vessel configured to receive a process fluid, allow the process fluid to come into contact with a source material within the extraction vessel under either of a selectively configured first predetermined pressure and a first predetermined temperature to remove a first predetermined extracted material from the source material to form a first mixture or a second predetermined pressure and a second predetermined temperature to remove a second predetermined extracted material from the source material to form a second mixture. The apparatus further comprises one or more separation chamber and a circulation conduit, the conduit including a separation portion configured to receive the first or second mixture and permit a portion of the first or second predetermined extracted material to separate from the mixture within the separation chamber.Type: ApplicationFiled: August 17, 2015Publication date: August 11, 2016Applicant: Apeks LLCInventor: Andrew Paul Joseph
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Publication number: 20150375138Abstract: An extraction apparatus comprises an extraction vessel configured to remove an extracted material from a source material in contact with a process fluid to form a mixture. The apparatus further comprises a separation chamber and a process fluid circulation conduit, the conduit comprising a separation portion configured to receive the mixture and permit a portion of the extracted material to separate from the mixture within the separation chamber. The apparatus further comprises a temperature regulator configured to permit re-circulation of a temperature regulation fluid and regulate the temperature of the process fluid.Type: ApplicationFiled: August 17, 2015Publication date: December 31, 2015Applicant: Apeks LLCInventor: Andrew Paul JOSEPH
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Patent number: 9132363Abstract: An extraction apparatus comprises an extraction vessel configured to remove an extracted material from a source material in contact with a process fluid to form a mixture. The apparatus further comprises a separation chamber and a process fluid circulation conduit, the conduit comprising a separation portion configured to receive the mixture and permit a portion of the extracted material to separate from the mixture within the separation chamber. The apparatus further comprises a temperature regulator configured to permit re-circulation of a temperature regulation fluid and regulate the temperature of the process fluid.Type: GrantFiled: November 20, 2013Date of Patent: September 15, 2015Assignee: APEKS LLCInventor: Andrew Paul Joseph