Project Planning

Time and Budget

Building a supercritical dryer actually doesn’t take that long once you have all the parts,, but testing it and getting it to work may take a little more patience, though.

That said, make sure you take your time and do everything right. This will make sure your vessel actually works and that you don’t hurt yourself in the process!

A “blind manuclave”-one with no window-can be built completely from parts available from McMaster-Carr Supply Company, which without a doubt has one of the best e-commerce sites on the Internet and can ship pretty much everything you need overnight. Assembling the parts only takes a few hours.

Depending on the configuration you pick and where you buy your parts from, building a manuclave will run you $550-$1,500. Although this might sound like a lot of money, buying a supercritical dryer new or even used can easily cost you over $10,000.

Managing the Cost of a Manuclave

If you’re a research group at a university or a big scary government with billions of research dollars, the price tag for a manuclave is probably not a big deal.

But if you’re a high school student or a hobbyist, the price tag may be out of reach.

One idea is to consider working on the project with a group of friends or colleagues and splitting the cost. Splitting three ways brings the cost down to $180-$500 per person.

Also, the costs for most of the components listed here are based on prices from McMaster-Carr. You can usually get high pressure components a lot cheaper if you go to a local pipe or plumbing supply house and order through them instead. Give them the part descriptions, alloy, and pressure and they should be able help. Again, don’t substitute alloys or try to get by with lower pressure ratings-it’s not safe.

Additionally, you can always look on eBay to try to find second-hand and sometimes even new parts, just be careful that they meet the exact specifications listed for the design.

Click here for some tips for high school and college students looking for funding to build a supercritical dryer.