DIY TLF150 Reactor mod for bio-pellets

I had a TLF150 reactor laying around, and some biopellets needing some tumbling. So, I took out the sponges and put in some fine mesh, and let it rip. The result was horrible. Pellets randomly tumbling in some places, compeletly bunching up and locking up in other places. Not very good at all. Decided to improvise based on other designs I've seen. Below is a pic, with number to which I will describe the steps.



This mod will allow the reactor to hold about 350-400 ml of pellets. The funnel forces the water to flow up the outer diameter of the reactor, and the pellets then fall back down on the inside. This in turn creates a very nice, consistant tumbling action for the pellets.

1) Take a funnel, and cut it to size to fit in the TLF150. Try to get the outside diameter to fit as snuggly as possible (I ended up using silicone to seal one side to the reactor). I then chose to superglue the bottom of the funnel to the bottom of the reactor to keep it from shifting around.

2) All plumbing used is for 1/2" PVC. This is a slip cap that I drilled a bunch of holes. Make sure the holes are larger than the biopellets, so the pellets dont get jammed and plug the holes before startup.

3-6) Measuring the length you need, cut the bare minimum for the short end (5) and the rest for the long end (3). Join with a coupling (4). The coupling keeps the mesh (6) from sliding up the tube. It might take a couple of cuts, but try to get the length as close as possible.

7) I placed an O-ring around the outside of the tube insert on the bottom of the cap as shown. The 1/2" PVC will fit around the outside of the insert, and so the O-ring ensures a snug fit.

8) Optional: I chose to bore out the two holes by another 1/16". This is competely optional, but I felt it would reduce restriction to the flow. Turns out, I'm running a full reactor and still throttling back a MJ1200 by about 1/3.

Note: when inserting the bio-pellets, place pieces 1-3 in the reactor first, then pour in the pellets, and then assemble the remaining pieces.

The result:

 

Nice! Thanks for the pic!

 

Haha, my drawing skills suck! Thanks, I will try to post a video later when the wife returns with the newer iPhone (I still have the 3G, no video).

 

Great mod.good job.

 

I had that same reactor for my bio pellets and I used the stuff they use for needle point as the modification. Only to find out that the pellets didn't tumble was because the center hose wasn't big enough and that I had to small of a pump. Your pellets are kinda close to the top so I hope that it doesn't interfere with the proper tumble. Good job on the mod and drawings.

 

I think your drawing is fine and shows just what we need to know. Thanks for the DIY mod. and shirt write-up!