High pressure, high temperature, low cost tank

[rich_m]

I am looking for guidance for a high pressure, high temperature, lowcost system for a solar assisted pyrolysis system that is NOT commercial scale.One of the biggest expenses for small scale complex operations is initialequipment costs.

There are multiple systems online that omit solar and are notpressurized. I am looking for pressurized, but I am not familiar withrequirements for sealing at high pressures. Pressures in commercial scalesystems can go as high as 3000 psi, but 734 to 1200 psi is common. Temperatures can go from 390°F to over 1100°F.Low cost pressure systems that I am familiar with, but for other areas/fileds include usinga bottle jack(cheap 50 ton pressure), or screw press, but I do not know how Iwould seal in the pyrolysis gases in such a system(i.e. high pressure andtemperature both).

Ideally the system would probably be a steel cylinder that can be thefocal point of a reflective solar trough concentrator as the primary or solesource of heat. If possible, ideally, it would either be able to be disconnectedfrom any pressure generating mechanism and still maintain pressure, or possiblylater be developed into a feed system rather than batch system.

If I can adequately seal a piston, a bottle jack with cylinder andratcheting piston mechanism could provide plenty of pressure easily and be removablefrom the jack as each notch in the ratchet locks in.

As you can see from the above, the range of viable pressures andtemperatures is large. I would like to get as high a temperature and pressureas is reasonably possible to maintain a highly cost effective system. I am opento any and all ideas.

[shiloh]

Could you use a vessel inside a vessel and use steam between the outer and inner vessels to create your pressure? Seems that could isolate the inside vessel and provide crushing pressures at whatever level you need.