Supercritical vs Subcritical

Supercritical fluids occur above the CRITICAL POINT. In the case of CO₂ anything above 31 °C and 71 BAR enters the supercritical region. Below this we consider the conditions to be subcritical with the CO₂ in a high-pressure liquid phase.

The main physical difference between a SUPERCRITICAL and a SUBCRITICAL system is the ability to cool below room temperature.

Almost all systems 10 L and below use electrical heater bands to control the temperature. However, by using a thermal fluid we can achieve a much wider range of conditions to better control our extractions.

As we understand that it isn’t always clear which conditions will work best all our systems can be easily retrofitted to achieve subcritical conditions without change to the vessel.