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Got bored again here is a update version of the reflux still animation
based on sugested ideas by members.
if anybody has any sugestions ideas or changes for this one let me know ..

i am intrested in hearing your comments ..

i will do more of the other types of stills in time..

cheers

Amazing what you casn do when you're bored.
Great teaching tool. The only suggestion is maybe including a thermometer.
Cheers
Mal T

one of the guys that work at the local homebrew shop has his still design very similar to this design. he uses it to distill wine to brandy-- he does two passes with it (first is about 60%, 2nd is about 93-96%).

2 programs
Adobe Ilustrator - to draw the outlines
Adone Photoshop/Adobe image ready - to colour in and to animate ..

i wish i had the time! but now i got write an organic chemistry report on distilling I love that fact that organic chem got me into this... my still should be finished this weekend... waiting for a shipment off ebay

Thats awesome Decoy man. That just explains it all w/o reading. A total package to explain the thermodynamics of a reflux still. I'm excited to see any other designs you can animate!

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DAMN IKKITOUSEN!!!

Don Ventura wrote:Thats awesome Decoy man. That just explains it all w/o reading. A total package to explain the thermodynamics of a reflux still. I'm excited to see any other designs you can animate!

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DAMN IKKITOUSEN!!!

The picture is good as far as it goes but I'd still advise you do the reading as a picture does not explain how distillation REALLY works.

I agree with Linw.

My idea behind the picture is to help visualise the operation of a VM Reflux Still while reading the theory on how one works.

Decoy Wrote:

My idea behind the picture is to help visualise the operation of a VM Reflux Still while reading the theory on how one works.

Decoy,

Your picture looks like a CM Still not a VM Still.

Tec, you are right.

Q: if it was a CM wouldnt i have a smal resevior and one or two valves to control the % return of reflux onto the packing.

were in a VM you control the coolanty in the condensor for you reflux/output.

decoy, arent your talking about LM now?

CM is that you control the amount of coolant, right?

VM is that you control the vapor

and LM is that you control the amount of reflux with valves.

If it were to be a VM, the condesor in the column would be large enough to condensate all vapors, and it wouldnt be capped. + you would have a valve to control the amount of vapor allowed to enter the second condensor...

Tell me is this is all wrong... dont wanna go around with faulty info, this isnt a hobby to do serious errors in...

These are the definitions I have always used, hope I'm not incorrect:

LM = Liquid Management = Physical control of liquid reflux

VM = Vapor Management = Physical control of Vapors going to output condenser (less vapors going to output = more reflux)

CM = Cooling Management = Physical control of cooling where increased cooling = increased reflux

Very nicely done!

Conquistidor wrote:one of the guys that work at the local homebrew shop has his still design very similar to this design. he uses it to distill wine to brandy-- he does two passes with it (first is about 60%, 2nd is about 93-96%).

that's a bit high for brandy, you'd lose all the character.

I have some relatives that could stand to loose some character.
I have also tasted some wines that had alot of character.
What I am saying, is that maybee the "BRANDYMAN" uses the still to recycle wines that he consideres crap.

Just speculation on my part.
Recycleing homemade beer that I thought was crap was the first distill I did. That and sugar wash.

But , yes Jesse that seems too much purification of ethanol for making anything with some good flavor.

looks like my mistake in caling it VM, should be CM..

ill have to draw 2 more stills to make up for it now ..

and then put the three of them on wiki?

The only thing I question is...
You show the cold water going in at the bottom of the worm (condenser). Wouldn't you want the coldest water going in at the hottest point of the condenser?
It seems that the warm water at the top disipates less heat than it would if it were cold, and the colder water at the bottom is cooling already cool product.

Just my opinion. I run cold at the top.

Thanks for the demo.

Phil.

Phil, It seems most people here run with the coolant input at the bottom as he shows. This is traditional (think worm in a flake stand) and also thermodynamically more efficient. Search "counter flow heat exchanger" or 'countercurrent', wikipedia has a good article on the latter that should help explain why its more efficient (has to do with the difference in temperatures across the length of the heat exchanger). My understanding is that it also decreases "huffing" and/or vapor collapse problems. When you have your cold water entering the top of the condenser it can cause the vapor to immediately which creates a vacuum, and that's bad because its pulling vapor/air in from 'somewhere' to fill it.

Definitely a bit counter-intuitive... i remember not believing it at first when i took thermo a while back

A picture says more than thousand words: