4" column on a boka? Copper wire packing?

[Number 8]

Hi Folks,
This is my first post here. I've been reading a lot in the last week and am starting to get a handle on what I want to build. I'm a stainless steel fabricator so thats material selection sorted. It wont cost me much more or take much longer to build a decent size still so I may as well.

I'm thinking about a 120lt kettle, with a 4" column, 1500mm packed height. Set up as a RLM boka style, reflux centre ring half way down, 2x2400w elements.

I'm keen to go 4'' so I can get more product out faster (I'm pretty impatient). I read somewhere that a 3" packed column was as big as you can go but other references seemed to point to a 4" column being fine? Any feed back please?

One of the big costs to me in going 4" would be enough copper scrubbers to pack it with. Plus I don't even think a standard scrubber would fill out 4" dia pipe.
I was thinking that buying a couple of kgs of stripped copper wire from the scrap metal dealers and making some packers out of that might work well. Any thoughts on this?

Thankyou

[rockchucker22]

I don't know but if you go 4" try plates. If you do go packing study up cause there is plenty out there to get you going with a 4" column. Packing can be very efficient at 2" or 21/2" take a look at lwtcs's tread on doing some mods.

[Mookie]

I'm thinking about a 120lt kettle, with a 4" column, 1500mm packed height. Set up as a RLM boka style, reflux centre ring half way down, 2x2400w elements.

I'm keen to go 4'' so I can get more product out faster (I'm pretty impatient). I read somewhere that a 3" packed column was as big as you can go but other references seemed to point to a 4" column being fine? Any feed back please?

Been impatient as you say you are...
Go for more power so you can run this 120l 4" with full potential.
I would double the power to 10000kW and add dimmers for full control.