Distillate to water calculator

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Old Town
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Distillate to water calculator

Post by Old Town »

I used the distillate to water calculator on the forums home page. 12 gallons of wash at 11% alcohol through a still that collects at 92%. Should result in 10.9 pints alcohol collected with 10.5 gallons water left in boiler. My question is that calculation for a single run with cuts, a striping run,or the 2nd spirit run??
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still_stirrin
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Re: Distillate to water calculator

Post by still_stirrin »

It's an idealized run.

Fact is, you won't get everything out of the still...I mean, some of the alcohol will still be left in the backset. And, it calculates a product collection based upon theoretical maximums, not the reality...fores and higher alcohols as well as heavier volatiles that come over too.

The calculator is good to predict what to expect, and that's about it. How you run, what's in your wash, and what you collect are all variables.

As for a single vs 2X distillation run, the calculator doesn't consider 1 or more runs...just a wash, product collection, and backset.
ss
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Old Town
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Re: Distillate to water calculator

Post by Old Town »

Thank you
Old Town
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Re: Distillate to water calculator

Post by Old Town »

I hope to be answering questions some day and not asking them. I got a long way to go!!!
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still_stirrin
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Re: Distillate to water calculator

Post by still_stirrin »

Another way to calculate this is:
--> wash of 12 gallons @ 11%ABV = 1.32 gallons (potential) @ 100%ABV

But, you say the highest collection purity is 92%ABV, so that means that you could (theoretically) collect:
--> collected product @ 92%ABV = 1.32 gallons / 92%ABV = 1.435 gallons, or 11.48 pints.

Note, this is a theoretical value only, not what you can expect in reality.

And, if you subtract the 1.435 gallons of product from the original wash of 12 gallons:
--> 12 gallons - 1.435 gallons = 10.565 gallons of backset remaining in your boiler.

So, it doesn't matter whether it's 1 run or 10...it's the theoretical amount of alcohol available in your wash.
ss
My LM/VM & Potstill: My build thread
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Pikey
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Re: Distillate to water calculator

Post by Pikey »

Old Town wrote:I used the distillate to water calculator on the forums home page. 12 gallons of wash at 11% alcohol through a still that collects at 92%..............
If the still you refer to is not home made - but a commercial, I suspect it will be a "CM" still with limits on the temperatures - we need to know what you got !

[Edit - if yu're collecting @ 92% - you're makin' wodka ! :) ]
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still_stirrin
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Re: Distillate to water calculator

Post by still_stirrin »

Pikey wrote:
Old Town wrote:I used the distillate to water calculator on the forums home page. 12 gallons of wash at 11% alcohol through a still that collects at 92%..............
If the still you refer to is not home made - but a commercial, I suspect it will be a "CM" still with limits on the temperatures - we need to know what you got !
Hey Pikey, I think you missed the question...it was about the calculator and how it relates to a strip, strip + spirit, or a "one and done" protocol. He wasn't asking about what he actually got.

I think if you reread my responses...that you (may) understand the context of Old Town's questions....
ss
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Re: Distillate to water calculator

Post by Pikey »

I think you're right SS - sorry thought it was a question about something real :oops:

Percentages are arithmetic - I defer to superior knowledge and experience on such matters - please ignore my input on this thread :)
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