This will allow me to expand on my current T or pagoda LM design.
Hopefully the pics illustrate it well enough. It's a very simple, smart design that I had nothing to do with coming up with
The ring in the bottom of the cup is a slice of 2" pipe with a small piece taken out to clear the 1/4" takeoff. It sits slightly taller than the takeoff, allowing the 2" section of pipe that houses the condenser to be inserted fully without crushing the takeoff.
I plan on simply scaling this up to 3". Make a 3.9"x3.5" square from a 1 1/4"x3.5" tube, make a plate, center it in the coupling, and install a T and takeoff, allowing the condenser section and packed column to be joined with no triclamp, flange or gasket. At most, a tiny bit of PTFE tape or flour paste to seal.
The big advantage of this design as I see it is the ability to retain the rest of the column untouched for another build (cough CCVM cough) A connection to the boiler is the only permanent modification required.
So, my questions:
1. What size reflux return for a 3" running SPP? I'm using a 1" in my 2" column, and have another 1" T handy. For the 3" should I go larger? I have scrap 2" that I could easily make a reflux return out of and cover with a "pagoda". So 2" return in a 3" column?
2. What size takeoff? 3/8" seems right. 1/2" seems large.
3. Suggestions for the shortest possible reflux condenser? Option 1: use a short section of scrap 4" I have to make a wider condenser than the column, either shotgun or giant coil. Option 2: Harrys crossflow condenser in either 2" or 3". Need to make the T, cause I'm not paying for a 3" T.
