Offset head without reflux return tube?

[EventfulAnimal]

Hi all,

Any thoughts on this design? I want to build an offset head with stainless steel bits of eBay. I couldn't see the need for welding a special tube to take the reflux back to the column, so my solution is to just use a copper gasket with a slightly narrow aperture to create a dam. The takeoff tube sits below it on the elbow. I have also added a copper centering ring to keep the liquid in the centre of the packing.



Basic diagram

[EventfulAnimal]

Here are the components I'm planning to order:

2" stainless sanitary spool (2 @ 610mm)

2" stainless sanitary tee

2" stainless elbow

10mm needle valve

[Yummyrum]

Should work fine David .If it were mine , I'd probably make that centering ring more of a guide to the middle .... but thats just me .... others here will say that reflux centering is pointless .
Be interesting to compare both ways

[der wo]

The only problem I see is:

Probably you will not get 100% potstill mode. No problem, if you only want to make neutral. And perhaps no big deal also for aromatic spirits. You could weld a little slanted plate into the elbow to direct this reflux to the pool, if you think you need 100% potstilll.

[EventfulAnimal]

Yummyrum, I'll probably put a little slanted plate the lower copper gasket to direct some/most of the liquid to the centre.

Der wo, thanks that's something I didn't think of. It should be solved by the copper gasket I think. The liquid should hit the top side of the gasket and run down. I might bend it inward (in the direction of vapour flow) slightly to make sure.

Thanks for the feedback.

[still_stirrin]

What's on the top branch of the Tee? A cap? If so, then why use a Tee, why not use another 90* elbow? It would be less expensive for sure.

I don't see the advantage of the offset other than simplifying your LM plate design. Certainly you don't need an offset for the vapor path.

And using a weir (a "dam" in the liquid flow path) to control the liquid pool and reflux "spillover" is functionally equivalent to the slanted plates in a Bokakob design. Remember, the amount of smearing is proportional to the pool capacity, so you'll need to keep it small as possible to reduce smearing.
ss

[Pikey]

Hi, As a still, I'm sure it will work fine.

If your needle valve fully opened has a 10mm hole, I'm sure that will allow pot still mode to run adequately. If it only has a maximum bore around 3-4mm that may be an issue.

Personally I'd keep the 'T' and put a thermometer through a cork in the top sealed with pastry.

[EventfulAnimal]

Pikey, the inside diameter of the outlet tube will be 8mm. The OD is 10mm.

Still_stirrin, the plan is to put a cap on the tee with a hole drilled in it and a thermometer in the hole sealed by a compression fitting or teflon tape. It's probably the more expensive option pikey, but half the fun is the build eh?

Will be careful to avoid the smearing weir problem - good advice tks.

[cob]

The only problem I see is:

gymydPw - Imgur2.jpg

Probably you will not get 100% potstill mode. No problem, if you only want to make neutral. And perhaps no big deal also for aromatic spirits. You could weld a little slanted plate into the elbow to direct this reflux to the pool, if you think you need 100% potstilll.

I fail to understand how you can cancel gravity and make a liquid run along the inside top of a round pipe.

[still_stirrin]

Pikey, the inside diameter of the outlet tube will be 8mm. The OD is 10mm.

I'm sure that Pikey is referring to the bore diameter of the valve itself, not the tube. The valve will be the flow limiter for pseudo-potstill operation.

Still_stirrin, the plan is to put a cap on the tee with a hole drilled in it and a thermometer in the hole sealed by a compression fitting or teflon tape. It's probably the more expensive option pikey, but half the fun is the build eh?

I figured. But an elbow could be drilled to accept a cork and thermometer just as easy, in fact, maybe even easier. A Tee will be at least 50% more expensive than an elbow and you'd have to buy a TC cap & clamp to close it. But...I guess it is your money...

Will be careful to avoid the smearing weir problem - good advice tks.

So, if you cut the TC gasket so it has a flat (shaped like a D opening), you could position the flat/weir on the bottom of the fitting joint, creating a pool with a calcuable volume. Complicated...maybe a little. But much more analytic....FWIW.
ss

[EventfulAnimal]

The final product. Pulls 96% ABV. Very happy with the setup.





Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Pikey]

Very nice.

Have you tried it in potstill mode yet ?