Bokakob EMERGENCY!!!!!!!

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toofless one
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Bokakob EMERGENCY!!!!!!!

Post by toofless one »

Hey all. Had my first mis hap today. Running my two inch bok and heard severe gurgling coming from the top. Watched it very closely and sure enough it ran over. I was in the first stage of letting the distillation, getting the column up to temp and running full reflux. I quickly shut off the propane and now I'm scratching my head.



Newbies, dont ever let your "still do it's thing" un attended...

Anyone have some ideas?
"Learnin to still is alot like eating a dinosaur...ya gotta do it a bite at a time"
Kifi
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Re: Bokakob EMERGENCY!!!!!!!

Post by Kifi »

Could be many things, but hw about putting boiling chips (raschig rings or broken glass) in the wash and some defoamer to even out the boil, and try again with a slightly lower heat?
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LWTCS
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Re: Bokakob EMERGENCY!!!!!!!

Post by LWTCS »

Sounds like scrubers too tightly packed and promoted flooding when the amount of reflux overwelmed any remaining air space within the column. Or you just had a simple boil over?..........Or both?
Trample the injured and hurdle the dead.
Braz
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Re: Bokakob EMERGENCY!!!!!!!

Post by Braz »

Mine does that if I have the fire up too high. The flooding/gurgling happens in the space between the plates. Just back the heat down and it will stop.

Now I have a question.

Running my 2" bok today (spirit run from 30% low wines) and everything is going along normally. Output is steady at 93.5% (normal). Then in mid run the temp starts to move up and the ABV starts to drop till it gets to 88%. Way too early in the run to be getting into tails and heat input is just as I always run it so I just let run and after about 400ml (1 pt.) the temp starts back down and the ABV starts back up and it is now back to normal.

I have never seen this behavior before. Any ideas?
Braz
toofless one
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Re: Bokakob EMERGENCY!!!!!!!

Post by toofless one »

LWTCS wrote:Sounds like scrubers too tightly packed and promoted flooding when the amount of reflux overwelmed any remaining air space within the column. Or you just had a simple boil over?..........Or both?

I think you are on to something. I was monkeying with the scrubbers today. :oops:
next run I'll repack it lighter.

Trample the weak....
"Learnin to still is alot like eating a dinosaur...ya gotta do it a bite at a time"
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LWTCS
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Re: Bokakob EMERGENCY!!!!!!!

Post by LWTCS »

Hurrdle the dead.....

Did your cooling pump have a hickup I wonder? Maybe the impeler come off the arbor or sumpin?
Trample the injured and hurdle the dead.
airhill
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Re: Bokakob EMERGENCY!!!!!!!

Post by airhill »

Toothless, are you sure you had the thermo probe in far enough? I had that almost happen when warming up on full bore on the propane, fortunately I heard boiling on the plates and dropped the heat.
Braz the one time I saw that happen was with too little heat to the boiler, the column wasn't developing enough reflux to hold a stable temp gradient? glitch in the power for a short time.
toofless one
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Re: Bokakob EMERGENCY!!!!!!!

Post by toofless one »

LWTCS wrote:Hurrdle the dead.....

Did your cooling pump have a hickup I wonder? Maybe the impeler come off the arbor or sumpin?
No,i use the sink out in the mud porch...nice cold well water 8)

airhill, yea it was in good,i have the thermo marked...this is more than likely a case of the packing being too tight...thats the last thing I messed with before this whole thing happened...again thank god I was as paranoid as I am and there the exact second it bungled out the top like a volcano.dont wanna think about what could have happened...
"Learnin to still is alot like eating a dinosaur...ya gotta do it a bite at a time"
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