Reflux Riser?

[Raize]

My pot still has about 8" of 22mm column rising vertically before turning 135 degrees into my 40" 15x22mm Liebeg condensor.

If I stuff this 8" section full of copper scrubbers and build a second Liebeg water jacket over the top of it will this have any useful effect? I am thinking that it might give me some reflux and therefore higher purity (if I choose to run cold water through it, or I can just not run the water and use it as normal). I don't really want to go into building a proper column just yet but it seems like an easy modification and in my head it makes sense.

[OtisT]

If you can get the liquid reflux to drip into the center of that packing, then yes 8” of packing will help increase your ABV output a bit if that is what you want. I sometimes do that exact thing with my VM still that has about 8” of column below my VM takeout port. Sounds like your pot still would become a CM style, so you would need fine tuning (needle valve) on the reflux condenser to allow some vapor to pass the RC while producing some liquid reflux.

If you are sold on the Liebig style condenser for reflux, I could see you using a concentric design that would drop your liquid reflux right in the center of your larger column riser section.

Good luck. Otis

[shadylane]

Unless the boiler is really small, I'd recommend against using a 22mm column.
It wouldn't take very much power to flood.
Also if the still pukes the packing could cause a dangerous restriction

[Yummyrum]

Unless the boiler is really small, I'd recommend against using a 22mm column.
It wouldn't take very much power to flood.
Also if the still pukes the packing could cause a dangerous restriction

+1 Shady . I tried stuffing scrubbers in my still spirits reflux still which would also be around 8” long and was 1” and it flooded on a 1380 watt element .

[Raize]

Unless the boiler is really small, I'd recommend against using a 22mm column.
It wouldn't take very much power to flood.
Also if the still pukes the packing could cause a dangerous restriction

+1 Shady . I tried stuffing scrubbers in my still spirits reflux still which would also be around 8” long and was 1” and it flooded on a 1380 watt element .

Sounds like an excellent reason not to try this, thanks. I am normally running 1-2kw and I have very poor control over the heat input because it is wood fueled.

[still_stirrin]

Another vote of agreement with Shady and Yummy.

With only a 22mm (1”) ID, stuffing with scrubbies will slow the rising vapors causing a flooding condition to the falling condensate. The only recourse would be to reduce heat input and without a fine degree of control, you’re “playing with fire”.

Add a thumper to give you another plate of distillation. Also, strip + spirit runs will help boost the purity.

You’ve got limited options as a result of your design unfortunately.
ss

[OtisT]

Good catch guys. Raise, disregard my post. I didn’t pay any attention to your riser diameter, was just thinking height. Next time I’ll convert the mm to inches.

[Oldvine Zin]

If I stuff this 8" section full of copper scrubbers and build a second Liebeg water jacket over the top of it will this have any useful effect? I am thinking that it might give me some reflux and therefore higher purity (if I choose to run cold water through it, or I can just not run the water and use it as normal). I don't really want to go into building a proper column just yet but it seems like an easy modification and in my head it makes sense.

That seems harder than building a proper column - a pot is a pot. for proper reflux you should build a column.

be safe
OVZ

[Alchemist75]

Been a hot minute since I last posted and this is an older thread but I have been guilty of running a 25 mm column with success so I'll share my thoughts. Now granted, a 22 mm column is smaller than I'd go but I know 25 is doable.
The only real complaint I ever had about a column of this size was the brutally slow take off rate. After experimenting with various designs for a packed 25mm I arrived at what I believe is a largely flood proof version of it suitable for a "hybrid" set up. I found that by making a deliberately under powered reflux condenser I.e. 2 1/8" through tubes, I was able to set up a reflux head at such a small diameter that actually worked in a reasonable fashion. The RC just didn't have sufficient oomph to actually flood the riser at high power settings but it did have enough to hold the riser at full reflux at low power input and even hit ideal HETP at a slow take off. My kooky hybrid pot still riser is exactly this: a 5" x 1" packed section with two skinny through tubes above that. The water flow to the RC is shared with the PC and there's no needle valve meaning no control of water flow to speak of. It's much like a CM except there's no CM to speak of, it's all PM just like a normal pot. It matters little on stripping runs though it is notable that it won't flood and the run does flatten. It shows up in spirit runs however which I run slow regardless and actually grants me a full plate. I can only speculate that if I extended the packed section by double or triple that I could still get at least a plate at considerably higher power settings. I'm actually considering doing exactly that in the near future. I'm not endorsing the idea that this is in some fashion more efficient than a 2"+ but I am suggesting that it can be done especially if you're just looking to get a little bit sharper cuts off a pot with a competitively narrow riser. 22 mm is pretty damned narrow but maybe if you ran a single through tube and made it fairly tall it could theoretically work. Dunno, just a thought from a convicted odd ball.

[Saltbush Bill]

Complete waste of time.......the place is already full of half arsed reflux stills without yet another one.

[The Baker]

Complete waste of time.......the place is already full of half arsed reflux stills without yet another one.

Still it is nice to see people thinking....

Geoff

[Saltbush Bill]

Complete waste of time.......the place is already full of half arsed reflux stills without yet another one.

Still it is nice to see people thinking....
Geoff

Agreed Geoff , it is nice to see people thinking , but its pretty hard to re-invent the wheel.
My comment was not aimed at anyone in particular here. It was more a comment aimed at the , what seems like hundreds, of dodgy stills being marketed by various companies, some Chinese and some not, that seem to be flooding the market these days.
A lot of these stills claim to be reflux stills , but in reality are just pot stills with a tiny bit of added reflux. Newbies see these cheap stills and buy them without knowing what they are doing, then wonder why they don't get High abv, Vodka type or neutral spirits from them. It also leads to others trying to copy these designs which in turn leads to more disappointment.