Pot still or column still in pot mode, which is faster?
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Pot still or column still in pot mode, which is faster?
Hey guys, which is faster for striping and/or spirit runs? A traditional 20 gallon copper pot still with a 7 ft coil of 3/8in worm or a 20 gallon column still in pot mode with a Liebig condenser? Both with a 5500 watt element.
Re: Pot still or column still in pot mode, which is faster?
Which is heavier, a pound of lead or a pound of feathers?
Pot still or column still in pot mode, which is faster?
Are you mocking me or my question?
Either way it’s not very helpful.
Either way it’s not very helpful.
Last edited by foolproof on Mon Apr 12, 2021 9:39 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Re: Pot still or column still in pot mode, which is faster?
Also I forgot to state a 3” column.
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Re: Pot still or column still in pot mode, which is faster?
A 3/8" tube is probably going blow the weakest seam if you crank up a 5500 Watt element.
Re: Pot still or column still in pot mode, which is faster?
The column still will have some internal reflux even without packing and therefore it will be somehow slower than the pot still.
That said, if the power is high enough, the effect of the reflux will be substantially negligible and the two stills will substantially operate with the same speed. IMHO.
The condenser will not determine the speed provided that it has a cooling power which is sufficient to knock down the vapours.
If the condenser is not adequate for 5500W, then you will have to lower the power and in that case you will go slower.
In my understanding the variables that will influence the speed of distillation are power, cooling power of the condenser and the cooling means, and internal reflux (which again is there to some extent even without packing).
That said, if the power is high enough, the effect of the reflux will be substantially negligible and the two stills will substantially operate with the same speed. IMHO.
The condenser will not determine the speed provided that it has a cooling power which is sufficient to knock down the vapours.
If the condenser is not adequate for 5500W, then you will have to lower the power and in that case you will go slower.
In my understanding the variables that will influence the speed of distillation are power, cooling power of the condenser and the cooling means, and internal reflux (which again is there to some extent even without packing).
Re: Pot still or column still in pot mode, which is faster?
That 3/8 tube will hold more pressure than pretty much any boiler in use by people in this hobby.
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Re: Pot still or column still in pot mode, which is faster?
What kind of column is it? VM, LM, CM? If your column is not closed off from the atmosphere (like a pot still) then you may be limited in the power you can use with your column and the Pot still would be faster for stripping.
Example: My VM head will work for pot stilling, but it is vented on the top so vapor will escape the top if I run with to much power. I can speed things up to full power, just like a pot still, by capping the top of my column head so the system will hold more pressure.
Otis
Example: My VM head will work for pot stilling, but it is vented on the top so vapor will escape the top if I run with to much power. I can speed things up to full power, just like a pot still, by capping the top of my column head so the system will hold more pressure.
Otis
Otis’ Pot and Thumper, Dimroth Condenser: Pot-n-Thumper/Dimroth
Learning to Toast: Toasting Wood
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Learning to Toast: Toasting Wood
Polishing Spirits with Fruitwood: Fruitwood
Badmotivator’s Barrels: Badmo Barrels
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Re: Pot still or column still in pot mode, which is faster?
Oopsy.
Otis’ Pot and Thumper, Dimroth Condenser: Pot-n-Thumper/Dimroth
Learning to Toast: Toasting Wood
Polishing Spirits with Fruitwood: Fruitwood
Badmotivator’s Barrels: Badmo Barrels
Learning to Toast: Toasting Wood
Polishing Spirits with Fruitwood: Fruitwood
Badmotivator’s Barrels: Badmo Barrels
Re: Pot still or column still in pot mode, which is faster?
i think you have worded that wrong, even a pot still should be open to atmosphere. but i understand what you are saying. the still that has only one exit and tha only to the pc could be driven faster.
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Re: Pot still or column still in pot mode, which is faster?
I thought I replied my bad. A CM still.
Last edited by acfixer69 on Tue Apr 13, 2021 8:31 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Pot still or column still in pot mode, which is faster?
Cool. The CM columns I am familiar with are not vented (except through the PC as previously mentioned) so with no RC or dephlag cooling, it should produce product just as fast as a pot head will if all else is equal. Otis
Otis’ Pot and Thumper, Dimroth Condenser: Pot-n-Thumper/Dimroth
Learning to Toast: Toasting Wood
Polishing Spirits with Fruitwood: Fruitwood
Badmotivator’s Barrels: Badmo Barrels
Learning to Toast: Toasting Wood
Polishing Spirits with Fruitwood: Fruitwood
Badmotivator’s Barrels: Badmo Barrels
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Re: Pot still or column still in pot mode, which is faster?
There are so many variables, that the question of itself is not really answerable..
What a waste of time.. and to what means will the answer serve..
Mars
What a waste of time.. and to what means will the answer serve..
Mars
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Re: Pot still or column still in pot mode, which is faster?
Nice vitriol. Very helpful, thank you my friend.StillerBoy wrote:There are so many variables, that the question of itself is not really answerable..
What a waste of time.. and to what means will the answer serve..
Mars
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Re: Pot still or column still in pot mode, which is faster?
Foolproof , l’m going to say there will be no real difference. 5500w is a fare amount of heat . Enough to overcome any significant passive reflux that might occur . Wrap it in a blanket and it will be the same .
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Re: Pot still or column still in pot mode, which is faster?
What seam do you think I'm talking about? Are you hoping to push 5500W worth of vapor through 7' of 3/8" tube without making the 6 o'clock news? If the tube is 3/8" OD, the ID is even less. A 3/8" condenser is far too small to be safe with that element.
Re: Pot still or column still in pot mode, which is faster?
Chis my liebig is aussie 1/2" @ 6' - which is 10.88mm id and then its crimped every 2 inches so it frequently goes below that in CSA
It gets 12l/hour off gas, which from my boilup times and so forth im achieving the equivalent of 6kw in the boiler currently, havent blown up in the 2 odd years ive used it so far
That said im going to investigate the apparent speed up when stripping if you use a shotgun, as recently reported here
It gets 12l/hour off gas, which from my boilup times and so forth im achieving the equivalent of 6kw in the boiler currently, havent blown up in the 2 odd years ive used it so far
That said im going to investigate the apparent speed up when stripping if you use a shotgun, as recently reported here
Re: Pot still or column still in pot mode, which is faster?
Thank you yummyrum.
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Re: Pot still or column still in pot mode, which is faster?
Just for the hell of it I went to the shed and eyeballed a bit of 3/8 copper tube. Inside diameter of the bit have is 5/16th.
Not sure I'd be comfortable pushing 5500W worth of vapour through 7 foot of coil that size either.
Margin for error is about Zero if the still pukes an a bit of corn or something gets in the coil.
Re: Pot still or column still in pot mode, which is faster?
There is a big difference in the cross sectional area of a 3/8" tube compared to a 1/2" tube, let alone the increased chance of a restriction if a mistake causes a puke.
Re: Pot still or column still in pot mode, which is faster?
Yes there is a huge difference. A 3/8" tube which would have an ID of about 1/4" should probably never be used for stillin in most if not all cases. It may be ok for a small gin still where you are not leaving the botanicals in the boiler. A 1/2" tube which has a 3/8" ID (this is what I use) has more than sufficient capacity for a hobby sized still providing you make sure it stays clear and this includes pukes from a boiler containing solids. He said he was using a 3/8" worm. Rightly or wrongly I thought he was referring to the ID. When you talked about "blowing a seam" I figured you were talking about the seam in the tubing. Something else will always give before the tubing.
Most people on the site do a rather poor job of identifying whether they are talking ID or OD. Most do not realize that pipe is measured ID and tubing is measured OD and they use the terms pipe and tubing interchangeably when there is quite a huge difference for our purposes. It would be nice if we had a policy where we always used the ID when referring to our condensers.