what do you think?
continuous design
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stoker
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Grayson_Stewart
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rectifier
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Why the through tubes as well as offset condensor?
The reflux return from the offset condensor will do a better job on its own of maintaining equilibrium than the through tubes.
I went with just a regular offset head and used a pair of valves to split reflux/product - why do you want to eliminate the product valve? I don't quite get the "no pressure" label, unless you want to make a sealed unit - which quite frankly is stupid and dangerous. The condenser coils make a 'virtual seal' that keeps all the alcohol in under normal operation, yet allows for pressure relief in case of a blockage.
Also, try preheating the wash before injecting it, either by using it as coolant or with an inline heater. You will get better separation/throughput as you are not cooling the column as much at the injection point.
Continuous columns are really neat, and efficient, but remember you will have to rerun your product on a regular column (or mount the top half of your continuous on a large boiler. Don't solder at the midpoint - put a threaded coupling so you can unscrew the top column.) to remove methanol and heads. They are really a lot better for fuel than beverage alcohol.
Take a look at mine if you haven't already at http://homedistiller.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=1311
I've been playing with this column for awhile but only for fuel experimentation.
The reflux return from the offset condensor will do a better job on its own of maintaining equilibrium than the through tubes.
I went with just a regular offset head and used a pair of valves to split reflux/product - why do you want to eliminate the product valve? I don't quite get the "no pressure" label, unless you want to make a sealed unit - which quite frankly is stupid and dangerous. The condenser coils make a 'virtual seal' that keeps all the alcohol in under normal operation, yet allows for pressure relief in case of a blockage.
Also, try preheating the wash before injecting it, either by using it as coolant or with an inline heater. You will get better separation/throughput as you are not cooling the column as much at the injection point.
Continuous columns are really neat, and efficient, but remember you will have to rerun your product on a regular column (or mount the top half of your continuous on a large boiler. Don't solder at the midpoint - put a threaded coupling so you can unscrew the top column.) to remove methanol and heads. They are really a lot better for fuel than beverage alcohol.
Take a look at mine if you haven't already at http://homedistiller.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=1311
I've been playing with this column for awhile but only for fuel experimentation.
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stoker
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I've not really the intensions of using the through tubes in combination with that condenser. i can maybe later fix my liebigcondenser to that column. I won't ponder anymore, it's too late, the tubes are already there.
i will maybe redistill it with an ordinary boiler-still.
and i don't know what to do with the reflux management
-my valves are not accurate enough
-why is a second valve needed?, the ethanol can't run in the outlet when the other valve is totally opened...
I'll see if preheating is necessary, when the still is finished and tried out
stoker
i will maybe redistill it with an ordinary boiler-still.
and i don't know what to do with the reflux management
-my valves are not accurate enough
-why is a second valve needed?, the ethanol can't run in the outlet when the other valve is totally opened...
I'll see if preheating is necessary, when the still is finished and tried out
stoker
-I have too much blood in my alcohol system-
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rectifier
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Not accurate enough - what kind of valves are you using? Needle valves?
If you've built it right then you could get full reflux without any getting out the open product tube. However, as drawn, you are bound to get some product no matter what setting of the other valve. You could block it with a rag while you're running under full reflux to warm up - or you could put a $5 valve there, not a signifigant cost. Also if you're having accuracy problems, using 2 valves allows you more accurate control, as you can increase the flow one way by decreasing the other and balance it better.
By the way, most 1 valve designs I've read (elliptical plate) have the opposite, only a product valve and no reflux valve. Reflux is done via overflow on the plate.
Boilers - small - less heat loss, less warmup time.
I'm a believer in the small boiler. In my design I am going to eventually eliminate it fully for just a ring heater in the base, essentially a 50ml boiler.
As far as I know there is no reason to run a large boiler on a continuous still. Someone prove me wrong?
If you've built it right then you could get full reflux without any getting out the open product tube. However, as drawn, you are bound to get some product no matter what setting of the other valve. You could block it with a rag while you're running under full reflux to warm up - or you could put a $5 valve there, not a signifigant cost. Also if you're having accuracy problems, using 2 valves allows you more accurate control, as you can increase the flow one way by decreasing the other and balance it better.
By the way, most 1 valve designs I've read (elliptical plate) have the opposite, only a product valve and no reflux valve. Reflux is done via overflow on the plate.
Boilers - small - less heat loss, less warmup time.
I'm a believer in the small boiler. In my design I am going to eventually eliminate it fully for just a ring heater in the base, essentially a 50ml boiler.
As far as I know there is no reason to run a large boiler on a continuous still. Someone prove me wrong?
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stoker
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rectifier
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I'm not saying use a 50ml boiler, only that that's what my ring heater essentially is.
Use whatever is convenient to you as long as you can pump at least a kilowatt or two into it without it boiling over/boiling dry, don't go out of your way to use a tiny one. Boiler size is pretty irrelevant to performance on a continuous, it only really changes the heat efficiency (i.e. your warmup time and electricity cost) which doesn't really matter if you are distilling to drink.
No ethanol should even reach your boiler if your feed rate and power input are properly matched, that's the point of the lower column. The ethanol should be stripped out by the steam before the wash trickles down to your boiler. The best way to tell is to monitor the vapor temperature of your column base, and if it drops much below 100C you are losing ethanol out the bottom, and need to lower the feed rate.
What valves are you using then. Gate valves? Needle valves are cheap and common here ($5-10), maybe they go by a different name in your area.
They are brass (or stainless), about 5cm long, and when you look down the end at the mechanism, they have a little brass pin that goes up and down. You can see a pair of them on the pic of my offset head.
Use whatever is convenient to you as long as you can pump at least a kilowatt or two into it without it boiling over/boiling dry, don't go out of your way to use a tiny one. Boiler size is pretty irrelevant to performance on a continuous, it only really changes the heat efficiency (i.e. your warmup time and electricity cost) which doesn't really matter if you are distilling to drink.
No ethanol should even reach your boiler if your feed rate and power input are properly matched, that's the point of the lower column. The ethanol should be stripped out by the steam before the wash trickles down to your boiler. The best way to tell is to monitor the vapor temperature of your column base, and if it drops much below 100C you are losing ethanol out the bottom, and need to lower the feed rate.
What valves are you using then. Gate valves? Needle valves are cheap and common here ($5-10), maybe they go by a different name in your area.
They are brass (or stainless), about 5cm long, and when you look down the end at the mechanism, they have a little brass pin that goes up and down. You can see a pair of them on the pic of my offset head.
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stoker
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nice explanation
I know, I just can't find them, I'll go in a few minutes to a store again, and look for it.rectifier wrote:
What valves are you using then. Gate valves? Needle valves are cheap and common here ($5-10), maybe they go by a different name in your area.
They are brass (or stainless), about 5cm long, and when you look down the end at the mechanism, they have a little brass pin that goes up and down. You can see a pair of them on the pic of my offset head.
-I have too much blood in my alcohol system-
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stoker
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I use a ball valve
I've found a new one, a propane valve, now i think It's too narrow (+- 1mm diameter?)
I've some glass I can use as a boiler
mine looks like this
cont. 250 ml
with a bunsenbrander below
the neck is wider (2-3 cm)
and if I want, I can cool down the wash outlet with a glass liebig condenser
and afterwards, i can distill it to check how much alcohol is left in the wash
stoker
EDIT, this is mine:
I've found a new one, a propane valve, now i think It's too narrow (+- 1mm diameter?)
I've some glass I can use as a boiler
mine looks like this
cont. 250 ml
with a bunsenbrander below
the neck is wider (2-3 cm)
and if I want, I can cool down the wash outlet with a glass liebig condenser
and afterwards, i can distill it to check how much alcohol is left in the wash
stoker
EDIT, this is mine:
-I have too much blood in my alcohol system-