DIY Build your Own Ebulliometer

[Max_Vino]

Build your Own Ebulliometer

Ebulliometer Front.jpg

I built this because I wasn’t getting accurate alcohol measurements, using a hydrometer, for some wash experiments I was doing.
The use of ebulliometers within the wine industry is common. These devices have a solid reputation for producing accurate measurements and are preferred over hydrometers. An ebulliometer is not a difficult piece of equipment to build. I did make a few changes from the more conventional designs. When bringing any liquid to a boil there is a tendency for the temperature of the liquid to oscillate so I made a few changes to help the device become more stable. When you look at the design you can see that there’s a sharp separation between the sample holder with its heater below and the condenser above. What I’ve done is added a UHMW block which acts to thermally isolate the 2 parts of the ebulliometer. I’ve also made the chamber inside that block larger than the sample holder. What these do for the design is to allow the air above the sample to heat up without interference from the condenser and enhances a more even boil.

Ebulliometer Design 1.jpg

Ebulliometer Design 2.jpg

Ebulliometer section.jpg

Some thoughts about the design:
Instead of brazing the parts together I glued them using JB Weld. This is why the flange sections are 1/2” thick.
The temperature controller isn’t really necessary a light dimmer switch would work as well...I just had the controller in my inventory so I used it.
The 2” diameter band heater works well with the 2” diameter aluminum round as a base for the heater.
I designed the sample chamber for a 20 ml sample.
The condenser is too tall but I had a 14” section of aluminum tubing in my parts pile so I used that as well as the 3/4 inch copper tubing. The combination did lend itself to a 18” thermocouple.
I added two spiders to the thermocouple to prevent it from touching the sides of the chamber.

Alcohol Determination by Ebulliometry -
To operate the device you subtract the boiling point of water with that of wash. Measurements must be taken within a half hour of each other, barometric pressure has an effect on BP. Adjustments may be required if the wash's sugar concentration is > 0.5 oBaume. With that number you can then look up the alcohol content on a chart like the one below.
For a complete explanation on how to use this and common errors to avoid see:
http://www.monashscientific.com.au/Alco ... cedure.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow

ebulliometer Table.jpg

Cheers,
Max