plate design

[emptyglass]

not sure I'd want to buy the first model hover board.

so how does it work?

[Hound Dog]

Really quite brilliant, thanks for thinking out side the box Googe!

I don't even think Googe has a box! Pretty cool Googe.

[wv_cooker]

Dang it googe now you done went and done it again, LOL. Flap plates and no downcomers. So now we are building reed valves does that make it 2-stroke stills, LOL. Thinking about this it pretty much defies everything we have read in theory and learned from science about plates. In your first couple of videos with a downcomer the plates didn't seem to weep too badly at least and the liquid followed the normal path down thru the downcomers. If you notice the liquid level on the plates it was controlled by the downcomer height as we have been taught. The scrubbing action seemed to be more to the opposite side of the plate and a bit more violent.

In the last video the depth was deeper and more of a rolling mixture and less violence and as you have stated the depth was controlled by the amount of heat applied. That alone would imply to me a plate that would create a nice clean scrubbing action between vapor and liquid.

This pretty much takes out the effect of liquid movement across the plate such as in the video that was posted a while back. Now instead of hole size and percentage of active surface area I guess we will be more concerned with flexibility of the flapper and the relationship between liquid flow and vapor flow in the holes size under the flapper. Way too much to think about in one day googe but suffice it to say you have hit absolute simplicity for sure. Nice job!!!!!!!!!

[googe]

Good question empty, can you tell.me? Haha. I guess it's to do with the movement of the flap and the leaking of distillate though the moving plate, path of least resistance I guess. Higher liquide pressure on top compared to lower vapor pressure moving up. Thanks rock, much appreciated.!. Thanks hound dog! Lol. Lol cooker, I hope you didn't hurt your brain . Wish it revved like a two stroke lol. I'm guessing they didn't weep when the downcomers were there, because of what I said to empty, no pressure to the downcomer, it jbutust flows in, easy path. It did seem to have a rolling action like you say, till you put the heat to it, then it had a rolling action, with what looked very much like a seive plate with very active small bubbles. rapid Boiling, rather than a rolling boil. I think hole size will.matter, as we'll as everything else. You need, hole size for enough vapor to enter and fluid to exit, and to correspond with the plate size, shape, thickness, stiffness, flexibly, alot to work out!. The cork flap I is is quite thick and stiff. But still have plenty of flexibility. I want to see if thin flexible material will act the same way. I guess, you could make it to suit your still and the speed, depth, you like. When I turned the heat right down, and just bubbled away slowly. Was amazed how quick.it.drained when I turned the heat of, turned the heat off, looked back.up and it was empty lol. Thanks for the comment cooker, got me.thinking more about it

[googe]

Ok, I'll comment . New plate design today, not a flapper. No downcomer again . More tinny bubbles than bubble caps, with some rolling action. Reflux was set and plaid with heat, takes more heat than bubble caps at same ABV . Will.take alot of heat with minimal sign of flooding.


High heat.

Normal run speed.

[BDF]

Does this design you're working with have any positive or adverse effects on smearing different parts of the run?

[White_Lightning_Rod]

So Googe what is the new plate design, since its not a flapper?

[White_Lightning_Rod]

Let me take a guess. Perf plate with no down comer?

[googe]

I've only done a couple of tests bdf, but it looks like there compressing tails very well!, went from 92% to 40~50% in the blink of an eye, nearly shot my alc meter out the parrot!. So, something positive there. There not perf plates wlr.

[googe]

Did a 40L rum run on the weekend, one new plate on the bottom, 2 single caps above. Abv was the same as all caps, I could put alot more heat into the plate with no flooding, it has tinny bubbles mixed with larger bubbles while stabilizing, once stable and has a rolling action like water in a stream running over rocks. There's next to zero splashing, I could run it slow without collapsing, to a point. That point is something my next test will be about, I want it to be able to be run slow and flat out. The speed was alot faster than all single caps, I'm not sure but that sounds to me like the new plate is introducing higher cleaner vapor to the single caps for them.to be able to keep up . All single caps on there own can't run properly at the speed I was running it. I'm just finishing building 2 more and will run there on the weekend to get a better idea of how they run together. Piece out.

[InglisHill]

Nice Googe, I am watching with much interest.

[googe]

Thanks fellas, will finish the plates today hopefully.

[googe]

Fail!, just did a small run with the 3 plates, guess I'll have to explain more about what they are for you to understand!. There on off shoot of the gap plates, but instead of a flexible top plate, it's solid, stainless ATM but want to try copper. I've been toying with gaps between plates and the past runs were a larger gap and worked well, this test was a smaller gap. didn't perform to well, messy splashy bath and the first plate was more full than the second, can't see the top plate as it hasn't got a sightglass, something I need to build yet. ABV was around the normal 90% but wasn't stable.

[InglisHill]

Did it surge Googe? On the plates that you could see.

I suppose in theory that the liquid would take a path through the plates and this should remain stable, but the vapour forcing its way up, well, that could make all sorts of twists and turns.............

I really like the idea and think it has merit. Have you thought about slotting the stainless plates around the circumfrence?

[googe]

No surging inglishill, I get some surging on most plates I've tried, not these though, im guessing some pressure is helping with that. Because I had a smaller gap, I wasn't able to use enough power to play with them.properly, to much reflux not enough through power. Only thing I could see it useful for.is low.ABV fast takeoff. I think when I open the gap again, it should open alot more power. I'll try one more test with the 3 plates and a larger gap next weekend.

[Lester]

.......... and the first plate was more full than the second ...........

Hello Googe. Nice experiments you are doing.

The column pressure diminishes as you go higher up the column. If you want to get the same liquid level on all plates then the gaps need to be smaller at the uppermost plate, relative to the gap on the bottom plate. Plates in between the top and bottom ones will need to have their own gaps also.

Just my thoughts. And thank you for sharing your results.

[googe]

Hey Lester, I think your on the money there!. Will.do some.more testing over time when it permits!. Thanks for the feedback

[countrydew]

Googe. I have a question. Did you ever try mutiple "flapper plates", the ones without downcommers. Im courious. you had great results with just 1. maybe someone already ask this question but I did not see it anywhere. I was thinking about building a flute with something similar. If you did , was there any problem with pressure build up and would the flappers work if there were 5 in a collum?

[googe]

That's still.in the to do list countrydew lol. I've tried two together, worked.fine, but would.need a stack of them.to get a true.measure of how.they work.together. Let us know ifyou do

[countrydew]

I would love to try it but currently I only have a pot still. I'm designing a flute as we speak though. Although it will be a while before its ready to test any plates. BTW,you have done some great experiments here. Thank you for sharing them with us!

[googe]

No worried mate, it's all about sharing and learning, I've got nothing to hide . Good luck with your still!.

[InglisHill]

Coming from Auz, you really should call them slappers

[Tokoroa_Shiner]

Coming from Auz, you really should call them slappers

Haha.

[googe]

Bloody kiwis

[googe]

Ran the flap plate with a thin sheet today, worked heaps better, could handle full power and still ran great with next to no power, very happy.

[Tap]

Always appreciate your posts googe.

"Tha fuckin thing"

"It's a rippa"

Well done

Tap. Out

[googe]

Cheers tap. I'll do a better video lol, could hardly see anything!.

[Chauncey]

This is an awesome thread whatever came of this?

[googe]

I never got back to doing full runs with it. Brain fart.

[Chauncey]

The plates in the brain will not load properly. Heard that.