SPP Packing

[BrewinBrian44]

Just did a run today. I finally got my flooding issue sorted. Bought one of those mesh gaskets and cut it into an X shape to retain the packing. I was getting good clean product before, but couldn’t run high watts/fast take-off because I had to pack copper mesh too tight in the bottom to support the weight of my SPP. it wouldn’t allow the column to drain fast enough and would cause a runaway flooding situation at anything above 3000W.

The run went very well with the 3” VM column. I ended up re-distilling sulfury HBB low wines that I cleaned up with some copper and 1 gallon of HBB heads feints. Essentially a bourbon mash vodka. I diluted to 20% ABV before firing her up.

I played with a few different power levels and found the best setting was running 5000W. I used my 1” ball valve and ended up running it wide open once in the hearts. With this I was able to achieve 3.5L per hour at 95%ABV. I wasn’t able to get the pool of distillate above the packing, but looking through the sight glass I could see the reflux creating some of that semi aquatic environment. I didn’t get “true azeo,” but honestly, I’m okay with a little mild flavor. For grins, I ran a little slower part way through the run and was able to squeeze out 95.5%, but the flavor really wasn’t much different for running slower.

I have a 2” ball valve that I might use next time to see where the limit is with my setup. I feel pretty confident I can good product at 4L/hr. I’m also going to consider removing my water pressure regulator to see if I can supercool the reflux at the top to try and create that fluid pool and maybe run even faster.

The final product is crisp, sweet and delicious. My heads and tails were very compressed too. Most of the run was hearts. The tails at the end were so concentrated I could barely breathe when I was rinsing everything out. Nothing worth keeping for feints.

SPP is simply amazing. My yield was huge and the run only took like 4.5 hours once the column got up to temp. Diluted to 40%, I can net 3.8 gallons. I’m pumped!

[DAD300]

I have five sieve plates on one still and 4" x 48" of spp (approx 30 theoretical plates) on another, doesn't matter!

For flavor as in whiskey/rum/brandy, I heat up slowly so as to purposely mallardize (develop flavors as in butter to carmel). I could get first drop in 45min, but I take 90 on purpose. As I get vapor to the top of column I start reflux and cooling water at a rate to prove I could stop all vapor. Then takeoff what I know to be about the amount of fores and heads I expect from experience. It starts to clear up, I'll bump up reflux to fill my plates about 2's.

Collecting in small SS vessels with high reflux, till I'm sure I've passed heads to usable hearts. less reflux, and collect in larger vessels until I see/smell evidence of tails. Reflux increase and it's back to smaller vessels until I get down to about 15% abv.

Collect all the tails you can justify time wise...there are stinky/cloudy tails followed by clear (sweet water) strong tails and back to stinky crap with alcohol.

For neutral/vodka...I take washes that have been stripped and heads removed once already...water back to 40% abv and rerun in spp still, amount of reflux, to get the abv I'm after.

Whatever you collect, set it out with a towel over the top to let it air for at least overnight. Make your decision about what to use or rerun after it airs. If it's marginal let it set another day...some of it will surprise you.

Product quantities are all relative...I mash 300 gallons (600lbs of grain) at a time, I have 170 gallon ban marie, with 5 eight inch diameter sieve plates, electric still, 35,000watts, I can get first drop in 90-120 minutes, off 170 gallon of ferment with 3 gallons of tails added, collect a gallon of hearts 78% every 12 minutes at the height, approximately 1 gallon of heads, 14 gallons of drink, 3 gallons of tails and takes about six hours power on to power off.

Sound cool?

Then the bad part- the price of grain has doubled in past year, record keeping, inspections, taxes (excise tax to State and Fed, "case" tax and retail sales tax), two kinds of insurance, licenses (it takes five, FDA, TTB, State Health, State ABC, FEIN), State distributors,...blah, blah, blah.... it's the sixth year and I have just about recouped my investment for building rehab (it's a barn), mash tun, two stills, six fermenters, bottling stuff, it's enough to make a guy drink!

If you enjoy it as a hobby, think about keeping it that way.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!
Raise on to the group tonight...

[Hebden]

Stop the long equalizing...45 minutes you've rerun the fores and heads thirty times... once the column is full of vapor you're just running the fores and heads up and down the column!

Trust the science, fores and heads come off the boiler first and quicker than hearts. Let the shat out and THEN slow down only to get the abv you're after.

Wham This technique works just lovely. Ran my spirit run today in a fraction of the usual time thanks DAD.

[DAD300]

BOOM!...

[bunny]

Stop the long equalizing...45 minutes you've rerun the fores and heads thirty times... once the column is full of vapor you're just running the fores and heads up and down the column!

Trust the science, fores and heads come off the boiler first and quicker than hearts. Let the shat out and THEN slow down only to get the abv you're after.

Wham This technique works just lovely. Ran my spirit run today in a fraction of the usual time thanks DAD.

I haven't tried this yet, but plan to do so. This is contrary to everything I've read here to date. Exactly how much fores and heads did you collect? and at what rate?(ml/hr)

I have five sieve plates on one still and 4" x 48" of spp (approx 30 theoretical plates) on another, doesn't matter!

For flavor as in whiskey/rum/brandy, I heat up slowly so as to purposely mallardize (develop flavors as in butter to carmel).You could be looking for a different word- Wiki says maillard reaction doesn't begin until past 212f. Some esterification, which I also do not understand, might be what you are suggesting. I could get first drop in 45min, but I take 90 on purpose. As I get vapor to the top of column I start reflux and cooling water at a rate to prove I could stop all vapor. Then takeoff what I know to be about the amount of fores and heads I expect from experience. It starts to clear up, I'll bump up reflux to fill my plates about 2's. Are you saying you raise the RR by slowing the take-off, or increasing power? What is your fores/heads take-off rate?(ml/hr)

Collecting in small SS vessels with high reflux, till I'm sure I've passed heads to usable hearts. less reflux, and collect in larger vessels until I see/smell evidence of tails. Reflux increase and it's back to smaller vessels until I get down to about 15% abv.

Collect all the tails you can justify time wise...there are stinky/cloudy tails followed by clear (sweet water) strong tails and back to stinky crap with alcohol.

For neutral/vodka...I take washes that have been stripped and heads removed once already...water back to 40% abv and rerun in spp still, amount of reflux, to get the abv I'm after.

Whatever you collect, set it out with a towel over the top to let it air for at least overnight. Make your decision about what to use or rerun after it airs. If it's marginal let it set another day...some of it will surprise you.

Product quantities are all relative...I mash 300 gallons (600lbs of grain) at a time, I have 170 gallon ban marie, with 5 eight inch diameter sieve plates, electric still, 35,000watts, I can get first drop in 90-120 minutes, off 170 gallon of ferment with 3 gallons of tails added, collect a gallon of hearts 78% every 12 minutes at the height, approximately 1 gallon of heads, 14 gallons of drink, 3 gallons of tails and takes about six hours power on to power off.

Sound cool?

Then the bad part- the price of grain has doubled in past year, record keeping, inspections, taxes (excise tax to State and Fed, "case" tax and retail sales tax), two kinds of insurance, licenses (it takes five, FDA, TTB, State Health, State ABC, FEIN), State distributors,...blah, blah, blah.... it's the sixth year and I have just about recouped my investment for building rehab (it's a barn), mash tun, two stills, six fermenters, bottling stuff, it's enough to make a guy drink!

If you enjoy it as a hobby, think about keeping it that way.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!
Raise on to the group tonight...

thanks,
bunny

[Hebden]

Stop the long equalizing...45 minutes you've rerun the fores and heads thirty times... once the column is full of vapor you're just running the fores and heads up and down the column!

Trust the science, fores and heads come off the boiler first and quicker than hearts. Let the shat out and THEN slow down only to get the abv you're after.

Wham This technique works just lovely. Ran my spirit run today in a fraction of the usual time thanks DAD.

I haven't tried this yet, but plan to do so. This is contrary to everything I've read here to date. Exactly how much fores and heads did you collect? and at what rate?(ml/hr)

I cannot be accurate Bunny because I made a big mistake whilst warming up, I usually open the boiler to give the low wines a stir before they get too hot, it was too hot though and I had a low wines fountain gusher coming outta my fill port. Round about 8-10 litres before I got it under control
Luckily I had enough low wines to refill the 45L boiler to capacity again, however at this point I did not know the ABV% of my fill.

Then with the cleanup, the wet floor and the stress of that, I didn't have time to taste, smell, rub in hands and take the best of notes either.
Before I knew it, I had collected 6 liters of product and it was at 84%ABV at that point, I wasn't happy with my neutral coming out at 84%, how could that be neutral, so I powered down and dumped everything after the first 2.5+ liters down the column to bring it off at 96+ABV.
That next 250ml came off stank dirty as hell. Strangely my vapour temp before this was 173f, now it was running at 172f.

What followed was beautiful product though, because I am struggling with storage space atm, I did not collect into tails temps, I collected in smaller jars as soon as it hit 172.2, it was still smelling good at 172.4, but at 172.6 I just shut down, lost the will to continue and felt I had already collected near what I was capable of doing.

Anyhow, the picture shows the results:-
* 5 Jars to left as fores/heads (+the 250ml stanky jar not pictured started my fire) - <3L
* Jars with lids smell clean - 13.2L ish
* 2 Jars to right tails 250ml

[bunny]

Stop the long equalizing...45 minutes you've rerun the fores and heads thirty times... once the column is full of vapor you're just running the fores and heads up and down the column!

Trust the science, fores and heads come off the boiler first and quicker than hearts. Let the shat out and THEN slow down only to get the abv you're after.

Wham This technique works just lovely. Ran my spirit run today in a fraction of the usual time thanks DAD.

I haven't tried this yet, but plan to do so. This is contrary to everything I've read here to date. Exactly how much fores and heads did you collect? and at what rate?(ml/hr)

I cannot be accurate Bunny because I made a big mistake whilst warming up, I usually open the boiler to give the low wines a stir before they get too hot, it was too hot though and I had a low wines fountain gusher coming outta my fill port. Round about 8-10 litres before I got it under control
Luckily I had enough low wines to refill the 45L boiler to capacity again, however at this point I did not know the ABV% of my fill.

Then with the cleanup, the wet floor and the stress of that, I didn't have time to taste, smell, rub in hands and take the best of notes either.
Before I knew it, I had collected 6 liters of product and it was at 84%ABV at that point, I wasn't happy with my neutral coming out at 84%, how could that be neutral, so I powered down and dumped everything after the first 2.5+ liters down the column to bring it off at 96+ABV.
That next 250ml came off stank dirty as hell. Strangely my vapour temp before this was 173f, now it was running at 172f.

What followed was beautiful product though, because I am struggling with storage space atm, I did not collect into tails temps, I collected in smaller jars as soon as it hit 172.2, it was still smelling good at 172.4, but at 172.6 I just shut down, lost the will to continue and felt I had already collected near what I was capable of doing.

Anyhow, the picture shows the results:-
* 5 Jars to left as fores/heads (+the 250ml stanky jar not pictured started my fire) - <3L
* Jars with lids smell clean - 13.2L ish
* 2 Jars to right tails 250ml


Screenshot_20230110_225105_Gallery.jpg

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O'Boy, I can see that would make it more than a little difficult to judge any process.

Here's an anecdote for you: Early in my hobby on one run I was intently watching my top thermometer to go up a .1 or 2 to be able to quickly shut off and avoid tails. However, my temp instead of going up, went down a .1. This confused hell out of me. Turned out there was a storm a brewing outside and the barometer had dropped (lowering the boiling point). It's good to have a barometer.

[DAD300]

I raise the take off by decreasing Reflux, slowing the water to the delphlag/reflux coil.

Maliardization at 212f...o.k. during heatup is the bottom of your still the same temp as the liquid in the middle or top?

I know the jacket and the bottom of my ban marie still is greater than 212f (actually 225f often) or higher during heatup, because I can measure it. But even with a single layer metal still over a turkey burner or a single electric direct element in a pot still there are temps above 212F. And even with a sugar wash you are caramelizing any sugars that remain.

I opened a 5 year old bottle of white rum today and there is an overwhelming butter scotch note.

My takeoff rates wouldn't mean anything.

[Hebden]

Hi All,

Here is an adapted method of drying your spp, credit due to another member who gave me the idea, he used a towel of sorts and apologies to him, I cannot remember where I read it.
Kitchen foil, the wide variety is better for several reasons.
Method is simply to wash your spp however you choose, for me I like a column water distillation so as to provide clear watering down of final product and to steam clean the spp. Let's face it, you always need clean h2o so it's a double winner.
Then I lay foil on a long surface and place a fan on it to dry, I'm lucky to have a floor standing fan already and it took just a couple of hours. SPP would then store dry for yonks in a sealed container.

[Mad Mariner]

Does anybody have the number on the total reflux area for a 3 inch column packed with the correct size ssp please
I need to compare with new packing i have made
Thanks in advance!