Horizontal LM/VM head idea. Any merit?

[Steve Broady]

I had this goofy idea, and I don’t know enough to evaluate it fairly.

IMG_6368.jpeg

Please ignore the lack of packing in the column, as I just didn’t want to bother trying to draw it. Infer its presence please. There are quite a few details that I omitted because they don’t serve to illustrate the concept any better in my opinion. This was just a quick and dirty sketch to get the point across.

The idea is a combination LM (on the left) and VM (on the right) still head mounted horizontally to save height. The LM section uses a low dam on the vapor side to form a pool beneath the coil, and a needle valve mounted anywhere beneath the top of the dam. I drew it on the end of the tube for convenience, but it could go underneath just as well.

If the vent hole is plugged and the vapor valve fully opened, it might work as a pot still as well. Jack of all trades… master of none?

Anyway, I just wanted to get some feedback from folks who have done and seen a lot more than I have.