All the time: Simple is beautiful

[Ripa]

Here is some knowhow of temperatures in this colon.

Remember the start of distilling:
- First boilingtemperature must be sufficient = 100 degrees!
- Waterflow inside the colon must be sufficient
- Then waterflow is regulated just the level when alcohol is falling down as drops, it must not flow, otherwice the concentration of alcohol is too low
- When alcohol is dropping, it is 94 %
- At the same time the cooling water in the concentrator must be flown
- Notice the directions of waterflows!

My father-in law never asked for temperature-meter, I had it, but it was not necessary.

Can anybody test this system, it is simple to do, more simpler than any warming regulators. As the same You can test, if the system stops automatic.

Remember, that I made the colon about 30 years ago, and gave the same advices to my father-in-law. He never told me, that the system was not working well. I got many times the alcohol, and it was very good.

[manu de hanoi]

perhaps there is a condition where the reflux lets some alcohol out but condensate all the water (because water is easier to condensate than alcohol).....at least for a period of time.

that is the basic principal behind a reflux column...

lol thanks pikluk, I meant that after all alcohol is gone there is a period of time when water is fully refuxed.

For ex, with the same amount of heat maybe you have more vapor if there is alcohol in the wash, so the vapour speed is higher when there is alcohol.

Perhaps when all alcool has been distilled vapour slows down and is fully refluxed.

Or maybe the reflux is simply strong enough to keep the top of the column around 80 degree preventing vapor to escape, keep in mind guys that this setup is not LM, be could be considered as VM or CM....


Anyways rika thanks for the extra drawings. I wouldnt try it myself because indeed refluxing elsewhere than on top of the column is a waste of energy (and i tried that before).

[Ripa]

More than 10 years ago I told the simplest way to distill more than 90 % alcohol without any adjusting of boiling power and termometer.

Here is the link of that discussion:

viewtopic.php?t=6042

Has anybody constructed the same and how it is working?

[still_stirrin]

It'll do.

But I'd put the water valve on the outlet of the water tube in the column (reflux). That way the tube will always be full of water as the line pressure will keep the line full. As drawn, the tube is not under pressure and could develop "low pressure zones" similar to a pump cavitation.

But I disagree with the rubber stopper in the top of the column. Rubber can and will leach into your high temperature vapor. Not good for consumption.

I have a 2" x 39" (54mm x 100cm) glass marble filled column with a vapor managed (VM) valve, which when properly adjusted, will produce 96%ABV throughout the run without any subsequent adjustment until it "stops producing" as you've commented in the highlighted thread. That's how a VM works.
ss

[NZChris]

There is no way I would use a rubber stopper because I wouldn't want to contaminate my product with it. I would put the deflag water tube in through the side and cap the top.

A crimped Liebig is capable of blocking and crimping isn't necessary unless a Liebig is very undersized.

Apart from that, it's an interesting design, but maybe not interesting enough to get me to try it.

[Saltbush Bill]

A crimped Liebig is capable of blocking and crimping isn't necessary unless a Liebig is very undersized.

This is the first Ive ever heard of or read of this. Crimping of the inner tube of Liebig condensers was and is still common practice.
Ive crimped all of the ones I've ever made and used.
Ive yet to read or hear about a crimped liebig ever "blocking" on any of the distilling forums that I have spent time on.
Any chance of a link or other information on examples of this happening ?