2” continuous steam column

[Steve Broady]

It’s been a while since I’ve had time to do anything relating to distilling, but I finally found a little time recently and put my latest creation through its paces.

IMG_7876.jpeg

It’s a modification/evolution of my 2” continuous stripper.
viewtopic.php?t=93507

After I burnt out the element in that one, I converted it to indirect steam heat with a separate boiler. I also added a reflux column to the top so that I can make a finished product in a single run.

In the image above, the boiler is on the right, with the column in the left. There are two separate coils inside the can at the top, one for the boiler feed water and a larger one for the incoming wash. The boiler feed is also used in the heads condenser, and the wash goes through a heat exchanger to pull heat from the effluent at the bottom.

Wash comes in about half way up. Above that is a section of marble packing, then a LM takeoff for the product, another section of marbles, and a VM takeoff for the heads cut. Heads are collected separately and used for non-consumption purposes, which is the green tube in the photo. Product exits via the parrot, which lets me monitor things in real time.

IMG_7879.jpeg

I also took the opportunity to rebuild or improve a few aspects of the Harbor Freight cart and control box, adding bracing, power cord management, etc.

IMG_7878.jpeg

I’m not sure how much I trust those temperatures, but it at least gives me some idea what’s going on and when things are stable. From left to right, that’s the incoming wash, wash entering the column, effluent at the bottom of the boiler, and steam temperature.

Preliminary results: it’s slow but it works. In fact, it worked too well. I need to figure out how to dial it in to get a lower proof. I’ve got a lot to learn on running it, especially how to make a reliable and accurate heads cut. But it does work, and I made a pretty nice brandy for a first try. I’m only able to run about 100ml/min feed rate, which is lower than I’d like. But at least it’s working.