"semi-continuous" design

[dragonfrog]

I'm getting set to build a new still - I've got a few more bits to acquire, and then of course I have to get the time to build it. Between now and then, if I can get some feedback or suggestions on my design, I'd appreciate it.

My plan is to build a still that can work in three ways

1) as a plain old pot still

2) as a cooling management reflux still (i.e., a pot still with a dephlegmator)

3) as a "semi-continuous" stripping still based loosely on an Armagnac alembic (the condenser uses wash to cool the vapour, and then introduces it to the still when it's hot)

The idea of the "semi-continouse" way of running it is to have the input wash feed in through the jacket of the liebig condenser, then passed from there to the top of the column. That way, the same heat that's boiling off vapour in the boiler can be used to pre-heat wash, which is then added to the boiler close to its boiling point. It's only "semi" continuous in that I'm not planning to fit a drain to the boiler, so I can only feed it until the boiler is full.

The goal is not to strip batches larger than the boiler, just to cut down on boil-up time by effectively using the same heat twice - once to boil off vapour, and again to to preheat wash before it goes into the boiler. Once all the wash is introduced to the boiler, I would switch the operation to plain old pot still mode by turning a couple valves and plugging in my pond pump, and finish the run as normal.

I figure with a long enough liebig, I should be able to get full condensation, and still have the wash enter the top of the column good and hot.

I plan to use a 60 L keg with a 1500 W water heater element as a boiler, 2" copper on the way up, then down through a liebig that's 1" inside of a 1 1/2" jacket.

If I can figure out attachments, I'll post a sketch of the still head. The bottom of the liebig isn't shown, but it would have a couple of valves to control the rate and source of coolant input.

[dragonfrog]

Here we go. I only show the one turn on the dephlegmator, really I'd put in a couple of turns.