Home Distiller

Having just built my new pot I got to thinking about cooling the system. I am moving from a flake stand and worm to a Liebig (learning curve ahead). My Liebig is overkill (~40 inches of 3/4 over 1/2 inch) and I'm only throwing 1800 watts at it so after some reading I figured my 500 liter/hr pump was going to push too much water. Is this preliminary design on track to reduce back pressure on my pump and deliver appropriate cooling to the PC?

Not sure what type of pump your using but if its a mag drive pump just a valve on the water return side is sufficient.
If you can get a blue plastic 55gallon barrel for a reservoir you will be a happy camper. Throw a cup or so of bleach in your water barrel once a week or so and keep reusing the cooling water.

So don't worry about flow rate? That was the only reason I was going to put that three way in there. Using a 12 V mag drive pump rated at 500 l/hr (probably less in actual use) supplied by a 76 l garbage can with room temp water.

Edit...oh control with the valve on the return side. Simpler and cheaper.

Does the bleach affect the copper in any way?

I think you got it.the mag drive pumps dont mind backpressure.you should be able to ajust the valve to get a temp gradient on the liebig. No,the bleach dosent affect the copper,not that ive noticed. Strait bleach probably would. Think of the reservoir as a swimming pool... just enough bleach to keep green stuff and funky smells away.

I have a solid idea on how to proceed now. Thanks.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Maybe you are making it too complicated. Extra surface area or coolant flow doesn't hurt. No reason to dial things back.

With an over-sized condenser and higher coolant flow rate, the vapor collapses into a liquid quickly leaving the remaining surface area to cool the liquid ethanol before exiting the condenser.

Unless you find a a near free radiator, you will never have a return on investment on the radiator. I change a 5 gallon coolant reservoir three times to run my 5 gallon still. I use the hot water to clean dishes and mop the floor.

I was only going to use a radiator/fan setup if necessary, just trying to think things through before I start putting it all together. I have no experience running with a liebig and was just trying to get my ducks in row before jumping into the pond so to speak.

zach wrote:Maybe you are making it too complicated. Extra surface area or coolant flow doesn't hurt. No reason to dial things back.

Really...??? Is that the voice of experience talking or are you just assuming...??? Perhaps you should research a little thing called "shock cooling" before offering up inaccurate advice...

Piperdave that's a nice looking boiler
And your Liebig is definitely big enough.
The only problem I see on you diagram
Is the vapor inters the bottom of the condenser and the product comes out the top

Shady - looks like the plumbing is correct - just the condenser is upsidedown in the drawing

OVZ

shadylane wrote:...The only problem I see on you diagram is the vapor inters the bottom of the condenser and the product comes out the top.

Shady, you're standing on your head again.

Seriously, piperdave, I think your schematic looks good. But I question the pump's output....is the 500 l/hr deadhead? If so, make sure you have enough flow available (to regulate if/as needed) even with all the elevation differences.

Pond pumps often boast fantastic flow rates, but they are often just that...a fantasy. Because pond pumps usually pump water from a pond to a fountain, with usually little elevation difference, their flow performance drops drastically with discharge head increase. Make sure you check the label of the pump to evaluate it. You can't simply rely on price to decide if its the right pump to buy unfortunately.

And remember, you'll have piping losses (in addition to the elevation changes) to consider too.

Is the discharge outlet on the pond pump 15mm or larger? That would likely have enough head capacity for your recirculation needs. If its smaller you really need to scrutinize the pump.
ss

rad14701 wrote:

zach wrote:Maybe you are making it too complicated. Extra surface area or coolant flow doesn't hurt. No reason to dial things back.

Really...??? Is that the voice of experience talking or are you just assuming...??? Perhaps you should research a little thing called "shock cooling" before offering up inaccurate advice...

Doesn't shock cooling have more to do with temperature rather than amount of flow? I use two 6600GPH mag drive pumps without issue.

700G wrote:

rad14701 wrote:

zach wrote:Maybe you are making it too complicated. Extra surface area or coolant flow doesn't hurt. No reason to dial things back.

Really...??? Is that the voice of experience talking or are you just assuming...??? Perhaps you should research a little thing called "shock cooling" before offering up inaccurate advice...

Doesn't shock cooling have more to do with temperature rather than amount of flow? I use two 6600GPH mag drive pumps without issue.

They are one and the same... The use of a bypass reduces flow to maintain a cooling gradient within the product condenser... There's my breadcrumb...

The pump specs state 15 ft lift ( we'll see, kinda skeptical). I wont need that much but I hope it has what I need for my purposes when test run it. Rad...that was my original thought, that I would need to control flow before the condenser with a 3 way valve. The outlet is 13.2 mm. Hope it enough, if not I'll deal with it.

I noticed I made my drawing a little confusing so I made sure I labelled the vapour and product ends to clarify.

Thanks for all input. Any thoughtful advice is greatly appreciated.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

I like your plan... I would control the flow of water before the liebig, but then my water hoses are only held on with friction, so any back pressure on the output side would ping them off.

Good luck

Here's the specs and a pic of the pump I'm considering using.
Specifications:
Model: DC40E-1250
Material: PA66+Glass fiber
Power consumption: 13.2W
Rated voltage: 12V
Rated current: 1.1A
Max flow rate: 8.3L/MIN (2.2G/MIN)
Max static head: 5m (16ft)
Diameter of inlet: 13.2mm (1/4 inch thread)
Diameter of outlet: 13.2mm (1/4 inch thread)
Noise: <35dB
Waterproof level: IP68
Lifespan: More than 30,000hrs
Power supply: DC electric source (bared wire)
Driving method: Brushless, Magnetic
Max working temperature: 60¡ãC/172F
Item dimension: 80*64.4*48mm
SKU: X1HG10010

Pump power should be fine. The max. working temperature for the composite housing is lower, but should be OK too. You'll be pushing cool water from your reservoir even though the water outlet temperature from the condensers may approach 130*F. The radiator will help dissipate some of that heat before returning the water to the reservoir. So, the pump should be OK.

Didja' say what the pump costs?

In retrospect...will the plastic pump be OK if you put a dab of chlorine bleach into the reservoir?
ss

Got it 22 bucks and change. Damn...still waiting on a 1/2 inch ferrule for the liebig to finish this puppy up. I have 3 liters of feints and 4 liters of vinegar waiting so I can start my cleaning runs and actually test this rig out. Guess I could start something with that 5 gallons of blackstrap I have waiting. Getting low on my rum stock.

Guess I will see how that plastic will hold up to a little bleach.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk