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History of the Continuous column still: Plates, trays, bubble caps
Posted: Wed Sep 04, 2019 6:49 am
by Single Malt Yinzer
https://renegaderum.com/element/plates- ... bble-caps/
Another one from Renegade Rum - The history and science of the Continuous Column still. FYI: They are discussing their particular still, other stills will vary with materials/sizes/plate types/etc.
Continuous, Column, Patent, or Coffey Still are various titles for the same thing: continuous distillation in a column patented by Aeneus Coffey in 1830.
There have been various arrangements and improvements over the intervening 190 years or so, but the principle of efficient, continuous, fractional distillation over a more costly pot still distillation still stands today.
Upon its invention by Robert Stein and improvement by an Irish exciseman, Aeneus Coffey, it has been a contentious invention. Immediately Dublin’s pot still distillers turned their back on the invention fearing, quite rightly, that it produced inferior spirit quality. The Scots, though, adopted it with alacrity.
Re: History of the Continuous column still: Plates, trays, bubble caps
Posted: Wed Sep 04, 2019 7:42 am
by LWTCS
Cool article.
We've found for ease of operation that the spirit column bottoms going back to the beer well rather than back to the beer column helps the entire system maintain much more compliant behavior.
It otherwise adds more complexity to insure that the spirit bottoms temps match beer injection temps. At least for the iteration that has a thumper under the spirit column as spirit bottoms are sent back intermittently on an as needed basis rather than metered back to the beer column continuously.
Re: History of the Continuous column still: Plates, trays, bubble caps
Posted: Wed Sep 04, 2019 9:06 am
by Single Malt Yinzer
Continuous improvement!
As I don't run this type of column I never thought of that. Having multiple inputs, different temps, different heights would screw up equilibrium. Your method is way easier.
Re: History of the Continuous column still: Plates, trays, bubble caps
Posted: Wed Sep 04, 2019 10:14 am
by LWTCS
Yep.
Keeps the injection temps on the beer column far more uniformly consistent.
The article diagram shows that spirit column bottoms have to be delt with more immediately.
Using a thumper under the spirit column gives bottoms an opportunity to flash additional alcohol as well as give the operator more latitude to manage bottoms liquid elevations without having to calibrate re-injection temps to match beer injection temps. Plus the thumper also adds a plate value...
Basically, as soon as liquid levels build up, the liquid level indicator switch pumps the requisite amount of liquid back to the beer well. Super simple.