Continuous Tutorial

[LWTCS]

This is a pretty darn good overview.

[Twisted Brick]

Fascinating video, Larry. Thanks for sharing.

[drmiller100]

Good video.
I disagree vacuum distillation requires less energy.

The multi pull off won't work for what we do, at least for how he shows it.

[shadylane]

Good video.
I disagree vacuum distillation requires less energy.

The multi pull off won't work for what we do, at least for how he shows it.

Don't let what you disagree with, muddy the water and keep you from seeing all the rest.

[LWTCS]

Good video.
I disagree vacuum distillation requires less energy.

The multi pull off won't work for what we do, at least for how he shows it.

Hi Doug,
Multiple draws won't work if you are pulling of product as vapor.
But you'll notice those draw ports are oriented below the liquid level. So product draw is pulled of as liquid.


On my still we put draw ports at what ever plate level the operator wants.

The center of the draw port pipe diameter is positioned at the top of the bubble cap. This position allows for product draw without running the plate dry and the plate behavior can continue to participate like every other plate in the column.
The product draw needs a trap to prevent vapor from billowing out when the port is in the open position.

Any vapor continues up the column to go through what ever phase change cycles may occur until it gets to the very top of the system where it will interact with a dephlegmator.
The dephlegmator at the top of the spirit column is the heaviest user with respect to flow rates.
The dephlegmator is adjusted so that a small percentage of vapor passes over to a small product condenser. This is the heads collection HX.
The remaining reflux cycles as product continues to be drawn off at the desired draw port.

The continuous heads cut is not at all as precise as a batch still. But familiar heads stink is definitely there compared to keeper distillate. Heads discharge should be about what I would characterize as 3 to5 drips per second to a broken stream.
I'm not sure what the volume/flow rate would be on a much smaller system? But there should be enough operating range built into the design for the operator to make that call.

[Dancing4dan]

Very interesting video. I learned a lot. I live in oil country and it wasn’t until joining HD that I learned oil refining is done by distillation.

The video opens possibilities when it comes to the distillation of ETOH.

[LWTCS]

Yeah the dude does a nice job of covering several types of approaches.
Also, he keeps his narrative in layman's terms so that really helps to follow along.

[LWTCS]

Doug, this is how we solved the side draw without drawing off vapor.

[LWTCS]

And though this attachment is a different diameter with only a single bubble cap, you can see how the center of the draw is positioned at the top of the bubble cap to prevent the plate from running dry by excessive product draw.

[Bushman]

Good thread Larry, never too old to pick up new information. I agree having the video talk in layman’s term saves a lot of research.

[LWTCS]

Good thread Larry, never too old to pick up new information. I agree having the video talk in layman’s term saves a lot of research.

Thanks.
Yeah the ChemE speak gets a bit long winded and really doesn't provide enough verbal imagery for the bulk of the community here.

[bluc]

Awesome video larry. Love the auto siphon on the shotgun reboiler. Does away with need for an expensive pump.

[BrewinBrian44]

Very interesting video. Now I know much more about all the “stuff” you see when driving by a crude oil refinery site haha.

Pretty amazing how we can take sludge from the earth and produce so many different products from it. All these different distillation tools are how they go from coarse to fine to produce different products. After watching this video, I’ve realized my basic understanding of an oil refinery was severely lacking.

[Deplorable]

Very interesting video. Now I know much more about all the “stuff” you see when driving by a crude oil refinery site haha.

Pretty amazing how we can take sludge from the earth and produce so many different products from it. All these different distillation tools are how they go from coarse to fine to produce different products. After watching this video, I’ve realized my basic understanding of an oil refinery was severely lacking.

Its amazing what (some) people take for granted related to petroleum products, then wonder why prices shoot through the roof on so many consumer goods when the cost of crude oil goes through the roof. Crude oil is in almost everything you interact with and eat on a daily basis from fertilizer and pesticides to the clothes on your back and the consumer electronics that people can't get enough of. Oil refineries are crucial to our daily lives.

[BrewinBrian44]

Very interesting video. Now I know much more about all the “stuff” you see when driving by a crude oil refinery site haha.

Pretty amazing how we can take sludge from the earth and produce so many different products from it. All these different distillation tools are how they go from coarse to fine to produce different products. After watching this video, I’ve realized my basic understanding of an oil refinery was severely lacking.

Its amazing what (some) people take for granted related to petroleum products, then wonder why prices shoot through the roof on so many consumer goods when the cost of crude oil goes through the roof. Crude oil is in almost everything you interact with and eat on a daily basis from fertilizer and pesticides to the clothes on your back and the consumer electronics that people can't get enough of. Oil refineries are crucial to our daily lives.

Totally agree. The people that complain about the environmental issues associated with petroleum products ignorantly rely on them for everyday uses. Plastics, cosmetics, hell everything.

The one thing we should focus on is making products designed to last much longer, if we truly cared. They used to do this back in the day, but it’s much more profitable to design a shelf life into everything.

Sorry for the thread derail, carry-on!

[NorthWoodsAb]

I realize im late to the party on this post but found it very interesting. I've recently become interested in a continous strip still, to maximise efficiency and allow more time for spirit run.which lead me here.
I worked as a millwright in a gas plant for 11 years before branching out to be an HET and working on hydraulic and mechanical things.
The plant I worked in produced 3 refined products, ethane, butane and propane. The stillage, as we'd call it, was shipped off as NGL's ( natural gas liquids).
Being a small guy, unafraid of height nor clostrophobic, I've been through these towers, internally, from top to bottom and back removing bubble plates, inspect, repair and reinstalling plates.
The stainless bat's at the bottom, "demister pads", (we call them scrubbers) caught the heavy particulate and H2O and knocked them down. The dirtiest part of a column when servicing annually.
I've been in the control room monitoring where temp and pressures are monitored and adjustments made to keep the tower in equilibrium.
At the time I wasn't a home distiller, but grew up with one, and thought "the old man would have loved a small version of this on his still instead of a worm."
I just run a simple pot still with simple reflux condenser and leibig product condenser.
When you guys are talking about columns, flutes etc., in my head I can crawl through it from gas plant experience.
I'm not an engineer to tell anyone where take off points for the fractions should be but I know that a fractioning still column in a gas plant is not much different from what we do.
I DO know I don't have room in my basement for a 110 foot tower.
Cheers

[LWTCS]

I realize im late to the party on this post but found it very interesting. I've recently become interested in a continous strip still, to maximise efficiency and allow more time for spirit run.which lead me here.
I worked as a millwright in a gas plant for 11 years before branching out to be an HET and working on hydraulic and mechanical things.
The plant I worked in produced 3 refined products, ethane, butane and propane. The stillage, as we'd call it, was shipped off as NGL's ( natural gas liquids).
Being a small guy, unafraid of height nor clostrophobic, I've been through these towers, internally, from top to bottom and back removing bubble plates, inspect, repair and reinstalling plates.
The stainless bat's at the bottom, "demister pads", (we call them scrubbers) caught the heavy particulate and H2O and knocked them down. The dirtiest part of a column when servicing annually.
I've been in the control room monitoring where temp and pressures are monitored and adjustments made to keep the tower in equilibrium.
At the time I wasn't a home distiller, but grew up with one, and thought "the old man would have loved a small version of this on his still instead of a worm."
I just run a simple pot still with simple reflux condenser and leibig product condenser.
When you guys are talking about columns, flutes etc., in my head I can crawl through it from gas plant experience.
I'm not an engineer to tell anyone where take off points for the fractions should be but I know that a fractioning still column in a gas plant is not much different from what we do.
I DO know I don't have room in my basement for a 110 foot tower.
Cheers

That's very cool that you have seen the large industrial scale version up close and personal.
There are a bunch of micro versions out in the wild now.