Dephlegmator not needed to reflux?
Posted: Sat Apr 06, 2024 12:21 pm
Having trouble driving my flute. Today I did my first neutral spirit run with it fully assembled, using all 10 bubble plates. I have no idea why, but I seemed to be only reaching 92/93% ABV. I started with 15 gallons of 30% low wines.
I put it into full reflux for 30 minutes, and then began choking off water to the dephlegmator. It got down to a point where even with it completely off I was getting almost no output. So I left it off and cranked up the heat input a little at a time until I started collecting. Even with it off I seemed to be getting plenty of reflux. The top plate was loaded and bubbling away.
In a tall plated still, is passive reflux enough?
First jar of fores was 95%+. 1/4 turn on the needle valved stopped output so I cranked the heat a little. ABV dropped to 92%. I went back and forth between no water to the deph (using power to control output) and more power with 1/4 turn on the needle valve. It was such a fine line between completely flooding the top plate. Like a half of an amp of power fine.
I know a lot comes with experience but I'm not sure what to be shooting for. The least amount of power required to keep the top plate loaded, not using the deph at all? Like I said I had plenty of passive reflux happening with it completely off. As much power + more deph water as possible to knock it down without flooding the plate? Neither option seemed to increase ABV.
Not sure if I'm overthinking this, but I'm bummed I don't seem to be reaching azeotrope after a major PITA to get it somewhere to run with all 10 plates, when with half the plates it was absolutely pissing out azeo. Same ABV boiler charge. Advice?
It did seem to give me some realllly neutral smelling product. But why no azeo then? Furthermore, I went from what smelled like fores straight to hearts. Is this from using sodium bicarb to clean it up? I was NOT expecting my distillate to go from cloudy tails to crystal clear from using it. What exactly is taking place there? I was left with some gross orange powder at the bottom of my low wines. Was that ok to run?
I put it into full reflux for 30 minutes, and then began choking off water to the dephlegmator. It got down to a point where even with it completely off I was getting almost no output. So I left it off and cranked up the heat input a little at a time until I started collecting. Even with it off I seemed to be getting plenty of reflux. The top plate was loaded and bubbling away.
In a tall plated still, is passive reflux enough?
First jar of fores was 95%+. 1/4 turn on the needle valved stopped output so I cranked the heat a little. ABV dropped to 92%. I went back and forth between no water to the deph (using power to control output) and more power with 1/4 turn on the needle valve. It was such a fine line between completely flooding the top plate. Like a half of an amp of power fine.
I know a lot comes with experience but I'm not sure what to be shooting for. The least amount of power required to keep the top plate loaded, not using the deph at all? Like I said I had plenty of passive reflux happening with it completely off. As much power + more deph water as possible to knock it down without flooding the plate? Neither option seemed to increase ABV.
Not sure if I'm overthinking this, but I'm bummed I don't seem to be reaching azeotrope after a major PITA to get it somewhere to run with all 10 plates, when with half the plates it was absolutely pissing out azeo. Same ABV boiler charge. Advice?
It did seem to give me some realllly neutral smelling product. But why no azeo then? Furthermore, I went from what smelled like fores straight to hearts. Is this from using sodium bicarb to clean it up? I was NOT expecting my distillate to go from cloudy tails to crystal clear from using it. What exactly is taking place there? I was left with some gross orange powder at the bottom of my low wines. Was that ok to run?