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a thought on packing with home-made "plates" and scrubbies
Posted: Fri Apr 18, 2025 9:19 am
by SchmuBrew
Just had a thought,
packing a 42" tall x 2" column - going for as neutral as possible - was thinking copper mesh every 6"s or so (is more better?) topped by a home-made "bubble plates" consisting of 1/2" copper pipe caps soldered into a "plate" style formation and then stacked slightly offset so as to fill up the width of the column as much as possible.
thinking the mesh would cause reflux and the returning liquid would run off the mesh and fill the copper "cups" - and act similarly to bubble plates or perforated plates - creating some fractioning.
crazy? not efficient?
Re: a thought on packing with home-made "plates" and scrubbies
Posted: Fri Apr 18, 2025 10:07 am
by Salt Must Flow
I'd just use a packed column. Plates are less efficient.
Re: a thought on packing with home-made "plates" and scrubbies
Posted: Fri Apr 18, 2025 10:13 am
by Pure Old Possum Piss
If you're wanting neutral stick to copper mesh packed tight but not so tight that you can't breathe through it. I've gotten 195* proof with 2"x36" copper mesh easily. That last percentage gets a bit harder to reach.
Re: a thought on packing with home-made "plates" and scrubbies
Posted: Fri Apr 18, 2025 10:56 am
by Saltbush Bill
I see no point in the plates in this situation.......might as well be all mesh.
Re: a thought on packing with home-made "plates" and scrubbies
Posted: Fri Apr 18, 2025 11:12 am
by SchmuBrew
kind of what I thought, but TY for input. I'm not too worried about the last 5% - so mesh it is !
Re: a thought on packing with home-made "plates" and scrubbies
Posted: Fri Apr 18, 2025 5:29 pm
by shadylane
SchmuBrew wrote: ↑Fri Apr 18, 2025 9:19 am
Just had a thought,
packing a 42" tall x 2" column - going for as neutral as possible - was thinking copper mesh every 6"s or so (is more better?) topped by a home-made "bubble plates" consisting of 1/2" copper pipe caps soldered into a "plate" style formation and then stacked slightly offset so as to fill up the width of the column as much as possible.
thinking the mesh would cause reflux and the returning liquid would run off the mesh and fill the copper "cups" - and act similarly to bubble plates or perforated plates - creating some fractioning.
crazy? not efficient?
If your going to stack bubble cap plates and packing, use plates that are at least 2X bigger dia. than the packing.
Bubble cap plates vs packing have different power and reflux requirements per diameter.
When mixed together compromises have to be made.
For neutral I wouldn't mix plates and packing.
On a side note.
Attempt to build a workable 2" bubble cap that has more than 3 caps and 1 downcomer.
For a 2 incher I'd use a single large cap with a central downcomer. AKA Procap.
Re: a thought on packing with home-made "plates" and scrubbies
Posted: Sat Apr 19, 2025 8:21 am
by greggn
SchmuBrew wrote: ↑Fri Apr 18, 2025 9:19 am
thinking the mesh would cause reflux
Reflux condeners cause reflux, not the packing.
Re: a thought on packing with home-made "plates" and scrubbies
Posted: Sat Apr 19, 2025 4:17 pm
by SW_Shiner
Packing will cause a tiny bit of reflux, until the packing reaches operating temp, then it does nothing measurable unless there is something causing some condensation above it.