Of course, among all varieties of moonshine stills, a home distillation column is one of the most difficult to operate and manufacture. Usually, for home brewing use columns industrial production, which can be purchased almost without restrictions in every specialty store. However, it is also quite possible to do it yourself.
In order to make this apparatus, you need to have its scheme and design drawings, as well as know the main principles of the column and the meaning of the processes occurring in it. And quite a lot of interesting things happen here - the rectification procedure differs from ordinary distillation in its chemical and physical foundations.
Distillation column: Working principle
In the column, as in a simple distiller, there is a refrigerator, a heater, and a regulator, which are working and full-fledged elements. However, from the surface of the mash on the path of alcohol-containing steam to the refrigerator coil, there is another complex unit called a distillation column. This node is a high pipe, the cross section of which is 40-60 times larger than its size. The sectional diagram shows how the alcohol or beer column for making alcohol.
Hot steam rises through the pipe, cools slowly along the way, condenses, and flows down, back into the tank. The condensate, while moving from top to bottom, comes into contact with hot steam, reheats, and light-boiling substances turn into steam again. Among these substances is ethyl alcohol.
When you select the mode of operation of this column so that alcohol vapor begins to condense at a certain height, in which the intake pipe is located, then pure alcohol will begin to flow into the refrigerator, without various impurities. After a certain time, the dynamic equilibrium mode begins in this device, due to the difference in the vapor phase and the heat capacities of the liquid, in addition, the liquid-vapor mixture begins to separate in chemical composition into fractions, which will determine vaporization temperature.
Vapors of volatile impurities accumulate directly in the uppermost section - acetone, aldehydes and other toxic components. When the temperature of the column on the upper thermometer is more than 70 degrees, they simply go out into the atmosphere, since it is connected to the outside air by a valve or branch pipe and operates at almost atmospheric pressure.
At about three-quarters of the height of the column, alcohol vapor begins to collect and must be selected. Below are fusel oils and other elements whose boiling point is higher than alcohol. At the alcohol extraction site, it is necessary to maintain the temperature within 75-77 degrees so that this can be realized and a significant size of the column will be required, rather than a larger zone of various fractions, so it is easier to separate one element from another.
How to make a distillation column with your own hands?
Do-it-yourself construction of a distillation column at home is not a myth. This is proved by multiple photos and videos on the Internet, as well as posts on forums. Even when they are half the way their owners claim, this unit is worth making. However, it is necessary to take into account the fact that for the production of moonshine, as such, a distillation column, regardless of whether industrial or home-made production, is not suitable.
A distillation device is required to produce alcohol with a minimum amount of additives, including resins and aromatics, which give moonshine a special flavor and aroma. However, the resulting alcohol can be used as the basis for some alcoholic beverages made at home, without worrying about poisoning with esters and methyls or fusel, causing severe hangovers.
For the re-distillation of ordinary moonshine or raw alcohol, which is obtained in the usual distiller for moonshiners, a rectifier is an indispensable thing. No distillation system can match the quality of the resulting product.
Manufacturing technology
At home, a do-it-yourself distillation column will only work properly if its height will be at least 1.9-2.1 meters with an inner diameter of 45-60 mm. This column is difficult to operate, store and manufacture. It is advisable to build it collapsible, on threaded or lamp connections, it is quite convenient to use couplings.
Union connection will not be a problem when you have experience on lathe. Otherwise, you will need to use the paid services of specialists.
Design principle
The main components of the distillation column are as follows:
- refrigerator-reflux condenser;
- frame;
- thermometers;
- thermal insulation;
- nozzle (spiral or disc).
In the general scheme of the moonshine still, there is also a container for mash, as well as a condensate refrigerator, which is a simple coil. If you correctly make a distillation column, then it can be put on any moonshine device with a tank of at least 20 liters.
For smaller sizes it will only be possible to disperse it to a working state and get a couple of liters of alcohol (from a probable yield of 50 percent). The best volume of the evaporator is 27-45 liters. Thus, it is more convenient to adjust the process temperature, which is considered one of the main factors during rectification.
In addition, the production of alcohol in quantities up to 9-12 liters takes the same amount of time for dispersal and preparation of the column as 4-6 liters. More often than not, saving time is also quite important for reducing the cost of a product.
Frame
The body is preferably made of three parts, approximately the same in length. From below, a flange with a strong cover is welded to a stainless steel pipe for mounting on a distillation tank. The height of the column is quite large - approximately 2 meters. The optimal solution is a flange connection on a sealed gasket. The flanges must be welded so that the entire structure is in a clearly vertical position, only in this case it will work as it should.
The body elements are connected to each other by threads or clamps - whichever is more convenient. The most important thing is to maintain tightness. best material for the main pipe - food grade stainless steel.This material has a relatively low thermal conductivity, and heat losses in the column are undesirable, up to the passage of vapor into the cooler.
The two pieces on the bottom are just pieces of pipe. Nozzles will be installed here - devices that increase the contact area of liquid and steam. The most complex uppermost structural element, here:
- it is necessary to equip a flow-through refrigerator;
- provide an air valve;
- socket for thermometer;
- outlet pipe.
The flow cooler occupies about half of the top 1/3 of the column. The simplest solution is to wind a stainless or copper coil over the pipe. A more complicated way is to install the same coil, Dimroth cooler or ball cooler inside the pipe.
For this task, you can purchase a pipe with a larger cross section by connecting it with an adapter to the bottom. Options in this case a large number of- there is only one meaning, the reflux condenser is obliged to provide a barrier on the path of steam and, before reaching the air valve, convert it into condensate. Only couples are required to go here. with a temperature not exceeding 60 degrees. When the refrigerator cannot cope with its task, alcohol will be released into the air along with volatile elements.
The air valve is placed at the highest point and is required to equalize the pressure. You can not install the valve, but simply install a copper thin tube (Ø4-5 mm). The presence of a tube will require special temperature control at all stages of rectification. During the selection of heads, T = 55–65 C must be at the level of the intake pipe.
The selection is made through a pipe that cuts into the body below the refrigerator with a distance of 3-6 cm from it. It is a simple tube where a silicone hose is connected from a medical dropper.
The do-it-yourself distillation column works rather slowly, the main intake takes place in the drip mode. This must be taken into account - making 9-12 liters of alcohol can take a whole day.
Nozzle
This part of the column is one of the most important. Two types of nozzles are used for rectification:
- spiral, made of steel mesh tightly twisted into a spiral or special wires that are twisted into prismatic spirals, they are simply poured inside the column;
- dish-shaped, in the form of mesh or cap elements.
In the first case, a mesh filter is placed at the bottom of the column, which prevents the nozzle from falling out. For the manufacture of a do-it-yourself distillation column, the most effective is a cap-type plate nozzle. In this case, it is necessary to start work with the purchase of plates - the size of the case must correspond to their diameter. It is easiest to pick up a pipe under the plates, rather than vice versa.
Mesh partitions are much easier to make, which requires only a set of 2-3 mm drills and drilling machine or drill. Partitions are made of copper, brass or stainless steel. For one meter of column height, 8-10 pieces are needed.
Spiral prismatic special Panchenkov nozzles (OLTC), mesh or analogues will need to be purchased in specialized stores. You can't make them yourself.. You should not choose dishwashing nets - unknown alloys are used for them, which can react with vapors of impurities or alcohol.
thermal insulation
The column must be protected from heat loss to a height not less than the lower cut of the dephlegmator. As insulation, you can choose any elastic heat insulator - tubular basalt foil insulation, penoizol, polyurethane foam. Warming is a pretty important step. If heat losses are avoided, the height of the fractional layers can be reduced by 10-20%. Moreover, the concentration of the substance, in this case - alcohol, will increase in them, clearly preserving the boundaries of the fractions.
Distillation column automation
A rather complicated rectification process needs constant supervision and human presence. High-quality automation allows for rectification, without constant supervision. It makes it possible to select the head fractions in a separate container, does not allow "tails" to enter the commercial alcohol.
The Rectification Control Unit (RCU) will reduce the power during extraction, turn on the cooling water at the required temperature and automatically reduce the extraction at the end. After the selection of tailings, the water and heating will be turned off. The simplest way automation- this is a start-stop installation with a valve that stops extraction during an increase in temperature in the column, after the temperature is restored, extraction resumes. For a home mini-distillery, it is cheaper to purchase automation on specialized forums or assemble it from Chinese components.
Moonshiners in their practice use, come up with designs that make it possible to obtain a product of high strength with a minimum content harmful substances. The reinforcing column, which copes with this task, is especially popular.
This device is often called tsarga. The basis of the device is repeated evaporation of liquids from mash.
Due to this, the final product is cleaned from, which constantly, trying to escape from the fermented wort, are forced to return back along with condensed water. Due to the fact that water vapor also partially condenses before reaching the refrigerator, moonshine is obtained with a high degree.
Film is a column that is not filled with nozzles (hollow). What's going on inside?
- Evaporating from the mash, alcohol vapors, along with impurities, enter the strengthening column.
- Here they are cooled, either forcibly with a water jacket (which is preferable) or in air.
- There is a division into factions:
- alcohol, having a boiling point of 78 ° C, rises higher in the form of vapor, first enters the second refrigerator, where it condenses, turning into a liquid, and from there it flows down a tube into a receiving dish;
- all heavier fractions (including water and fusel oils) do not pass further. They condense already in the strengthening column and flow like a film along its walls back to alembic. That is why this type of reinforcing column is called film.
Reference. Inventive moonshiners sometimes direct a stream of air from a fan onto the side.
This has an effect, but at the same time, for your own safety, you should use only electric stove so that the fan does not blow out the gas flame.
The cylinder of the reinforcing column is filled with nozzles (for example, pieces of stainless steel washcloth etc.) In addition to the fact that such a column selects phlegm with a high content of fusel oil, it still does not allow methanol to rise above. Therefore, at the output, a strong alcoholic distillate will be cleaner from impurities than when using a film side.
The need for a column
The presence of a strengthening column in the moonshine still is due to the desire to obtain high-grade and already largely moonshine.
In the partial cooler, the most harmful, most saturated with harmful substances, "head" vapors are selected. That is, what we call the “heads” of moonshine and pour out mercilessly, despite the high strength, is no longer harmful.
The “heads” freed from phlegm do not have a sharp fusel smell and almost do not contain dangerous impurities, due to which they got rid of the strongest part of the moonshine.
Principle of operation
Cooling in the column, moonshine vapors are separated and those that have a lower boiling point (alcohols) go further, and the remaining components flow back into the distillation cube.
During this process, steam containing alcohol, going up the side, interacts with phlegm flowing down the walls.
The ongoing process is called heat and mass transfer: the vapors again take the remaining components from the condensed liquid, which have a low degree of boiling, and also give the phlegm the water and fusel preserved in the alcohol vapors. This is how the degree of the future rises.
At the beginning of the distillation, the minimum temperature is set, which at the top of the column should not exceed 76 °. So, only the head fractions pass into the second cooler (or the only one, if the first one is not available) (they drip 2-4 drops per second, they are taken separately).
Peculiarities. Experienced distillers define "heads" by a specific smell.
As soon as it changes to better side- it's a body. For beginners, this is 50 ml (if 15-17 liters of mash are distilled). When using a strengthening column, alcohol does not exit, but returns to the cube. Then we raise the temperature and drive the alcohol already, without taking away the “tails”.
Device
The drawer is a pipe made of stainless steel or copper, which is installed vertically directly on the distillation cube. In most cases, it is tightly connected to a lid that is screwed on or otherwise fixed on a container with mash.
note. The reinforcing column can also have its own refrigerator, to which a water jacket is connected. This device is called partial cooler.
With a simplified scheme, there is no flow cooler, the pipe is cooled by air. But with such a device, it is possible to select fuselage only from the very first (by the way, really the most poisonous) portions of alcohol vapors.
The body of moonshine is already chasing, as usual. It is advisable not to “pick up” the tails or drive them into a separate bowl, in order to add them later on the next stage.
The pipe of the reinforcing column sometimes passes into (in more complex designs), where the alcohol vapor is finally released from the fuselage.
With this design, it is really possible to obtain almost pure rectified alcohol - alcohol with a strength of up to 95 °.
More often, the tsarga passes into, which additionally frees alcohol from impurities, and from there - into, where the alcohol vapors are finally cooled and drain already in the form of a liquid into the substituted dishes.
This is a model of an improved distiller, with which you can get moonshine with a strength of 80 ° and more.
The most simple design, when the column goes directly to the cooler. The distillate will also be strong (subject to separation into fractions), but requires additional purification using either other substances.
How to do it yourself?
Is it possible not to buy a reinforcing column, but to make it yourself? Yes, it's not a very complicated mechanism. You will need:
- pipe from food stainless steel or copper. The most common size: width - 22 mm, height - from 40 to 90 mm;
Important. How more height, the better the separation of vapors into fractions, but the distillation speed (productivity) decreases.
- fitting transitional from 22 to 15 mm. The amount depends on how the column is connected to the lid of the still. If this is a blind connection, then one fitting is needed - at the point where the strengthening column passes into the refrigerator;
- welding machine or a soldering iron with consumables;
- a piece of tube and a plug - for a thermometer;
- thermometer. Preferably - kitchen mechanical (with a round dial);
- optional - metal grid(fixed at the bottom of the column) and pieces of stainless steel (copper) washcloths if you plan to make a column with nozzles.
Attention. At a column with nozzles, it is periodically necessary to change pieces of washcloth or other material used (copper springs, etc.).
Operating procedure:
- We cut off a piece of pipe with a diameter of 22 mm of the required length.
- When using nozzles, we close the bottom hole with a mesh so that the pieces of washcloths do not fall into the cube, but the vapors can freely rise, and the phlegm can flow down.
- Not reaching 1 cm to the top of the pipe, we drill a hole for a 15 mm tube into which a thermometer will be inserted.
- We cut the 15 mm tube, muffle it and insert it at an angle into the hole made. We solder or weld.
- We reliably connect the reinforcing drawer with the branch pipe (cork) of the distillation cube by welding or fitting.
- If we make a column with nozzles, we fill the pipe with them.
- We fix the fittings, check the tightness of the entire structure and test it in action.
Peculiarities. Copper is also preferable if you are going to drive grain whiskey with the help of a machine with a side. It is this material that is used in (including industrial).
Using copper pipe and fittings (suitable for connecting food water pipes) are easier to work with, because copper lends itself perfectly to soldering and you do not need to use a welding machine.
Complicating the task and wanting to make an additional water casing, you can use a 15 mm tube for the column, and a 22 mm tube for the casing. You will also need pipes (0.9 - 10 mm) for connecting and draining water.
With certain skills, you will cope with the task and make your own reinforcing column without any hassle.
Experienced moonshiners are familiar with many types of moonshine stills, but above all of them they put a distillation column. Yes, it is difficult to make it yourself and also difficult to use at home, but what prevents you from buying a column industrial production? blessing in the market various models there are a lot of distillation columns.
But one purchase to receive good product not enough. The moonshiner must know how the distillation column is arranged and the principles of its operation. This article will help you find out.
Distillation refers to the process distillation of the fermented mixture into volatile components, which then condense and turn into moonshine. This process is inherently primitive. Water boils at 100 ° C, and alcohol begins to evaporate at 78 ° C. It is enough to heat the mash, but not bring it to a boil, so that the alcohol begins to evaporate. After that, it condenses in the form of moonshine. The resulting product can be distilled again to get even stronger moonshine.
It is noteworthy that in primitive distillation apparatuses, the first 100 ml of moonshine have the greatest strength. However, in addition to the high alcohol content in this liquid, there are a lot of harmful substances:
- volatile acids.
- Efirov.
- Aldehydes.
For this reason, experienced moonshiners pour out the first milliliters of rectifying alcohol or use it as a means of ignition. Drinking this solution is very dangerous for health..
The first 100 g of distillate obtained at home is called the head.
During the rectification of alcohol in the distillation cube, the concentration of alcohol vapors gradually decreases when heated. It is possible to determine the level of reduction of alcohol vapors by the temperature of the alcohol column. Don't wait until it gets too hot. Then from the alembic water will start to evaporate.
At the final stage of rectification, another unusable part of the alcohol appears. We are talking about tailings containing methanol and fusel oils. You can find out the tail by bad smell. It appears when the strength of moonshine at the outlet of the distillation column drops to 40%. Tails do not have to be poured out. They can be redone.
Types of distillation
This process is of 2 types:
- Simple.
- Fractional.
With a simple distillation, the heads and tails are not cut off. Remaining after rectification in the distillation cube, mash is usually called stillage, less often still residue. The resulting product is a distillate. In such a product, the percentage of alcohol usually does not exceed 30%. The amount of harmful impurities in such moonshine significantly exceeds the norm. Therefore, it requires re-distillation.
Fractional distillation It is called so because the product coming out of the moonshine is divided into 3 parts:
- Head.
- Heart.
- Tail.
The first and third parts are cut off. There remains the second part, suitable for use. Its strength can range from 50 to 70%. The quality of this product is relatively high.
Distillation and rectification are the same thing. But when using a full-fledged distillation column, the output is not distillate, but ethyl alcohol.
Distillation column for moonshine allows you to separate the mash alcohol into its constituent parts and get a pure product without the smell inherent in fusel oils, acetone and methanol.
Thanks to the rectifier, a moonshiner can make tinctures and other alcoholic drinks at home with his own hands, which are not inferior in quality to those sold in stores.
Naturally, a distillation column can be used as a simple distiller to obtain ordinary moonshine.
The main difference between distillation from rectification lies in the characteristics of the final product. The rectifier allows you to get pure alcohol, but it needs raw alcohol. The latter can only be obtained by distilling mash in a moonshine still. That is, the rectifier and moonshine should be used together.
It should also be understood that from the moonshine still a product is obtained that has the taste and smell of the feedstock, the distillation column produces alcohol with a neutral taste and smell.
The principle of operation of the distillation column
distillation column diagram can be found on the internet. According to her, the rectifier consists of the following parts:
- Evaporation cube in which raw materials are stored and heated.
- A column inside which heat and mass transfer processes take place due to a special packing.
- Dephlegmator.
- Distillate selection unit in the distillation column.
To understand the device of a distillation column, you need to understand the principle of operation of each of its elements.
This is a container for storing and heating mash or distillate. When heated, the cubic liquid evaporates and slowly rises up the column. In the upper part of the rectifier, the liquid is separated into separate fractions.
Often the cube is the base of the column. It can be heated on both gas and electric stoves. In some models of the cube, a heating element is used - a heating element.
In the manufacture of alcohol in the distillation cube, the mash is initially distilled. So you can get raw alcohol, which is necessary for subsequent rectification.
A cube made in an industrial environment must have a built-in thermometer that allows you to control the temperature of the mash. As a rule, the raw material in the cube is first heated to 70 ° C and only after that the cooling liquid is fed into the column.
Tsarga
This is the center of the column., in which the processes of heat and mass transfer take place.
Her work is as follows:
- Braga in the cube begins to evaporate and rises up the column, in the upper part of which a refrigerator is installed.
- The dephlegmator provides condensation of alcohol vapors.
- The resulting distillate after condensation descends down the alcohol column.
- As it descends, the distillate collides with steam. Heat and mass transfer occurs, as a result of which the most evaporated part of the fraction rises to the upper part of the column.
- It condenses and goes into the selection channel.
A reinforcing column may consist of several tsargs. In addition, it is necessary to take into account the fact that with an increase in the height of the column, the processes of heat and mass transfer become more active. This allows you to get more rectified alcohol at the output.
There is a variation of this device called tornado. It differs from a conventional rectifier in that its walls are heated. This approach causes the phlegm to evaporate directly from the walls until it comes into contact with the refrigerator. This allows you to speed up the rectification process and get a cleaner product.
Distillation nozzle
It consists of 2 parts:
Modern distillation columns are often equipped with automatic distillation control units. This device allows, according to a given program to separate the tail and food parts. As a result, the moonshiner may not sit around the moonshine all the time and do the selection with his own hands. The device, thanks to the BUR, will do everything by itself.
Is it possible to make a full-fledged distillation column with your own hands?
You can make a moonshine still with a distillation column at home. But is it worth it? The cost savings will be negligible. In addition, due to the fact that it is difficult to maintain all the necessary parameters at home, you may encounter flooding of the home apparatus during the production of rectified alcohol.
This happens due to non-compliance geometric parameters device, as a result of which the maximum steam speed is exceeded. This leads to fluid accumulation. in the central part of the column, as a result of which heat and mass transfer processes stop. The pressure inside the tsarga is growing. The moonshiner begins to hear gurgling inside the machine.
To this problem, in addition to design flaws, the following reasons can lead:
- Excessive heating of the moonshine.
- Overflow of the alembic.
- Clogging of the bottom of the reinforcing column.
- Distillation under conditions of low atmospheric pressure.
To avoid these problems, it is better to buy a distillation apparatus than to do it yourself.
We all tremblingly, with great pride and love treat what is grown and produced by our own hands, calling these products environmentally friendly. He did not stay away from the attraction to naturalness and purity.
The product, of course, is of high quality and in reasonable quantities is useful. However, the issue of about ridding the product of harmful impurities.
Do you know how to clean moonshine? After all, fusel oils are certainly contained even in a “clean as a tear” liquid, thinly flowing from an ordinary tube, in which a distillation column is not provided, into a substituted jar.
Ready-made vodka, which we all periodically buy in stores, is free from harmful substances, primarily from fusel oils. And the secret is pretty simple.
At factories engaged in the production of alcoholic beverages, they do not use distillation (as in moonshine), but rectification, a fundamentally different method.
Therefore, the "kazenka" is free from impurities and usually has a milder effect on the body. Of course, we are talking about high-quality vodka.
Consider what a distillation column is and why a moonshine dock needs it. First of all, it is a kind superstructure over the distillation tank, serving as a filter in which they settle. Detailed scheme distillation column is shown below.
The basic principle of the column - mechanical cleaning of moonshine from various impurities still at the production stage.
During conventional distillation (distillation), all alcohol, as well as other vapors, are released from the mash during heating, mix with each other in order to go together through the outlet tube to the refrigerator, and then 
The separation of these vapors into alcohol and fusel vapors in normal domestic conditions is difficult.
Only partially can the result be achieved by control temperature regime, and separation of "heads" with "tails".
And here is how a distillation column works: during rectification, mixed vapors, rising up, are converted into a liquid flowing down into special “plates”, which are equipped with a distillation cleaning column of a distillation apparatus.
In the phlegm (liquids in plates), volatile compounds remain (boiling at fairly low temperatures), and higher, in the cooling system, non-volatile ones rise, where they turn into an alcohol-containing liquid - purified moonshine.
Fusel oils and other harmful compounds remain in the phlegm, and alcohol freely condenses into and flows into the substituted dishes.
For homemade devices the principle of operation of the distillation column remains the same, but the function of delaying phlegm is performed not by plates, but by multiple small springs from kitchen washcloths made of stainless steel.
How to do at home?
There are already ready-made moonshine stills with a distillation column that can be bought via the Internet. As a rule, they are convenient and of sufficient quality, but the prices for rectifiers stop many even in an effort to produce exceptionally high-quality moonshine.
So, give up and use the "old-fashioned" methods for cleaning the product: cotton wool, activated carbon, coffee filters? Of course not, folk craftsmen have found a way out of this situation.
We will teach you how to make a distillation column yourself, literally from improvised materials. But before proceeding with the implementation of the idea, weigh the pros and cons of this device properly.
pros rectification:
- Almost perfect purification of moonshine from harmful impurities.
- With the help of moonshine obtained from an apparatus equipped with a do-it-yourself moonshine purification column, you can prepare very high-quality various drinks with a high alcohol content.
- The quality of the resulting product will comply with GOSTs for industrial production.
- Only with the help of a distillation column can you get really clean and high quality end product. With ordinary distillation, even such a result cannot be achieved.
Minuses:
- According to many venerable moonshiners, after passing through the distillation column, the final product is “emasculated”, losing not only the fusel oil, but also most of the aromatic component (for example, the taste of jam that you added to it).
- The process of manufacturing the final product is more extended in time, which means that it also requires large energy costs (electricity, gas, firewood).
- You need the column itself, which you must either buy or make yourself.
To make a distillation column with your own hands, it is necessary, having understood the principle of operation, to make such 
device.
Remember that a distillation column for a moonshine still requires quality raw materials so that it can fulfill its main purpose.
You will need:
- stainless pipe with a diameter of 30 to 50 mm and a height of 1.3 - 1.4 meters. It is desirable to withstand just such a diameter in order to achieve the maximum correct operation equipment. Stainless steel is a chemically inert material, it is not subject to corrosion, does not emit foreign odors and chemical impurities;
- many believe that it is even better to make a distillation column copper, but this is already at your discretion and possibilities;
- connecting elements, as well as silicone and / or copper tubes;
- insulation(a piece of foam rubber will do);
- clamp from a medical dropper (not necessary, but adds convenience);
- 2 metal mesh clips- on inner diameter pipes and thrust washers for them;
- contact elements, which will purify alcohol vapors from impurities. Small ones are just excellent in this regard. glass balls, but the question is where to get them in the right amount (they should fill 2/3, or at least half the inside of the column). Therefore, a replacement was found - metal scouring pads in the amount of 30 - 40 pieces.
The choice of metal spring scouring sponges is the most important stage in the manufacture of a rectifier. You can go shopping only with magnet. Food grade stainless steel (which is approved for use in Food Industry) NOT MAGNETIZED!
Otherwise, you can buy a washcloth that will rust inside the column, or one made of technical stainless steel that releases harmful compounds.
Here, in fact, is all the additional equipment, given that you already have a moonshine still, including a cube and a refrigerator.
Manufacturing process
What will be your do-it-yourself distillation column - you decide. The assembly principle also provides for several possible solutions:
- Cut the selected pipe into two parts (upper - 0.5 - 1/3 of the total height).
- The edges, having chamfered, dock. It is possible - using an adapter or a threaded connection.
- At the bottom of the pipe, it is necessary to install a metal mesh so that the filler particles do not fall into the cube. With this part, a home-made distillation column will be installed on a distillation cube.
- Cut your existing stainless steel sponges into small pieces about half a centimeter. Fill the lower part (remember, it should be at least 0.5 of the total height of the rectifier, but not more than 2/3) with pieces of a metal sponge. After that, close the pipe with a net and fix it with a thrust washer.
- Attach the lower part of the pipe directly to the tank, insulate the connection.
- The general device of the distillation column provides for the presence of a water jacket, therefore, a water case with two nozzles for inlet and outlet for cooling is hermetically soldered to the upper part of the pipe.
- From above, the pipe must be closed with a lid or soldered by making a hole for the atmospheric tube.
- Above from the junction with the lower pipe by 1.5-2 cm, make a hole for the pipe through which the distillate (moonshine) is discharged. Under it, attach a plate on which condensate will collect - phlegm.
- Connect the pipe sections to each other. Here is a column designed for cleaning moonshine with your own hands and is ready.
Important! The pipe connection must be tight, but collapsible. If you put it on a sealant, it will no longer be possible to flush the internal filling, and also, if necessary, replace it.
It is important that the pieces of springs are not intertwined with each other, but compactly compacted. Do not push the filler forcibly, rather shake and tap the pipe, filling the entire segment.
The final stage is the connection to the refrigerator already in the moonshine still. It is convenient to do this with a silicone tube, with a dropper clamp installed in it. So you can adjust the speed of the liquid at any time.
Useful videos on the device and DIY
The principle of operation of the distillation column:
New distillation column "Prima", principle quick coupling, look:
Practical work on the column from the moment of pouring raw alcohol to the separation of tailings:
Having considered the drawing of the distillation column, you will understand how to assemble it correctly. And after checking it in action, you will understand that now you are making strong and perfectly purified moonshine. Share information with your friends social networks!
§ 13.2 Distillation columns: their design and operation
As mentioned above, rectification is carried out in special apparatus - distillation columns, which are the main elements of distillation plants.
rectification process can be carried out periodically and continuously, regardless of the type and design of distillation columns. Consider the process of continuous distillation, which is used to separate liquid mixtures in industry.
Distillation column- vertical cylindrical apparatus with welded (or prefabricated) body, in which mass and heat exchange devices (horizontal plates 2 or nozzle). At the bottom of the column (Fig. 13.3) there is a cube 3, in which the bottom liquid boils. Heating in the cube is carried out due to the deaf steam located in the coil or in the shell-and-tube heater-boiler. An integral part of the distillation column is a dephlegmator 7, designed to condense the steam leaving the column.
Distillation plate column works as follows. The cube is constantly heated, and the bottom liquid boils. The steam formed in the cube rises up the column. The initial mixture to be separated is preheated to boiling. It is fed to the nutrient plate 5, which divides the column into two parts: lower (exhaustive) 4 and upper (strengthening) 6. The initial mixture from the nutrient plate flows down to the underlying plates, interacting on its way with the steam moving from bottom to top. As a result of this interaction, the vapor is enriched in the volatile component, and the liquid flowing down, being depleted in this component, is enriched in the hardly volatile component. In the lower part of the column, the process of extraction (exhaustion) of the volatile component from the initial mixture and its transition to steam takes place. Some part of the finished product (rectified) is fed to the top of the column for irrigation.
The liquid entering the top of the column for irrigation and flowing down the column is called phlegm. Steam, interacting with reflux on all plates of the upper part of the column, is enriched (strengthened) with a volatile component. The steam leaving the column is sent to the dephlegmator 7, in which it is condensed. The resulting distillate is divided into two streams: one in the form of a product is sent for further cooling and to the finished product warehouse, the other is sent back to the column as reflux.
The most important element of a tray distillation column is the tray, since it is on it that the vapor interacts with the liquid. On fig. 13.4 shows a diagram of the device and operation cap plate. She has a bottom 1, hermetically connected to the column body 4, steam nozzles 2 and drain pipes 5. Steam nozzles are designed to pass the vapors rising from the bottom plate. Through the drain pipes, the liquid flows from the overlying plate to the underlying one. A cap is mounted on each steam nozzle 3, by means of which the vapors are directed into the liquid, bubbled through it, cooled and partially condensed. The bottom of each tray is heated by the vapors of the underlying tray. In addition, partial condensation of steam releases heat. Due to this heat, the liquid on each plate boils, forming its own vapors, which mix with the vapors from the underlying plate. The liquid level on the plate is maintained by means of drain pipes.
Rice. 13.3. Scheme of a distillation column: / - body; 2 - plates; 3 - cube; 4, 6 - exhaustive and strengthening parts of the column; 5 - nutritious plate; 7 - dephlegmator
The processes occurring on the plate can be described as follows (see Fig. 13.4). Let the vapors of the composition L from the lower plate enter the plate, and the liquid of the composition AT. As a result of the interaction of steam BUT with liquid AT(steam, bubbling through the liquid, partially evaporates it, and partially condenses itself) a new vapor of the composition is formed FROM and new composition fluid D, being in balance. As a result of the work of the plate, new steam FROM richer in volatile matter compared to the steam coming from the bottom plate BUT, that is, on a plate of steam FROM enriched with volatile matter. New fluid D, on the contrary, it became poorer in volatile matter compared to the liquid that came from the upper plate AT, that is, on a plate, the liquid is depleted in the volatile component and enriched in the non-volatile component. In short, the work of the plate is reduced to the enrichment of the vapor and the depletion of the liquid with a highly volatile component.
Rice. 13.4. Scheme of the device and operation of the cap plate: / - the bottom of the plate; 2 - steam pipe;
3 - cap; 4 - column body; 5 - drain pipe
Rice. 13.5. The image of the work of a distillation plate on the diagram at-x: 1- equilibrium curve;
2 - line of working concentrations
A plate on which a state of equilibrium is reached between the vapors rising from it and the liquid flowing down is called theoretical. In real conditions, due to the short-term interaction of vapor with liquid on the plates, an equilibrium state is not reached. The separation of the mixture on a real plate is less intense than on a theoretical one. Therefore, to perform: the operation of one theoretical plate requires more than one real plate.
On fig. 13.5 shows the operation of a distillation plate using a diagram at-X. The theoretical plate corresponds to a hatched rectangular triangle, the legs of which are the magnitude of the increment in the concentration of the volatile component in the vapor, equal to mustache-y a , and the magnitude of the decrease in the concentration of the volatile component in the liquid, equal to x B - x D . The segments corresponding to the indicated changes in concentration converge on the equilibrium curve. This assumes that the phases leaving the plate are in equilibrium. However, in reality, the state of equilibrium is not reached, and the segments of the change in concentrations do not reach the equilibrium curve. That is, the working (real) plate will correspond to a smaller triangle than the one shown
in fig. 13.5.
The designs of the plates of distillation columns are very diverse. Let's briefly consider the main ones.
Columns with bubble caps widely used in industry. The use of caps ensures good contact between vapor and liquid, efficient mixing on the plate and intensive mass transfer between the phases. The shape of caps can be round, polyhedral and rectangular, plates - single and multi-cap.
A plate with grooved caps is shown in fig. 13.6. The steam from the lower plate passes through the gaps and enters the upper (inverted) troughs, which direct it to the lower troughs filled with liquid. Here, steam bubbles through the liquid, which provides an intensive mass transfer. The liquid level on the plate is maintained by an overflow device.
Columns with sieve plates are shown in fig. 13.7. The plates have a large number of holes of small diameter (from 0.8 to 3 mm). The pressure of the steam and the speed of its passage through the holes must be in accordance with the pressure of the liquid on the plate: the steam must overcome the pressure of the liquid and prevent it from leaking through the holes to the underlying plate. Therefore, sieve trays require appropriate regulation and are very sensitive to regime changes. In the case of a decrease in vapor pressure, the liquid from the sieve plates goes down. Sieve trays are sensitive to impurities (precipitations) that can clog holes, creating conditions for the formation of increased pressures. All this limits their application.
Packed columns(Fig. 13.8) are distinguished by the fact that in them the role of plates is performed by the so-called “nozzle”. Special ceramic rings (Raschig rings), balls, short tubes, cubes, saddle-shaped, spiral-shaped, etc. bodies made of various materials (porcelain, glass, metal, plastic, etc.) are used as nozzles.
Steam enters the lower part of the column from an external boiler and moves up the column towards the flowing liquid. Distributing over a large surface formed by packed bodies, the vapor intensively contacts the liquid, exchanging components. The nozzle must have large surface per unit volume, have low hydraulic resistance, be resistant to the chemical effects of liquid and steam, have high mechanical strength, and have a low cost.
Packed columns have low hydraulic resistance and are easy to use: they are easily emptied, washed, blown, and cleaned.
Rice. 13.6. Plate with grooved caps: a- general form; b- lengthwise cut; in- diagram of the plate
Rice. 13.7. Scheme of the sieve plate device: / - column body; 2 - plate; 3 - drain pipe; 4 - hydraulic lock; 5 - holes
Rice. 13.8. Diagram of a packed distillation column: 1 - frame; 2 - input of the initial mixture; 3 - steam; 4 - irrigation; 5 - lattice; 6 - nozzle; 7-removal of the high-boiling product j-. 8 - remote boiler
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