Thanks to the special structure of the distillation column, it becomes possible to almost completely clean the final drink from fusel oils and impurities. Unlike distillation, the quality of the raw materials itself does not have such a key role, since there is practically no organoleptic quality in the final drink. The result is alcohol with a strength of up to 96.6% with poor organoleptic properties, but pure. It can be used to produce vodka and various liqueurs.
Let's consider the principle of the distillation column and what parts it consists of.
Distillation column, drawing
Distillation column, operating principle
Rectification is the separation of binary or multicomponent mixtures due to countercurrent mass and heat exchange between steam and liquid. The parts of the distillation column provide a sequential process:
- Evaporation cube - storage and heating of still liquid
- Column - heat and mass transfer inside the column itself due to the nozzle
- Dephlegmator - condensation of vapors, formation of reflux
- Selection unit - selection of reflux and rectified water
Let's look at the operation of each part separately.
Evaporation cube
This is a container in which mash or distillate is stored and heated. It is also called bottom liquid. When heated, the liquid evaporates, and the steam rises up the column, where it is divided into fractions. At the same time, the cube serves as the base for the column. The cube can be heated on regular or. Induction is faster and safer.
Also used as a heat source in some models.
Usually, the mash is distilled first to obtain raw alcohol. The column must be switched to distiller mode, that is, open the selection valve as much as possible. After this, the raw alcohol is distilled again, this time slowly and with the selection of the food fraction.
A thermometer is located on the cube to monitor the temperature of the still liquid. When the cube reaches 60-70°C, it is necessary to supply coolant so that the vapors can condense. When reaching 70°C, power heating element must be reduced and left at this value until rectification is completed.
Tsarga
The drawer is the body of the column, its central part. Heat and mass transfer, which is the principle of operation of the distillation column, occurs here. It is this that makes the rectification process possible:
- The liquid in the cube evaporates and steam rises up the column
- At the top there is a reflux condenser (refrigerator), in which the steam is condensed
- The distillate flows down the reflux condenser and along the walls of the column
- The liquid comes into contact with the steam on the walls of the nozzle with which the column is filled
- As a result of heat and mass transfer, the lowest boiling fraction accumulates in the upper part of the column
- The low-boiling fraction condenses in the refrigerator and enters the selection channel.
A column can be assembled from several frames. The higher the column, the more intense the heat and mass transfer, and the cleaner the liquid is separated into fractions. Inside the column is filled with a nozzle: SPN or RPN. Without a nozzle, heat and mass transfer is impossible.
To speed up the rectification process, you can use. The walls of the column are heated, so phlegm, which is not in contact with the nozzle, evaporates from the walls. As a result, the process is accelerated and the degree of purification increases.
Additionally, they can be used with a column. On its surface, heat and mass exchange also occurs between hot steam and cold phlegm. The degree of purification is increasing.
Rectification attachment
The rectification nozzle is universal tool, which consists of a selection unit and a refrigerator. In the refrigerator, condensation of alcohol vapor occurs, which returns down in the form of phlegm. The selection unit allows you to control the amount of alcohol that comes out of the column. By controlling this volume, you can change the quality of the alcohol, that is, the degree of its purification. The slower the process is underway, the purer the alcohol turns out.
The nozzle can be purchased at finished form or separately.
Alcohol selection unit
Used to improve cleaning quality
Automation for distillation column
Rectification requires constant monitoring to ensure that the head and tail fractions do not end up in the food part. This process can be facilitated using BUR - a rectification control unit. The block will limit the selection of rectified product in accordance with a given program so that the tail part does not mix with the food product. This way you can move away from the column without fear that the tails will end up in the clean rectified material.
BUR is an optional part of the distillation column, but it is much more convenient to work with it.
What's next
The resulting rectified alcohol will have a harsh taste. The alcohol must be diluted, filtered and allowed to brew. You can use alcohol to clean it, it's called. As a result of carbonization, the alcohol acquires a milder taste, the coal binds the remains of fusel oils, which in small quantities penetrate into the drink even during fractional selection in the distillation column. This is how classic Russian vodka is prepared.
After sorting (diluting) and charcoaling, the alcohol needs to rest in a glass container for several days.
Read more about the design and operation of the distillation column in the corresponding product card.
In order to understand the essence of the processes occurring inside the distillation column, we recommend that you contact alcohol columns. It reveals the theory of producing ethanol, the quality of which is close to maximum.
Today we will talk about the design of a home rectifier and how this device can be made with your own hands.
Before you begin creating a distillation (packed) column (RC), you must purchase suitable material. It should be noted right away that all kinds of non-ferrous metals should be deliberately excluded from the design of the device: no copper alloys, no food-grade aluminum and similar materials. Only stainless steel is a chemically inert alloy that is not subject to corrosion and does not emit toxic impurities during the rectification process.
On the pages of FORUMHOUSE you can find a lot of advice regarding the use of copper in the design of rectifiers and distillers. But if you read, you can find even more people who disagree with such opinions. The explanation is quite simple: hot alcohol is a very strong solvent. Therefore, contact of hot alcohol-containing liquids with any non-ferrous metals is extremely undesirable and even dangerous to health.
beutiflet User FORUMHOUSE
Only glass, silicone and stainless steel.
Working scheme of the Republic of Kazakhstan
The figure shows a diagram of a standard RK, once you understand it, you can assemble a home rectifier yourself.
Let's look at the main design elements in more detail.
Alembic
Any distillation cube can be used metal container, made of stainless steel and having a suitable volume.
As for volume: some people use a regular pressure cooker (with built-in heating), while others have slightly higher requirements. In general, everyone focuses on their own needs.
viktor50 User FORUMHOUSE
The pressure cooker is too small, you need a capacity of at least 15-20 liters. The rectification process takes quite a long time and getting a liter in half a day is not kosher.
As for heating the column: the simplest (but not very practical) option is to install the distillation cube on an electric or gas stove. The fact is that the column has a relatively large height, so it will be better if alembic will sit on the floor (not on the stove).
Electric heating allows you to install the cube directly on the floor, which makes the design of the RK less cumbersome and the entire installation as convenient to use as possible.
Timothy1
We need to switch from gas to electricity - it’s easier to regulate, and the height is added! I cut the heating elements into the flask, connected the voltage regulator from the TV and off we went.
Be that as it may, when heating the feedstock, smooth adjustment of the power of the heating element must be ensured. Otherwise, the whole idea will be doomed to failure.
Many users, in an attempt to improve the design of the RK, equip the device with automatic control systems, as well as complex regulators. But if you are used to controlling the process yourself (and in the case of a homemade distillation column at first you won’t be able to do it any other way), then installing automatic system control is not absolutely necessary. Until you have sufficient experience in the field of home rectification, a simple power regulator included in the circuit of one of the existing electric heaters will be quite sufficient.
Timothy1
I have three heating elements from a Soviet kettle - 1.25 sq. LATR, shown in the photo, perfectly regulates one heating element.
The rectification process in this case is carried out using one (adjustable) heating element. The remaining 2 are needed exclusively for heating.
If you have already had time to thoroughly enjoy the visual perception of the process, and lack of time does not allow you to constantly be near a working RK, then the automation system integrated into the design of the device will allow you to control the process, requiring minimal human intervention. Automation allows you to select the contents of the distillation cube, preventing tail fractions from entering the “body” of the product. There are ready-made technical solutions, which can be purchased in specialized stores. Similar systems, reacting to temperature changes, at the right moment they close the distillate selection unit or, conversely, open access cold water to the reflux condenser.
Rectification drawer
The rectification frame includes several components:
- Pipe with insulation and nozzle.
- Dephlegmator with distillate selection unit, water jacket and thermometer.
- Connection for communication with the atmosphere.
Considering that alcohol vapor is very flammable, the hole for communication with the atmosphere (which is necessarily created at the top of the distillation column) must be equipped with a fitting and a rubber tube. The end of the tube should be lowered into a container of water. This will help prevent the spread of vapors indoors and their ignition.
Let's consider the design of the listed nodes.
Pipe (packed column)
The process of heat and mass transfer occurs in the lower pipe of the distillation column. A special filler is placed in its internal space, increasing the contact area between hot steam and cooling phlegm. At self-production columns as a filler (nozzle), the easiest way is to use dishwashing sponges made from of stainless steel. Sometimes a special twisted wire (also made of stainless steel) is used.
If you use metal wool as a filler, then the quality of their manufacture should first be checked. To do this, you need to cut off a piece of a washcloth and boil it in a solution of table salt. If the washcloths contain another alloy instead of stainless steel, the products will not be able to withstand such a test and will quickly rust. It is imperative to cut the washcloth. After all, if she has protective covering, then only in this way can its internal structure be exposed.
The packing density should correspond to the indicator - 250-280 g of packing per liter of internal volume of the packed column.
The quality of separation of boiling fractions directly depends on the size of the packed pipe. Having considered practical developments FORUMHOUSE users, we can conclude that the minimum pipe diameter should be 32 mm. In general, the higher the pipe, the better the separation of fractions. Optimal height pipes should correspond to 40-60 of its diameters (minimum 20). The outside of the pipe should be insulated with a layer of protective material.
belor44 User FORUMHOUSE
It is installed in the internal cavity of the pipe (top and bottom) metal grid to hold the filler.
belor44
In my column for NDRF, the filler is washcloths. At the same time, there are nets from a tea strainer. The pressure is stable. A meter-long column with a diameter of 35 mm produces an under-rectified product with a strength of 96% at a rate of 950 ml per hour. There are no choke points.
The bottom and top of the distillation pipe are usually equipped with threads, which allow the unit to be connected to the distillation cube and to the reflux condenser.
Dephlegmator
The main purpose of a reflux condenser is the condensation and separation of light fractions that have a lower boiling point (relative to reflux). In practice, the reflux condenser can have different designs. The simplest to manufacture is a direct-flow (jacket) type reflux condenser, or, as it is also called, a refrigerator-condenser. It consists of two pipes various diameters, between which there is a cooling jacket with running water.
In essence, a direct-flow dephlegmator is a stainless steel pipe that is welded into another pipe made of the same material (only of a larger diameter). Externally, the device looks like in the image.
The photo shows that the reflux condenser has two fittings (for supplying and discharging coolant) and a tube for communicating with the atmosphere (above). At the same time, at the bottom of the reflux condenser there is a fitting for selecting distillate.
To avoid the appearance of foreign impurities and odors in the final product, it is recommended to use only silicone tubes for sampling the distillate.
The reflux condenser body can be made from stainless pipes or from an ordinary food thermos and an additional inner tube. The diameter of the inner pipe is usually equal to the diameter of the packed column. If you do not have access to argon welding, then you can fasten structural elements using an ordinary soldering iron.
The distillate selection unit, located at the very bottom of the reflux condenser, is a shaped washer welded into the inner tube of the device.
In the sampling unit, it is necessary to make holes in advance for the thermometer (if you plan to use it) and for the sampling tube.
The need to introduce thermometers into the design of the Republic of Kazakhstan is a controversial issue. “Experienced” people often do without thermometers at all. At the same time, there are distillers who, on the contrary, measure the temperature where it needs to be done, and where it is not at all necessary. For example, installing a thermometer in the body of the distillation cube only allows you to monitor the heating process. That is, by watching it, you can roughly figure out how much time is left before the column boils.
But there are two in the Republic of Kazakhstan structural unit, where temperature control brings tangible practical benefits. This is the outlet pipe of the reflux condenser and the reflux condenser sampling unit (instead of the reflux condenser sampling unit, you can use the space between the packed column and the reflux condenser to install a thermometer).
If the temperature of the running water drops below 45°C at the outlet of the reflux condenser, then the separation of fractions will not occur very effectively (due to supercooling of the reflux). If the temperature is above 55°C, then during the selection of the “body”, “tails” will break into the selection tube.
Monitoring the temperature in the selection unit allows you to determine the temperature of the steam at the outlet of the packed column, and at the same time gives an understanding of which fraction is separated in the this moment time. For example, if the steam temperature in the extraction unit is in the range – 77.5-81.5°C (depending on atmospheric pressure), then only the “body” of the product will enter the distillate selection tube.
Siberiafish User FORUMHOUSE
The temperature during the distillation process was kept in the range of 78.8-81.3. Before finishing, she began to jump.
The inner end of the thermometer tube, soldered into the column, must be plugged.
In order for the reflux condenser to be cooled evenly on all sides, a screw spiral can be soldered into the cooling jacket, which will set the correct direction of the cooling flow.
And here is the design of the reflux condenser suggested by one of the users of our portal.
Timothy1 User FORUMHOUSE
I wound two meters of corrugation into the def - it removes 3 liters per hour!
The design of this device is as follows.
In most cases, the corrugation, which allows running water to pass through, is wrapped around the inner pipe of the reflux condenser (it is not shown in the figure). But this approach does not always allow achieving effective heat transfer. The feasibility of introducing such a design can only be determined by practical means.
In practice, you can find dephlegmators of a wide variety of designs (including horizontal devices). We have described only the most common ones.
Dephlegmator dimensions
The main quantity that determines the dimensions of the device is the area of contact of the steam with the cooled surface. This value is often determined empirically. It depends on the power supplied to the column and on the temperature of the coolant.
Timothy1
The distillation column I made two weeks ago produces 1200 ml of alcohol per hour. More is possible, but cooling is not enough! Input power during acceleration is 3.5 kW, during hauling – 1.25 kW.
The product output is always proportional to the input power. For example, if the power supplied to the cube (during the rectification process) is 700 W, then the maximum productivity of the column will be 700 ml/hour (in practice, with such power we have 300-500 ml/hour). The area of the reflux condenser with such productivity should be equal to 200-300 cm². This area has inner tube reflux condenser, having a length of 300 mm and a thickness of 32 mm.
Doobik User FORUMHOUSE
The speed of distillation primarily depends on the heating force. If the stove can boil 1 liter of mash per hour, then no matter what the device is, you will never get 2 liters per hour. The purer and stronger the product, the slower the distillation. The device itself can slow down the process only in one case - low power of the dephlegmator, i.e. when it is necessary to reduce the heating for normal operation of the device. How larger diameter, those larger area heat transfer, and the better the heat removal.
From all of the above, we can conclude that it is better to have a reflux condenser with dimensions exceeding the calculated ones. After all, excess cooling area will never lead to the cessation of condensate formation, and, consequently, to the cessation of rectification.
By the way, on the Internet you can find a calculator for calculating a dephlegmator, which will help you navigate the dimensions of the device being manufactured.
Fridge
As a refrigerator for the sample distillate, you can use a laboratory cooler, which is usually purchased at a laboratory glassware store.
In this case, the device can be made independently - according to the principle of a shirt-type reflux condenser (only the refrigerator will be much smaller in size). To do this, again, you should use stainless steel tubes of small diameter. The length of the refrigerator should be approximately equal to the length of the reflux condenser.
In order to regulate the rate of distillate selection or stop (start) selection in a timely manner, the distillate selection tube should be equipped with a tap or clamp (for example, from a dropper). The location of the clamp is indicated on general scheme RK.
The cooling cavities of the refrigerator and reflux condenser are connected to each other in the following sequence: bottom of the refrigerator - refrigerator - top of the refrigerator - top of the reflux condenser - reflux condenser - bottom of the reflux condenser - sewerage. Simply put, a series connection of pipes is used, and water is supplied to the reflux condenser already slightly heated.
The temperature of the cooling water in the reflux condenser, as we already know, must correspond to certain values (approximately 45-55°C). And additional taps for regulating the water flow will help us achieve the required indicators. The valve from the gas welding torch regulates the flow most subtly.
Sequence of distillate distillation
Let's consider the sequence of work with our distillation column. First of all, we dilute the raw alcohol (obtained after preliminary distillation of the mash) tap water to strength - 30%...40% (there is no consensus on this indicator, but the lower it is, the less likely it is to accidentally catch fire). Then we pour it into the distillation cube and collect distillation column and adjust it to the distillation tank.
The column, under no circumstances, should deviate from the vertical level. Otherwise, the quality of the final product will noticeably suffer.
After the RK is installed, you can begin heating the contents of the cube. The distillate tap must be closed. At the moment when the temperature of the steam in the dephlegmator begins to rise sharply, it is necessary to reduce the power supplied to the column to a minimum (the temperature at this moment can quickly reach 70-78 ° C, which is associated with a sharp rise of vapor through the packed part of the column). The device should be left in this position for 30 minutes. This is necessary for the RC to warm up and for the process of heat and mass transfer to begin inside it. The temperature in the upper part of the Republic of Kazakhstan may drop.
After the specified time, we turn on the water supply to the refrigerator (and to the reflux condenser) and begin selecting the “heads”. We repeat once again that you cannot drink “heads”!
The end of the selection of “heads” can be determined by several signs: temperature stabilization around 78°C and a change in the organoleptic characteristics of the selected distillate (the distillate begins to smell like alcohol).
After selecting the “heads”, you can begin selecting the “body”: increase the power of the column and adjust the temperature of the water in the reflux condenser (45°C - 55°C).
We enjoy the process until the “tails” are cut off. The beginning of condensation of the tail fractions can be judged by the increase in temperature in the reflux condenser (to approximately 85°C) and the appearance of fusel odor in the sampled distillate. At this point we will consider the rectification process complete. The tailing fractions can be selected for use in subsequent distillations, or they can simply be disposed of. It's up to you to decide.
If you are familiar with in practice, then we invite you to take part in the discussion of issues related to this fascinating topic. If included with exquisite drinks If you are accustomed to eating no less sophisticated snacks, then this article will teach you how to endlessly surprise your guests with the unusual taste of the prepared dishes.
More and more models moonshine stills on modern market positioned as distillation columns. Some consumers boldly follow technology, while others invariably remain faithful to the good old “classics”. However (we recommend choosing a device from the brand) today it is possible from a number of manufacturers. Are they as effective as they say, and what is the purpose of a distillation column in a household distiller? We'll talk about this below.
What is a distillation column for?
To obtain pure alcohol using a conventional classic distiller, theoretically, eight to ten distillation cycles are required. Each distillation produces a gradual increase in strength. In fact, alcohol-containing liquids with an ethanol concentration of over 30% of the volume should be distilled into normal conditions unsafe and very energy-consuming. It’s not for nothing that knowledgeable craftsmen do not recommend cooking at home, for example, absinthe. - please, but it is not safe to distill them undiluted after infusion.
In a rectification column, on special contact elements located inside, all these 8-10 distillations take place along the entire height of the column simultaneously. Here, repeated condensation and evaporation of substances occurs, due to which the alcohol vapors are purified and strengthened, and unnecessary impurities flow back into the distillation cube with reflux. In other words, the distillation column is the element of the moonshine still in which the process of distillation, purification and strengthening takes place.
At the same time, it is in your power to get the drink that you need. It is enough to adjust correctly temperature regime distillation, and regardless of which, you can obtain both pure alcohol and a distillate that retains the flavor and aromatic properties of the original raw material. Any distillation column requires careful preparation and some skills in working with it. To help beginning distillers, you can subtract small technological nuances, explored empirically.
Thus, it becomes clear why a distillation column is needed in a moonshine still. Only with its help is it possible to obtain pure rectified alcohol. Neither a classic still with a steamer nor a mash (film) column will give you alcohol with a strength of 96 degrees (the maximum possible strength at normal conditions). And you can read in more detail about what processes occur in the distillation column.
A do-it-yourself distillation column is made based on the diagram. The diagram is needed in order not to make mistakes. It does not contain large volumes when compared with other devices that reach 19 meters. A distillation column made at home, its design and the mechanism itself cannot be characterized as lightweight - it consists of many components. Initially, you should buy metal tube– its length is ideally approximately 119-149 cm.
Instead of a reflux condenser, you can use a regular thermos. In addition, you will need:
- adapters that will combine the tube with the tanks;
- Insulation and stainless steel sheet for the production of main washers;
- A small reinforcing tube used to drain water;
- Cooling mechanism.
The equipment you will need is a hammer, a drill with a drill, pliers, a file, hard paper, a soldering iron with solder or flux, an adapter device for a faucet, a rubber tube of small parameters and a temperature indicator.
The homemade device is manufactured according to established scheme. The tube must have desired length, and its ends must be polished. To assemble the tube and distillate unit, a Euro adapter is used. The union of the pipe and the cube should be soldered, and part of the soldering will require stripping later.
Then you need to do metal nozzles, which fill the pipe right to the very top. Now the main washer is inserted into the pipe, and a small extraction end is inserted into it. The section of connecting points is soldered. The next step will be thermal insulation of the pipe.
The thermos that will be used as a reflux condenser must be examined and the bottom removed. The inner tube must be removed from outside and remove the vacuum cover of the thermos. A passage should be made in the test tube, in the central part of the very bottom of the part and the main place of its rear edge.
You need to install a pipe through the upper passage and seal it there. The base is then placed on the cone.
In addition, holes are made in the outer flask for tubes for water inlet and outlet. They are located at the top and bottom of the test tube. Zones must be secured. It is necessary to make a passage in the distillate selection unit for the purpose of inserting the temperature indicator bushing. The distillation column is created with special care so as not to harm your health.
In our generation, a small distillation column is quite relevant. This device is available to absolutely everyone, and the device requires a little space. A drawing for the industrial production of a distillation column is a little complicated for ordinary people. However, the production of alcohol in living conditions happens quite often, and many people practice it.
Distillation column model, needs large quantities plates, in order to obtain a product of the highest quality. This greatly complicates the installation process. To make such an apparatus as a distillation column, with my own hands in domestic conditions, you will need some details. The cooling mechanism is made from a reddish-yellow tube. To do this, it is necessary to wrap it around the rectifier column.
Iron scourers are made from stainless steel. The validity period and their reserve for use in the distillation column are quite long. It is necessary to take 1 washcloth into the existing 9.8 cm pipes. Good idea, use a medical clamp from a dropper, you can take it instead of a faucet. The distillation column circuit is usually completed with a tube in order to interconnect with environment.
The essence of the column's work
If we briefly discuss the system of alcohol production and rectification, then this is, in fact, repeated distillation of mash, which occurs in special plates. Instead, as a rule, all kinds of components are used. For the purpose of producing alcohol at home, a distillation column with a diameter of 3 to 5 cm, iron wool can be used as a connecting component. It is through it that the distillation column for the moonshine still will be filled.
During the process of operation of the distillation column, the distillate smoothly descends to the bottom, and the evaporation rises to the top. A rectifier is needed in order to increase the degrees. Some modifications of this device involve the use of a boiler and a flowing cool stream to cool. All elements of the device can easily be combined with each other using an ordinary soldering tool. Minor differences in volumes in the production of a much-needed unit on the farm will not particularly affect the quality of the product.
However, in order to increase the amount of alcohol, it is necessary to significantly increase the volumes rectification device, 1.5 m column tube, guarantees up to 28 liters of alcohol element, in about two days. Upon completion of the production of the device, it is necessary to lubricate all connections with a detergent. In a similar way, it is possible to inspect extra holes, if there are any, bubbles appear. When a steam-water cooler is connected to a tube through which water flows and it is determined whether there are holes during operation, this is a system column type.
All of the above makes it possible to understand what this homemade apparatus and why do people need it at all? With a distillation column you have the opportunity to obtain pure alcohol. In addition, we can conclude that it is not at all difficult to create a device with your own hands - you just need to carefully read the instructions. It is also enough to have desire, And necessary details to create it. Everyone decides for themselves what is better - buying alcohol or making it at home, because such moonshine will not contain any harmful additives, and its quality depends solely on the distillation design.
The rectification column, which 20 years ago was only used in distilleries, is now used in everyday life to produce high-quality alcohol - rectified alcohol, which is an impossible task for a conventional moonshine still.
And in order to better understand what it is, what the structure and principle of operation of the distillation column is, as well as how to make the unit with your own hands, it is worth familiarizing yourself with the issue in more detail.
A distillation column is a complex device consisting of several units: a drawer, a selection unit and a thermometer, which are necessary for full rectification to take place. This process allows you to separate a multicomponent mixture consisting of substances with similar boiling/evaporation points.
The main difference between rectification and conventional distillation is that with it the evaporation and condensation of substances is not a single phenomenon, but a constant cyclic process. As a result, a column-type moonshine still produces alcohol of the highest quality - rectified alcohol.
Design and principle of operation of a distillation column
Tsarga
It is located at the base of the column and is one of its main parts. Gas-liquid mass exchange takes place inside it - one of the main phenomena in the rectification process. This happens as follows:
- The liquid, boiling in the distillation cube, evaporates and passes through the frame in gaseous form.
- The steam, having reached the reflux condenser, cools and condenses on its walls.
- The condensate flows first along the walls of the reflux condenser, and then along the walls of the drawer back into the cube.
- At this moment, gas-liquid mass exchange occurs between the draining condensate and the rising steam. It involves the transfer of heat and a certain amount of evaporated substances from steam to condensate. Under this influence, part of the reflux is its low-boiling components: alcohol and a small proportion of water evaporate again, not reaching the distillation cube, and the more difficult-boiling ones: fusel oils and other impurities continue to flow into the distillation cube.
Thus, mainly alcohol accumulates in the upper part of the column, and impurities mainly circulate in the lower part of the unit. As a result, the output is a rectified product with a strength of about 95%.
A distillation column can have one drawer or several. Moreover, the higher the column, the larger the area on which mass transfer takes place between reflux and steam, which in turn improves the quality of the resulting product.
Inside the drawer there are nozzles, on the surface of which the main mass transfer occurs. Stainless steel products are well suited for sugar and grain, and copper - for fruit mash.
In addition to nozzles, plates can be placed inside the drawer, which further increase the area where gas-liquid mass exchange takes place, which affects the quality of the resulting rectified product.
The walls of the drawer may have additional heating, which enhances the evaporation of phlegm that does not reach the nozzles and plates. This addition also improves the quality of the final product.
Dephlegmator
The upper part of the distillation column, responsible for collecting and cooling the rising vapors to reflux. From here the condensed liquid flows down into the drawer.
The reflux condenser can be designed in several ways circuit diagrams, the simplest is the film version, and one of the most popular is the Dimroth refrigerator,
Selection unit
Responsible for collecting part of the condensed phlegm and discharging it outside into a collection container. Depending on the settings of the selection unit, the amount of condensate collected also varies. The lower its selection, the higher the quality of the rectified product.
Thermometer
In a distillation column, unlike a standard moonshine still, it is mandatory integral part systems. The fact is that rectification is a very delicate process, highly dependent on maintaining the correct temperature.
Distillation cube with heating elements
Although a distillation column can be used with a conventional gas, electric or gas still, it is much better to equip it with a heating element unit.
This feature, like a thermometer, is associated with the need for precise and fine regulation of the temperature inside the system, and therefore with the regulation of the power of the device that heats the mash.
Gas valves require great skill, induction cookers have a fixed step from 100 to 300 W, but heating element regulators allow you to change the power by 3-5 W.
Which is better, a classic moonshine still or a distillation column?
To understand the advantages of rectification over distillation, it is worth making a clear comparison of these technologies.
Criterion | Distillation | Rectification |
Taste and aroma qualities of the final product | The taste and smell correspond to the raw material of the mash. | Very pure alcohol, tasteless and odorless. |
Drink strength | Depending on the design of the apparatus and the number of distillations, from 40 to 65%. | up to 97, on average 93-95%. |
Degree of separation of substances with different boiling/evaporation temperatures | Low, even substances with a large difference in evaporation temperature remain together after condensation. | Very high, if necessary, you can not only separate the alcohol, but also separate fusel oils into components. |
Degree of separation harmful substances from alcohol | Low to medium. The quality of separation can only be improved by increasing the number of distillations. | |
Loss of alcohol | Large, in the best case it will be possible to collect up to 80% of the product contained in the mash. | Small, losses in practice range from 1 to 3%, although ideal conditions they may not exist. |
The complexity of creating and using a technology-based unit | Low to medium, primitive models do not have strict sizing criteria, equipment improvement potential is limited. Handling technology is easy and simple. | High. To create, you will need specialized equipment and a strict list of materials. For effective use theoretical knowledge is needed. |
In order to obtain a product of the same quality through distillation as through rectification, it is necessary to carry out about 10 consecutive distillations. It should be taken into account that distilling an alcohol-containing product stronger than 20-30% is explosive (moonshine is explosive by default, but in this case the risk increases significantly).
How to make a distillation column with your own hands according to a detailed diagram
The unit has a simple design.
Calculation and assembly of a distillation column with your own hands is carried out as follows:
Instead of an afterword
The alcohol obtained through rectification is much higher quality than the distillate from a classic moonshine still.
But along with positive aspects come and flaws: the requirements for equipment are much higher, and its production is more expensive; in addition, operation also requires high skill.
Therefore, it is not so easy to clearly determine which is better, a good moonshine still or a distillation column, but, of course, there is an intermediate solution - mash column. It produces a distillate, but not a rectified product, of very high quality, and it is easier to use, it’s all a matter of priorities.