Diy distillation column - detailed description and diagram. Thermos distillation column Alcohol distillation columns

Fans of making homemade alcoholic drinks over time come to the need to improve the quality. The best solution is to get pure alcohol and dilute it according to the required recipe.

A rectification column will help to obtain pure alcohol. More recently, information about home rectification was not available, today a large number of specialized forums and blogs detail the process of home rectification and the construction of the corresponding equipment.

Rectification is the process of purifying alcohol from light essential and heavy fusel components, getting rid of the product from glucose, sugars and acids. The rectification process makes it possible to obtain pure ethyl alcohol up to 96 °.

The resulting raw materials are used for technical, medical purposes, as well as for the preparation of high-quality alcoholic beverages.

Reference. To make an apparatus without mistakes with your own hands, you need to understand the physics and chemistry of rectification processes.

Raw alcohol or mash is heated in a cube. The vapors rise along the tsar, the heaviest parts condense in the lower part of the packing and drain into the cube. Lighter vapors rise above the packing, condense and drain into the cube. A new portion of vapor rises, heats up the already flowing phlegm, light fractions evaporate from it - the fundamental principle of heat and mass transfer comes into force.

The lightest particles reach the Dimroth refrigerator, where they cool and drain. When the vapors in the distillation column have "lined up" on the floors in accordance with the density, alcohol begins to be taken from the upper part of the column. Novice rectifiers make a mistake at this very stage - or they make a "choke" - excessive phlegm, or they take a lot of product, then the "number of storeys" suffers and the resulting alcohol will be with impurities.

It is quite difficult to make a rectification column at home. Serious manufacturers calculate and test their goods in detail, attach detailed instructions. The DIYer has a choice:

Repeat the idea of popular manufacturers, copy an existing device. If necessary, you can make edits and improvements to the checked schemes.
Design your own scheme, different from others.

What does the rectification column consist of, and its drawing?

A home craftsman can make a tsarovy distillation column. She forgives many mistakes, and the result is guaranteed.

Distillation column drawing

Distillation cube

This is a container where heaters are built in, mash or raw alcohol evaporates.

Capacity characteristics:

Strength. The weight of the rectification tube will be on the lid, so the cube must be rigid.
Chemical neutrality to alcohol. The ideal material is food grade chrome-nickel steel (stainless steel).
Convenience. The container needs to be lifted, moved, and the stillage must be drained from it (distillation). The volume of the container is calculated depending on the required performance of the device, the power of the heaters.
Warming. Heat loss should be minimal. therefore, both the walls and the bottom should be "packed" in insulation without cold bridges.

Drawer for moonshine still

The tsarga is a pipe that is installed on a cube. In fact, this is the main frame of the distillation column. There is a poppet sidebar, but it is rarely used at home.

Specifications:

Strength. The wall thickness of the drawer side is usually taken from 1 to 1.5 mm. This creates sufficient strength while being lightweight.
Chemical neutrality.
Warming. In order to build pairs of different fractions "by floors" in a column, the tsar must be well insulated. A foamed polypropylene sleeve or expanded polystyrene trays used in plumbing are perfect.
Collapsible. For the convenience of cleaning and storage, the drawer side can be made collapsible - from the knees of 30-40 cm. This will allow you to adjust the height of the apparatus, which affects the speed and quality of products.
The presence of viewing glass areas.
Diameter. If it is a thin tube (up to 2 inches), no packing is needed - all processes take place on the walls. Such a column is called a film column. Diameters higher require the use of a packing - a sealing packing to increase the area of heat and mass transfer.

Padding or nozzle

Packing is needed for the deposition of reflux, its re-evaporation. The main characteristic of the packing is the area. Stones of certain rocks, a stainless steel sieve, stainless steel chip spirals are used as packing.

There are many ready-made solutions on sale, home craftsmen have come up with various inexpensive substitute options. Most often, metal dishwashing nets or metal shavings are used to replace factory fillings.

The volume and density of the packing determines the alignment of the vapors on the floors. If the column uses a fine prismatic particle packing, a lattice support must be made so that the packing does not fall into the cube.

Dimroth Cooler

At the top of the distillation column there is a cooler - a tube twisted into a spiral.

Cold water circulates through it. It completely cools all light vapors. It is characterized by a plane of inclination, power, length.

Selection node

It serves to take alcohol from the upper "floor". The selection is not fully carried out; most of the phlegm returns to the tsarga. The ratio of the withdrawn product to the reflux returned to the tsar is called the reflux ratio.

The higher the reflux ratio, the lower the productivity of the apparatus, the cleaner the product is obtained.

There are three types of selection:

On the braga. the take-off unit is located above the Dimroth refrigerator, and catches the escaping vapors. They are recooled in an additional flow-through refrigerator.
By liquid. The cooled phlegm of the "upper floors", dripping from the refrigerator, is taken through the inclined planes or the settling tank.
A couple at a time. Part of the steam rises up to Dimroth, and part rushes to the additional refrigerator, where it condenses. A stable reflux ratio is provided, which does not change during the entire distillation time.

Additional refrigerator

Provides an auxiliary function.

What is he doing:

aftercooling the resulting product,
besieges accidentally caught vapors,
cools the finished product.

You will learn more about what a rectification column is and what its principle of operation is, from this video:

Choice of design

The size and design of the device depends on a number of factors:

Required performance. with a higher productivity, the drawer side with packing will be higher and wider - the steam passes more. The cooler and take-off unit must also provide sufficient efficiency. The minimum length of the sidebar is 1.5 meters, it is better to make it collapsible from three knees - 1 meter, 0.2 meters, 0.5 meters. this will allow the apparatus to be used for both distillation and rectification.
Possible sizes. Often home distillation columns are limited in size due to the height of the ceiling. To save space will help the displacement of the dimroth refrigerator in the upper part of the device, or placing it perpendicular to the tsar (Thor's hammer).
Access to metalworking technologies. A stainless steel apparatus will last a long time and will not oxidize alcohol, but argon welding or stainless steel electrodes will be required to connect the parts. It is difficult to cook stainless steel. If possible, you can use laboratory heat-resistant glass, but it is too fragile. A great option for the DIYer is copper. It is easily soldered with a gas torch, there are a large number of
The volume of the filled raw materials. The larger the cube used, the higher the performance should be. Alcohol evaporation occurs at 75 - 80 ° C, lowering the temperature will reduce the rate of the process.
Budget. With a minimum budget, a simple but effective design with mechanical adjustments should be considered. If the budget is not tight, the device is supplemented with precise needle taps, additional units and automatic control.

For home distillation, the simplest will be a column with a cube up to 50 liters with built-in heating elements with a capacity of 3 kW. Column diameter 32 mm, liquid take-off unit based on the design by Alex Bokakoba, Dimroth refrigerator inserted above the take-off unit.

An additional cooler is not needed; instead, a 1.5 meter long plastic tube, cooled with air, serves perfectly. As a nozzle, you can use the Panchenko nozzle, SPN or metal stainless steel scouring pads. All connections are made on inexpensive plumbing threaded connections.

Optimal calculations

Column design begins with defining the following parameters:

Possible height. Practice shows that a height of 1.5 - 2 meters will be optimal for a home device. If a gas stove is used as a heater, the height of the drawer side will be 1.2 - 1.5 meters. The diameter depends on the height, the average ratio is 1/50. For example, a 1.5 meter drawer side should be no more than 32 mm. (round up to standard pipes).
Heating element or heater power. A tsarga 1.5 meter will have a capacity of about 300 ml / hour, which corresponds to 300 watts of heating element power. The power of the heater should be sufficient to heat the mash volume to 70 ° C for 1 hour, and also be able to be optimally regulated.
Cube volume. This is an insulated container with a convenient size, transportable. To save room height, the diameter and height should be approximately the same. The amount of heated vapors depends on the volume of the cube. For home use, beer kegs of 25, 30, 50 liters are convenient. It is better not to use aluminum cans or cisterns - aluminum corrodes quickly.
Coolers capacity. The chiller must fully cope with the condensation of vapors with a minimum flow of water. There is no exact formula for calculating the power of the cooler, the number of turns and the length are selected empirically. For our design, 30 centimeters of a tightly wound spiral from a 6 mm tube is quite enough. It is better to make a refrigerator with a power reserve and regulate the speed of cold water supply.

How to make plumbing fittings at home?

The actions are as follows:

We buy materials- 2 meters of copper pipe 32 mm; tin for soldering; 15 cm of copper tube with a diameter of 8 mm, 2 meters of 6 mm tube; needle valve, plastic hose with a diameter of 8 mm. We purchase a ready-made attachment or substitute - ceramic gravel, metal sponge. The simplest connectors are clamps or brass threads.
We make the king. We divide the pipe into segments of 1 meter, 0.3 meters, 0.5 meters. We solder a 10-centimeter segment to the cube lid, insert a mesh to delay the nozzle. We solder a clamp connection or plumbing thread made of copper or brass to each joint.

We collect the node selection based on Alex Bokakoba. On a tube 0.3 meters long, closer to the bottom edge, we make two corner cuts at 30 - 40 degrees. Insert copper plates into the cuts, cut and solder. We drill a hole for the liquid take-off tube; the hole should be at the bottom of the "pocket" of the bottom plate. We solder the thread for the needle valve on the selection tube, which will regulate the selection. On the side and just above the sampling hole, insert the "forward flow" tube. It is needed to control the reflux ratio. The forward flow conducts phlegm from the selection “pocket” below, the reflux drips into the center of the nozzle. The middle part of the forward flow is made of a transparent plastic tube.

We collect the cooler, for which we tightly wind a copper tube stuffed with sand onto a pin with a diameter of 12 mm. The pin is removed, the sand is shaken out and blown out. It turns out a spiral, one end of which must be threaded inside. The beginning and end of the tube are threaded into a threaded brass "cup" and sealed - this is a cork. The resulting refrigerator is inserted above the sampling unit, the dripping phlegm is collected by inclined planes.

Before use, fill the nozzle into the drawer. The nozzle should not tightly clog the pipe; steam should flow freely through it.

If desired, you can make a flow-through aftercooler. It consists of two tubes, 10 and 12 mm in diameter. The length of the thin tube is 3 cm shorter than that of the thick one. The tubes are inserted into one another and the ends are sealed. Cold water inlet and outlet are soldered to the thick tube.

The column is assembled and ready to use. Before using the parts, it is better to rinse with a weak solution of acetic acid using a brush.

Watch a video that shows how to assemble a distillation column with your own hands:

Modes of operation

The modes are as follows:

Heating mash up to 72 -75 ° С. The Dimroth chiller operates at minimum power.
Column warming up and building of "floors" of reflux condensation. Throughout the entire column, there is an active bubbling and steam and mass exchange. It is important not to oversaturate the column, otherwise there will be a "flood" - the phlegm will clog the entire diameter of the sidebar. We select the power of the heaters so that the temperature near the take-off unit is 71 - 75 ° C.
Start of selection. When sampling by liquid, the slender pyramid in the tsar is inevitably disrupted, so the reflux ratio will need to be adjusted. The vapor density gradually drops, and the sampling rate also drops. The first sampled liquid - "heads" - contains volatile etheric components. The head volume reaches 20% of the planned alcohol content.
Selection of the main marketable alcohol goes until the smell of fusel oils appears.
If you want to pull out everything possible from raw materials, we draw out the "tails" - the last part of the alcohol-containing vapors. They contain a large amount of fusel oils, the tails are mixed in "heads" and used for further rectifications.
Completion of rectification- turning off the heater, cooling the pipes.

The entire cycle, depending on the desired product quality, can last for a relatively long time - from 8 hours to 2 days.

The average productivity of the assembled column is 250-300 ml. 96 ° alcohol per hour.

Do I need to design equipment?

The process of calculating, assembling and testing homemade equipment is a great pleasure. The result after edits and improvements will be guaranteed. However, the first difficulties or failures can cool the ardor of novice rectifiers.

As a result of independent design, even minor nuances affect the result - packing density, angle of inclination, diameter of Dimroth tubes ... If you need a quick and guaranteed result, it is better to purchase a ready-made device from the manufacturer. When buying, it is important to know the device, productivity and purpose of the device, so as not to buy a fake or ineffective device.

The distillation column, which 20 years ago was only at distilleries, is now used in everyday life for the production of high-quality alcohol - rectified, which is an impossible task for an ordinary moonshine still.

And in order to better understand what it is, what is the structure and principle of operation of the rectification column, as well as how to make the unit with your own hands, you should familiarize yourself with the question in more detail.

The distillation column is a complex device consisting of several units: —zargi—, a sampling unit and —thermometer— —necessary for a full-fledged rectification to proceed. This process allows the separation of a multicomponent mixture consisting of substances with a close boiling / evaporation point.

The main difference between rectification and ordinary distillation is that, with it, the evaporation and condensation of substances is not a single phenomenon, but a constant cyclic process. As a result, the column-type moonshine still produces the highest quality alcohol - rectified.

The device and principle of operation of the rectification column

Tsarga

It is located at the base of the column and is one of its main parts. Inside it, gas-liquid mass transfer takes place - one of the main phenomena in the rectification process. It happens as follows:

The liquid, boiling in the distillation still, evaporates and in gaseous form passes through the tsarga.
Steam, reaching the reflux condenser, is cooled and condensed on its walls.
The condensate flows down first along the walls of the dephlegmator, and then along the walls of the tsarg back to the cube.
At this moment, a gas-liquid mass transfer takes place between the flowing down condensate and the rising steam. It consists in the transfer of heat and a certain amount of evaporated substances from steam to condensate. Under this influence, part of the phlegm is its low-boiling components: alcohol and a small proportion of water evaporate again, before reaching the distillation cube, and more difficult-to-boil: fusel oils and other impurities continue to drain 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 rectified with a strength of about 95%.

The rectification column can have one or several tsars. In this case, the higher the column, the larger the area on which the mass exchange between reflux and steam takes place, 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 takes place. Stainless steel products are well suited for sugar and grain, and copper - for fruit mash.

In addition to the nozzles, trays can be placed inside the drawer, which further increase the area on which the gas-liquid mass transfer takes place, which affects the quality of the resulting rectified material.

The walls of the drawer side can have additional heating, which enhances the evaporation of the reflux that did not get on 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 dephlegmator can be made according to several schematic diagrams, the simplest is the film version, and one of the most popular is the Dimroth refrigerator,

Selection node

Responsible for collecting part of the condensed reflux and its output to the outside in a container for collection. Depending on the settings of the take-off unit, the amount of condensate drawn also varies. The smaller its selection, the higher the quality of the rectified.

Thermometer

In a distillation column, in contrast to a standard moonshine still, it is an indispensable part of the system. The fact is that rectification is a very delicate process, highly dependent on maintaining the correct temperature.

Distillation cube with heating elements

Although the distillation column can also be used with a conventional cube for gas, electric or, it is much better to equip it with a heating element unit.

Such a feature, like a thermometer, is associated with the need for accurate 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 hobs have a fixed step from 100 to 300 W, but the heaters' regulators allow you to change the power by 3-5 W.

Which is better, a classic moonshine still or a rectification column?

To understand the advantages of rectification over distillation, it is worthwhile to make a visual comparison of these technologies.

Criterion	Distillation	Rectification
Taste-aromatic qualities of the final product	The taste and smell correspond to the raw mash.	Very pure alcohol, tasteless and odorless.
Strength of the drink	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 points	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 the fusel oils into their components.
The degree of separation of harmful substances from alcohol	Low to medium. The quality of the separation can be improved only by increasing the number of distillations.
Loss of alcohol	Large, at best 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 under ideal conditions they may not be.
The complexity of creating and using a unit based on technology	Low to medium, primitive models do not have strict sizing criteria, and equipment improvement potential is limited. The technology is easy and simple to handle.	High. To create you need specialized equipment and a strict list of materials. For effective use, you need theoretical knowledge.

In order to obtain a product of the same quality through distillation as in rectification, it is necessary to carry out about 10 successive distillations. It should be borne in mind that distilling an alcohol-containing product stronger than 20-30% is explosive (home brewing 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 is made according to a simple design.

Do-it-yourself calculation and assembly of the rectification column is carried out as follows:

Instead of an afterword

The alcohol obtained through rectification is much better than the distillate from the classic moonshine still.

But along with the positives come and limitations: the requirements for the equipment are much higher, and its production is more expensive, in addition, the operation also requires high skill.

Therefore, it is not so easy to unequivocally determine which is better, a good moonshine still or a distillation column, but, of course, there is an intermediate solution - a beer column. It gives distillate, but not rectified, of very high quality, and it is easier to use it, it's all about priorities.

Moonshiners in their practice use, come up with designs that make it possible to obtain a product of high strength with a minimum content of harmful substances. Particularly popular is the reinforcing column, which does an excellent job with this task.

This device is often referred to as king... The basis of the device is repeated evaporation of liquids from the mash.

Due to this, the final product is purified from which, constantly trying to escape from the fermented wort, are forced to return back together with condensed water. Due to the fact that water vapor also partially condenses, before reaching the refrigerator, moonshine is obtained with a high degree.

A film column is a column that is not filled with packing (hollow). What's going on inside?

Evaporating from the mash, alcohol vapors, together with impurities, fall into the strengthening column.
Here they are cooled, either forcibly using a water jacket (which is preferable), or in air.
There is a division into fractions:

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 the receiving dish;
all the heavier fractions (including water and fusel oils) do not pass further. They are already condensed in the reinforcing column and the film flows along its walls back into the distillation cube. That is why this type of reinforcing column is called film.

Reference. Inventive moonshiners sometimes direct the air flow from the fan to the tsar.

This has an effect, but at the same time, for the sake of your own safety, you should use exclusively electric stove to prevent the fan from blowing out the gas flame.

The cylinder of the reinforcing column is filled with nozzles (for example, pieces stainless steel sponges etc.) In addition to the fact that such a column selects reflux with a high content of fuselage, it still does not allow methanol to rise above. Therefore, at the outlet, a strong alcoholic distillate will be cleaner from impurities than when using a film tsargi.

Column need

The presence of a reinforcing column in the moonshine still is due to the desire to obtain high-degree and already to a large extent moonshine.

In the partial cooler the selection of the most harmful, the most saturated with harmful substances, "head" vapors takes place. That is, what we call the "heads" of moonshine and mercilessly pour out, despite the high fortress, is no longer harmful.

Released from phlegm, "heads" do not have a pungent fusel odor and almost do not contain dangerous impurities, because of which they got rid of the strongest part of the moonshine.

Principle of operation

While cooling in the column, the moonshine vapors are separated and those that have a lower boiling point (alcohols) go further, and the rest of the components flow back into the distillation cube.

During this process, steam containing alcohol, going up the tsar, interacts with the reflux flowing down the walls.

The ongoing process is called heat and mass transfer: the vapors again take out the remaining components from the condensed liquid, which have a low boiling degree, and also give the phlegm water and fuselage preserved in alcohol vapors. This is how the degree of the future rises.

At the beginning of the run, the minimum temperature is set, which at the top of the dispenser should not exceed 76 °. So in the second cooler (or the only one, if there is no first one), only the head fractions pass (they drip at 2-4 drops per second, they are taken separately).

Peculiarities. Experienced distillers identify "heads" by a specific smell.

As soon as it changes for the better, it is already a body. For beginners, this is 50 ml (if 15-17 liters of mash is distilled). When using a reinforcing column, alcohol does not come out, but returns to the cube. Then we increase the temperature and drive the alcohol without taking away the "tails".

Device

The tsarga is a stainless steel or copper pipe, which is installed vertically directly on the distillation cube. In most cases, it is tightly connected to the lid, which can be screwed on or otherwise fixed on the container with the wash.

note... The strengthening 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 from air. But with such a device, it is possible to select the fuselage only from the very first (by the way, really the most poisonous) portions of alcohol vapors.

The body of the moonshine is already chasing as usual. It is advisable not to "pick up" the tails or to drive them into a separate bowl, in order to add them later on the next haul.

The pipe of the reinforcing column sometimes turns into (in more complex structures), where alcohol vapors are finally freed from the booze.

With this design, it is really possible to obtain an almost pure rectified alcohol - alcohol with a strength of up to 95 °.

More often, the tsar goes into, which additionally frees the alcohol from impurities, and from there - into, where the alcohol vapors are finally cooled and flow down in the form of a liquid into a substituted dish.

This is a model of an improved distiller, with the help of which you can get moonshine with a strength of 80 ° and higher.

The simplest 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, this is not a very complicated mechanism. You will need:

pipe made of food grade stainless steel or copper. The most common size: width - 22 mm, height - from 40 to 90 mm;

Important. The higher the 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 distillation cap. If this is a blind connection, then one fitting is needed - at the place where the reinforcing column passes into the refrigerator;
welding machine or a soldering iron with consumables;
a section of a tube and a plug - for a thermometer;
thermometer... More preferable - kitchen mechanical (with a round scale);
optional - metal grid(fixed at the bottom of the column) and pieces of stainless steel (copper) sponge, if you plan to make a column with nozzles.

Attention. For a column with nozzles, it is periodically necessary to change pieces of a washcloth or other material used (copper springs, etc.).

Operating procedure:

We cut off a piece of pipe with a diameter of 22 mm to the required length.
When using attachments, we close the bottom hole with a mesh so that the pieces of washcloths do not fall into the cube, but the vapors can rise freely, 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 the thermometer will be inserted.
Cut the 15 mm tube, plug it and insert it at an angle into the hole made. We solder in or weld in.
We securely connect the reinforcing drawer to the branch pipe (plug) 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 intend to distill grain whiskey with the help of a drawer unit. It is this material that is used in (including industrial).

When using copper pipes and fittings (suitable for connecting food water pipes), it is easier to work, because copper lends itself well 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 22 mm for the casing. You will also need pipes (0.9 - 10 mm) to connect and drain water.

With certain skills, you will cope with the task at hand and make your own reinforcing column without any hassle.

In this article, we offer you a variant of a rectification column assembled from available materials, with dephlegmator made from an ordinary household thermos. A thermos with a volume of 0.5 or 0.75 liters is an almost ready-made dephlegmator, which greatly simplifies the design and reduces the amount of work. The capacity of the column, in terms of rectified alcohol, is 1-1.5 l / h, depending on the pipe diameter. Some of the column elements will require turning work. As an evaporation tank (distillation cube, hereinafter just a cube), for raw alcohol (moonshine), you can use any suitable size, starting from two liters, the upper limit is not limited. The method of heating the cube can be any, but for safety reasons, you should try, if possible, not to use open fire for heating.

To make a column you will need:

From tools and devices you will need:

During the operation of the column, to control the temperature regime and track the sequence of the output of fractions, you will need:

thermometer up to 100 g

A mercury thermometer can be used with a graduation of 0.5 g, in extreme cases 1 g. And better with an accuracy of 0.1 g. Can be used inexpensive multimeter with thermometer function.

It will also be needed to measure the pressure drop in the cube, although you can do without it.

To supply and remove the coolant, you will need a flexible hose or a hose with a diameter of 5-6 mm.

To select the resulting distillate, a diameter of 5-6 mm is required.

And so, if there is a desire, to independently make a column to obtain pure 96% alcohol, then go to the store to buy the above materials and missing tools.

To do this, first of all, we will take the pipe to the turner, so that he would cut off the centimeters we do not need from the pipe, carefully chamfered it and thus cut off the edges of the pipe. If there is no turner, it does not matter, we cut it off evenly with a hacksaw for metal, as much as necessary, trying to maintain the cutting plane at an angle of 90 degrees, to the pipe body. To do this, you can wrap the pipe in the place of the cut, evenly wrap it with electrical tape and cut along its edge. Then, with a flat file, align the edges of the cut and remove the burrs. We process the inside of the cut with a round file. Then we polish with sandpaper in order to prepare the surface for further soldering. Next, we will need to make an adapter for connecting the pipe with the cube lid, as well as a distillate selection unit. If there is a turner, then we order these parts for him. The adapters should be tightly inserted at one end from the inside or slipped on from the outside of the pipe. This will depend on the diameter of the pipe itself and the ability to grind or get an adapter for this diameter. On the other hand, the adapter must have carving ... Threads can be either metric, inch or pipe. It is preferable to make a thread pitch of at least 1.5 and no more than 2. If there is no turner, then you will have to buy an adapter at a plumbing store. 1 ”or 1¼” adapters will work, depending on the pipe diameter. It is better to take the adapter not nickel-plated, but brass, in order to make it easier, then tin it. But with the selection unit it is more difficult, you will have to improvise on the go, depending on the available parts and the configuration of the thermos neck. You can pick up suitable parts in a plumbing store and, by fitting to each other and then soldering them, assemble a selection unit. Then you need to make support washers for the nozzle. The diameter of the washer must be such that it provides a snug fit of the washer into the pipe. The holes in the washer should be drilled as often as possible and have a diameter of at least 3 and not more than 4 mm. Insert from one side into the pipe, the washer to the required depth. Next, you need to solder an adapter to the pipe to connect to the cube lid. This requires a soldering iron, solder (or better, pure tin, it does not contain lead) and soldering acid. First, we clean the places of the proposed soldering on the pipe and adapter with emery paper or a file. Then we apply soldering acid and warm it up with a soldering iron with a drop of tin. Additionally, you can warm up the soldering point with a gas torch. As it warms up, the tin will begin to melt and spread. Thus, it is necessary to tin the entire surface of the adapter to be soldered, as well as the surface that will contact with alcohol (but this is if the adapter is not stainless steel). The stainless steel adapter does not need to be tinned. Remove excessive deposits of tin while hot with a cloth made of natural material (not synthetics). Then insert the tinned adapter into the pipe tinned in the same way and heat the soldering point with a soldering iron, or better with a gas torch. The tin will melt and securely fix the parts together. Then we start making column packing ... Next, we fill the nozzle into the pipe, periodically shaking the pipe slightly, for uniform laying of the nozzle. Don't shake too hard. Thus, we fill the pipe to the very top. We insert into the pipe, one more support washer for the nozzle. Then we insert the tinned end of the selection unit and heat the soldering point (naturally, the second end of the pipe is also tinned). We put a heat insulator of the required diameter on the pipe and on this we can consider the manufacture of the rectification part of the column completed.

To do this, you need to clean the bottom of the thermos with sandpaper.

Make a kind of bracket out of a strip of tin.

Then make a kind of loop out of steel wire, lead it into the hole in the bracket and twist it with pliers.

Clamp the other end of the wire in a vice or nail it to the wall. Take the thermos with both hands, move it away from you and pull strongly. The lid (bottom) should come off. It should be mentioned that some bottoms are weakly planted and fall off quite easily, and some with very great effort and sometimes the bracket comes off at the soldering point, and the bottom remains in place. In this case, you need to increase the contact area between the bottom and the surface bracket, re-solder these parts and try again.

It is necessary to grind the welding seam around the perimeter, connecting the lid and the flask. It is better to do this on an emery machine.

But you can also use a drill attachment. You need to grind as evenly as possible and monitor the appearance of a small, barely discernible gap between the lid and the flask.

You need to grind until a gap appears around the entire circumference.

After that, the lid is easily removed from the flask. Another flask will be visible under the lid.

If necessary, it can also be removed by turning the weld seam around the perimeter on emery.

Then the inner flask can be easily removed from the outer one.

As a result of all the manipulations for disassembling the thermos, we have two separate flasks.

But if any alterations in the design of the thermos are not provided, then you should not remove the inner flask from the outer one. To manufacture a reflux condenser, it is enough to remove the bottom and the vacuum lid and gain access to the inner flask. Further, in the inner flask, in the center, from the back, you need to drill a hole for the tube to communicate with the atmosphere. Clean and then tin the soldering point, both flasks and tubes. Then insert the tube into the hole and solder securely. The hole must be of such a diameter that the tube is tightly inserted into it. This will make soldering easier. When soldering, try not to allow solder to flow onto the inner side of the flask. Then, also in the center of the bottom, drill a hole and tin the place of soldering, tin the mating surfaces of the flask and the bottom. Put the bottom on the flask and solder. Then solder the tube and the bottom. Then tin the neck of the thermos and the selection unit. Insert the take-off unit into the neck and solder by heating with a soldering iron or a gas torch. Carefully, without damaging the inner flask, drill holes in the outer flask at the top and bottom for the cooling water inlet and outlet pipes. Tin, insert tubes and solder. In the distillate selection unit, drill a hole for the thermometer sleeve. It is desirable to make the bushing of fluoroplastic. Drill a hole in the bushing according to the diameter of the thermometer probe. Insert the sleeve into the take-off unit. It is also necessary to drill another hole in the take-off unit for distillate sampling. Insert the tube and solder. On this, the manufacture of a dephlegmator can be considered complete. Next, you need to thoroughly rinse all soldering points with a solution of baking soda in water. Then screw the reflux condenser to the column and rinse the entire assembly under running water.

Before using the column for the first time, you need to carefully study the theory of rectification. Then you need to drive the column as long as possible (several hours) without sampling the distillate in order to wash out the contaminants left after washing with water from the surface of the packing, pipe and reflux condenser. After that, you can begin to select head fractions in a separate container. These fractions will flush the condenser and distillate collection tubes from contamination. And only after that, proceed to the selection of the main one - food fraction ... If you do not understand something from the description, ask questions in the reviews and comments. I will try to answer them as soon as possible.

A variant of a reflux condenser with a large-diameter removable lid made of a stainless steel cup

Welding in this variant is also absent. A large hole needs to be made in the bottom. The hole should be of such a diameter that a small flask can hardly be pushed into it, that is, with as little clearance as possible. I made it with a special drill, which I made myself once. Now taiye (like) is sold for cutting round holes in ceramic tiles. There, in the center, there is a drill and two more incisors with victorious soldering along the edges, you set these two incisors to the required diameter and drill at low speeds, pouring water. It takes 1-2 minutes. The hole is smooth and free of burrs and scuffs. But it is advisable to drill on a drilling machine, with a drill there is a risk of breaking the cutters or pulling out the bottom. If there is neither such a drill nor a machine, then it is necessary to drill exactly in the center. Take a vernier caliper with a sharp edge and draw a circle of the required diameter, then drill the maximum possible drill, then take a cone-shaped drill nozzle and bore the hole to the drawn circle, especially at the end you need to be careful so that the hole turns out to be even. Well, you naturally try on more often at the end of boring. This business usually takes 15-20 minutes. Next, you strip the edges to be tinned to a shine with sandpaper and tin them. Then you pull the bottom on the flask with light swaying and solder the junction. Further, it is more correct to do this at the very beginning. A large hole must also be drilled in the inner flask. Why is it big, but because instead of a lid, a conical stainless steel cup will be inserted there, cut in half approximately, do you know the principle of closing a can of coffee? There is a rather large hole, but it closes hermetically, due to the tightness and spring properties of the lid. The same is true here, the cone of the cup cuts very tightly into the opening of the flask, and no fluoroplastic or other caps are needed. and through this large hole, firstly, everything is visible what is happening there, and secondly, a hole is drilled in it for a tube that connects to the atmosphere, as well as for a tube into which the thermometer probe is subsequently inserted.

The distillation column was developed almost 200 years ago and throughout its history has regularly served people for obtaining purified liquids of various types.

The main purpose of such an installation is industrial production (oil refining, chemical industry, petrochemistry, brewing, etc.).
In everyday life, small devices are actively used by lovers of high-quality moonshine. Purchased or home-made columns allow you to get almost pure alcohol at home.

How this device works will be discussed in detail in this article.

A column-type rectifier or simply a rectification column is a vertically mounted cylinder, inside of which, with the help of various devices and assemblies, the purification of liquids is achieved.

Important! The cleaning mechanism is based on the rectification process, i.e. separation of multicomponent mixtures as a result of heat and mass exchange of contacting streams of vapor and liquid.

Any liquid of heterogeneous composition is a mixture of several components.

So moonshine is a mixture of ethyl and other alcohols, ethers, aldehydes, fusel oils and other substances:

Each component has its own boiling point and specific gravity.
According to the latter indicator, the distribution is made into light and heavy fractions.
When heated to the boiling point, the liquid turns into vapor, which is also characterized by different specific gravity, which determines their volatility.
Liquids with low boiling points (low boiling points) give off highly volatile vapor, and high boiling components give off low volatility vapors.

The rectification process is based on the opposite direction of vapor and liquid flows (reflux formed as a result of vapor condensation), which can be seen in the diagram.

The vapor rushes upward, and the liquid rolls downward. These natural flows in a vertical cylinder are in contact with each other, which, according to the laws of physics, is accompanied by heat and mass exchange, which tends to balance the system.

Steam, rising through the pipe, is enriched with highly volatile components, losing heavier, non-volatile ingredients, which dissolve and condense in a less heated liquid and rush down with it.
With a sufficient cylinder height, only one, the most volatile vapor should reach the top.
Here it can be artificially condensed into a homogeneous liquid.
The liquid drained to the bottom is again heated, and a new rectification cycle starts.

Thus, a multiple process is ensured, which allows, in the end, to maximize the purification of the entire liquid, isolating the lightest fraction. In oil it is gasoline, in moonshine it is ethyl alcohol.

Principle of operation

The rectification column allows the rectification process to be put into practice. Structurally, it is a cylinder in which a cube is located, where the liquid is fed and heated, and a reflux condenser, where liquid condensate (reflux) is formed.

In addition, contact elements are provided for the condensation, liquid collection and re-evaporation process.

The rectification column works as follows:

The cube is filled with raw materials (approximately 2/3 of the volume) and heated to the boiling point of the liquid.
The vapor rises upward, and when it meets the reflux condenser, it partially condenses, turning into reflux, which flows down the walls of the cylinder.
As the steam rises through the cylinder, this process occurs several times, with the heaviest fractions condensing first. The lightest fraction reaches the top of the column.
During the operation of the installation, vapors, reflux, feedstock and purified, final product are simultaneously contained in its cylinder. Vapors and phlegm create mutually opposite flows.
In the initial period (until the stabilization of the process), it is recommended not to take the final product, which enriches the reflux and accelerates the achievement of an equilibrium mode of heat and mass transfer.

Reference! The efficiency of the column can be expressed by the reflux ratio, i.e. the ratio of the volume of reflux to the amount of the withdrawn finished product.

For stable operation of the installation, this indicator is maintained at level 3, which provides at a turnover of no more than 25% of the purified liquid.

Phlegm, having dropped down, heats up again to a boil. The next portion of steam rises up, starting a new cycle.

If moonshine is purified, then at the very bottom of the column from the very beginning of the process, the heaviest components (fusel oils) settle.

Lighter fractions (methyl alcohol, ethers, aldehydes) are distributed along the pipe. They gradually trickle down when the temperature is equilibrated for 9-12 minutes. The total duration of the cube warming up is 25-55 minutes.

Difference between distillation and rectification of alcohol

The most common methods for cleaning liquids are distillation and rectification... These technologies are similar in many ways, which sometimes causes a combination of concepts, which is completely wrong.

Fundamental differences in the mechanism of the process lead to the fact that the final product during rectification has a much deeper purification and high quality compared to distillation.

The fact is that during distillation, even a non-boiling liquid partially evaporates, which means, in any case, a certain amount of different fractions ends up in the purified liquid. In order to achieve good quality, up to 6-7 procedures are required.

Rectification provides a clean, homogeneous product in a single pass. When cleaning moonshine, this effect significantly affects the strength:

So with one distillation distillation, it does not exceed 35-40%, with two - up to 50-55%, three - up to 70%.
Fortress 90-95% (alcohol) is achieved after at least 5 distillations.
The distillation column makes it possible to obtain practically pure alcohol in one cycle. In addition, the taste and smell of the raw material is retained during distillation.

The distillation method also has certain positive aspects:

Even numerous distillations, subject to technology, allow you to lose no more than 20-22% of the liquid.
Losses in rectification units are much higher - they can reach 32-35%.
The simplicity of the technology should also be noted. Rectification requires much more complex and expensive equipment.

Watch a video in which an experienced moonshine still compares the processes of distillation and rectification and gives advice on choosing an apparatus for distilling moonshine:

Important column characteristics

The general design principle of modern distillation columns remains unchanged. The goal of improving the installations is to increase productivity, cleaning depth, yield and stability of the quality of the final product.

The solution to the tasks is achieved by moving in several directions.

Dimensions and materials

To comply with all technological modes, it is important to have the maximum possible height of the working cylinder, as well as its optimal combination with the diameter.

Differ in size:

industrial,
household installations.

For home conditions, miniature devices are needed.

Their height is in the range of 1.2-1.6 m. With smaller sizes, it is impossible to achieve high-quality separation of fractions. The pipe diameter can range from 3-5 cm to 0.3-0.5 m.

Important! The best material for the manufacture of the column is stainless alloys with a permit for use in the food industry. They do not emit harmful substances under any aggressive influences.

Heating system

When organizing the heating of a cube with raw materials, 2 factors are important:

sufficient power,
the possibility of smooth adjustment.

The gas source of energy is difficult to regulate, and therefore electric heating elements (TENs) are often used. Normal power is set at this rate of 4 kW per cube of 50 liters.

Performance

It is directly related to the power of heating elements and the size of the column. The faster the streams move through the pipe, the higher the productivity.

In addition, it increases with the use of continuous technology, for which special devices are provided for the supply of raw materials and the timely removal of the finished product.

Cleaning quality

It depends on the number of simultaneously occurring condensation processes in one passage of the cylinder, which is determined by the number of the corresponding contact elements.

VIn good installations, at least 7-8 such zones are installed.

Process control

To ensure the necessary control, thermometers are installed in all zones. To maintain a stable mode, an automatic system is installed.

Pressure

The rectification process will proceed normally while maintaining a stable internal pressure in the range of 725-785 mm Hg.

In this case, an increased pressure is provided in the lower part, where heavy fractions are accumulated, and a minimum pressure is provided at the top, where light steam is directed.

In industrial installations, a vacuum can generally be created at the top of the column, but it is most rational to maintain normal atmospheric pressure.

When operating rectification columns, it should be borne in mind that the process proceeds most actively when conditions are stabilized and the temperatures of the counter streams are equal.

The speed of stabilization of the regime is considered one of the most important indicators of a high-quality, modern installation.

Contact devices (plates and attachments)

Contact elements in the distillation column are involved in the formation of the balance of liquid and vapor, as well as in the concentration of vapor.

Each such element limits a certain zone in which a kind of distillation cycle takes place - evaporation and subsequent condensation of a separate fraction, while often the vapor crosses this border and moves upward, involving volatile components in its flow.

In any such area, a certain balance is established.

Reference! The main effect is provided by increasing the area of phase contacts, which activates heat and mass exchange.

The main ones are the following contact elements:

Theoretical plate... In fact, this is a formed equilibrium zone without installing an additional part. To obtain a well-refined alcoholic beverage, from 24 to 32 such zones are organized.
Physical dish. This is a real dish-shaped part in which the liquid layer accumulates. Steam is forced to pass through it, which is manifested by numerous bubbles. This option provides a sufficiently large contact area. To obtain high-grade, pure alcohol, up to 45-55 physical plates must be installed in the column.
Nozzles. These contact elements are mainly designed to support the steam condensation process. They are much less resistant to steam flow than the trays. Several varieties can be used in the columns - ring, mesh, spiral. In home-made devices, a "sieve" is often placed - a disc with numerous holes. Copper is considered one of the best materials for nozzles. Copper alloys or aluminum can be used.

Poppet contact elements are mainly installed in industrial columns, which have a large height and a sufficient diameter for their installation.

In household appliances (purchased and homemade), priority is given to attachments that can be fixed in a pipe with a diameter of 4-5 cm.

How to get the best result?

During the operation of the distillation column, it is required to observe certain measures to achieve its normal operation and obtain a high-quality end product.

Special attention should be paid to activities in the following areas.

Elimination of "flooding" of the installation

This "disease" is associated with slowing down and stopping the flow of phlegm, which leads to its accumulation in the cylinder and blocking the steam flow. As a result of "flooding" inside the column, pressure rises, loud gurgling and noise appear.

The phenomenon can be provoked by the following reasons:

Exceeding the permissible speed of the vapor flow, which can be caused by excessive heating of the liquid in the cube;
Excessive filling of the cube with raw materials or blockages in the lower zone of the pipe;
Too little pressure in the bottom of the column, which is typical for high-altitude conditions;
An increase in the voltage in the power supply network, which causes an unplanned increase in the power of the heating element;
Violations in design or technology.

The installation of automatic control and regulation of the process helps to avoid this unpleasant phenomenon. Particular attention is paid to heating the raw material and filling the cube.

Timely removal of the finished product and settling heavy fractions

In the first case, the technique is simple - at the initial stage (before the temperature and pressure stabilize), only a quarter of highly volatile vapors are condensed with the final product and removed to the outside, and then its maximum volume is removed.

The appearance of sediment from heavy fractions is more difficult to detect. You have to focus on the smell and color of the liquid at the very bottom of the column.

Correct preparation of the installation for start-up

Before starting rectification, it is necessary to check the state of the apparatus, first of all, the tightness of the column. To check, the outlet of the finished product is shut off and cold water is pumped in.

Only after making sure that the installation is tight, you can start pouring raw materials and heating the cube.

One should not expect miracles from the household apparatus and replace them with a moonshine still. The minimum strength of the original liquid must be at least 30%, otherwise the output will not produce a product close to pure alcohol in strength.

Important! You should not pour mash into the cube that has not undergone primary distillation.

When making an installation with your own hands, you must not allow the loss of thermal energy through the column body. It is especially important to protect the lower part, i.e. zone to the first reflux condenser.

Styrofoam,
penoizol,
modern foil insulation.

Distillation columns allow deep purification of liquids or separation of a light fraction. In industrial conditions, they find applications in many industries, incl. with their help, oil refining is ensured, high-quality alcohol is produced.