How can I improve my runtimes?

razerhawg

You have to boil it and then dry it and it just adds an hour to the cleanup. Even at 93% mine smells good and I figure if I can get 96% I shouldn't need it?

FloridaCracker

Not so much the cleanup but the filtering process.

grim

Maybe that's a product? Because carbon is a good tool.

FloridaCracker

@grim said: Maybe that's a product? Because carbon is a good tool.

I totally agree but it just isn't for me if I can get the results without it. I would rather run a third time than use carbon. Just personal preference.

Heef71

@FloridaCracker

So... FC. what flow rates are you getting with your 5" pro caps????

I still using the original 4" bubble plates, 5 in my 4" CD column and 510mm packed section packed with copper mesh and stainless scrubbies. For comparison with a neutral, i'm running off heads at 1L/hr and hearts around 1.5 to 2L/hr. I'm sure she would run faster, but my thinking is if I run it slower thus creating more reflux, will produce a cleaner product. It's currently taking me 7 to 9 hrs, depending on the boiler charge of low wines (36-45L), from start to finish.

Anyone else with pro cap knowledge or uses Pro Caps please chime in here. Would I lose quality with the faster speed of the Pro Caps?? Would it be better to step up to a 5" to get the run times down?? Please sell me on your experiences before I lash out some cash.

Cheers,

H

CothermanDistilling

my suggestion is to add more 4" standard cap plates, nothing wrong with 4" and standard caps... @captainshooch ran 16 of em if you research back here on SD, and made mighty fine neutral that I tasted, 10 would be a huge improvement for neutral... IMHO

FloridaCracker

@Heef71 said: So... FC. what flow rates are you getting with your 5" pro caps????

I get about 4L per hour when I hit hearts. About half of that for heads/fores

Fiji_Spirits

@Fiji_Spirits said: well, I swapped out my heat element today and discovered it was rated at 5500 Watts. who knows what it was actually putting out. I think it was under performing. In any event a brand new 5500w Camco low watt density wavy type has been installed. Then I discovered that ALL 3of the SSR's i ordered to replace my burned one are the wrong type. great. now to wait for another month to get some!

My still is a 4 plate perf-plate design.

Is a perf plate as fast as a procap plate in 4"? I'm wondering how to set up the new plates. I'll have 3 procaps and 4 perfs to configure. what order should I do it?

I had planned to run 2 procaps at the bottom then the perfs going up, and one procap under the deplegmator (upgrading to the longer super-deplegmator too)

I recalculated my flow rate on the spirit run and came up with 1.666l/hr at max heat input and 90% output. pretty dismal. Is my 80f cooling water limiting me here?

I finally got the new setup all put together after many trips to the Chinese parts store and several orders sent from overseas for supplies. I'll comment that @punkin was the fastest and easiest to deal with and his response was nothing short of fantastic. that said @Smaug has provided top notch service and it is only the slower and longer journey from USA to fiji that makes @punkin work better for me. I do use both tho!!

the new setup took into account the advice in this thread, heres how it came out

• 7ea 4" plates, (added 3 plates)
• super dephleg (almost three times what i had before!!) works great for tropical cooling water temps of 82F
• changed original element out with 5500w low watt density
• added a second element of 4500 watts (actual total input for both is something like 7900 watts due to voltage drops and other "stuff")
• new plates became procaps

new tested flow rate at full production is now at 3L/hour at azeotrope!!

I did several fuel runs and it looks like I can average a production of 2L per hour including heatup and clean out and rechargeing. limiting factor now seems to be the 13 gallon boiler.

SUPER happy. thanks to everyone who supplied parts and advice!!

I had ordered two stainless perf plates. I tried them and they just flooded and slowed the whole thing down. I installed old perf plates (rocky mountain distillers) and they did fine and were almost as fast as the ProCaps. I wonder now if I may have installed the downcomer wrongside up? I put the silver hex nut on top. plates flooded to the lower third of the window.

another issue I get frequently is that foam will fill the lower plate and limit my heat input. i have to keep the boiler charge to about 35 liters to prevent this when I could fit another 30%more into the boiler. I need a good homebrew solution to stop foaming. A chemical formula i could make or some other thing that works really well would be helpful. oil and butter only marginally help.

Suggestions?

Clickeral

@Fiji_Spirits said: Suggestions?

Yeah your down comer is upside down

I currently run a 4" rig with 50L milkcan and 4800w worth of power ( will go to a 200l boiler when I buy the house :D )

Running a normal RC open full flow and 4800w against 6plates (procap) and 510mm packed section I was pulling 3.2LPH at 97%

Pretty much just turn her on and let her rip, it runs fast enough that when I do my stripping runs I just let her go like this (only vodka)

If I need to strip more flavor I do a 2nd or third pass

I have picked up a larger RC now and will see if I can slow the output more in order to improve quality per pass.

Need to build a new power controller however I suspect I could run 4-4.5Lph if I really pushed her

The last run I did had a normal cap plate at the top

Next run will be 7 plates with a packed section (the packed section now has a pref plate and down comer each end instead of an old cap plate without the caps installed) hoping it doesnt flood :p

Need to build up some more vodka

Fiji_Spirits

thats incredible! Are you getting foaming? It's taking me almost twice the power to get that flow in the same size boiler

if you are already pulling azeotrope, then i don think you'll be able to improve purity for vodka by reflux alone. Everything I have learned says that the more times and higher dilution level you can dilute the remaining 4-5% water/whatever, the cleaner you'll get it (well, that and a good ferment). I use a filtered spring water for best results. dilution water is important. If i had the time to play more, i'd actually try distilled water for the dilution on a second distillation.

I dont think you can get it with more reflux alone tho. I could be 100% wrong tho, i'm not an expert by any means

Clickeral

Sorry should have mentioned that wasnt temp corrected think it was 94-95% after but close enough :p