The Figgins Reciprocator

ProofProf

Announcing the second installation of the Figgins Reciprocator, or, the Figgins Dual-Kettle Reciprocating Still. This 2 x 1000-litre FR is now on the water, destined for Seattle, and is shown below without its 8-inch column. It is the first to have ProCaps in the 8-inch size. So very pleased to have a hand in still design in full collaboration with Larry and Lloyd from StillDragon.

Operationally, greater reflux is gained by manifolding two colliding streams of spirit vapour, owing in large part to the reciprocating action that occurs. Liquid spirit in the column forms a partial vapour "lock" that permits compression and expansion in the dual kettles and manifold, purifying and attenuating the spirit even before it reaches the column. The other obvious advantage to the Figgins Reciprocator is double volume accommodation with half the heat-up time. Available in full-electric, steam or mineral oil, and bain-marie models.

The StillDragon "Figgins Reciprocator" will be unveiled and demonstrated to attendees of SIPS Class 14 in Seattle, which is already filling up with registrations from as far way as Europe!

Have a great week!

BERLE 'RUSTY' FIGGINS, JR

punkin

Great stuff mate, she looks a beauty.

CothermanDistilling

Nice stuff, Rusty!

Smaug

As an aside Rusty, you should have your hands on your column assembly any day now (if not already).

captainshooch

Sorta reminds me of my ole triple headed stripper

grim

Interesting, on the SD website, under boilers, there is a picture of a similar setup that I'd always wondered about, now I know.

Does running in this manner require some kind of different procedure? Are the boilers run with identical power to both?

ProofProf

The procedure would, by design, be a bit different, indeed. Fill from the bottom, ensuring identical fill levels in both kettles, and make certain that the steam regulator affects pressure to both sides identically (piping is teed off to each side downstream from the regulator).

ProofProf

Shown below is yesterday's installation of the same equipment at Skybound Spirits in Seattle.

Thank you Lloyd and Larry!

Smaug

Should have jumped in there sir so the forum can gauge the scale of this machine. ;;)

ProofProf

I was all alone! The ladder is an 8-footer.

Moonshine

Really impressive! =D>

Drunkas

Look every one is been so nice I thought I would just give the old pot a kick and say would have been really cool if the left hand man way open to the left. =))

Very nice bit of SS p0rn you got mate.

ProofProf

Thank you, Drunkas ~ I agree, and I think I'll be turning that one right 'round, mate! One must always respect the symmetry with a rig like this one!

Lloyd

Looking at making another but monster sized.
Each of the 2 boilers are 2000L, bain marie style, and both sport the expansion ball.
Then a 6 plate 12" SS Dash on top of all of that supported by a 6" manifold that connects the two boilers.
Quite the serious still.

See the pictures above? Double that.

grim

Lloyd - I like how you focus all the attention on the big 2000l boilers and then just sneak in that little bit about a 12" dash!

Berle - So what's the secret here? I'll tell you I've gone over this post many times trying to understand the special sauce behind the design, really just a desire to understand more. The only idea I've been confident enough in to come forward in is this one:

By forcing the reflux to take a long return path back to the boiler, in a counterflow situation with vapor, I suspect you are getting a good amount of mass transfer taking place through the horizontal tubes. Now I have no idea how many plate equivalents are being added here - 1, 2, 3? Am I even close?

Lloyd

Ha! I have a 12" Crystal Dragon here ready to ship but he's not interested. A complete copy of yours @grim .
These tees are crazy expensive compared to glass sections but they can be had with a CIP spray ball solution and very large 6" sight glasses (a 3" SGK is shown for scale).

I've had no luck so far getting a high pressure clamp in the 12" size - none so far are a good fit - so still trying. The rest is easy enough since we're using the same standards set by @grim for the condensers.

ProofProf

Great going, Lloyd, and I am pleased to no end! Will it be difficult job to fabricate both the 12"x6" and 12"x4" bowl reducers?

Also, a 12" dephlegmator could be constructed from another 12' x 12" spool section with end-plates and tubes welded within. I scarcely think that I would want to adapt the 12" Crystal Dragon dephleg with bolt-on flanges to the TC flange.

Beautiful work, and I appreciate the inclusion of a CIP port and spray ball! Could you include a DN spanner for sight-glass removal?

Stateside, I did locate HP clamps in 12" if that helps.

Lloyd

Not at all difficult to fabricate the reducers and dephleg with TC ends. Another HP sample of the 12" clamp is on order, hoping to get it right this time.
That spanner wrench seems hard to get though. I'll make more inquiries.
The Tee is about 11" tall because of the 6" sight glass. To make the tee shorter we'd need to use a smaller sight glass. But 6" makes it easy to reach your hand inside if you wanted to.

900 two inch clamps arrived a few days ago and I'm now told the 12" HP clamp sample is hiding inside one of those boxes. We'll be assembling 900 element guards over the next few days and, my luck, it will be in the last case.

Lloyd

Excellent. After only 300 two inch clamps the 12" HP clamp appeared. It works great. Finally.

I cut the 12" gasket by hand and it was tricky and time consuming to assemble the plate into the Tee but with CIP it does not need to come apart often, if ever.

It takes more than one human to assemble a 12" column.

Lloyd

Rusty, @Law_Of_Ohms has been drawn into the project with hopes that he can supply a sketch of the completed project but he's a bit busy these days. It may take awhile.

He's flaky that way. Sometimes cranking out drawing after drawing rapid fire and other times he has that damn day job of his that pays his bills getting in the way.

punkin

It looks fantastic Lloyd. Needs a 4" tee next to it for scale. ^:)^

Smaug

Puh,,8" tee next to it for scale.

Lloyd

Myles

:( it is HUGE.

TheMechWarrior

@Lloyd, did you consider spinning down the inside diameter of the T @ the ferrule so the copper plate can sit on that and just under the seal rather than fiddle around with custom seals? I did the that for my 2" column when I was wanting to install a mesh screen.

Smaug

Custom tees would be far spendier than the custom gaskets.

Lloyd

@ProofProf said: ... Could you include a DN spanner for sight-glass removal?

Done.

On the 6" wrench the edge needs to ground back a bit to fit the sight glass slot, indicated by the arrow.

Lloyd

About a week to 10 days and we go to inspect the Figgin's big expansion balls.
Will post lots of pictures.

brewsmith

@Lloyd is that a modular "onion" still attachment?

Lloyd

Yes.
It was designed and ordered by Rusty who wanted two of them.
I ordered four to be produced because its such a good idea and I think the two spares have already sold sight-unseen.
I suspect Rusty does a lot of that so I'm trying to keep him close.

grim

spun copper?