Who is ready to see Franken Dragon get built?

CothermanDistilling

2 8" perf plates, 2 8" ProCap plates, 4 4" dash plates, 5 4" CD plates in a second column that will be fed by the main colume and have a drain trap to the bottom of the boiler...

Just waiting on more plumbing from @smaug, and then a bit of welding to fit lengths and build drain for 2nd column...

Lloyd

Dragonstein!
Quite the novel take on the 'split column' @CothermanDistilling.

punkin

I don't understand how the 4" plates will function once enough power is fed to run the 8" plates?

grim

Counterintuitive, but you would probably need to run the 8" column dephlegmator at a lower temperature than the 4" column dephlegmator, and the power level set as normal for the 8".

You'd want to run the 8" side at a significantly higher reflux ratio than typical such that the vapor speed out of that column would work for the 4", but the plates staying active enough, with enough vapor up and even more reflux down than normal.

What probably wouldn't work is trying to run the boiler at a power level that you might use for the 4", plate action on the 8" would be too calm, and probably inconsistent. Or, if you ran normal power, but with the dephleg temps the same, you'd probably blow liquid straight up through the 4" (entrainment flooding).

Tuning this is going to be interesting.

grim

And all 4" plates stacked together, the 4" on the 8" probably won't work.

CothermanDistilling

No dephleg on 8", extra pipe and fittings arrive monday, will have to weld one custom section, and make the drain piece. I think I will have to run hard enough to load the 8" plates and may flood the first 3 4" plates. And the drain below the 2nd column and the reflux of the down tube should keep the 2nd column from flooding... will run at max of 4" plates, if the 8"ers are loaded, they will simmer, but provide the liquid-vapor separation to increase abv...

Hey, it may be a complete failure, but only costs setup time and one weld...

CothermanDistilling

Basically, I don't have the funds or ceiling height at the moment for 12 8" ProCap plates, I may have to put the 8" RC back on and move all 8 4" plates to one side, and that was originally how I was going to assemble, but some clearance issues came up that will take a bit of work to mediate...

punkin

B good to see you get it working mate, i don't mean to sound negative.

jbierling

How do you plan to have the drain from the 2nd column to the boiler work?

CothermanDistilling

Basically a small tube that goes into the boiler, into the liquid, down below the elements. At most, there will be fraction of a PSI or so, so liquid will not rise more than an inch in the tube. The heating action of the liquid surrounding the tube may cause some vaporization, but there should be a small amount of reflux ( one 4" plates worth and whatever the exterior piping refluxes) always flowing down it, which should minimize it...

I think with multiple columns you basically have to lose the reflux of the bottom plate of each additional column... I will have to research the bottom columns of production stills to see if they have higher downcomers or something...

googe

Good luck mate, looking forward to seeing how it goes for you!.

CothermanDistilling

I am running just the 4 plates now, the parts show up tomorrow, so I can tinker after I make some product to bring in some cash flow so the accountant gets off my but about gettign out of 'start-up' phase...

Myles

@CothermanDistilling said:

I think with multiple columns you basically have to lose the reflux of the bottom plate of each additional column.

I think this is correct. Some use the tube in the boiler but there is no reason why connecting the column drain into the boiler drain (boiler side of the drain valve) wouldn't also work. Might be easier if you dont have a spare boiler port available for a dip tube.

My gut reaction is that the 4" column may be able to work without the dephlegmator easier than the 8" column. But it is just a guess.

One nice option would be if you could introduce a reflux splitter under the dephlegmator so you could use a valve to control the reflux flow to the second column. Put the dephlegmator on the 8" column and just divert what you need into the 4" column.

CothermanDistilling

should test this week, my gut says the metal of the dash will provide enough reflux... my left elbow has a bad gout attack and nursing it back to health, and doing a regular spirit run tomorrow when the @captainshooch comes to visit...

punkin

Looking forward to it.

captainshooch

See ya around noon DA:O unless ya need me earlier, can do!

CothermanDistilling

Not built quite as originally planned, cut a hole in the mezzanine and went vertical, shoulda done this 6 months ago..

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qwDNa1r4_i4

FloridaCracker

It's ALIVE! It's ALIVE!!!

punkin

It's a cracker!

crozdog

looks good! but please install some noggins in between the cut rafters around the hole to give your floor the support it needs :-)

Smaug

Looks like poured concrete to me.

crozdog

not from underneath.

CothermanDistilling

it is concrete with two layers of light steel mesh inside reinforcing it, the corrugated steel was just there for the pouring of the concrete... no rafters were cut, they are bar joists...

Kapea

Poured concrete on a metal deck, being supported by bar joists.

googe

that's insane! Lol, how longs it take to get product from boil up?. Don't let the insurance dude seetathat lol

Sunshine

Looks like a tiny little still, if there was not the hole underneath.... B-)

crozdog

my bad - sorry @CothermanDistilling - looked like timber

Smaug

It's a typical way to construct a mezzanine in a commercial space here in Florida and likely other places here in the states.

grim

Sometimes, you just gotta do what you gotta do!

Kapea

Forerunner of the Zefram Cochran warp core! :D

Smaug

I'm all for a well placed hole.