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A small Commercially Distillery built in Sweden from scratch, adapted to Swedish Laws and Regulation

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  • @harley, I do not see that was a safety valve on a boiler problem; I see it as a severe buildup of gas (ethanol vapors) that filled a large room and exploded. Of course I could be mistaken but it looks to me like inadequate ventilation.
    This could only happen by someone that left the still unattended.

    Do not leave a still unattended! That is what makes me a little nervous about still automation, it tempts the distiller to leave the still for a long time. Yes, I know that good programming will shut the still down in certain situations but it takes a real human to know when the unexpected happens and when it is serious enough to shut the still down.

    Even the best programming cannot predict an unsafe buildup of explosive gas. At least not on any still controller that I've seen so far.

    Good post. It reminds all of us that "What can go wrong may very well go wrong".

    Always best to not be in the television news (it gets on the internet and you become infamous on the WWW). 10 minutes of fame/shame.

  • You are probably right about the cause of this explosion for the Boiler actually looks intact out and sprit-gas vapors have probably leaked and caused this massive explosion ..

    But the facts remain for all of us ( legally) in Europe, we need to have some type of safety valve to lawfully use this "pressure boilers" and maybe this low pressure safety valve that I linked to "can" be suitable ..

    Lloyd, you can check this, if it is good for achohol steam and about 100 degres celsius, and have enought low pressure relif , because I want 2pc in that case ....

    Cheers

  • edited September 2013

    This is what they Writes the Swedish brewing forum about this explosion ...

    Yes, my first thought was also the explosion due to overpressure. Damage to property was extensive and it would have fit in well when you consider just the mythbuster section sluggard refers to. But it seemed nothing on the set of the image (maybe he had two? ), and he was taken to the hospital with burns, it was ... seems, however, that the adoption of a cap at the top. so it may well have been that shot off.

    Cheers

  • edited September 2013

    Updates:

    Here you can see one end to an 8 "reflux condenser, and also one end to a 12" reflux condenser, the gap in the middle is for 1st plug sensor for the automatic reflux control.

    image

    Here is a 12 "flat bubble plate intended for SD bubble caps.

    image

    Here you see the cone of stainless welded to the boiler at 45 degrees with a 12 "connection at the top, which takes copper at ...

    image

    Cheers

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  • @harley, that 12" copper dephlegmator plate, please PM the specs to me.
    OK, the 8" too!
    Thanks
    Lloyd

  • edited September 2013

    @Lloyd & @SDeurope … take a really good look on this Bursting discs and all data also…

    Check out what one of Swedish brewing forum found for me ... feels spontaneously as if this 2 "50mm burst disc would be optimal for me," blast "triggered at 0.45 bar and 100grader .. about 0.45 kg and above that, it's something that is wrong really wrong, then the the bail out hopefully ...

    Pressure Relief - AGT Series Bursting Disc (PDF)

    Cheers

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  • edited September 2013

    The remaining images:

    8 "sieve plate with 1.5 mm holes in 5mm pattern. (Maximized number hole in the plate area)

    image image image

    8 "plate for 1st 120mm giant bubble caps.

    image image image

    4 "connection for 1" thread of 5500 watt heater cartridge to 4 "clamps. This will be a 100% tight "junction box" from both air and water for electricity connections ... and it's quick to remove them for replacement or cleaning, and a can put in a nothet type of "bigger heater element" later if a want when a have 4" ferrules in boiler...

    image image

    Cheers

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  • 36pc sd bubbelcaps with low steam outlet and 1pc 28mm returnpipe in my 12" 3plate whisky column with about 20-25cm distans betven this 3pc plate for maximal taste transfer and allso 100mm sightglass.

    Cheers

  • What do those discs cost Harley? sounds like a cheap and easily fitted (assuming they fit 1.5" ferrules) solution for vaccuum or pressure.

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  • edited September 2013

    @punkin said: What do those discs cost Harley? sounds like a cheap and easily fitted (assuming they fit 1.5" ferrules) solution for vaccuum or pressure.

    I relly dont nowe the price for this yet but ( i "get it" today from a fiend ) when a nowe a shall tell you all becouse this is the best, relly best solution that a have seen, but they shall fit inside/ betven 2pc sd 2" ferules and have( what a can read) All legally permitts alredy in Sweden... maybe hole EU... so No problem with goverment....

    Cheers

  • edited September 2013

    image

    8" reflux pipe end plate with 40pc 18mm hole/ 16mm inside pipe diameter and a distans of about 7-8mm betven all piepe with a free space in middle for about 2cm for a 10x100mm instick reflux sensorin ss and all in Coppar and height of waterpart shall be around 25cm, thats more than enought when it is in copper and shall easly nock dovn all my 33 000watt, No problem. If it is in ss then a have gone for 30cm hight in waterpart, and maybe for 1-3mm smaller pipe but same pattern and number of the pipe... This was the best pattern a have foung so fare...

    Cheers

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  • edited September 2013

    image

    12" reflux pipe end plate with 66pc 18mm hole/16mm inside pipe diameter and a distans of about 11mm betven all pipe and a free space in middle for about 2cm for a 10x100mm instick reflux sensor in ss and all in copper and the height of the waterpart shall be around 35cm, thats more than enought when it is in copper . if if is in ss than a have gone for 40cm height in waterpart and and maybe for a 1-3mm smaller pipe but same pattern and number of pipe. This was the best pattern a have found so fare...

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  • edited September 2013

    image image

    Hope that you can se what a ment lloyd, and a relly belive in this solution with a space in the middle and a 1/2 conektion in the back and in the middle betven top and bottom for reflux sensor pipe.. You get best more ecact reading of the temp sensor if it is in the waterpart but refluxcooler must be abel to take care of all steam so all steam that leave the top end of the refluxcooler have same temp that the water in the refluxcooler, this is important.....

    Cheers

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  • edited September 2013

    image image image

    No way that this little woodlathe can fix this 1,5mm copperplate to a bubbelcaps... so next try is in my old big metall lathe, then maybe this can wourk.... maybe....

    You have to get as much friction as the plate gets fucked hot then shape it more easily .... I hope ....

    Cheers

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  • @Lloyd, you have right, this little woodlathe is to small to fix this, no power to get up the heat so bigger tools ;-)

  • About 3 years ago I saw the copper funnels being turned on a spinning lathe here, they were one of my first items.
    The small and medium funnels put up very little resistance because the metal was thinner. The large funnel was thicker copper and they had to fight each one. The forms, or dies?, were made of stainless and it took two people to turn the large funnel... one person to pull the shape with the bar and another holding a propane torch to keep the copper hot.
    This factory made countless millions of aluminum lamp parts and they told me the large copper funnel was the most difficult part they ever made.

  • edited September 2013

    You are absolutely right, I've given up trying to pressure turning these 120mmx50mm bubbelcaps ... and I have annealed copper and then cooled rapidly in water and then I could push it further approx 1cm across my wooden mold ... this takes too long for me to make 30st.

    image

    Now I'm off on Monday to watch an old exenterpress Weingarten xhsw 12 tonnes with a maximum stroke length of 80mm for sale about 3 mil/ 30km from me ...

    these old monsters are cheap basically scrap value per kilo ...

    Cheers

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  • Why can't you use a press?

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  • Good question punkin!

    I relly dont nowe if this shall work in a press becouse it shall go so slowe, maybe to slowe and a dont own a enought big press for this moment and a "think" that a press need to be abel to handel 25ton at least, maybe more to fix this in 1,5mm copper.

    I think that a can get this 12 ton exentrepress for scrap value/ kg price... but a dont nowe this yeat.

    it is a lot of old macine and tools for sale in sweden for this moment and it,s cheap, relly cheap so am looking around all time and a newer give up, a shall relly fix this to manufakture 30pc 120x50mm gigant bubbelcaps becouse a must test it to max and compare it, but nowe am allso looking for a press..... big press.... Punkin ;-)

    Cheers

  • edited September 2013

    It's only thirty pieces, take it to a machine shop you cheap bastard. :x

    At least the engineer will tell you if they can do it or not. >:)

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  • edited September 2013

    I forgot the smiley is all. :))

    That'sBetterPunkin

    StillDragon Australia & New Zealand - Your StillDragon® Distributor for Australia & New Zealand

  • I want to do it myself , thats what it is all about. By the way am already involved in à hight tech machine shop but this à shall make My self...... Old way...... Cheers

  • The caps are basically bowls. You could always just hammer them by hand.

  • edited September 2013

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    1,5mm and 0,5mm thickness of copper sheet ... this isn't easy....

    Cheers

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  • edited September 2013

    Now a relly have giving it upp to press tuning lathe this bubbelcaps..... next try shall be exenterpress ore a big manually press.... so nowe it,s time to thinking of making "press molds" 2pc one in and one for outside... ore a make it from 120mm pipe copper and hardsolder a "roof" on the top.... that roof a can make a "little" round with this press tuning lathe in 1,5mm copper.... Cheers

  • @harley, spinning parts on a lathe is not easy. It takes special tools, equipment and the experience. I know this first hand because I almost destroyed my metal working lathe's bearings in USA a few years ago trying to do it (on a small and easy part!).

    The metal spinning lathe looks so much like a regular lathe it will fool you into thinking your regular lathe can do it but a spinning lathe is built for very high torque.

    Metal spinning is a bitch. It is much harder to do and takes more expensive equipment than the youtube videos would have you think.

    Wood lathe... hundreds of dollars.
    Metal lathe.... thousands of dollars.
    Spinning lathe.... many thousands of dollars.

    Spinning your own giant bubble caps? Priceless, plus a few thousand dollars.

    Keep up the fight, Harley, your successes and your failures all inspire us. You help everyone by posting the good and the bad.

  • edited September 2013

    Yes, you have right Lloyd, I go the easy and cheep way....

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    Cheers

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