After the plates are loaded, how long do you allow it to sit in reflux before taking product off?

startrk · 19 April 2017 02:48PM

Newbie.. First run of TPW. I started to take off product as soon as the plates were loaded. It came off at 92% ABV. My question is if I allow the plates to reflux longer before taking the product off, does the ABV go up? Sorry for the stupid question but like I said, this was my first run. Which tasted awesome.

Thanks,
Nate

punkin · 19 April 2017 06:41PM

Not appreciably. It will make your heads cut sharper is all.

grim · 19 April 2017 06:55PM

@startrk said: My question is if I allow the plates to reflux longer before taking the product off, does the ABV go up?

Nope.

Think Zombie Apocalypse.

You are locked in your house, zombies outside trying to get in. They break your front door lock, you run up and put your back up against the door.

So you are in 100% reflux, not letting the zombies in.

Now, the zombies are beginning to pile up at the front door, more and more zombies are banging on the door.

Finally, no more zombies can pile up at the front door, there isn't any room left. You've stacked all the heads you can.

Ok, you are going to need to kill all these zombies, it's your only hope. So you crack the door a little bit, so you let them in at a rate you can kill, without them ganging up on you.

But, oh no, a ton of zombies rush out at you. You are taking off a compressed heads cut.

Boom Boom Whack Slash Slash. Killing zombies left and right.

Finally you've done it, killed what you think were all of them. But they knocked the door off the hinges.

So you sit on your couch with a double barrel, and pick them off one by one as they come through the busted door in single file.

Make sense?

Column wants to seek an equilibrium. When you run in 100% reflux, the column will find equilibrium. However, once you start taking off the product, you've changed the equilibrium conditions, it's a whole new set of conditions, and the column is going to seek it's new balance.

The equilibrium state the existed during 100% reflux doesn't have a material impact on the equilibrium state that exists when you transition to taking off product.

grim · 19 April 2017 07:03PM

I'll leave out the part about protracted reflux periods promoting esterification and actually being counterproductive towards a cleaner product. Because Zombies are more fun. Darn just noticed your nickname - I should have used tribbles or something.