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Plates Or Packed Sections

edited October 2018 in Usage

I realize I've gone a while with no post and now 2 in 1 day!!

I started out with a 120L boiler and I think 5 or 6 4" bubble cap plates. Over the years I have added 2 or 3 plates every once in a while and am currently running 11 plates. Somewhere during that time it was suggested to add a 2' section packed with raschig rings, which I did.

Well I have ordered more tees and plates, but have miscalculated and ran out of vertical space. So looking for a neutral spirit, what would you do? Take the plates up to 14 or 15..., or stay with 12 plates and a 2' packed section?

I will throw out that during my last clean out the ceramic rings had way more odor to them than the plates did. Thanks in advance for any advice!

Comments

  • Rashig rings exspecially in small sizes and ceramic will collect smear etc. it will only work in a continiuos process were the product is always identical. Not running in batches.

  • And if you are running already 11 plates and its not neutral enought i would look at your destilling management (and schema), fermentation or chemical methods (pH adjustments, activated carbon, potasiumpergamanate), NOT add more plates.

  • @Oswald : 11 plates is never enough for a real neutral/vodka, no way to fix that in fermentation. 16 plates at least, 20 or 24 if you have the height and money. Getting a packed section to put above the current plates is sound advice, way cheaper than getting more plates. Unless your column is wider than 4" that is.

  • agreed, 24 plates does me good for 190, 30 plates adds about 20-30% more speed...

  • So would you use the 13 plate and 2' packed section or go with 15 or 16 plates if it was your setup?

  • While discussing this - how does putting it through 15 plates twice stack up

  • Yes, but is it forbidden to do first enhanced strippruns (relative Quick with plates) putting early tails and head back to next stripp and do spirit runs on diluted products? A whole world of oppertunities is then availible. A light potassiumpermanganate treatment + a pH Rise in next run.

  • If you have limited distillation capacity (eg. total theoretical stages, whether plates or packing), I can't see why you would recycle heads and tails if your goal is cleaner neutral.

  • Yes - drop the first load of heads and tails then a lessor second cut on the second run.

  • edited October 2018

    3X Neutral = three runs.

    1. Stripping run. Blast it through fast. No cuts. Volume reduction.
    2. Spirit run. Dilute low wines collected from stripping run to <40% - Foreshots/heads cut and tails cut.
    3. Spirit run. Dilute second run collected spirit to <40% - No heads cut needed. Tails cut.

    I'm more like I am now than I was before.

  • edited October 2018

    There was a diminutive and knowledgeable contributor to this forum who used to say, "The further you get from the yeast, the better your neutral will be."

    I agree.

    I'm more like I am now than I was before.

  • edited October 2018

    @Oswald said: And if you are running already 11 plates and its not neutral enought i would look at your destilling management (and schema), fermentation or chemical methods (pH adjustments, activated carbon, potasiumpergamanate), NOT add more plates.

    I run mainly sugar washes and strip at 85%, carbon filter that, treat with sodium carbonate, then run a second time. Currently I am holding 91% to 92% on the 2nd run, then carbon filter again and cut with distilled water. Then let it sit in SS containers for 6 months. I do fairly agressive heads and tails cuts on both runs. I don't have have any particular problems with the taste, just wanted to try and do a little bit better.

  • edited October 2018

    @Kapea said: There was a diminutive and knowledgeable contributor to this forum who used to say, "The further you get from the yeast, the better your neutral will be."

    From a vegemite eating country?

  • edited October 2018

    @grim said: From a vegemite eating country?

    No he's talking about @minime. He's Canadian.

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

  • @grim said: From a vegemite eating country?

    Oh, I get it!

    For some reason I was thinking of tar-saturated salt... B-)

    I'm more like I am now than I was before.

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