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Newbie trying to figure out Plates

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  • edited March 2019

    @Smaug, thanks for your reply, I've only used the StillSpirit T500 setup, which is pretty much just 'plug and play', I'm in the process of upgrading, bit by bit ( literally ), so I'm brainstorming as many theoretical possibilities as I can dream up and with such an awesome array of modular interchangeable StillDragon components, its not an easy task. As with most people I'm trying to get the most I can for my money, as well as trying to 'future proof' the design,

  • edited March 2019

    Be warned. I started out buying a SD torpedo for the base of my 2"x48" packed vapor management column (from which I saw a marked improvement in control of my runs). The next thing you know I am setup with 16 - 4" plates, a parrot, and a GB4. The torpedo was a gateway drug piece of kit.

    Of course it did not happen all at once, that is the brilliance of modularity. Buy the new bits as your budget allows until you have what makes you happy.

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

  • edited March 2019

    Started like @Kapea, only ended up much much worse.

  • I started with a simple pot still and then switched to the modular SD.

    My suggestion - save yourself the headache of reinventing the wheel and stick to what's proven at first. Then you can branch out with experiments.

    And above all, document your fakes and achievements here ;)

  • edited March 2019

    @grim said: Started like Kapea, only ended up much much worse.

    Oh yeah? Oh yeah?
    Well, well, well
    I got THREE dephlegmators, and TWO product condensers, and bubble Ts with thermowells, and many fancy sight glass kits, and push connects, and color-coded cooling water tubing. and, and, lots and lots of bubble caps, and lots and lots of ProCaps, and, and lots and lots of other cool stuff too!

    So there! :P

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

  • Just kidding @grim You know I love you more than my luggage.

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

  • edited March 2019

    I can attest to the drug. My start with the 50L keg and a SD 4" 3 plate column.

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  • @Kapea said: So there! :P

    Oh, no, I meant I ended up with crabs.

  • edited March 2019

    That’s OK. Since I started taking gout medicine I can eat shellfish again with no problems. Alaskan kings are my fave....

    BUT, have you ever built a 16 plate column with associated components on a half barrel beer keg boiler? No matter how tight you crank down on the triclamps, it still takes some serious buttressing to keep it from looking like that tower in Pisa, Italy. And that (leaning) will mess with the liquid flow across your bubble plates if you don’t correct it.

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

  • @only1, I see where you are going here trying to buy once cry once. Here’s my suggestion to saving money:

    • buy 100mm pipe sections and put them together to make a 500mm column. Then just put copper packing inside and enjoy some decent rectification.
    • when you can afford buy one whole procap plate setup and install it in the 100mm pipe section. Maybe add another 100 mm section.
    • repeat until desire column height is achieved then switch out the packed section for more plates.

    Cheap. Easy.

    I use the downcomer on the perf plates. Yes I mix them in column with the ProCaps.

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