Building 8" wide column simple pot still based on 100gal/380L kettle with 4" wide shotgun condenser

Comments

• GD50

  17 January 2020 12:34PM

  @Grim. Why. Where we are NPT is the pain in the arse.
• CothermanDistilling

  17 January 2020 01:14PM edited January 2020

  19mm inlet and 16mm outlet TC fittings on this head would sell like hotcakes..

  Put me in for 4 if under $40 for the head or $100 for the pump

  

  

  

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• CothermanDistilling

  17 January 2020 01:22PM edited January 2020

  FYI - these Stainless QD's are awesome and inexpensive... they seal even with side load on them when connected, unlike the brass garden hose QD's

  I have most of the styles, and A and J are great to make 5/8 (16mm) ID hoses with, and J/K are great to quickly adapt to 1.5" TC... I have C and F on my pumps I use for distillate...

  

  Quick Disconnect 304 Stainless Steel Ball Lock Style @ AliExpress

  

  

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• crozdog

  18 January 2020 01:42AM edited January 2020

  I use cam locks on all my tanks / pumps / hoses. Type A or F on tanks / pumps and type C on hoses

  

  

  

  Different-cam-lock-couplings.jpg

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• MountainDweller

  21 October 2020 09:18PM edited October 2020

  Hello all - that is status update of what I have been able to archive so far.

  You answers helped me a lot to understand scopes and final needs, to get a better understanding of power/heating layouts. However, upon the finance shortage, we decided to make a short pass, for now. Later one, we will definitely upgrade to bigger(wider) column and bigger/wider condenser.

  What we currently have on 100 gallons/380 liters StillDragon kettle include:

  • sphere like reducer, on top of 8 inches opening, that reduce it from 8 inches to 4 inches. That is about 16 inches in diameter, kind of half of the onion helmet
  • 4 inches wide column taken from another still, that is 24 inches tall, with soldered adapter from 4 inches column to 3/4 inches elbow to condenser. Top of that column has a thermowell port and thermometer
  • condenser made from 1-1/2 inches copper pipe inside 3/4 inches, that is 36 inches long. It is taken from another still as well
  • It has five heating elements (4500 watts each), three are directly wired to 240V/30A outlets and two are wired through PID, that is wired to 240V/50A outlet
  • 12 inches tall CIP with 2 inches TC is on one top 2 inches TC port. 100 gallons is just about 4 inches below the lower end of CIP
  • Pressure gauge (0 - 30 psi) is second top 2 inches TC port. Ideally, I would need to add pressure relief valve, but so far pressure is always 0 psi

  It takes about 70 - 90 minutes of heat up from beginning to first drops. Temperature at warehouse is about 60 degrees F. With the full load of 100 gallons It keeps the temperature 175 degrees F on just two elements wired through PID, running on 240V/9.5A each, so on total heating power is equivalent to 4600 watts. And on that temperature it produce decent product, but its speed/flow is 1 gallon per 50 minutes.

  Questions and concerns:

  1. Running a second run on full capacity of 100 gallons of 20% ABV (first run diluted with water) should provide about 30 - 40 gallons of spirit from 80% ABV to 40%, plus heads/acetone/methanol + tails below 35 - 40 % ABV. So, I expected to make a hole run within 14 - 16 hours, when currently it is about 30 - 40 hours. With this diameter of the column, should I expect more? I am afraid to add more power, since I expect it will immediately goes way above 175 degrees F. Anybody comments that?
  2. How much more power, I would spend on run if I upgrading a column to 6 inches (not 8 inches as we expected), and having it about 3 - 3.5 feet tall (cannot make higher) with reducer from 6 inches to 2 inches, 2 inches 'U" elbow and 4 inches shotgun condenser, about 4 feet long? Square of 6 inches column is about as twice bigger than square of 4 inches column (56 square inches versus 25 square inches). Does it mean, that approximately, double run power (9200 watts versus 4600 watts currently) would be more or less sufficient to keep a temperature of 175 degrees F?
  3. What would be a flow rate on 6 inches wide column / 36 - 40 inches tall with run power of 9200 watts?

  Thanks