Moonshiners manage to use such devices in their work that provide the opportunity to produce high-strength alcoholic beverages with a reduced content of harmful substances. A strengthening column for a moonshine still is especially in demand in the distillery environment. She does an excellent job of solving the problem of preparing a good homemade drink.

This device has a specialized name - a drawer, which helps to process the mash multiple times. The product is thoroughly cleaned of essential oils, which tend to return to the drink with condensation. Due to the fact that water vapor also condenses and does not reach the refrigerator, the moonshine acquires a high degree.

A tsarga is nothing more than a copper or stainless steel pipe with attachment or film variations for moonshine brewing. It is fixed vertically on the distillation cube. Usually it is tightly connected to the lid on the mash container.

Interestingly, the mash column can have its own separate cooler, to which a water jacket is connected.

If you have a simple device diagram, then it does not include a flow cooler, and the pipe is cooled by air. True, in this case it is possible to select fusel only from the initial, most poisonous portions of alcohol vapors.

The desired “body” is pursued using the usual method. It is better not to touch the “tails” or to collect them in a separate container to later add to the moonshine and distill.

The design of the mash column in other cases smoothly transitions into a rectification pipe, where alcohol vapors are completely freed from fusel oils. With such a more complex system, it is possible to strain a certain amount of pure alcohol with a strength of 95 degrees.

But more often than not, the column goes into a steamer (in which the moonshine is freed from impurities), and from it into the refrigerator, where the alcohol vapors are cooled and flow into a previously prepared container.

The simplest design is when the drawer goes into the cooler. The distillate is no less strong, but requires additional purification with coal or some other substances.

What is the difference between a film column and a packed column?

The film column is hollow, without attachments. What's going on inside her? Alcohol vapor evaporates from the mash and enters the drawer. In it they are cooled with water or air.

1. The alcohol (its boiling point is 78 degrees) turns into steam and enters the cooler, where it condenses. And from there the condensate flows down a tube into a specially prepared container.
2. Heavy fractions (water and essential oils) do not pass through and settle in the mash column. Then they flow back into the distillation cube.
3. If the strengthening column is filled with nozzles (for example, pieces of stainless steel), then it will select phlegm with a high content of essential oils and will not allow methanol to rise higher. Therefore, a fairly strong alcohol at the exit of a packed column will be cleaner than when using a film model.

The need to use a column

Arming a standard moonshine still with a reinforcing column is due to the intention of obtaining strong and significantly purified moonshine. And only then, based on it, create a drink that the manufacturer likes best or whatever the recipe requires. Nothing good will come of a low-grade compote with the smell of fusel. What can be done from it is only to re-distill it.

In a partial refrigerator, the most harmful substances, the so-called heads, are selected. We mercilessly flush them down the drain, despite their attractively high strength.

Operating principle of the unit

After cooling in the column, moonshine vapors are separated. Those that have a lower boiling point evaporate, while others are sent back to the distillation cube.

During the process, alcohol vapor, drawn up along the frame, interacts with phlegm flowing down the walls of the tank. It again removes the remaining components with a low boiling point from the condensate, in addition, it releases the water and fusel oils preserved in the alcohol vapor to reflux. Thus, the degree of moonshine increases.

At the start of the distillation, the minimum temperature is set (in the upper part of the column it should not be higher than 75 degrees). When using a tsarga, the alcohol does not come out, but returns to the distillation cube. Afterwards we raise the temperature and drive the alcohol without selecting the “tails”.

How to make a unit with your own hands?

To make a drawer, you will need the following materials:

• a pipe made of stainless steel or copper (brass is also allowed) with a diameter of 22 mm, a length of 40–90 mm (the larger the pipe, the better the separation of vapors into fractions);
• transition fittings (22 by 15 mm). Their number depends on how the column is connected to the lid of the distillation cube. With a blind connection, you will need only one spare part, which is installed when the drawer is transferred to the refrigerator;
• welder or soldering iron with rosin and solder;
• tube with a plug for attaching a thermometer;
• cylindrical thermometer;
• metal mesh if you plan to make a column with nozzles (it is fixed at the bottom of the unit), as well as small pieces of stainless steel or copper for a washcloth.

Step by step steps:

1. Cut the pipe to the required size.
2. We cover the bottom of the drawer with a mesh if we are going to use a column with nozzles.
3. A centimeter from the top of the pipe, drill a 15 mm hole for the tube - the thermometer mount.
4. We cut the tube, put a plug and solder (weld) it at an angle into the hole.
5. We connect the drawer to the distillation pipe using welding or a fitting.
6. We fill the pipe with nozzles. If the latter are not provided, we skip this step.
7. We secure the fittings and check the tightness of the structure.

So, with a little effort and effort, you can make an excellent reinforcing column.

You can often come across such a concept as moonshine stills with a reinforcing column. What exactly is such a column and what is it for? The reinforcing column for a moonshine still is sometimes called rectification column by some manufacturers. However, these two concepts are far from consistent with each other, although the basic principle of separating liquids into their components is used in both.

Reinforcing column for moonshine still

Obviously, the strengthening column is not suitable for producing rectified alcohol; for this, a rectification column is needed, and the strengthening column has a slightly different purpose. In order to fully understand this concept, it is also necessary to note that sometimes it is called a mash column, or tsarga, and is used to obtain a stronger drink, up to 85%.

The principle of operation of the drawer is very simple. Through the column, steam leaves the cube and cools, partially condenses on its walls and enters the cube. The part of the steam that is more saturated with water, which contains a large amount of fusel oils, condenses and flows down because their boiling point is higher. The lighter fraction flies upward and falls further into the steam chamber, or coil. Thus, the resulting product is stronger, with a lower concentration of fusel oils.

The larger the drawer, the higher the strengthening, but the lower the efficiency of the device. Therefore, the height should be within reasonable limits. It is believed that it should be no more than 90 centimeters, but there are nuances in this matter.

Need for a column

The length of the mash column must be clearly established. It is responsible for the frequency of purification of the final product. For example, a 15 cm length gives 20 times cleaning, and a 35 cm length gives 50 times cleaning. The longer it is, the slower the process of separating the fractions will proceed, and as a result there will be fewer impurities in the output and a higher strength of the drink.

An excellent product can be obtained with a standard length of 15–35 cm. But to use such a drawer, you need to clean the product with potassium permanganate or charcoal. If you want to get a high alcohol content, more than 90%, after the first distillation, then you will need to purchase a distillation column, because a regular one will not give such an effect.

What requirements must the king meet?

• It must have a height of at least 50 diameters in width. Although this, of course, completely depends on the desire of the moonshiner and on what kind of output product is needed. How clean it should be and what its strength should be. A reinforcing column whose height is less than 30 diameters does not make sense, since its effectiveness will be very low.
• The drawer must also have a controlled dephlegmator. Its design can be any, made on the basis of a dimrot, a shirt maker or some other type. It does not matter. The main thing is that it completely extinguishes the power that is planned to be supplied. There may be several of them, for example, primary and secondary. This structure allows for more stable operation.
• The reflux condenser must have a finely adjustable cooling capacity. To do this, you need a tap that allows you to dose the water flow. It is better if it is needle-shaped; ball ones are not suitable for this purpose. If you choose from the available options at home, the most suitable is the tap for the heating radiator.
• Before going out, you must install a thermometer on the refrigerator-condenser. This is necessary for columns that operate on the principle of steam extraction. If a film column is used and a liquid extraction reflux condenser is used, then the installation of the thermometer is determined by the design.
• It must have a refrigerator that is capable of cooling all the steam supplied to it. Columns with liquid sampling also require a refrigerator to cool the product.
• The water supply for the reflux condenser and the refrigerator are carried out separately.
• Only silicone tubes for hot water and product are allowed; polyvinyl chloride is allowed for cold water supply.

Column structure

First you need to define what it is. This is a structural unit that allows you to clean moonshine from foreign impurities. When installing a drawer on a moonshine still, the output is almost pure alcohol. The process of preparing moonshine is the heat exchange of alcohol-containing vapors and condensate, which leads to the fact that the product is purified 10–15 times better.

Purification of alcohol occurs when there is a flow of steam from the distillation cube and flowing condensate at the head of the column. Alcohol is collected only from the liquid phase.

If the steam is not fed by reflux, heat exchange is impossible and the separation of alcohol from other substances will not occur. In order to feed the reflux, a reflux condenser is needed. After it, a condenser is placed, which is a hollow part of a tube where the liquid is cooled to a certain temperature. Along with the reflux condenser, air vents, so-called alcohol traps, should be installed, which draw out substandard alcohol and remove gases to the outside.

Since the alcohol in this case is collected in the liquid phase, a small refrigeration unit is sufficient for its next cooling. The main difference between a drawer intended for rectification and a conventional one is that the reflux process is very slow. At this time, constant heat exchange between steam and liquid ensures better separation into fractions and a cleaner product.

There are many requirements for making a column. To simplify the design, many move away from them. What do violations and deviations lead to?

• Among such deviations is the reflux condenser, which may be uncontrollable. Such a mash column was installed in the Malyutka device, where controllability was eliminated in order to make the device more compact, and the reflux condenser and condenser were a single container to which running water was connected. This scheme does not allow the process to be regulated using a reflux condenser, so the separation is worse.
• Another deviation is the low utilization capacity of the dephlegmator. There are devices where everything seems to be present, but the reflux condenser is so low-power that it does not allow for normal separation. It seems that the manufacturers of these devices absolutely do not understand why the reinforcing column is needed and make its presence useless.
• Low column height. The low height usually makes it possible to make the device compact and allow installation on a gas stove if there is a hood above it, and so on. However, in this case, the separation will be much worse and this must be understood immediately. It can be said that re-distillation will be more efficient than such a strengthening column.

Thus, it should be emphasized that many additional devices to a moonshine still always make sense, including a reinforcing column. It allows you to get a much purer product and do it through double distillation. This cannot be achieved with a conventional moonshine still without being left with a large amount of fusel oils and other harmful impurities. It is not difficult to make such a column yourself; its design is not as complex as a rectification column. However, it does not produce rectified alcohol. But the distilled product in a moonshine still with a strengthening column will have its original aroma and taste, for example, when prepared from fruit or grain raw materials.

Sooner or later, almost every lover of homemade alcohol thinks about purchasing or making a distillation column (RC) - a device for producing pure alcohol. You need to start with a comprehensive calculation of the basic parameters: power, height, drawer diameter, cube volume, etc. This information will be useful both for those who want to make all the elements with their own hands, and for those planning to buy a ready-made distillation column (it will help make a choice and check the seller). Without touching on the design features of individual units, we will consider the general principles of building a balanced system for rectification at home.

Column operation diagram

Characteristics of the pipe (tsar) and nozzle

Material. The pipe largely determines the parameters of the distillation column and the requirements for all components of the apparatus. The material for the manufacture of the drawer is chromium-nickel stainless steel - “food grade” stainless steel.

Due to its chemical neutrality, food-grade stainless steel does not affect the composition of the product, which is what is required. Raw sugar mash or distillation waste (“heads” and “tails”) are distilled into alcohol, so the main goal of rectification is to maximize the purification of the output from impurities, and not to change the organoleptic properties of the alcohol in one direction or another. It is inappropriate to use copper in classic distillation columns, since this material slightly changes the chemical composition of the drink and is suitable for the production of a distiller (a regular moonshine still) or a mash column (a special case of rectification).

Disassembled column pipe with a nozzle installed in one of the drawers

Thickness. The drawer is made of stainless pipe with a wall thickness of 1-1.5 mm. A thicker wall is not needed, as this will make the structure more expensive and heavier without providing any benefits.

Nozzle parameters. It is not correct to talk about the characteristics of a column without reference to the nozzle. When rectifying at home, nozzles with a contact surface area of ​​1.5 to 4 square meters are used. m/liter As the contact surface area increases, the separating ability also increases, but the productivity decreases. Reducing the area leads to a decrease in separating and strengthening ability.

The productivity of the column initially increases, but then to maintain the strength of the output, the operator is forced to reduce the extraction rate. This means that there is a certain optimal size of the nozzle, which depends on the diameter of the column and will allow you to achieve the best combination of parameters.

The dimensions of the spiral-prismatic packing (SPN) should be approximately 12-15 times smaller than the internal diameter of the column. For a pipe diameter of 50 mm - 3.5x3.5x0.25 mm, for 40 - 3x3x0.25 mm, and for 32 and 28 - 2x2x0.25 mm.

Depending on the tasks at hand, it is advisable to use different attachments. For example, when preparing fortified distillates, copper rings with a diameter and height of 10 mm are often used. It is clear that in this case the goal is not the separating and strengthening ability of the system, but a completely different criterion - the catalytic ability of copper to remove sulfur compounds from alcohol.

Spiral Prismatic Nozzle Options

You shouldn’t limit your arsenal to one, even the best attachment, there simply aren’t any. There are those that are most suitable for solving each specific problem.

Even a small change in the diameter of the column seriously affects the parameters. To evaluate, it is enough to remember that the nominal power (W) and productivity (ml/hour) are numerically equal to the cross-sectional area of ​​the column (sq. mm), and therefore are proportional to the square of the diameter. Pay attention to this when choosing a drawer, always consider the internal diameter and compare options according to it.

Dependence of power on pipe diameter

Pipe height. To ensure good retention and separation capacity, regardless of the diameter, the height of the distillation column should be from 1 to 1.5 m. If it is less, there will not be enough space for the fusel oils accumulated during operation, as a result the fusel oil will begin to break through into the selection. Another drawback is that the heads will not be clearly divided into factions. If the pipe height is greater, this will not lead to a significant improvement in the separating and containing capacity of the system, but will increase the distillation time, as well as the number of “heads” and “headrests”. In other words, with an increase in the pipe height, the separating capacity of the distillation column increases for every additional centimeter decreases. The effect of increasing the pipe from 50 cm to 60 cm is an order of magnitude higher than from 140 cm to 150 cm.

Cube volume for distillation column

To increase the yield of high-quality alcohol, but to prevent overflow of the fusel column, the bulk (filling) of raw alcohol in the cube is limited to the range of 10-20 packing volumes. For columns with a height of 1.5 m and a diameter of 50 mm - 30-60 l, 40 mm - 17-34 l, 32 mm - 10-20 l, 28 mm - 7-14 l.

Taking into account that the cube is filled to 2/3 of the volume, a 40-80 liter container is suitable for a column with an internal diameter of the drawer of 50 mm, a 30-50 liter container for 40 mm, a 20-30 liter cube for 32 mm, and a pressure cooker for 28 mm.

When using a cube with a volume closer to the lower limit of the recommended range, you can safely remove one drawer and reduce the height to 1-1.2 meters. As a result, there will be relatively few barnacles to break through into selection, but the volume of “headrests” will noticeably decrease.

Column heating source and power

Slab type. The moonshine past haunts many beginners who believe that if they previously used a gas, induction or conventional electric stove to heat the moonshine still, then they can leave this source for the column.

The process of rectification is significantly different from distillation, everything is much more complicated and a fire will not work. It is necessary to ensure smooth adjustment and stability of the supplied heating power.

Electric stoves operating according to a thermostat in start-stop mode are not used, because as soon as a short-term power outage occurs, the steam will stop flowing into the column, and the phlegm will collapse into the cube. In this case, you will have to start rectification again - with the column working on itself and selecting the “heads”.

An induction cooker is an extremely crude device with a stepwise change in power of 100-200 W, and when rectifying, you need to change the power smoothly, literally by 5-10 W. And it is unlikely that it will be possible to stabilize heating regardless of input voltage fluctuations.

A gas stove with 40 percent raw alcohol poured into the cube and a 96-degree product at the outlet poses a mortal danger, not to mention fluctuations in the heating temperature.

The optimal solution is to embed a heating element of the required power into the cube of the column, and for adjustment use a relay with output voltage stabilization, for example, RM-2 16A. You can also take analogues. The main thing is to get a stabilized voltage at the output and the ability to smoothly change the heating temperature by 5-10 W.

Power supplied. To heat the cube in an acceptable time, you need to proceed from a power of 1 kW per 10 liters of raw alcohol. This means that for a 50 liter cube filled with 40 liters, a minimum of 4 kW is required, 40 liters - 3 kW, 30 liters - 2-2.5 kW, 20 liters - 1.5 kW.

With the same volume, cubes can be low and wide, narrow and high. When choosing a suitable container, you need to take into account that the cube is often used not only for rectification, but also for distillation, therefore, the most stringent conditions are used so that the supplied power does not lead to violent foaming with the emission of splashes from the cube into the steam line.

It has been experimentally established that with a heating element placement depth of about 40-50 cm, normal boiling occurs if per 1 sq. cm of bulk mirror accounts for no more than 4-5 W of power. As the depth decreases, the permissible power increases, and as the depth increases, it decreases.

There are other factors that influence the boiling behavior: density, viscosity and surface tension of the liquid. It happens that emissions occur at the end of distillation of the mash, when the density increases. Therefore, carrying out the rectification process at the border of the permitted range is always fraught with troubles.

Common cylindrical cubes have a diameter of 26, 32, 40 cm. Based on the permissible power per surface area of ​​the mirror of a 26 cm cube, it will work normally with a heating power of up to 2.5 kW, for 30 cm - 3.5 kW, 40 cm - 5 kW .

The third factor that determines the heating power is the use of one of the column sides without a nozzle as a dry steam tank to combat spray entrainment. To do this, it is necessary that the steam velocity in the pipe does not exceed 1 m/s; at 2-3 m/s the protective effect weakens, and at higher values ​​the steam will drive the reflux up the pipe and throw it into the selection.

Formula for calculating steam speed:

V = N * 750 / S (m/sec),

• N – power, kW;
• 750 – steam generation (cubic cm/sec kW);
• S – cross-sectional area of ​​the column (sq. mm).

A pipe with a diameter of 50 mm will cope with splash entrainment when heated to 4 kW, 40-42 mm - up to 3 kW, 38 - up to 2 kW, 32 - up to 1.5 kW.

Based on the above considerations, we select the volume, dimensions of the cube, heating and distillation power. All these parameters are consistent with the diameter and height of the column.

Calculation of parameters of the distillation column reflux condenser

The power of the reflux condenser is determined depending on the type of distillation column. If we are building a column with liquid or steam extraction below the dephlegmator, then the required power must be no less than the rated power of the column. Typically, in these cases, a Dimroth refrigerator is used as a capacitor with a utilization power of 4-5 Watts per 1 sq. cm surface.

If the column with steam extraction is higher than the dephlegmator, then the calculated power is 2/3 of the nominal one. In this case, you can use Dimrot or “shirt maker”. The utilization power of a shirtmaker is lower than that of a dimrot and is about 2 watts per square centimeter.

Example of a Dimroth refrigerator for a column

Then everything is simple: divide the rated power by the utilization power. For example, for a column with an internal diameter of 50 mm: 1950 / 5 = 390 sq. cm area of ​​Dimrot or 975 sq. see "shirt maker". This means that a Dimrot refrigerator can be made from a 6x1 mm tube with a length of 487 / (0.6 * 3.14) = 2.58 cm for the first option, taking into account a safety factor of 3 meters. For the second option, multiply by two thirds: 258 * 2 / 3 = 172 cm, taking into account a safety factor of 2 meters.

Shirt for column 52 x 1 – 975 / 5.2 / 3.14 = 59 cm * 2/3 = 39 cm. But this is for rooms with high ceilings.

"Shirtmaker"

Calculation of a once-through refrigerator

If the direct-flow unit is used as an aftercooler in a distillation column with liquid extraction, then the smallest and most compact option is chosen. A power of 30-40% of the rated power of the column is sufficient.

A direct-flow refrigerator without a spiral is made in the gap between the jacket and the inner pipe, then a selection is launched into the jacket, and cooling water is supplied through the central pipe. In this case, the shirt is welded onto the water supply pipe to the reflux condenser. This is a small “pencil” about 30 cm long.

But if the same direct-flow unit is used both for distillation and rectification, being a universal unit, they proceed not from the need of the dispenser, but from the maximum heating power during distillation.

To create a turbulent steam flow in the refrigerator, allowing for a heat transfer intensity of at least 10 Watts/sq. cm, it is necessary to ensure a steam speed of about 10-20 m/s.

The range of possible diameters is quite wide. The minimum diameter is determined from the conditions of not creating a large excess pressure in the cube (no more than 50 mm of water column), but the maximum by calculating the Reynolds number, based on the minimum speed and the maximum coefficient of kinematic viscosity of vapors.

Possible design of a once-through refrigerator

In order not to go into unnecessary details, we will give the most common definition: “In order for a turbulent regime of steam movement to be maintained in a pipe, it is sufficient that the internal diameter (in millimeters) is no more than 6 times the heating power (in kilowatts).”

To prevent airing of the water jacket, it is necessary to maintain the linear speed of water at least 11 cm/s, but an excessive increase in speed will require high pressure in the water supply. Therefore, the optimal range is considered to be from 12 to 20 cm/s.

To condense the steam and cool the condensate to an acceptable temperature, you need to supply water at 20 ° C in a volume of about 4.8 cubic cm / s (17 liters per hour) for each kilowatt of power supplied. In this case, the water will heat up by 50 degrees – up to 70°C. Naturally, in winter you will need less water, and when using autonomous cooling systems, about one and a half times more.

Based on the previous data, the cross-sectional area of ​​the annular gap and the inner diameter of the jacket can be calculated. The available range of pipes must also be taken into account. Calculations and practice have shown that a gap of 1-1.5 mm is quite sufficient to meet all the necessary conditions. This corresponds to pairs of pipes: 10x1 - 14x1, 12x1 - 16x1, 14x1 - 18x1, 16x1 - 20x1 and 20x1 - 25x1.5, which cover the entire range of capacities used at home.

There is another important detail of the direct flow unit - a spiral wound onto the steam pipe. Such a spiral is made from wire with a diameter that provides a gap of 0.2-0.3 mm to the inner surface of the shirt. It is wound in increments equal to 2-3 diameters of the steam pipe. The main purpose is to center the steam pipe, in which during operation the temperature is higher than in the jacket pipe. This means that due to thermal expansion, the steam pipe lengthens and bends, leaning against the jacket, causing dead zones that are not washed by cooling water, as a result of which the efficiency of the refrigerator drops sharply. Additional advantages of spiral winding are lengthening the path and creating turbulence in the cooling water flow.

A properly designed direct-flow unit can utilize up to 15 watts/sq. cm of heat exchange area, which has been experimentally confirmed. To determine the length of the cooled part of the direct flow unit, we will use a nominal power of 10 W / sq. cm (100 sq. cm/kW).

The required heat exchange area is equal to the heating power in kilowatts multiplied by 100:

S = P * 100 (sq. cm).

Steam pipe outer circumference:

Locr = 3.14 * D.

Cooling jacket height:

H = S / Lamb.

General calculation formula:

H = 3183 * P/D (power in kW, height and outer diameter of the steam pipe in millimeters).

Example of direct flow calculation

Heating power – 2 kW.

It is possible to use pipes 12x1 and 14x1.

Sectional areas - 78.5 and 113 square meters. mm.

Steam volume – 750 * 2 = 1500 cubic meters. cm/s.

Steam velocities in pipes: 19.1 and 13.2 m/s.

The 14x1 pipe looks preferable, as it allows you to have a power reserve while remaining within the recommended steam speed range.

The paired pipe for the shirt is 18x1, the annular gap will be 1 mm.

Water supply speed: 4.8 * 2= 9.6 cm3/s.

The area of ​​the annular gap is 3.14 / 4 * (16 * 16 – 14 * 14) = 47.1 sq. mm = 0.471 sq. cm.

Linear speed – 9.6 / 0.471 = 20 cm/s – the value remains within the recommended limits.

If the annular gap were 1.5 mm - 13 cm/s. If 2 mm, then the linear speed would drop to 9.6 cm/s and it would be necessary to supply water above the nominal volume, solely to prevent the refrigerator from airing - a pointless waste of money.

Shirt height - 3183 * 2 / 14 = 454 mm or 45 cm. No safety factor is needed, everything is taken into account.

Result: 14x1-18x1 with a height of the cooled part of 45 cm, nominal water consumption - 9.6 cubic meters. cm/s or 34.5 liters per hour.

With a rated heating power of 2 kW, the refrigerator will produce 4 liters of alcohol per hour with a good supply.

An effective and balanced direct-flow distillation unit must have a ratio of extraction rate to heating power and water consumption for cooling of 1 liter/hour - 0.5 kW - 10 liters/hour. If the power is higher, there will be large heat losses; if the power is low, the useful heating power will decrease. If the water flow rate is higher, the direct flow pump has an inefficient design.

The distillation column can be used as a mash column. Equipment for mash columns has its own characteristics, but the second distillation differs mainly in technology. For the first distillation there are more features and individual components may not be applicable, but this is a topic for another discussion.

Based on real household needs and the existing range of pipes, we will calculate typical options for a distillation column using the given methodology.

P.S. We would like to express our gratitude to the user of our forum for systematizing the material and assistance in preparing the article.

Lately there have been a lot of search queries on the topic of a continuous mash column. Let's talk about this device.

First of all composition of the NBK :

1. Fermentation tank.

2. Pump feeding mash into the column from above. This can be a peristaltic (ideally) or a regular submersible pump (installed either separately or in tandem with a peristaltic pump for mixing thick mash).

3. A device for feeding mash into the column (feed must be carried out at a certain speed and in a certain quantity). If there is a peristaltic pump, it performs this function.

4. The NBK itself, which is filled with special plates.

5. Steam generator. It can be either continuous or cyclic - despite the proud name of N(continuous) BC, the presence of such an element of equipment as a fermentation tank with a finite volume indicates that the continuity here is conditional. Of course, in industrial production the fermentation process can be carried out in several looped containers and then the system will be truly continuous.

6. Refrigerator-condenser and after-cooler of the finished product.

7. Receiving container of the finished product (see point 5).

How it works . The mash served from above flows down the plates, gradually interacting with hot water steam supplied from below. Component supply modes are selected in such a way that the mash has time to heat up to the evaporation temperature of the alcohol, which will join the upward flow of steam and go to extraction. The mash deprived of alcohol, turning into stillage, flows down the column and is discharged into the sewer. I won’t talk about the very difficult way of technical implementation of the process, let’s talk about

What does this scheme give us? Supporters of introducing it to the masses cite a lot of arguments “for” and not a single one against.
— The contact time of the mash with steam is insignificant, therefore the yeast does not boil and this greatly affects the organoleptic properties of the final product. Is it bad? No - great.
— The equipment does not need to be washed after use; the stillage itself flows into the sewer. Cool? Still would.
— The transfer speed is higher. What's it like? What can I say - class.
— Large-capacity distillation stills are not needed — the NBK will process any amount of mash in one go, as long as there is enough steam (a continuous steam generator solves this issue). And this is a very useful property.
— Press the alcohol to zero. I'm shocked how great it is.
Well, everything like that.

Now let's separate the flies from the cutlets.
— You can argue about washing the components - a column with complex-shaped plates is much more difficult to wash than a distiller or BC; the fermentation container also needs to be washed in both cases; if the cube is installed at the same height as the column, the bard will run into the sewer no worse; pumps and other elements are additional fuss. But, in the end, is it all that important?
— The speed of distillation and the ability to work with large (in the future endless) fermentation tanks are a definite plus.
— But about “finished Distillates of the highest quality” (I quote from the website of one of the manufacturers) there is a big question. If the tailings can still be “cut” by adjusting the supply of steam and mash so that the temperature of the drained “stillage” (actually alcohol-containing mash - remember the thesis “Squeeze the alcohol to zero”) is lower than the temperature of the tailings waste. But what to do with the heads? New mash comes in all the time, there is no talk of any factional division. So at the exit from the NBK we have raw alcohol (SS) of poor quality. Nowhere, except for repeated distillation or rectification, this product is not suitable. It turns out that the NBK - This is a solution for wholesalers selling moonshine to the afflicted, or for wholesale alcohol producers. In everyday life, the NBK can be successfully used by a wealthy, curious distiller, since the price tag starts from 25 thousand rubles for the most primitive version (an essentially ordinary distiller). The price tag for equipment at the professional level is far from being so affordable.

Sorry if something is wrong.

The drawing was borrowed from a home distiller.

P.S. Recently, people often come from the network with requests like “continuous action masonry column drawing”. And on this blog and on other resources there are practically no drawings. Why? For example, here is the drawing in the title of this article. At one time, at one of the forums, the topic of the practical implementation of the NSC was quite lively discussed; during the discussion, diagrams and drawings of intermediate versions of the column were laid out. As soon as a working solution was formed and the column “went into production” by one of the commercial manufacturers, all specific technical implementations were removed from the public domain (except for this drawing). This is a common and understandable practice. Diagrams, drawings and photographs give a general idea of ​​the design, and then you will have to do it yourself. This is homemade, and those who can’t do it are welcome to the store.
If any device is assembled from ready-made components, then even more so no drawings can be found, they simply do not exist in nature. So, don't waste time looking for them. Even if some kind of drawing is posted somewhere, this is probably an unrealized intermediate design with internal shortcomings.

Today there are dozens of varieties of moonshine stills on sale, among which there are many successful models, with the help of which you can obtain not only traditional moonshine, but also fairly pure alcohol. There are also devices with steam generators designed for distilling dense wort, with their help you can get homemade whiskey, Calvados or plum brandy.

Factory mash column

Among the less or more traditional devices, the mash columns were somewhat lost. Relatively few people who engage in moonshine brewing as a hobby, or who professionally process the products of their garden into alcohol, know about them. This type of activity is common in regions attractive to tourists, where the climate allows for the cultivation of various fruits on an industrial scale.

What is a mash column

It should be clarified that the mash column, which is used in home moonshine stills, belongs to the film class, which is somewhat limited in scope and performance. But this is the simplest structural version of a heat and mass transfer device, which, moreover, works surprisingly well.

Why "surprisingly"? Many home craftsmen and manufacturers of industrial moonshine stills for household use follow the path of least resistance. They take the schematic diagram of an industrial installation, such as those used in alcohol and vodka factories, and create their own designs by reducing the size. The principle of operation seems to be the same, but many processes begin to occur completely differently.

The reason for this is the heat capacity of the installation material, the same dimensions - complete heat and mass transfer occurs slowly, requires large contact areas, temperature stability and compliance with many more physico-chemical parameters. The scheme seems to work, but not quite.

This design principle is reminiscent of aircraft manufacturers who have shrunk a Boeing down to the size of a cornbox and wonder why it doesn’t fly, or if it does fly, it’s much worse.

A do-it-yourself mash column, of course, works, but you can’t expect phenomenal results from it. High-quality alcohol can be obtained after the second distillation, as in a good distiller with a steamer and bubbler, after the third distillation and filtration using activated carbon. The economic effect is obvious, but mash columns require constant monitoring and adherence to temperature conditions.

At its core, a mash column is a conventional reflux condenser, in which alcohol vapors are separated from high-boiling impurities (fusel) with great efficiency. There is no significant increase in the yield of alcohol; an increase of 5-10% can be achieved, but is this due to the use of a mash column, or due to careful adherence to the temperature regime. In terms of the effect of the mash column, it is equal to the steam steamer-bubbler tandem.

Column design

Technically, a mash column is a piece of copper or stainless steel pipe with a diameter of 25-50 mm and a height equal to thirty times the diameter. Columns with a lower ratio serve more decorative functions.

At the top of the column, approximately 25% of the entire length, a primary cooler is mounted. It must cool the mash vapor to the point of condensation of heavy impurities and return the condensate back to the tank. The refrigerator can be made in the form of a built-in coil, an external coil in the form of a copper tube wound on a column, or a water jacket.

In a homemade mash column, it is best to use the first two options. It is quite difficult to make a water jacket yourself; this is only possible with industrial equipment and certain engineering knowledge and plumbing skills. The refrigerator circuit is selected based on specific conditions.

Just above the coil there is a place to install a thermometer. In a device with a mash column there must be two thermometers - on the tank and on the top of the column. Moreover, they must work with the same accuracy, both electronic and bimetallic.

The presence of numerous thermometers from the Middle Kingdom on the market does not guarantee that you will be able to buy two that show the same temperature under the same conditions. We'll have to calibrate them. This is done very simply and is accessible to any schoolchild - pour 1 liter of water into a bowl or pan and add 1 kg of crushed ice (you will have to prepare it in advance in the freezer of the refrigerator).

After 15-20 minutes, when the ice begins to slowly melt and about half of the previous amount remains, we immerse the thermometer sensors in this mixture. After about two minutes, both thermometers should show 0 C. If the readings are different, then you at least know how much they diverge.

But the calibration is not finished there. Boil water on the stove and immerse the thermometers in the boiling water. The one that shows 100 C works correctly. It should be used as a base one, and the second one should take into account the error.

The upper part of the column is connected by a steam line from a tube with a diameter of 8-10 mm to a refrigerator of a classic design, such as are used in conventional distillers. Alcohol vapors are purified in the mash column, and their condensation occurs in the refrigerator.

Both column and condenser coolers operate independently of each other. In this case, the refrigerator on the column must be adjustable. It is convenient to do this by mounting a regular valve-regulator from a heating battery on its inlet (lower) pipe. What it is needed for will be discussed below.

Manufacturing materials

It is best to make the tank of the apparatus with a mash column yourself from stainless steel. A threaded or flanged fitting should be made in the cover to connect to the column. It is very convenient to use Clamp clamps. The connection is strong, the device can be mounted and dismantled quickly and does not require the use of tools.

The column itself is made of copper or stainless food steel. You can also use brass if you can find a suitable pipe. It is not recommended to insulate the mash column.

The refrigerator and steam lines are also made of copper or stainless steel. It is easy to make coils and all types of connections from these materials. You can buy a copper tube of any diameter (or stainless steel) on the Internet or at a hardware store.

How does a film-type mash column work?

The principle of operation of the mash column is very similar to the operation of the rectifier, but in a somewhat simplified form. Vapors containing alcohol and accompanying liquids (aldehydes, ethers, fusel and other impurities) rise up the slowly warming column pipe and condense on the walls, flowing back into the tank. As it warms up, the height of the level of complete condensation becomes higher and higher until it reaches the reflux condenser. This occurs at a temperature on the upper refrigerator of about 50-56 C.

Condensate, reflux together with alcohol, flows down, and low-boiling vapors (heads) enter the refrigerator-condenser and are collected in a separate container. Before the main distillation begins, from 10 liters of mash you need to collect up to 0.5 liters of heads, an extremely toxic liquid that is unsuitable for either re-distillation or consumption.

Continuing to heat the cube, we bring the temperature on the upper refrigerator to 76 C. It should be this way throughout almost the entire session, only at the end of distillation it can be raised by 2-4 degrees and the resulting liquid can be collected in a separate container. She will go for re-distillation. The required temperature is maintained using a tap at the refrigerator inlet and a stove regulator or heating element.

In the column itself, the process of interaction between the liquid flowing down the walls of the pipe and the hot vapor rising from the evaporator takes place. The phlegm warms up, and the remaining alcohol evaporates from it, rising to the steam line of the refrigerator. The fusel remains in a liquid state and flows back into the tank.

All interaction between hot steam and reflux occurs on the walls of the column, where the liquid forms a thin film moving downward. Therefore, columns of this type are called film columns.

When distilling, do not allow the mash to boil. The temperature in the cube should not exceed 85-90 C.

A copper mash column is better than stainless steel due to the high thermal conductivity of copper. It better removes heat from the reflux film and its condensation begins earlier, which makes it possible to reduce the height of the column without reducing productivity. Copper tube and fittings provide reliable sealing with high strength and reliability of the entire structure.

Other types of mash columns

We often come across descriptions of columns with filler, prismatic nozzles and other devices that supposedly increase the efficiency of the column. This is not entirely true. Nozzles and filler are an attribute of a distillation column; they are not entirely appropriate in a mash column.

The continuous mash column differs in design. In it, mash is supplied from above in a continuous flow and along the way interacts with water vapor rising from the bottom from the steam generator. The flowing mash along the way is divided into many streams by special plate devices and heated to the temperature of alcohol evaporation. The remaining liquids flow freely into the intake container.

Fusel and other harmful liquids simply do not have time to evaporate. This operating principle is very effective in the industrial production of alcohol, but is difficult to implement in domestic conditions.