DIY strengthening column for a distiller. Concept, milestones of development and features of operation of a mash column

To obtain a higher quality distillate, distillers use different methods: from upgrading a moonshine still to purchasing a distillation column. An intermediate option is a mash or strengthening column.

Due to the formation of a moving film on the inner walls during operation, it is also called film film.

The design differs from the classic distiller in appearance, principle of operation and degree of the final product.

The mash column allows you to obtain alcohol up to 90% strength. As for quality, the level of purification directly depends on the skill of the distiller. The more experienced the moonshiner, the better the distillate, but in any case it does not reach the characteristics of a rectified distillate.

Design and selection of materials

The classic strengthening column consists of the following parts:

Still

You can use a pressure cooker, a milk flask, a beer keg, a container from a classic distiller, etc. as a basis.

Copper or stainless tube - the column itself

The optimal diameter is 2.5-5 cm, the height should be 30 times the first indicator.

Dephlegmator (precooler)

The coil can be built inside the pipe or located outside. It is installed at the top of the column and should occupy approximately 25% of its length. It is optimal to take a ready-made cooler, but you can make the device yourself. It is recommended to equip the device with a regulator (for example, from a heating battery).

Steam line

It is a metal tube with a diameter of about 1 cm.

refrigerator

For cooling, a classic device is used, which is part of any distiller.

You will also need 2 thermometers (one is installed on the tank, the second - in the upper part of the column, just above the precooler) and connecting elements: nuts, couplings, adapters, clamps, silicone seals, tubes, etc. Home craftsmen make reinforcing columns from stainless steel or copper Both options are good in their own way: steel is more affordable, copper conducts heat better.

Work stages and drawings

It is difficult and impractical to describe the entire process in detail; it is better to focus on diagrams and videos. In general terms the process looks like this:

Connection of tank and column. To do this, make a corresponding hole in the lid of the cube, install a flange/threaded fitting, and install a pipe. It is convenient to use a clamp connection to fasten the elements.

Manufacturing of a reflux condenser. The simplest option is an external coil - winding a copper tube along the contour of the column, but you can use a design with a water jacket, mount it as a separate unit and connect it from above, taking care of the pipes for supplying and discharging water.

Preparing holes for thermometers. One is done in the tank lid, the second is at the top of the column, between the reflux condenser and the refrigerator.

Assembly and installation of the main refrigerator with pipes for water supply/discharge. Sometimes a jumper with a tap is made between two vertical pipes, but this element is not mandatory.

If desired, the device can be improved: connect several dephlegmators, fill the pipe with nozzles, install automation, etc. For the column to work efficiently, it is very important to ensure a stable water supply. There is no need to insulate the device.

From the school course we know that the rectification process is the process of separating complex mixtures into components through repeated evaporation and condensation of the constituent parts. The results are ideally pure components, the temperatures of transitions to different states of aggregation of which are, accordingly, different.

This simple process is used in the production of gasoline, kerosene, pure oxygen and nitrogen. Rectification also helps separate fusel oils and aldehyde fractions to produce ethanol, or ethyl alcohol.

This process is carried out in distillation columns, the design of which allows the creation of a product with a purity of up to 96%. You can create a homemade moonshine still with straight hands, minimal knowledge of organic chemistry and the desire to enjoy high-quality alcohol of your own production.

Nowadays you can simply buy a rectification chamber, but we will go a different route. We will assemble a miniature distillery with our own hands.

From the name of the process that gave the column its name, it is clear that constant rectification occurs inside, and the column itself is made of materials that do not react with the components of the process.

The working liquid, mash infused with grain, berries, fruits, etc., is poured into the distillation cube. and bring to boiling temperature. As the working fluid boils, alcohol-containing vapor is released, which is lighter than the liquid and due to this rises up the pipe, where it cools.

Cooling, the heated steam falls into condensate on the walls of the column and rushes back into the distillation cube in the form of a liquid, but along the way it encounters a new portion of heated steam. Components whose boiling point is below the working fluid evaporate again, among such components is ethyl alcohol.

The essence of the process is that substances are distributed along a vertical column, in accordance with the level of their evaporation and condensation points. At approximately a height of 75% from the distillation cube, ethyl alcohol vapors are collected - a pipe is installed here to discharge these same vapors into the container with the final product.

Higher up the column, toxic volatile vapors of aldehydes and dimethyl ketone are concentrated and released into the atmosphere through an outlet pipe; below the formation of the concentration of ethyl spirit vapor, fusel oils and other fractions accumulate, whose boiling point exceeds the boiling point of ethanol.

Hi all!

A couple of weeks ago I came across some very interesting equipment for moonshiners - mash column. It is also called a film column or a reinforced distiller. A distiller I know bought it and kindly offered to test this unit.

What is the result you ask? My colleague makes excellent 88-degree moonshine, and now I know what to answer to readers when they ask me “How to make strong moonshine.” Interested?

And so, in today’s article I will tell you what a mash column is, the principle of its operation and how to properly distill moonshine on it.

What is a mash (film) column

Now I will briefly tell you why a mash column is needed, and in the next chapter I will examine in more detail the principle of its operation.

So, a film column is equipment that allows you to produce very strong and pure moonshine. Up to 90 degrees! And at the same time, the equipment is quite simple in design and use, and its price is relatively low. It is installed directly on the distillation cube.

In appearance, the mash column resembles an ordinary one straight-through distiller. In fact, this is how it is, the only difference is that there is another refrigerator installed on the pipe rising from the cube. The so-called reflux condenser or partial condenser.

This is where the whole point lies. But more on that in the next chapter.

Operating principle of film column

To make it more clear, I drew a simple diagram of the work.

So, as I already said, the column is placed directly on the distillation cube. The heated vapors of moonshine from the cube enter a partial (in Russian - partial) condenser. There, part of the vapor condenses and settles on the walls of the cooler, and the other part goes further.

That's why the first cooler is called partial, because it does not condense all the steam.

The liquid that settles on the walls of the cooler is called phlegm. Hence another name for the partial cooler - reflux condenser.

As you remember, moonshine consists of various impurities, which are conventionally divided into three main groups - “heads”, “body” and “tails”. The heads evaporate at a lower temperature than the other groups. The body is higher than the heads, and the tails are the highest boiling fraction. We drink, as we know, only the body, and cut off everything else. This distillation is called fractional.

So, when cooling the moonshine vapors in a reflux condenser, we separate them and pass on the lower boiling components, while everything else condenses on the walls of the cooler and flows back into the still as a film.

Hence the second name of the column - film.

In this case, the alcohol-containing steam rising in the drawer of the partial condenser constantly interacts with the phlegm flowing towards it. A process of heat and mass transfer occurs - the steam snatches low-boiling components from the reflux and gives it high-boiling ones (fusel oils and water). Hence such crazy strengthening - up to 90 degrees of the final product!

By adjusting the water supply to the temperature in the dephlegmator, we can quite efficiently divide the moonshine into fractions and cut off its unnecessary parts. To begin with, we set the temperature so that only the “heads” pass into the second cooler, and return the alcohol and everything else to the cube. And then we raise the temperature and drive out the alcohol, leaving “tails” in the phlegm.

But in order to clearly cut off the heads and tails and get pure and strong moonshine with the column, you need to work correctly. Fortunately, this is quite easy to learn.

How to work on a mash column correctly

First distillation.

Well, everything is simple here. Our column will only work as a distiller; a reflux condenser is not used. We supply water only to the second refrigerator and distill the mash into raw alcohol as quickly as possible. For those who don’t know why this is done, read the article double fractional distillation.

Second distillation.

Goal selection

We begin to heat the cube. When the temperature in the cube approaches 75 degrees, we supply water to both coolers. Moreover, it is necessary to supply enough water to the reflux condenser so that the steam in it is completely condensed and does not enter the second cooler. Those. Nothing should flow into the receiving container.

This mode of work is called “self-employment.” It should last 25-30 minutes. During this time, the head fractions will concentrate in the tsarg.

Now, very carefully, we begin to reduce the water supply to the strengthening distiller until moonshine begins to drip from the second cooler at a rate of 2-3 drops per second. It is worth noting that the response time of the column to changes in water supply is quite long.

Therefore, it is necessary to pause between changes in the incoming parameters - slightly reduce the water and wait 30 seconds. Then look at the result and, if necessary, reduce it further. Or they added.

And so, at a speed of 2-3 drops per second, we select the heads. They are usually selected based on smell, but if your moonshine brewing experience does not yet allow you to do this, then use the standard proportion - 50 ml for every kilogram of sugar in the mash.

When we run out of heads, we change the container and begin selecting the body.

Body selection

Slowly reduce the water supply to the reflux condenser. The moonshine starts to come out faster. The less water you supply, the faster the process begins. But at the same time, the strength and purity of the distillate decreases.

Here, choose for yourself - either faster at the expense of the degree of purification and degree, or stronger and cleaner, but longer.

A compromise solution, in my opinion, is the speed at which the moonshine flows in a thin stream.

Now it’s time to pay attention to the thermometer installed above the film column. At this moment, a certain temperature should be recorded on it. I can’t say which one you will have, because... it depends on the strength of your raw alcohol poured into the device.

But here's what you need to remember. If you have chosen the correct selection mode, then the temperature should remain at this level. If it grows, even very slowly (by 1-1.5 degrees), but constantly, then we are supplying too much heat and the moonshine is of poor quality. Therefore, we either increase the water supply or reduce the heating.

Now that we have adjusted the column and a stream of strong moonshine flows from the second direct flow, and the temperature of the alcohol-containing steam leaving the column is constant (fluctuates between 0.1-0.2 degrees), we select the body.

But after some time, the temperature still begins to increase - all because there is less alcohol in the cube. Then it is necessary to slightly increase the amount of water supplied to the reflux condenser. The temperature will return to its previous value, but the amount of moonshine coming out will decrease.

In this mode we select the body down to the tails. Experienced moonshiners will be prompted by their own nose. For beginners, I recommend moving on to tailings selection when the temperature in the cube (in the cube, not above the column!) rises to 93ºC.

Tailings selection

If you are engaged in the selection of tailings, then simply turn off the water supply to the reflux condenser and squeeze out the residues as in normal distillation. Just in case, let me remind you that we collect the tails in a separate container.

Update: In February, I purchased my own film column HD/4-2500 PC produced by Samogon and Vodka. It has been slightly modified compared to the factory design - the reflux condenser has been insulated and needle valves have been installed to regulate the water supply.

General impression and conclusions

I liked working on the film column. And the resulting product was also to my taste.

Let me list the advantages that I noted

The heads come concentrated, with a pungent odor. The line where they end and the body begins is clearly noticeable. It's the same with tails. Therefore, you can clearly divide the moonshine into fractions and get a very high-quality product.
The strength of the distillate reaches 80-90%. Of course, you won’t get alcohol; this requires more serious equipment, but we didn’t set that goal either.
Fruit and berry mash do not lose their taste and aroma.
Sugar moonshine it turns out softer and more pleasant to the taste
Simplicity of design, relatively low price and ease of use.

In general, I drew conclusions for myself - for sugar moonshine, a mash column is required. And very desirable for fruit and berry production.

Such equipment allows us to produce a product of very high quality. Personally, I have already decided that I will order myself such a column. True, after the New Year holidays, when the family budget is restored.

Update: I finally bought the column in February. Her photo is in the previous section.

Bye everyone.

In order to understand the essence of the processes occurring inside the distillation column, we recommend that you refer to alcohol columns. It reveals the theory of producing ethanol, the quality of which is close to maximum.

Today we will talk about the design of a home rectifier and how this device can be made with your own hands.

Before you begin creating a distillation (packed) column (RC), you need to purchase suitable material. It should be noted right away that all kinds of non-ferrous metals should be deliberately excluded from the design of the device: no copper alloys, no food-grade aluminum and similar materials. Only stainless steel is a chemically inert alloy that is not subject to corrosion and does not emit toxic impurities during the rectification process.

On the pages of FORUMHOUSE you can find a lot of advice regarding the use of copper in the design of rectifiers and distillers. But if you read, you can find even more people who disagree with such opinions. The explanation is quite simple: hot alcohol is a very strong solvent. Therefore, contact of hot alcohol-containing liquids with any non-ferrous metals is extremely undesirable and even dangerous to health.

beutiflet User FORUMHOUSE

Only glass, silicone and stainless steel.

Working scheme of the Republic of Kazakhstan

The figure shows a diagram of a standard RK, once you understand it, you can assemble a home rectifier yourself.

Let's look at the main design elements in more detail.

Alembic

Any metal container made of stainless steel and having a suitable volume can be used as a distillation cube.

As for volume: some people use a regular pressure cooker (with built-in heating), while others have slightly higher requirements. In general, everyone focuses on their own needs.

viktor50 User FORUMHOUSE

The pressure cooker is too small, you need a capacity of at least 15-20 liters. The rectification process takes quite a long time and getting a liter in half a day is not kosher.

As for heating the column: the simplest (but not very practical) option is to install the distillation cube on an electric or gas stove. The fact is that the column has a relatively large height, so it will be better if the distillation cube stands on the floor (rather than on the stove).

Electric heating allows you to install the cube directly on the floor, which makes the design of the RK less cumbersome and the entire installation as convenient to use as possible.

Timothy1

We need to switch from gas to electricity - it’s easier to regulate, and the height is added! I cut the heating elements into the flask, connected the voltage regulator from the TV and off we went.

Be that as it may, when heating the feedstock, smooth adjustment of the power of the heating element must be ensured. Otherwise, the whole idea will be doomed to failure.

Many users, in an attempt to improve the design of the RK, equip the device with automatic control systems, as well as complex regulators. But if you are used to controlling the process yourself (and in the case of a homemade distillation column at first you will not be able to do otherwise), then installing an automatic control system is not an extreme necessity. Until you have sufficient experience in the field of home rectification, a simple power regulator included in the circuit of one of the existing electric heaters will be quite sufficient.

Timothy1

I have three heating elements from a Soviet kettle - 1.25 sq. LATR, shown in the photo, perfectly regulates one heating element.

The rectification process in this case is carried out using one (adjustable) heating element. The remaining 2 are needed exclusively for heating.

If you have already had time to thoroughly enjoy the visual perception of the process, and lack of time does not allow you to constantly be near a working RK, then the automation system integrated into the design of the device will allow you to control the process, requiring minimal human intervention. Automation allows you to select the contents of the distillation cube, preventing tail fractions from entering the “body” of the product. There are ready-made technical solutions that can be purchased in specialized stores. Such systems, reacting to temperature changes, at the right moment shut off the distillate selection unit or, conversely, open access to cold water to the dephlegmator.

Rectification drawer

The rectification frame includes several components:

Pipe with insulation and nozzle.
Dephlegmator with distillate selection unit, water jacket and thermometer.
Connection for communication with the atmosphere.

Considering that alcohol vapor is very flammable, the hole for communication with the atmosphere (which is necessarily created at the top of the distillation column) must be equipped with a fitting and a rubber tube. The end of the tube should be lowered into a container of water. This will help prevent the spread of vapors indoors and their ignition.

Let's consider the design of the listed nodes.

Pipe (packed column)

The process of heat and mass transfer occurs in the lower pipe of the distillation column. A special filler is placed in its internal space, increasing the contact area between hot steam and cooling phlegm. When making a column yourself, it is easiest to use dishwashing sponges made of stainless steel as a filler (nozzle). Sometimes a special twisted wire (also made of stainless steel) is used.

If you use metal wool as a filler, then the quality of their manufacture should first be checked. To do this, you need to cut off a piece of a washcloth and boil it in a solution of table salt. If the washcloths contain another alloy instead of stainless steel, the products will not be able to withstand such a test and will quickly rust. It is imperative to cut the washcloth. After all, if it has a protective coating, then only in this way can its internal structure be exposed.

The packing density should correspond to the indicator - 250-280 g of packing per liter of internal volume of the packed column.

The quality of separation of boiling fractions directly depends on the size of the packed pipe. Having considered the practical experience of FORUMHOUSE users, we can conclude that the minimum pipe diameter should be 32 mm. In general, the higher the pipe, the better the separation of fractions. The optimal pipe height should correspond to 40-60 of its diameters (minimum 20). The outside of the pipe should be insulated with a layer of protective material.

belor44 User FORUMHOUSE

A metal mesh is installed in the inner cavity of the pipe (top and bottom) to hold the filler.

belor44

In my column for NDRF, the filler is washcloths. At the same time, there are nets from a tea strainer. The pressure is stable. A meter-long column with a diameter of 35 mm produces an under-rectified product with a strength of 96% at a rate of 950 ml per hour. There are no choke points.

The bottom and top of the distillation pipe are usually equipped with threads, which allow the unit to be connected to the distillation cube and to the reflux condenser.

Dephlegmator

The main purpose of a reflux condenser is the condensation and separation of light fractions that have a lower boiling point (relative to reflux). In practice, the reflux condenser can have different designs. The simplest to manufacture is a direct-flow (jacket) type reflux condenser, or, as it is also called, a refrigerator-condenser. It consists of two pipes of different diameters, between which there is a cooling jacket with running water.

In essence, a direct-flow dephlegmator is a stainless steel pipe that is welded into another pipe made of the same material (only of a larger diameter). Externally, the device looks like in the image.

The photo shows that the reflux condenser has two fittings (for supplying and discharging coolant) and a tube for communicating with the atmosphere (above). At the same time, at the bottom of the reflux condenser there is a fitting for selecting distillate.

To avoid the appearance of foreign impurities and odors in the final product, it is recommended to use only silicone tubes for sampling the distillate.

The reflux condenser body can be made from stainless steel pipes or from an ordinary food thermos and an additional inner pipe. The diameter of the inner pipe is usually equal to the diameter of the packed column. If you do not have access to argon welding, then you can fasten structural elements using an ordinary soldering iron.

The distillate selection unit, located at the very bottom of the reflux condenser, is a shaped washer welded into the inner tube of the device.

In the sampling unit, it is necessary to make holes in advance for the thermometer (if you plan to use it) and for the sampling tube.

The need to introduce thermometers into the design of the Republic of Kazakhstan is a controversial issue. “Experienced” people often do without thermometers at all. At the same time, there are distillers who, on the contrary, measure the temperature where it needs to be done, and where it is not at all necessary. For example, installing a thermometer in the body of the distillation cube only allows you to monitor the heating process. That is, by watching it, you can roughly figure out how much time is left before the column boils.

But there are two structural units in the Republic of Kazakhstan where temperature control brings tangible practical benefits. This is the outlet pipe of the reflux condenser and the reflux condenser sampling unit (instead of the reflux condenser sampling unit, you can use the space between the packed column and the reflux condenser to install a thermometer).

If the temperature of the running water drops below 45°C at the outlet of the reflux condenser, then the separation of fractions will not occur very effectively (due to supercooling of the reflux). If the temperature is above 55°C, then during the selection of the “body”, “tails” will break into the selection tube.

Monitoring the temperature in the selection unit allows you to determine the temperature of the steam at the outlet of the packed column, and at the same time gives an understanding of which fraction is being separated at the current time. For example, if the steam temperature in the selection unit is in the range of – 77.5-81.5 ° C (depending on atmospheric pressure), then only the “body” of the product will enter the distillate selection tube.

Siberiafish User FORUMHOUSE

The temperature during the distillation process was kept in the range of 78.8-81.3. Before finishing, she began to jump.

The inner end of the thermometer tube, soldered into the column, must be plugged.

In order for the reflux condenser to be cooled evenly on all sides, a screw spiral can be soldered into the cooling jacket, which will set the correct direction of the cooling flow.

And here is the design of the reflux condenser suggested by one of the users of our portal.

Timothy1 User FORUMHOUSE

I wound two meters of corrugation into the def - it removes 3 liters per hour!

The design of this device is as follows.

In most cases, the corrugation, which allows running water to pass through, is wrapped around the inner pipe of the reflux condenser (it is not shown in the figure). But this approach does not always allow achieving effective heat transfer. The feasibility of introducing such a design can only be determined by practical means.

In practice, you can find dephlegmators of a wide variety of designs (including horizontal devices). We have described only the most common ones.

Dephlegmator dimensions

The main quantity that determines the dimensions of the device is the area of contact of the steam with the cooled surface. This value is often determined empirically. It depends on the power supplied to the column and on the temperature of the coolant.

Timothy1

The distillation column I made two weeks ago produces 1200 ml of alcohol per hour. More is possible, but cooling is not enough! Input power during acceleration is 3.5 kW, during hauling – 1.25 kW.

The product output is always proportional to the input power. For example, if the power supplied to the cube (during the rectification process) is 700 W, then the maximum productivity of the column will be 700 ml/hour (in practice, with such power we have 300-500 ml/hour). The area of the reflux condenser with such productivity should be equal to 200-300 cm². This area is possessed by the internal pipe of the reflux condenser, which has a length of 300 mm and a thickness of 32 mm.

Doobik User FORUMHOUSE

The speed of distillation primarily depends on the heating force. If the stove can boil 1 liter of mash per hour, then no matter what the device is, you will never get 2 liters per hour. The purer and stronger the product, the slower the distillation. The device itself can slow down the process only in one case - low power of the dephlegmator, i.e. when it is necessary to reduce the heating for normal operation of the device. The larger the diameter, the larger the heat transfer area, and the better the heat removal.

From all of the above, we can conclude that it is better to have a reflux condenser with dimensions exceeding the calculated ones. After all, excess cooling area will never lead to the cessation of condensate formation, and, consequently, to the cessation of rectification.

By the way, on the Internet you can find a calculator for calculating a dephlegmator, which will help you navigate the dimensions of the device being manufactured.

Fridge

As a refrigerator for the sample distillate, you can use a laboratory cooler, which is usually purchased at a laboratory glassware store.

In this case, the device can be made independently - according to the principle of a shirt-type reflux condenser (only the refrigerator will be much smaller in size). To do this, again, you should use stainless steel tubes of small diameter. The length of the refrigerator should be approximately equal to the length of the reflux condenser.

In order to regulate the rate of distillate selection or stop (start) selection in a timely manner, the distillate selection tube should be equipped with a tap or clamp (for example, from a dropper). The location of the clamp is indicated on the general diagram of the RK.

The cooling cavities of the refrigerator and reflux condenser are connected to each other in the following sequence: bottom of the refrigerator - refrigerator - top of the refrigerator - top of the reflux condenser - reflux condenser - bottom of the reflux condenser - sewerage. Simply put, a series connection of pipes is used, and water is supplied to the reflux condenser already slightly heated.

The temperature of the cooling water in the reflux condenser, as we already know, must correspond to certain values (approximately 45-55°C). And additional taps for regulating the water flow will help us achieve the required indicators. The valve from the gas welding torch regulates the flow most subtly.

Sequence of distillate distillation

Let's consider the sequence of work with our distillation column. First of all, we dilute the raw alcohol (obtained after preliminary distillation of the mash) with tap water to a strength of 30%...40% (there is no consensus on this indicator, but the lower it is, the less the likelihood of an accidental fire). Then we pour it into the distillation cube, assemble the distillation column and attach it to the distillation tank.

The column, under no circumstances, should deviate from the vertical level. Otherwise, the quality of the final product will noticeably suffer.

After the RK is installed, you can begin heating the contents of the cube. The distillate tap must be closed. At the moment when the temperature of the steam in the dephlegmator begins to rise sharply, it is necessary to reduce the power supplied to the column to a minimum (the temperature at this moment can quickly reach 70-78 ° C, which is associated with a sharp rise of vapor through the packed part of the column). The device should be left in this position for 30 minutes. This is necessary for the RC to warm up and for the process of heat and mass transfer to begin inside it. The temperature in the upper part of the Republic of Kazakhstan may drop.

After the specified time, we turn on the water supply to the refrigerator (and to the reflux condenser) and begin selecting the “heads”. We repeat once again that you cannot drink “heads”!

The end of the selection of “heads” can be determined by several signs: temperature stabilization around 78°C and a change in the organoleptic characteristics of the selected distillate (the distillate begins to smell like alcohol).

After selecting the “heads”, you can begin selecting the “body”: increase the power of the column and adjust the temperature of the water in the reflux condenser (45°C - 55°C).

We enjoy the process until the “tails” are cut off. The beginning of condensation of the tail fractions can be judged by the increase in temperature in the reflux condenser (to approximately 85°C) and the appearance of fusel odor in the sampled distillate. At this point we will consider the rectification process complete. The tailing fractions can be selected for use in subsequent distillations, or they can simply be disposed of. It's up to you to decide.

If you are familiar with in practice, then we invite you to take part in the discussion of issues related to this fascinating topic. If you are used to eating equally sophisticated snacks along with exquisite drinks, then this article will teach you how to endlessly surprise your guests with the unusual taste of the prepared dishes.

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 one. 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.