How the still works (Big Still #3)

Just a description of how all this stuff should work

go here for info on making ethanol:

http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel_library/ethanol_manual/manual_ToC.html

Category:

Education

Tags:

• ethanol
• alcohol
• home
• made
• e85
• fuel
• gas
• mileage
• still
• distillation
• fermentation
• moonshine

[MrStillton]

nice setup.. looking forward to see it running.

arnt you gonna use a reflux cooler on top? running it without any induced reflux wont give you good seperation. i also think you should reconsider broken glass. it will give you about one HEPT ( HETP - Height Equivalent to a Theoretical Plate) per 0.28 m filling while scrubbers will give you one HEPT at about 0.1 m

So, that column at 1.5 meters(?) filled with glass will do the same job as a 0.5 meter column filled with scrubbers.

[pat1huey]

Yes, I have a condenser for each column. They will both run to one cooler. If the glass doesnt work well enough, I'll switch to either copper mesh or bronze wool.

[MrStillton]

copper goes black because it reacts with sulphur, that doesnt corode the copper. this black copper will still make alot better packing material then broken glass, but you can clean it in a water solution with citric acid and salt. rinse it with water to stop the reaction, because this does corode the copper. search for "copper mesh", the the copper scrubbers ive seen are copper plated steel.

[pat1huey]

Thanks for the info. I'll look into it :)

[HomeDistiller]

you will get a better reflux with stainless scrubbers in the towers.. glass only realy works in a 3 inch dia+ still

[pat1huey]

The last scrubbers I used didnt hold up very well. Someone recommended choreboy brand scrubbers.

[GlassByThaddeus]

Thanx for explaining how the reflux works.

One thing I would watch out for is some water heaters are plastic lined. That one looks like an old galvanized one. That should be ok. I don't know if the zinc will do anything. Thanx again.

[pat1huey]

@PotrickHeitkamp What do you mean?

[riverpiratesteve]

I would suggest dowloading blueprints for the charles 803 still.

[HomeDistiller]

forget copper scrubbers you will be very hard pressed to find all copper.. if you use stainless steel one you should be fine