How to use a distillation column. Why do we need a distillation column The principle of operation of a distillation column diagram

It is difficult for many winemakers to choose a device for themselves, because now the production offers a lot of them. But all devices for obtaining alcohol are divided into two groups - these are distillers and distillation columns. Therefore, first of all, it is necessary to make a decision on the choice of these options, and then look closely at a specific device according to the available funds. So, distillation column or moonshine - which is better?

Characteristics of both devices

A distiller, or moonshine, is used to obtain raw alcohol from mash by cleaning it. The essence of his work is as follows:

• First, you prepare the mash according to the recipe.
• When the mash is ready, it is sent to the distillation cube and heated to the boiling point of alcohol and above.
• As a result of heating, the mash evaporates and condenses in the cooler. After that, liquid begins to drip at the exit.
• Depending on the temperature in the cube, the corresponding fractions will come out. First of all, volatile impurities - acetone, methyl alcohol, aldehydes - leave. This faction is called the head.
• After the heads come out, the body comes out, or raw alcohol, a pure alcohol-containing product of 40-70%.
• The tails are the last to come out - an alcohol-containing mixture, which contains a large amount of fusel oils.

Both heads and tails contain substances that are unsafe for the body, and it is the moonshiner's task to separate them. Therefore, the most professional moonshine stills are equipped with devices such as a reflux condenser, a thermometer, an alcoholometer, a steamer and others. All of them help to more accurately control the process of obtaining a pure product. Most often, after the first distillation, there is a second one. In some cases, it is not carried out, for example, if you want to get a product that is not too clean, but fragrant, when mash is made on the basis of fruits.

Distillation column

In a moonshine still, such a thing as productivity is important, which depends not only on the rate of heating of the liquid, but also on the rate of its cooling, as well as additional devices for cleaning the product.

The design of the moonshine still is quite simple. In the most primitive version, this is just a container for heating and cooling steam. In addition, something like a moonshine still can be made at home at no extra cost. To obtain a device more complex, allowing you to increase the characteristics of the drink, you need to work a little, but, as a rule, this is also quite realistic.

Summarizing all this, it can be argued that the moonshine still has the following advantages:

• Simplicity of design. The principle of its operation will be clear to everyone, the device is easily manufactured at home at low cost.
• Low cost and hence availability.
• Ease of operation.
• A large number of drink recipes that can be found on the Internet.
• The reliability of the design, again due primarily to its simplicity.

To compare both methods of obtaining homemade alcohol, the main disadvantages of using a moonshine still should be highlighted:

• low performance;
• the inability to obtain a drink with a high, more than 70%, alcohol content;
• low degree of purification compared to a distillation column;
• danger of work if the basic rules are not observed.

What is a distillation column? Rectification is built on a slightly different principle. It is a process of heat exchange in the column, which helps to separate the rectified product. That is, when heated in a column, all components of the starting material “line up” depending on their boiling point:

• ketones at 56 degrees;
• methyl alcohol at 65 degrees;
• ethyl alcohol with water at 78 degrees;
• fusel oils and the main part of water at 100 degrees.

The essence of the process lies in how exactly the liquid contacts the gaseous phase. At the top of the column there is a reflux condenser, which provides the liquid phase from the gas, i.e. condensation, and directs the condensate back down. When liquid and vapor meet, they interact and exchange fractions with different boiling points. It is good to see the process of distillation of alcohol on the apparatus, in which this column is glass.

The column is a high capacity. This fact provides an optimal temperature difference in its various parts. In the upper part, the temperature is 78 degrees, so only ethyl alcohol reaches it. Heavier fractions, such as water and fusel oils, flow down because they have a much higher boiling point.

If you use such a device for the distillation of mash, the alcohol turns out to be much better and purer than in moonshine, in fact, 100 degrees.

The industrially produced moonshine still has a higher capacity, some of them give more than 500 liters per hour.

The main advantages of rectification are that it allows you to get a better product with a minimum amount of impurities, which are cut off during distillation and are called heads and tails. Therefore, the distillation column is ideal when you need to get a pure product from sugar, which contains the greatest amount of foreign odors and tastes. The disadvantage is low productivity, and, in addition, it is inconvenient to use it to obtain vodka from fruits, when smells and tastes must be preserved.

Moonshine still or distillation column?

In order to know what exactly you need, you need to weigh many different factors, one of the main ones is the price. The cost of a moonshine still is several times lower, and its capabilities are enough for a large number of tasks. At the same time, it is worth clarifying that the distillation column itself does not give a pure product from mash, since raw alcohol must be poured into it. Raw alcohol is an alcohol solution, a product of the first distillation of mash. Thus, it is not self-sufficient, it is also necessary to buy the moonshine itself, which complicates the task.

It is impossible to obtain alcohol of this quality and degree of purification on a moonshine still. But the distillation column can operate in the mode of a conventional moonshine still. It turns out that it is better, but at the same time the cost is different.

It is believed that the degree of purification of rectificate is 60 times higher than that of moonshine. Even if it is used in distillation mode, the product is still cleaner. But the price does not always justify itself, because we are talking about homemade alcohol. Many crafty moonshiners test recipes by making fruit-based moonshine and more. For them, a moonshine still is quite enough, as it will give a greater richness of tastes.

In order for the product to be of high quality, other methods are used, such as a dry steamer, a reflux condenser, re-distillation, filtration, and more.

As a rule, experienced moonshiners are sufficiently familiar with all the capabilities of both devices and know exactly what they want. For beginners, it is sometimes difficult to understand the basics of distillation, especially when it comes to cutting off heads and tails. The fact is that with experience, people begin to do it just by eye, but you need to come to this. And to do it right, you need additional equipment. So the cost of a moonshine still for beginners will be a lot, and not all of them will be able to afford a distillation column.

Thus, having considered all the advantages and disadvantages of both devices, we can say that it is better to give preference to a distillation column if it is regularly used to obtain alcohol from sugar-based mash. If you have a beautiful garden and love to indulge in fruit-based vodka, then your choice should fall on a distiller, which will be more than enough for such a task. You can spend money and buy a device with a steamer.

It is also worth recalling that the purchase of both devices is quite legal for the production of homemade moonshine. But this applies only to its manufacture not for the purpose of profit and, accordingly, sale.

Rectification- this is a method of separating the components of a mixture, based on the property of the components of this mixture to boil away at different temperatures.

Rectification is a process of separating binary, multicomponent or continuous mixtures into practically pure components or their mixtures (fractions) that differ in boiling points (for binary and multicomponent mixtures) or boiling ranges (for continuous mixtures).

The analysis of oil products for the content of individual hydrocarbons and their classes shows that oil and its fractions are a complex multicomponent mixture. The number of components in oil exceeds 2000. Due to the large number of components, oil is considered to be a continuous mixture and its composition is expressed by the true boiling point curve (TBC), which has a smooth, continuous character.

Therefore, the distillation process is a mass transfer that flows in both directions between the 2 phases of the mixture, one of which is liquid, and the other is steam. In other words, this is a repeatedly repeated contact interaction of non-equilibrium phases in the form of liquid oil, as well as steam.

The rectification process is carried out as a result of the contact of vapor and liquid flows. In this case, an indispensable condition is the movement of vapor and liquid towards each other along the height (length) of the distillation apparatus. The driving force of heat and mass transfer between vapor and liquid in the apparatus is the temperature difference along the height (length) of the apparatus.

Types of distillation plates

A distillation column is one of the central units of a process plant for the primary processing of oil or oil products. The use of this apparatus is caused by the need to implement a simple method for separating oil or its products into fractions depending on their boiling points. This method is called rectification, and the apparatus for carrying out this process is called a distillation column.

But one distillation column cannot cope with the tasks of fraction separation. At oil refineries, the column is closely connected with a variety of other equipment - pumping, heat exchange, furnace, separation.

It is most convenient to illustrate the principle of operation of a distillation apparatus using the example of a column with bubble caps.

distillation columns

Heat and mass transfer between countercurrently moving nonequilibrium vapor and liquid phases in distillation is carried out on contact devices (CD), which are often called “plates”.

In distillation columns, the steam reflux flow is created by heating elements (furnace, superheated water vapor input), and the liquid flow is created by condensing devices (cold circulating reflux).

As a result of the interaction between the vapor and liquid phases at the HPC, in accordance with the laws of thermodynamic vapor-liquid equilibrium, the vapor phase is enriched in light-boiling components, and the liquid phase is enriched in heavy-boiling components. Therefore, it is CA that largely determines the overall efficiency of the separation process.

For oil columns in general and for ABT columns, in particular, a number of characteristic features inherent in them can be distinguished:

• very high raw material productivity (up to 1000 m 3 /h for atmospheric column);
• heat supply to the separation system is carried out by fire heating of raw materials in a tubular furnace (main and vacuum columns AVT), superheated water vapor input (almost all columns) and circulation of a “hot jet” (AT topping column);
• the latter circumstance involves the use of special separation zones for separating the vapor and liquid phases;
• The distillation scheme includes remote stripping sections, as well as circulating refluxes, which implies the possibility of organizing lateral liquid phase withdrawals and supplies of both vapor and liquid phases at several points along the height of the column.

By the way, read this article too: vacuum column

These features should be taken into account when choosing the designs of contact devices in the problems of designing oil separation units.

The principle of operation of the distillation column

The design of a distillation column is a vertical cylindrical container of various or constant cross section, which is used to physically separate a mixture of hydrocarbons and obtain the required oil products of a given quality as a result of rectification.

In the column, vapors move upward from tray to tray due to the pressure difference in the evaporative space and at the top of the column. The liquid flows down the trays and downcomers by gravity.

The distillation column can be divided into 3 functional parts:

1. Concentration section - located above the point of entry of raw materials into the apparatus
2. Feed section - in the center of the column, raw materials are fed to the feed plate
3. Stripping section - located below the input point of raw materials

For the rectification process to proceed, the temperature of the oil must be lower than the temperature of the supplied steam. This consequence proceeds from the properties of an equilibrium system. If the oil temperature were equal to or lower than the steam temperature, the rectification process would be impossible.

The rectification process can only be carried out for mixtures with different boiling points to enable the diffusion separation process to be carried out. To do this, the liquid moves from top to bottom, and the vapor moves from bottom to top to ensure the best contact and interaction of the phases.

Classification of distillation columns

Column devices can be divided depending on the technological process:

• Atmospheric and vacuum distillation (oil and fuel oil);
• Secondary distillation of gasoline;
• Stabilization of oil, gas condensate, unstable gasoline;
• Fractionation of refinery, oil and natural gases;
• Distillation of solvents during oil refining processes;
• Separation of products of thermodestructive and catalytic processes of processing oil raw materials and gases, etc.;

By the way, read this article too: Cross flow nozzles (CTH)

Types of contact devices of distillation columns

To carry out the rectification process in column apparatuses, contact devices are necessarily used:

• Packed;
• Poppet ;
• Rotary.

Rotary columns are not widely used, while tray and packed columns are very popular.

Video: device and operation of the distillation column

YOU WILL BE INTERESTED IN:

Start-up work at the Deep Oil Refining Complex was launched at the Atyrau Oil Refinery Euro+ Vacuum Distillation Column Installed at Gazprom Neft Refinery in Moscow Atyrau refinery processed 4,723,647 tons of oil in 2017 and exceeded the plan by 1.6% OPEC states reach agreement on oil production this year

2.2. The device and operation of distillation columns,

Rectification of simple and complex mixtures is carried out in batch or continuous columns.

Batch columns are used in low-capacity plants where a large number of fractions must be collected and the separation must be high. The classical scheme of such an installation is shown in Fig. 4. The raw material enters the distillation cube 1 to a height of about 2/3 of its diameter, where it is heated with deaf steam. In the first period of operation of the distillation unit, the most volatile component of the mixture, for example, the benzene head, is selected, then, by increasing the distillation temperature, components with a higher boiling point (benzene, toluene, etc.). The highest-boiling components of the mixture remain in the cube, forming a VAT residue. At the end of the rectification process, this residue is cooled and pumped out. The cube is again filled with raw materials and rectification is resumed. The frequency of the process is due to the greater heat consumption and lower plant productivity. Further in the figure: 2 - distillation column, 3 - condenser-refrigerator, 4 - accumulator, 5 - refrigerator, 6 - pumps.

The installation of continuous action is devoid of many of these disadvantages. A schematic diagram of such an installation is shown in Fig.5. The raw material through the heat exchanger 1 enters the heater 2 and then to different levels of the distillation column 3. The lower fractions are heated in the boiler 4 and discharged back into the distillation column. In this case, the heaviest part is removed from the boiler to the bottom of the column and together with the liquid sediment for further processing of heavy fractions. And the light fractions from above into the condenser-refrigerator 5, and then from the accumulator 6, partly back to the column for irrigation, and partly - to further processing of light fractions.

Depending on the number of products obtained, simple and complex distillation columns are distinguished. In the first, two products are obtained during rectification, for example, gasoline and semi-fuel oil. The latter are designed to produce three or more products. They are simple columns connected in series, each of which separates the mixture entering it into two components.

Each simple column has a stripper and a concentration section. The stripping or stripping section is located below the input of raw materials. The plate on which the raw material for separation is fed is called the feed plate. The target product of the stripping section is a liquid residue. The concentration or strengthening section is located above the food plate. The target product of this section are rectified vapors. For normal operation of the distillation column, it is necessary to supply irrigation to the top of the concentration section of the column and introduce heat (through the boiler) or live water vapor into the stripping section.

Depending on the internal device that provides contact between the ascending vapors and the descending liquid (reflux), distillation columns are divided into packed, tray, rotary, etc. Depending on the pressure, they are divided into high pressure distillation columns, atmospheric and vacuum. The former are used in the processes of stabilization of oil and gasoline, gas fractionation in cracking and hydrogenation units. Atmospheric and vacuum distillation columns are mainly used in the distillation of oils, residual oil products and distillers.

For uniform distribution of vapors and liquids in packed columns - 1 (Fig. 6.), balls, prisms, pyramids, cylinders made of various materials (usually pressed coal dust) with an outer diameter of 6 to 70 mm and a ratio of surface area to volume from 500. The nozzle is placed in bulk on special plates - 4 with holes for the passage of vapor and draining phlegm - 3. The purpose of using the nozzle is to increase the contact area of ​​phlegm and vapor for mutual enrichment. For the correct operation of the packed column, it is very important that the flowing reflux and vapors are uniformly distributed over the entire cross section of the column. This is favored by the homogeneity of the packing body, the highest possible velocity of the upward vapor flow, evenly distributed packing layers, and the strict verticality of the column. In practice, the initially achieved uniform distribution of vapors and phlegm is violated, since the vapor tends to push the liquid to the walls of the column and move through the center of the packing. In this regard, the packing is divided into several layers, and the plates on which the packing is placed have a special design that makes it possible to again evenly redistribute the flows after each packing layer. The efficiency of using packed columns is very high, but there are also inconveniences: the packing has to be periodically removed from the column in order to clean it from resinous particles covering the packing over time and worsening its wettability, in addition, the use of packed columns puts forward a very strict requirement to withstand a certain vapor pressure and the amount of incoming reflux . In the case of a drop in vapor pressure in the column, the reflux runoff accelerates and the area of ​​contact between vapor and liquid decreases sharply. If the vapor pressure is exceeded, the flow of phlegm slows down, which leads to its accumulation in the upper layers of the packing and vapor locking in the lower part of the column (“flooding” of the column). This leads to an even greater increase in steam pressure in the lower part of the column, and, at a critical moment, a breakthrough of steam through the phlegm to the top of the column. The consequence of the "flooding" of the column is also a sharp decrease in the area of ​​contact between vapor and liquid.

In tray columns 1 (Fig. 7), in order to increase the area of ​​contact between steam and reflux flows, a large number of plates of a special design are used instead of packing. The phlegm flows from plate to plate through the downcomers 3, and the baffles 4 maintain a constant level of the liquid layer on the plate. This level allows you to keep the edges of the caps 2 immersed in reflux at all times. The partitions allow only the excess of incoming phlegm to drain to the next plate. The principle of operation of the tray column is the mutual enrichment of vapors and reflux due to the passage of vapor under pressure from the bottom up through the reflux layer on each plate. Due to the fact that steam passes phlegm in the form of tiny bubbles, the contact area between steam and liquid is very high.

Plate designs are varied. Mesh, lattice, cascade, valve, injection and combined plates are used. The design of the trays is chosen based on specific technological requirements (the degree of clarity of fraction separation, the requirement for work intensity, the need to change the internal structure of the column, the frequency of preventive and repair work, etc.)

In some oil refining processes (for example, processing with associated separation of water (vapors), processing with preliminary separation of the heaviest oil fractions), rotary columns 1 (Fig. 8) with high productivity are used. The plates of such a column are conical shields with an inclination angle of 40°, with alternating plates fixed to the walls of the column - 2 and plates fixed to the central rotating shaft - 3. Thus, rotating plates alternate with fixed ones. The rotation of the plates comes from the drive - 4 at a speed of 240 rpm. The phlegm descends from above 5 along the fixed plate and at the center overflows onto the underlying rotating plate. Under the influence of centrifugal force, the phlegm moves up the rotating plate to its periphery and, in the form of a continuous annular film, passes to the walls of the column body and further to the underlying plate. Then the process is repeated. Vapors move through the phlegm in countercurrent. In addition, a large amount of phlegm is constantly in suspension, which leads to a high volatility of the phlegm itself. The distance between the plates is only 8 - 10 mm, which allows you to build a very compact column with a high (over 85%) efficiency. Heated raw materials are introduced into the column, the required temperature of which is maintained by a heater - 6. This design is very convenient to use, practically does not require repair and maintenance, is durable and not so sensitive to changes in temperature and pressure of the initial components.

Calculation of the amount of costs necessary for the implementation of this project in production. Assess the change in the cost of products obtained in the shop for primary oil refining and bitumen production. Two furnaces were installed in the workshop: for heating oil P-1 and for heating fuel oil and steam P-3; after reconstruction, a furnace should be installed that will completely replace both furnaces P-1 and P-3. Furnace performance by...

The quality of raw materials can be used gasoline (to produce liquefied gas); kerosene-solar fractions and vacuum distillates (for the production of gasoline, jet and diesel fuels); residual products of oil refining (to produce gasoline and jet and diesel fuel); gacha and paraffins (to obtain high-index oils); sour oils, sour and sour fuel oils (for...

The processes of separating oil into fractions, when its potential is used in terms of the range, quantity and quality of the products and intermediates obtained - oil distillation; the secondary ones include the processes of destructive oil refining and purification of oil products, designed to change its chemical composition by thermal and catalytic effects. With these methods...

To get pure moonshine, home cooks usually resort to double distillation. The result is a quality product without harmful impurities, with a pleasant taste and aroma.

An even better effect is obtained by distillation in a distillation column. It allows you to get the most purified strong alcohol (94-96%) or vodka without additional flavors and odors.

At the same time, the device has practically no disadvantages, with the exception of large dimensions and the need to work hard on its manufacture. Most experienced moonshiners agree that it is better to assemble the distillation column on their own.

The design and principle of operation of the distillation column

alembic

Tsarga (pipe) with filler

Alcohol selection unit

Dephlegmator

Additional refrigerator

It works as follows

The mash in the distillation tank heats up and begins to evaporate. The vapors follow up the tsarga, reach the refrigerator and the selection unit, the valve of which is closed at the initial stage.

Condensed vapors (phlegm) descend back down the pipe. In this case, heavy fractions accumulate at the bottom, and light fractions at the top. Thanks to the nozzles, the processes of condensation and evaporation occur repeatedly: vapors and liquids interact continuously.

This process of exchange is the rectification process. The lightest vapors with a high alcohol content are discharged to the refrigerator, where the final condensation takes place. As a result, pure distillate enters the receiving tank.

Calculation of parameters and selection of materials

Before proceeding with the assembly of the column, it is necessary to determine the dimensions and other characteristics of the apparatus.

Drawer height

If earlier distillation columns were multi-meter structures, today home distillers use compact options - about 1.5 meters long. The main principle that should be followed when calculating the dimensions is as follows: the height of the pipe should be approximately 50 times its diameter. Small deviations in one direction or another are allowed. However, the length of the tsarga cannot be less than 1 meter. Otherwise, part of the fusel oils will fall into the selection, and there will be difficulties with the separation of fractions. An increase in the height of the column over 1.5 meters does not significantly affect the quality of the product, but lengthens the distillation time. In addition, it will be problematic to place such a design at home. The optimal dimensions of the pipe: length - 1.3-1.4 m, diameter - 3-5 cm.

Material and wall thickness

The ideal option for the tsarga is food grade stainless steel: it does not affect the composition of drinks in any way. Copper will also work. The optimal wall thickness is in the range of 1–2 mm. More is possible, but this will make the structure heavier and increase costs without bringing much benefit. In addition, it is worth remembering that holes will have to be made in the walls.

Type and parameters of nozzles

As a contact element, it is easiest to use household stainless steel washcloths, which are used to clean dishes. To check the quality of the metal, you can soak the product in a salt solution and leave it for a day: a good product will not rust. Alternative options are glass beads, stones of certain breeds, metal shavings. The packing density is 250–270 g of the contact element per 1 liter of the column volume.

Cube volume

The distillation vessel is filled 2/3, while the amount of alcohol-containing liquid should correspond to 10–20 nozzle volumes. For a column with a diameter of 5 cm, it is optimal to use a tank of 40-80 liters, for a width of 4 cm - 30-50 liters.

Heating source

The use of a gas, electric or induction cooker is not recommended. The first option is dangerous, the rest do not allow for a uniform supply of heat. The best option is electric heating with the help of heating elements, which can be built into the cube yourself. The power of the elements depends on the volume of the cube: at least 4 kW is required for 50 liters, at least 3 kW for 40 liters, etc.

Type of thermal insulation material

It must withstand high temperatures, be chemically inert. Usually they use foam rubber 3-5 mm thick, fluoroplastic or silicone (but not rubber!) Gaskets.

Docking option

If threaded connections are used, a sealant may be required. It is better to give preference to putting the elements on top of each other.

When creating a distillation column, every little thing matters, so all recommendations should be strictly followed. It will not be superfluous to watch the video of the assembly.

In one part, which will be at the bottom, the selected type of nozzles is poured, having previously installed a grid and a thrust washer to prevent material from falling out. If metal sponges are used (about 40 pieces are required), pre-cut them into pieces of 5 mm. The springs should be distributed evenly by tapping the pipe on a hard surface. After filling the nozzle, close the pipe with a mesh, fix it with a washer.

The resulting structure is connected to the distillation cube and insulated with heat-insulating material.

The second (upper) part of the pipe is connected to a dephlegmator using a soldering iron. The water housing should have 2 branch pipes: for water inlet and outlet. A reflux condenser can be bought or made independently from a thermos, pressure cooker, coil, copper tube (the first options are preferable). For example, like this: https://youtu.be/D4ZsbbRH6ds

The upper end of the column is closed with a stopper/lid or sealed, leaving a hole for installing an atmospheric tube. To secure it, a fitting is used, the end of the tube is lowered into the water.

Make a hole for the pipe to exit the distillate. It should be a couple of centimeters above the junction with the bottom of the pipe, a plate is installed under it to collect condensate.

A refrigerator is connected to the column using a silicone hose. You can buy it or make it yourself. To regulate the process of fluid movement, a dropper clamp is attached to the hose.

The cooling elements are connected to each other: the upper part of the refrigerator with the bottom of the reflux condenser, the upper part of the reflux condenser with sewerage. Thus, the water to the dephlegmator will be heated.

Additionally, you can install a water flow regulator and a thermometer (it will require an additional hole in the selection unit).

You can also divide the drawer into 3 parts: this design is considered more variable in application. A detailed assembly process of the column can be viewed here:

Today, getting intoxicated drinks at home is much easier for people than just a couple of decades ago. We do not see anything shameful in this, and what a sin there is to hide: many of us have a well-founded interest in the features of such a mysterious process. That is why we decided to dedicate our readers to the "sacrament", knowing which, you can guarantee yourself such a quality of the product, in which the buyers of retail chains will never have confidence.

viktor50 FORUMHOUSE User

One surrogate poisoning, which you can run into in any supermarket, and much more money can be spent on treatment than on the manufacture of an alcohol column.

Distillation and rectification: the essence of the processes and the differences between them

Distillation (distillatio) - translated from Latin - dripping. The physical essence of the process consists in the evaporation of liquids and the subsequent condensation of the resulting vapor (most modern inhabitants understand banal distillation as distillation, and they are right).

Rectification (rectificatio) - translated from Latin - correction. The essence of the process is in the separation of multicomponent liquid mixtures into components. Such sorting is possible due to the different boiling points of different components (light fractions boil at a lower temperature, and heavy fractions at a higher one).

It is possible to isolate a product suitable for consumption from the “ripened” mash by means of banal distillation. But the resulting substance, which is raw alcohol (moonshine), will contain a huge amount of impurities that do not have the best effect on the taste of the drink.

Glevakhovod FORUMHOUSE User

If we simply condense the vapors in the refrigerator (in a cooled coil) using the old-fashioned method, we will get a condensate (distillate) of everything that was in the steam - moonshine (cloudy and with an unpleasant odor).

Therefore, some sooner or later come to the need to use more advanced methods for obtaining alcohol-containing products from home raw materials. It's about rectification.

Petrovich69 FORUMHOUSE User

We all went through the stages of experience and understanding: first you take a distiller (universal and with strengthening), then you buy additional strengthening drawers or a plate column, and only then will you start getting a quality product. And so - one pampering, a waste of time and money, not to mention health.

The creation of a distillation column will justify itself - there will be no need to worry about the presence of toxic compounds in the final product.

Carcinogenic impurities are divided into two types:

1. Light - ethers, acetone, higher alcohols, etc. Light compounds are also called "heads" - perhaps because they have a low boiling point (from 65 ° C) and leave the distillation tank first.
2. Heavy - water, fusel oils, etc. Heavy compounds are called "tails". They leave the boiling substance last (at a higher temperature - from 85 ° C). At the same time, "tails" are also undesirable to use due to the high content of toxic impurities, but they can be used in the process of subsequent distillation.

"Body" is the product, because of which the rectification process, in fact, is started. We are talking about ethyl alcohol.

The boiling point of ethyl alcohol at atmospheric pressure is 760 mm Hg. Art. is 78.39°C. This indicator directly depends on the percentage of ethanol in the solution. It can also decrease or increase in proportion to the change in atmospheric pressure.

If you learn how to properly adjust the operating parameters of the rectifier, then you will always have the opportunity to get the most purified alcohol solution at the output, the strength of which is close to 96%.

Concise Dictionary

Before continuing the study of the topic, consider its basic concepts.

1. An alcohol column (SC) is a device that allows you to obtain ethyl alcohol with a high degree of purification at home. Alcohol columns are of two types: beer columns (BK) and distillation columns (RK). Their fundamental difference lies in the quality of the feedstock intended for distillation. So, the mash column, which is also called the "film", is designed for direct distillation of the mash. There is no special filler (nozzle) in its design, while it has a limited separating ability, which does not allow obtaining a high quality product. A more advanced design has a distillation column (RC), which is also called "packed". Thanks to a special filler (for example, from stainless steel dishcloths), this device allows you to accurately separate the available fractions from each other. Raw alcohol (ordinary moonshine) obtained by distillation is used as a raw material for the distillation column. As practice shows, only a packed column makes it possible to obtain a product with a maximum degree of purification. Therefore, when creating a device for producing ethanol at home, it is necessary to focus on the design of a distillation (rather than a beer) column.
2. Phlegm (condensate) - products that accompany the rectification process and have a higher boiling point, in comparison with the fraction separated at the current time. For example, "body" in relation to "heads" can be considered phlegm. “Tails” (in relation to the “body”) are also phlegm.
3. Distillation cube - the capacity of the rectifier, which contains the distilled raw alcohol.
4. Tsarga - the working part of the distillation column, in which the separation of the initial solution into its constituent fractions takes place.
5. Under-rectified is a product with a high degree of purification, obtained by distillation of the feedstock through an alcohol column.

The word “under-rectified” may not inspire confidence, but in fact, getting an under-rectified is our ultimate goal.

Listo FORUMHOUSE User

From two pastures we make rectified from moonshine - we put the bottom tube, after which we get alcohol for a long time and patiently (under-rectified, more precisely). Its strength is 96 °, and the smell (for sugar mash) is quite normal. We do not clean anything, so the product turns out to be quite worthy. After it, you don’t even feel like drinking industrial vodka (in the morning - like a cucumber).

The strength of the under-rectified product often falls short of 96%, while it may contain smells of the feedstock. However, the product has a high degree of purification and corresponding quality.

Why RK is better than a distiller

The advantages of a distillation column are based on the design features of this device. RK allows you to consistently and with a high degree of efficiency to separate the "heads" from the "body", and the "body" from the "tails". The principle of its operation is based on the physical effect of heat and mass transfer, which consists in the continuous mixing of ascending vapors and phlegm flowing down.

The process of heat and mass transfer takes place in a special element of the RC, which is called the rectifier pipe. Hot steam takes away from the phlegm those fractions that have a lower boiling point (as a rule, these are alcohols and other easily volatile compounds). At the same time, the phlegm flowing down takes everything from the steam that has a higher boiling point (water, fusel oils, etc.).

In order for the process to proceed more intensively, the distillation side is filled with a special nozzle (filler), which increases the contact area of ​​various fractions. As a result, only the lightest chemical compounds enter the distillate extraction unit at any time.

Glevakhovod FORUMHOUSE User

If the selection is made slowly enough, then at first the distillate will contain the lightest fractions: ethers, acetones, higher alcohols. These are "heads", and you can not drink them. But they go to the windshield washer. Then alcohol will go - the "heart" of the product. Then there will be: fusel, water and other heavy-boiling fractions ("tails"). They contain a large proportion of alcohol. They are collected and added to the mash during the next distillation to squeeze out the remaining alcohol.

With the help of a strengthening column, it is impossible to obtain pure alcohol. The heart, one way or another, will contain impurities. It will not be alcohol, but strong and purified moonshine. The better the column, the stronger and cleaner the moonshine.

As for a conventional distiller: it is almost impossible to achieve a clear separation of fractions with it. But this device can be used to produce raw alcohol, from which later (by distillation through a packed column) a high-quality and purified product can be obtained. It will be much more practical this way, and many users of our portal have long mastered a similar method of obtaining under-rectification.

Glevakhovod

The purpose of my pressure cooker column is somewhat different than the distillation of mash (not the same scale). It is needed to strengthen the distillate during the distillation of gin and sambuca.

Direct distillation of mash with the help of RK is, of course, possible. But this process will be slow, troublesome and constantly threatening to clog the nozzle with boiling mash. In addition, in the case of direct distillation, there is a danger of obtaining an under-rectified product, which will be “enriched” with aldehydes in excess of the norm. That is why, in order to obtain a quality product, it is preferable to resort to a double distillation, using a distiller for the first distillation.

It was theory. We will talk about the design and features of working with this device in the second part of this article, the content of which is based on the recommendations of our users - stay tuned for updates on the portal!

If you already want to get acquainted with the experience of FORUMHOUSE users who have managed to achieve success in creating all kinds of things, you need to visit the corresponding section of our portal. Also take a look at the section - soon they will come in handy for a festive feast, as well as blanks, which our video will tell about.