StillSmart

Re: Copper hot water tank....

2014-02-17T08:35:06+00:00

Another couple of pieces of the jigsaw arrived this morning...

It's a lovely tight fit into a straight connector....oooo happy days..

Statistics: Posted by Icefever — Mon Feb 17, 2014 8:35 am

Re: Copper hot water tank....

2014-02-17T07:04:29+00:00

Cheers Capt..YHB

You read all you can find on VM and LM columns, you think you have a handle on it then you find out, that you ain't. Well I hope now that with the help from you guys on here now I do..

Thanks

Statistics: Posted by Icefever — Mon Feb 17, 2014 7:04 am

Re: Copper hot water tank....

2014-02-16T23:07:03+00:00

Yip, it will work without the 28mm pipe going into the column too. I just think it helps encourage the vapour into the take off.

Statistics: Posted by Capt-Cudellez — Sun Feb 16, 2014 11:07 pm

Re: Copper hot water tank....

2014-02-16T20:08:50+00:00

Thanks Capt, so the 28mm pipe has the one end cut at a 45 angle, then the other side would run though a condenser to collect???

Statistics: Posted by Icefever — Sun Feb 16, 2014 8:08 pm

Re: Copper hot water tank....

2014-02-16T17:07:51+00:00

Thank you Capt for the explanation and the I'm a bit of a newbie to all this stuff, just 3 weeks in but I'm learning.

Statistics: Posted by fuf — Sun Feb 16, 2014 5:07 pm

Re: Copper hot water tank....

2014-02-16T15:23:34+00:00

VM is super easy. I would probably just get a 76x76x28 reducing tee file off the end stops for the 28mm bit and do this with the pipe. (Pic from another post, ignore the fittings being used)

Statistics: Posted by Capt-Cudellez — Sun Feb 16, 2014 3:23 pm

Re: Copper hot water tank....

2014-02-16T15:09:22+00:00

OH woe is me... I was given to believe that the design I posted was a VM column.. I want to build a VM rather than a LM. When I searched for a Vm still this is/was one of the designs that come up. So where am I going wrong??

Any pointers to a VM column plans/design...I would gratefully receive.

Statistics: Posted by Icefever — Sun Feb 16, 2014 3:09 pm

Re: Copper hot water tank....

2014-02-16T15:04:53+00:00

-----------------------

fuf wrote:
for the info. I am still lost as to what LM and VM design is though.

------------------------

With liquid management (LM) you have a method of collecting the condensed vapour from the reflux condenser (slanted plates and the cup as shown in an earlier post are 2 examples of this). Which ever method you are using they are designed to overflow back into the column packing giving you the reflux.

There will be a takeoff output probably with a needle valve to draw off this condensed distillate as product.

With Vapour Management (VM), you use a large valve to draw off vapour, which then needs to be condensed using a condenser separate from the reflux condenser.

Here is my VM\LM combo VM on the left, LM take off on the right. This is a slanted plate style.

Statistics: Posted by Capt-Cudellez — Sun Feb 16, 2014 3:04 pm

Re: Copper hot water tank....

2014-02-16T14:51:33+00:00

for the info. I am still lost as to what LM and VM design is though.

Statistics: Posted by fuf — Sun Feb 16, 2014 2:51 pm

Re: Copper hot water tank....

2014-02-16T12:38:22+00:00

Just to clarify things, I think there are two different subjects here.

Icefever is talking about a LM design which works fine, Aidanmac is talking about a VM which did not.

If everyone understood that without me butting in - tough.

Statistics: Posted by YHB — Sun Feb 16, 2014 12:38 pm

Re: Copper hot water tank....

2014-02-16T09:40:18+00:00

My frustration with that design really got to me. After all the hard work, to find that it didn't do what it said on the tin really got my goat

The sad part is that having fixed the problem I then discovered that I have no need for a reflux column and it's now laid out in a storage box never to be used again

AM

Statistics: Posted by Almanac — Sun Feb 16, 2014 9:40 am

Re: Copper hot water tank....

2014-02-16T05:42:24+00:00

Ahhh I think I see a light at the end of the tunnel, in the plans the top condenser shell is 9"long but it's fitted straight into the top reducer. So you think that if that top shell was, say 20" with an 8" condenser that may work??.

I'm willing to give it a shot and build this model, for a first time build it's straight forward and I know it will teach me about the art of distilling.

Surfing the net you find loads of folks that have made these stills, I loved building my brewery, but it's been changed about 3 times, hopefully for the better.. but I'm always willing to take on board whatever I'm told by anyone who's been doing this hobby longer.

Statistics: Posted by Icefever — Sun Feb 16, 2014 5:42 am

Re: Copper hot water tank....

2014-02-15T19:44:42+00:00

In theory, the reducer at the top of the column is supposed to increase turbulence and add a little extra speed to the vapour. In reality it actually prevented the vapour getting out through the take off valve. I elected to reconstruct mine without the reducer and it worked brilliantly.

I could have taken another path and raised to condenser so that the bottom of the coil was at least 12 inches above the take off valve, I think that might have worked too. The cooling effect from the condenser coil extends quite a bit below the coil.

AM

Statistics: Posted by Almanac — Sat Feb 15, 2014 7:44 pm

Re: Copper hot water tank....

2014-02-15T16:35:44+00:00

That's got me thinking now AM....I've been reading up on so much just lately my brain hurts..

What I've noticed about this column is the top 4 joints are a push fit, so it should be easy to redo if I have to.....not that I want that.

Statistics: Posted by Icefever — Sat Feb 15, 2014 4:35 pm

Re: Copper hot water tank....

2014-02-15T12:33:50+00:00

I did something like that. here's the book I posted on the build download/file.php?id=22

It didn't work very well and I had to re-work the design as you can see in this thread viewtopic.php?f=15&t=2587

AM

Statistics: Posted by Almanac — Sat Feb 15, 2014 12:33 pm