Distillation column for the production of moonshine

Rectification is a complex process of separation of different multicomponent mixtures due to heat exchange between steam and liquid. A similar column, used in everyday life for a moonshine still, is just designed to clean alcohol-containing liquids from fusel oils and other harmful impurities.

Users who need to know the technical parameters, design, as well as the positive and negative properties of this product, need to read our article, where they will find all the answers to their questions.

Principle of operation

A distillation column-type product will help to get almost pure alcohol at home, which can be used not only for moonshine, but also in the production of elite varieties of strong drinks, where there will be no fusel oils, as well as other impurities that are very harmful to our body.

Moonshine still with a column of similar action differs from other handicrafts in higher characteristics. The principle of operation of such a column can be compared with a multi-story building, where on each floor a kind of cleaning and active filtration are performed. The device is also a very powerful capacitor, which works like this:

1. Alcohol vapors are cleaned of fusel oils when passing through a special filler.
2. Vapors collide with condensate and oils precipitate.
3. Then they pass through a refrigerator and a steam tank.
4. At the very end of the process, pasteurization takes place, and alcohol of high purity and great strength comes out.

The distillation process takes place in several stages, but the main advantage here is in the filler, it helps to clean the moonshine from the presence of harmful impurities and sivuhi, thereby improving the taste and ultimate strength.

Design

It is not so complicated, but the dimensions of the individual components must be strictly maintained, otherwise the result will not be as high as the consumer expects.

Distillation cube

Or a container where alcohol-containing raw materials are poured, it should be quite spacious and made of copper, stainless steel or enameled, but without breaking the layer. For a small output, a 5 liter pressure cooker is quite suitable, for more volumetric production it is better to weld a container from a stainless steel sheet.

The main requirement is complete tightness, because with active boiling, the lid should not let steam through, and even more so, the boiling liquid. Excess pressure must bleed the check valve - the finished cube just meets all these requirements. It is important that the volume of the distillation cube for moonshine matches the size of the column.

Tsarga

Or a hollow cylinder made of stainless metal, which will be the body of a distillation column. The wall thickness should be at least 1.5 mm and a diameter of 30-50 mm, its height should be at least 1.0-1.5 m, because the slower the separation of impurities, the cleaner and stronger the final product. If it is short, then the impurities will get into the distiller, and if it is longer, the cleaning process will increase, but this will not affect the efficiency in any way.

Thread is cut from both ends, so that one end is screwed to the cube, and the other is attached to the reflux condenser.The bottom of the drawer should have a mesh that will hold the filler and other nozzles that fill the internal volume of the cylinder. Some specialists with great experience wrap it with foam rubber for insulation.

Nozzles

Filling the insides of the tsar is the main condition for the entire rectification process: if it is hollow, then only distillation will occur, as a result you will get simple moonshine. The purpose of all components of the filler is to multiply the surface area over which phlegm flows.

Heavy impurities precipitate and cannot get into the final product, and alcohol vapors easily penetrate the distiller. The filling can be different, the main thing is that it be made of stainless metal or other inert material:

• ceramic or glass balls;
• kitchen nets made of stainless wire, cut into pieces - after a certain period they need to be changed;
• Rashig, Panchenkov RPN rings are the best options for filling.

The latter option best precipitates fractions and does not require replacement over time.

Distillate selection unit

This is a small piece of stainless steel pipe, its purpose is to collect the remains of phlegm: first there are harmful impurities and fractions, they are called “heads”, then “body” appears - alcohol vapor without taste and unpleasant odor. Home-made devices do everything differently, but there is one principle:

• a pipe of a smaller diameter is welded to the pipe from the inside so that a pocket forms around the circumference, where phlegm will collect;
• sometimes a stainless steel plate is used instead, corresponding to the inner diameter, but with a hole in the middle - part of the phlegm remains on the plate, and part returns back to the tsar.

Outside, two fittings are welded to different openings: a tap is attached to one to remove impurities, and a thermometer is inserted into the other (it is slightly smaller in size) to measure the temperature change of the alcohol vapor.

Outside, two holes are made in the pipe for two fittings: a tap is attached to one to drain phlegm, and a thermometer is inserted into the other (smaller) to measure the temperature of the steam.

Dephlegmator

This part is installed at the very top, it is here that the alcohol vapor is cooled, condensate falls on the walls and gravity goes down. Some craftsmen make such reflux condenser designs:

1. Direct-flow or jacketed is made of two pipes of different diameters. Between them, cold water is constantly circulating, which cools the inner pipe where the steam is.
2. Dimrot's product is more efficient - the pipe with the diameter identical to the drawer is the body. Inside, a tube is twisted into a spiral, and cold water circulates in it. If the diameter of the collet is 50 mm, then the coil is made of a tube of 6 mm and a length of about three meters, then the length of the entire structure will be 25-35 cm.
3. The shell-and-tube version consists of several pipes - smaller pipes are fixed inside large-diameter pipes, where alcohol vapor passes. The performance of this design is excellent and there are many advantages: more economical water consumption, and faster condensation.

The third option is conveniently mounted to the column at an angle, which significantly reduces the overall height.

Water cooler

Such a device can be made independently without any special costs, a water cooler is needed to reduce the temperature of the outlet product. They make it like a jacket reflux condenser, but from pipes of a smaller diameter: it enters the lower water, and enters from the upper one and goes through a silicone hose to the reflux condenser for cooling. The water flow rate is regulated by the pressure from the tap.

Tsar pasteurization

This is an indispensable element of a modern distillation column; one might think that it only complicates the design, but it is not so: it improves it, because a more complete purification of the product from the head fractions takes place. Its size is slightly smaller - 30 cm, it seems to complement the main tsar.

The final, refined product is collected from the lower selection of the tsar, so it has maximum purity.

Automation

Rectification is a rather lengthy process and constantly requires monitoring, so you should install good automation, for example, a rectification control unit or just a drill. His task includes:

• turn on water for cooling;
• reduce the power of the apparatus during filtration;
• when the cleaning process is completed, it stops the selection;
• turn off the flow of water and heating after taking the tail.

Of course, without automation, you can do it yourself if you have extensive experience, and it will be more convenient for beginners to work with it.

Advantages and disadvantages

Modern columns have individual advantages and disadvantages, but the main advantages are as follows:

• allow you to produce high-purity alcohol and strength at home;
• the resulting product does not require re-distillation, there is no unpleasant odor;
• they are equipped with all necessary details and can work independently, without the participation of a moonshine;
• special knowledge is not needed for its use, it is only necessary to ensure that the tubes do not become clogged during the cleaning process;
• help to produce alcohol in industrial volumes, but it depends on the capacity of the product.

Minuses:

• quite a long process in time;
• per hour output no more than one liter;
• finished devices have a very high cost.

Many lovers of home-made strong drink make moonshine in a handicraft way, and save on cleaning, so the result is not quality, but a cloudy liquid with a tart characteristic odor.

The art of choice

When buying such equipment, special attention should be paid to the following points:

1. Material. The best samples are made of inert metal, which under no circumstances will come into contact with alcohol vapors. For this, special stainless steel is ideal - food or medical.
2. Contact items. In home products, special nozzles are used that do not have disadvantages.
3. Dephlegmator. It is located at the top of the column and is designed to cool alcohol-containing vapors.
4. Thermometer - it helps determine the true temperature, which is important when separating fractions from the final product.
5. Pressure relief valve - its presence is necessary for safe operation.
6. Adjustable selection unit. It greatly affects the accuracy of fraction separation. It is removable, so not all models are equipped with it.
7. The cost of the product. You need to familiarize yourself with several models in order to choose the best option for your needs.

Judging by the reviews of real users of such equipment, stainless steel products are preferred, and copper nozzles are used to make homemade strong drink from grapes or grain.

Rating of the best models

Phoenix Sirius 20 liters

• Type: film distillation column
• Material: stainless steel
• Productivity: up to 3 l / h
• Distillation cube volume: 20 l
• Tank wall thickness: 1 mm
• Cube bottom: 2 mm, multilayer
• Type of capacity: pan tank
• Tank Diameter: 280 mm
• Installation height: 107 cm

Mast column "Gorilych" 20/110 / t

• Type: Wash Column
• Material: food grade steel
• Productivity: up to 1.0 l / h
• Distillation cube volume: 20 l
• Tank wall thickness: 1 mm
• Diameter: necks - 110 mm, columns - 42.5 mm
• Installation height: 99 cm
• End product strength: 93%

Good Heat Universal System Source 25 liters

• Type: with a steamer
• Material: AISI 304/430
• Productivity: up to 4 l / h
• Distillation volume: 25 L
• Tank wall thickness: 1.5 mm
• Dimensions of the tank: 250x300 mm
• Neck Diameter: 115 mm
• Installation height: 60 cm

Wayne Wein Pro 20 liters

• Type: Moonshine
• Material: stainless steel
• Productivity: up to 7 l / h
• Distillation cube volume: 20 l
• Thickness: tank walls - 1.5 mm, bottom - 5 mm
• Diameter: tank - 300 mm, neck - 90 mm
• Installation height: 90 cm
• Total weight: 3.1 kg
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pros
• three-pipe refrigerator
• the presence of aromatherapy baskets
• two bimetallic thermometers
• 12 month warranty
Minuses
• not found
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Cuprum & Steel Luxe 10 liters



• Type: Moonshine
• Case: combined (high purity copper + stainless steel)
• Productivity: up to 4 l / h
• Distillation cube volume: 10 l
• Tank wall thickness: 1.5 mm
• Diameter: tank - 230 mm, neck - 120 mm
• Installation height: 0.6m
pros
• build quality
• unique compactness
• material reliability
Minuses
• not found

Cuprum & Steel Star 30 liters



• Type: home brewing machine
• Material: copper + stainless steel
• Productivity: up to 3.5 l / h
• Distillation volume: 30 L
• Tank wall thickness: 1.5 - 2.0 mm
• Tank Size: 300x300x415 mm
• Neck Diameter: 120 mm
• Installation height: 1m
pros
• food grade silicone gaskets
• copper column
• one year warranty
• high quality workmanship
Minuses
• not found

Cuprum & Steel Star-2 40 liters



• Type: Moonshine
• Material: high-purity copper and AISI 430 steel
• Productivity: 4.5 L / h
• Distillation volume: 40 L
• Tank wall thickness: 1.5-2.0 mm
• Tank Size: 350x350x450 mm
• Neck Diameter: 120 mm
• Installation height: 100cm
pros
• flow cooler
• combined material
• high reliability
• the convenience of use
Minuses
• not found

findings

For our moonshiners with long experience, such products are quite expensive, because they are used to saving on everything, especially cleaning. For the new generation who are trying to use only high-quality alcoholic beverages, such installations are of great help, they are cost-effective and economical: receiving 4 liters in one pasture, this is 16 bottles of normal vodka, albeit home-made.