DIY rectified column. Moonshine still or distillation column - which is better to buy?

Important! The sponge attachment should be made of stainless steel. You can check it with a magnet: it attracts stainless steel.

The selection unit is a small piece of pipe between the drawer and the reflux condenser. Its purpose is to collect phlegm: first the “heads” come out, that is, the harmful alcohol fractions, then the “body” comes out, or alcohol without taste and unpleasant odor.
Everyone makes a homemade selection unit differently, but according to the same principle. Eg:

• to the outer pipe, the diameter of which corresponds to the diameter of the drawer, a tube of a smaller diameter is welded from the inside so that a pocket is formed between them along the circumference, where part of the reflux will be collected;
• Instead of a tube, a stainless plate is welded inside, corresponding to the inner diameter of the pipe, with a round hole inside: part of the reflux will collect on the plate, and part will fall through the hole back into the drawer.

Video: do-it-yourself selection unit Outside, two holes are made in the pipe for two fittings: a tap is attached to one to remove reflux, and a thermometer is inserted into the other (smaller) to measure the temperature of the steam.

The top of the structure is the reflux condenser. Here the steam cools, condenses and is directed downwards in the form of droplets.
You can make several options for reflux condensers with your own hands:

1. Jacket or direct-flow dephlegmator made from two pipes of different diameters. Running water circulates between them, and inside the smaller pipe the steam turns into condensate. The outer pipe can easily be replaced by a thermos body, the neck of which is screwed to the extraction unit. In the bottom of the thermos, you must make a hole for the TCA, that is, a communication tube with the atmosphere, through which light unnecessary vapors will escape.

   Video: operating principle of a direct-flow dephlegmator

2. Dimroth reflux condenser more efficient than the previous model. The body is a pipe of the same diameter as the drawer. Inside it there is a thin tube, twisted in a spiral, in which it moves cold water. If the diameter of the drawer is 50 mm, then the spiral needs to be twisted from a tube with a diameter of 6 mm and a length of 3 m. Then the length of the reflux condenser will be 25-35 cm.

   Video: assembly of a distillation column with a Dimroth reflux condenser

3. Shell and tube dephlegmator consists of several pipes: small ones are attached inside the large one, in which steam condensation occurs. This model has several advantages: water is used economically and steam is quickly cooled. In addition, this structure can be attached to the column at an angle, which reduces its height.

   Video: operating principle of a shell-and-tube reflux condenser

Fridge

A small refrigerator, or aftercooler, is needed to reduce the temperature of the ethylene flowing from the extraction unit. It is made according to the principle of a jacket reflux condenser, but from tubes of a smaller diameter.

It also has two passages for water: cold liquid enters the lower one, it leaves the upper one and is directed through silicone tubes up to the dephlegmator for the same purpose.

The water speed is controlled by the tap.

Video: how to make a refrigerator for a distillation column with your own hands

Pasteurization is not mandatory element columns. On the one hand, it complicates the main design. But on the other hand, it improves it, since it more thoroughly purifies alcohol from the main fractions throughout the entire rectification.

This is a smaller drawer (30 cm) with an additional selection unit. It complements the main drawer. “Heads”, as usual, come out of the reflux condenser, but not only at the beginning, but constantly.

The alcohol is collected from the lower selection of a small drawer. This ensures maximum purity of the alcohol.

Automation

The long rectification process can last for hours. At the same time, it must be constantly monitored so that the “heads” and “tails” do not accidentally mix with the “body”. It will not be so tedious if you install good automation to control rectification. The BUR (distillation control unit) is designed for this purpose. The block can do the following:

• turn on the cooling water at a certain temperature;
• reduce power during reflux extraction;
• stop selection at the end of the process;
• turn off the water and heating after finishing sampling the tail section.

You can automate the process by installing a “start-stop” valve: when the temperature rises, it stops the selection, when it stabilizes, it resumes the selection.

You can do without automation, but it is much easier with it.

Video: automation for a distillation column

Advantages:

• the finished product is pure alcohol 96% without harmful impurities;
• in the distillation mode, you can make moonshine with the desired organoleptic properties;
• ethyl alcohol can become the basis of any alcoholic drink;
• You can design a device for this yourself.

Flaws:

• ethylene does not have the organoleptic properties of the original product;
• the rectification process is very long: in an hour you can get no more than 1 liter of distillate;
• ready-made structures are very expensive.

Which material is preferable

Rectification is intended for maximum purification of alcohol from various impurities. The parts that make up the column should not affect the quality or taste of the product. Therefore, the material must be chemically inert, not susceptible to rust and not affecting the taste and smell of the distillate.

Best fit food grade stainless steel, that is, chromium-nickel stainless steel. It is chemically neutral and does not affect the composition of the product in any way.

The distillation column can be called a new generation moonshine still, because it produces alcohol best quality. Making this device with your own hands is quite difficult. But if you make an effort, then festive table natural and delicious will always top alcoholic drink homemade.

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Beginning moonshiners usually prefer distillers. But the more experience, the more you want to get a perfect product - devoid of fusel oils and as strong as possible.

Moonshiners who are not practically familiar with the work of the Republic of Kazakhstan have a prejudice. They believe that the distillation column takes away the smell of the original product. This is only partly true.

It all depends on the purpose, and the column is operated in different ways: to obtain rectified alcohol or a pure and fortified distillate.

Distillation column appearance — tall pipe , vertically rising above the distillation cube. Indispensable components:

• A food-grade stainless steel pipe with a height of no lower than 1 and no higher than 1.5 meters. Industrial ones have dimensions that are thousands of times larger than those indicated.
• Dephlegmator - the upper part of the pipe with a water jacket.
• Attachments: RPN or kitchen weeding scrapers made of stainless steel, as well as (not always) SPN-spirals of equal diameter and height.
• Thermometer. Or better yet, two: one in a cube, the second in a column.
• Tube for connection to the atmosphere.
• A direct-flow refrigerator that finally condenses the alcohol vapor coming from the column.
• Connecting elements and pipes for connecting/draining water for cooling.
• Column insulation in the compartment where heat and mass transfer occurs (desirable, but not required).

Calculation of system parameters

Calculation is necessary to ensure that the column produces a product with a strength of up to 95°, free of fusel and other impurities. At the same time, it did not choke and had an optimal transfer speed.

Attention. Any of the distillation columns on the market and homemade ones have a distillation speed several times lower than.

This is due to the need for repeated evaporation of the alcohol-containing liquid.

Productivity and quality of work depend on:

• height and diameter of the drawer;
• correct calculations by nozzle;
• heating power;
• volume of the distillation cube.

Pipe and nozzle dimensions

To ensure the correct strengthening and separating properties, regardless of the internal cross-section, the acceptable height of the drawer is considered to be 1 - 1.5 m. These parameters have been determined by numerous experiments.

At a lower altitude, it will not be possible to protect against fusels breaking through into the finished product, that is, it will not be possible to achieve the proper purity of selection. If you make the height larger, this does not give best performance and even on the contrary, it increases the number of head fractions. Simply put - Every extra centimeter of the column reduces the separating ability device and negatively affects the transfer speed.

Acceptable parameters of the internal diameter of the pipe – 28-52 mm. These are the sizes used in the production of household RKs.

There is a formula: productivity, measured in milliliters of product per hour of operation, and power (Watts) are equal to the cross-sectional area (cross-section) of the pipe in square meters. mm, that is, directly proportional to its diameter squared.

When choosing or constructing a column, calculate the diameter (internal). If there are large deviations, it will not work correctly.

Nozzle

It not only increases the contact of alcohol-containing steam with reflux, it must be tied to a specific column. For home use, nozzles are selected that have a contact surface of 1.5 - 4 m2 per liter of rectified product.

If you take more, the purification will improve, but the already low distillation speed will drop. If you take less than 1.5 sq.m., then the separation and strengthening will fall, resulting in pure alcohol.

When using only on-load tap-changers, usually twisted sheets are inserted one above the other from below - from the cube to the selection unit. The ratio of SPN to internal diameter is selected 13-15 times smaller. That is, with a wire thickness of 0.25 mm, the diameter of the SPN is matched to a 50 mm pipe - 3.5x3.5; 40 mm – 3x3; 28-32 mm – 2x2.

Attention. Different attachments are used for different tasks.

For example, when distilling grain raw materials, it is advisable to use copper on-load tap-changers or spn-on-load tap-changers, rings, and saddle-shaped attachments. For rectification – RPN+SPN, cut wire wool.

Selecting the volume of the distillation cube

Rectification is carried out after the first distillation, when raw alcohol is obtained. 40-degree liquid is poured. The amount of nozzle to prevent fusel from getting into the finished product is calculated from 10 to 20 volumes of alcohol-containing strong liquid per cube.

It is allowed to fill only 2/3 with raw alcohol, then the container should be selected based on the drawer used. Calculations for a 1.5-meter column with a pipe diameter:

• 50 mm – no less than 30, no more than 60 liters. You need a container of 40-80 liters;
• 40 mm – from 17 to 34 l. Cube up to 50 liters;
• 32 mm – from 10 to 20 l. Cube up to 30 liters;
• 28 mm – up to 14 l. Requires a cube of up to 18 liters.

With minimal volumes, you can take a pipe with a length of not 1.5, but 1-1.2 m.

What to heat with and at what power?

Rectification is not distillation, in which heating on tiles of various industrial manufactures and even wood heating is possible. For RK it is necessary to perform several mandatory conditions:

• ensuring the fastest possible heating;
• the ability to finely adjust the heating for high-quality separation of alcohol into fractions;
• safety – protection from ignition and explosion, taking into account the fact that the cube contains not low-alcohol mash, but strong raw alcohol.

In this regard, it is necessary to select a heating source from many options taking into account these requirements:

1. Wood burning stove. It is rejected unconditionally, since it does not meet any of the requirements.
2. Gas burner. Not suitable because the heat cannot be precisely adjusted and there is a high risk of explosion.
3. Electric stove does not correspond for the reason that it works on the principle of completely stopping heating and resuming after the temperature drops to a critical point (remember the “clicks” made by an electric stove). When the power supply is interrupted, the reflux will not drain gradually, as provided by the technology, but will collapse and rectification simply will not take place or it will have to be started again - with a different heating source.
4. Induction cooker can be used with some reserve. It is impossible to smoothly change the power, and proper rectification requires a smooth change, no more than 10 W at a time.
5. heating element with regulation, voltage stabilization and smooth heating change by 5-10 W - this is optimal solution. This is what the RK should be equipped with.

When selecting power, keep in mind: to quickly heat the cube, you need a kilowatt heating element for every 10 liters of liquid. That is:

• For a 50 liter (it contains 40 liters), a 4 kilowatt heating element is required.
• 40 l (optimally 30 l) – 3 kilowatt.
• 30 (up to 23 l) – 2.5 kW.
• 20-25 (15-20 l) – 1.5 kW.

Dephlegmator calculations

They are determined based on the type of column. When selecting alcohol below the reflux condenser, the best choice- Dimroth reflux condenser with a power of up to 5 Watts per square cm.

If the extraction is higher than the reflux condenser, then the power can be up to 2 Watts. Both Dimrot and “shirt maker” are used.

For example, if you have a drawer of 50 mm, then for Dimroth a tube of 6 cm (internal cross-section) up to 50 mm in length is sufficient (with an exact calculation - 48.7). The shirt can be made from a 52 mm pipe with a length of 39 cm.

Achievement required power in the table:

Calculation of a once-through refrigerator

If the direct flow is an aftercooler in a refrigeration system with liquid extraction, a 30-centimeter “jacket” on the extraction tube is sufficient. Usually the water drainage is connected to the supply to the dephlegmator.

Another thing is if you intend to use the RK as a distiller, then make a shirtmaker based on distillation needs.

Without burdening you with obscure details, we note that in order to maintain the turbulence of steam movement, take inner diameter pipes corresponding to the heating power multiplied by 6. Diameter - in mm, power in kW.

Between the walls of the pipe and the jacket, 1.5 mm is enough for free movement of water.

Important. When creating a direct-flow refrigerator, wind a wire with such a diameter onto the inner pipe that the spiral does not reach the inner surface of the shirt by 0.3 mm.

The spiral is wound in increments of 2-3 diameters of the internal (steam) pipe. It prevents wall deformation, improves cooling and protects against the formation of “ dead zones due to thermal expansion.

It is customary to use pairs of pipes for refrigerators with a wall thickness of 1 mm:

• 10mm-14mm;
• 12mm-16mm;
• 14mm-18mm;
• 16mm-20mm;
• 20 mm – 25 mm. In this case, a pipe thickness of 25 mm requires 1.5 mm.

The length of the direct-flow refrigerator is 50-75 cm.

Based on the above calculations, with the right approach you will get a productive rectifier, the quality of which is even higher than its industrial analogues. But if you decide to buy a ready-made column, you can check whether its parameters meet the requirements.

Useful videos

Do-it-yourself distillation column for a moonshine still - theory, practice, drawings and diagrams:

Distillation column is complex technical device. It is more difficult to make than a regular moonshine still. But it is doable at home. And although distillation columns are freely sold, not everyone has the opportunity to purchase them. Moreover, at home, especially in rural areas, is full of improvised materials from which you can make a workable structure and enjoy your own homemade drink. Self-construction will cost about 2-3 times cheaper than a purchased mini-distillery.

Components of the structure

The homemade device has the same functional parts as its factory counterpart. The column structure consists of the following elements:

• Frame.
• Dephlegmator (refrigerator).
• Nozzles
• Thermal insulating material.
• Electronic assistants.

The moonshine still as a whole additionally contains:

• Coil.

If you make your own distillation column correctly, it can be installed on any tank with a capacity of 20 liters or more. The optimal volume is in the range from 20 to 50 liters, as the calculation shows. When using a tank of a smaller volume, the column will only be able to be heated to operating temperature and half of the possible product yield will be obtained.

Tank usage optimal volume makes it easier to set the optimal temperature. This parameter during rectification is the main one for the production of a quality product. In addition, preparing to distill 2-3 liters of moonshine will take the same amount of time as 8-10 liters. Why use time inefficiently when you can waste more? In addition, this reduces the cost of the product.

Column operating principle

The mash is poured into a cube, which is heated. As a result, alcohol-containing vapor is released.. The vapor is lighter than the liquid and rises to the top of the column. There is a reflux condenser, which is cooled by running water. As a result, the steam condenses and flows down, but along the way it hits special elements. At the same time, the mash continues to boil, and its vapors flow upward, where they mix with the condensate. This continuous process called rectification. A home-made moonshine still is no worse: a do-it-yourself distillation column will have the same properties as a factory product, subject to the design parameters.

As a result of rectification, the condensate, which is called reflux, is saturated with vapor. And steam, on the contrary, is saturated with phlegm. As a result of this exchange, the lightest vapor particles, which have a high concentration of alcohol, rise upward. Its boiling point is lower than water. From the top of the column, alcohol vapors are discharged into a reflux condenser for purification and saturation, and then into the refrigerator. The result is pure moonshine.

Features of the still

A container suitable for the distillation cube, which will respond to the following queries:

• Consists of stainless steel.
• It has a suitable volume - 15−20 liters.

Beginners use a pressure cooker, but optimal performance columns require a larger capacity.

Heating of the cube:

• Electricity.
• Gas.

Many will decide to install the cube on kitchen stove, but the height of the column may interfere. Therefore, it is optimal to place the cube on the floor. Accordingly, it is better to heat the mash with electricity.

It is easier to regulate the power of electric heating. For this purpose, I installed a heating element in the cube, and took the voltage regulator from an old TV. The Chatelier principle works - with greater heating, fusel oils enter the body of the product. They are dangerous. Therefore, you need to monitor the heating, and automation copes with this better.

Note! Having a smooth adjustment of the mash heating power will make life much easier. Otherwise, get from the device stable operation will be impossible.

Application automatic systems control is not absolutely necessary. To do this, it is better to increase your moonshine brewing experience. Therefore, at first, a simple mash heating power regulator is sufficient.

But with time you can automate the process. In addition, many people are sorely short of time. And the automation system in this case - good help. The process of brewing moonshine will proceed with minimal human intervention. A ready-made technical solution that will prevent tailings from getting into the product can be purchased at a specialized store. The task of such a system is to shut off the selection of rectified product at the moment when the temperature in the column ceases to be optimal.

Construction and assembly of the structure

The issue of self-manufacturing a distillation column is half considered. Now you need to take on the main components of the structure.

The rectification system drawer consists of:

• Pipes that have insulation and a nozzle.
• Dephlegmator. Includes product selection unit, cooling jacket and temperature sensor.
• Connections for external communication.

Alcohol is a volatile substance that is highly flammable. At the top of the column there is a hole for communication with the atmosphere. You can't leave it open. You need to insert a tube into it and put a rubber tube on it. You can also use a tourniquet.

The end of the tube should be lowered into a container of water.. The presence of bubbles will indicate whether the alcohol vapor is spreading outside the device. At excess pressure, and it occurs due to overheating, this will help avoid an accident.

Column tube

This is the nozzle itself for the column. Here the process of interaction between cold phlegm and hot steam occurs. To increase the contact area of ​​these substances, a filler is used. The most common filler is metal scourers for washing dishes. But any stainless steel wire will do. The packing density is about 250 g per 1 liter of column volume.

Note! When using washcloths as a filler, you need to make sure of their quality - boil a piece of washcloth in saline solution. If the product is made of a metal other than stainless steel, then signs of corrosion will appear. It is necessary to cut the product before testing - manufacturers are cunning and sometimes only apply protective layer made of stainless steel. The internal structure must be exposed.

Pipe size:

• The minimum diameter is 32 mm.
• The length of the requirement affects the quality of the separations into fractions. The longer, the better the separation.
• The optimal height is 40−60 diameters.
• The minimum height is at least 20 diameters.

The outside of the pipe is wrapped with a thermal insulating layer.

In order for the filler to be securely fixed inside the pipe, a stainless steel mesh should be placed on top and bottom of it. The pipe must have a thread for fastening from below to the distillation cube, and from above - for connection to the dephlegmator.

Ideally, the height should be 1.5 m. This will allow you to obtain pure alcohol. Standard version - 2 drawers, 80 cm each.

I fill the apparatus with washcloths and secure them with a tea strainer. At the same time, the pressure does not jump. Output rate - up to 1 liter per hour. Distillation is not as difficult as it seems.

Dephlegmator

Light fractions condense in the reflux condenser. The device may have different designs. In practice, the simplest is a direct-flow dephlegmator. It is also called a shirt or refrigerator capacitor. There are drawings of a reflux condenser on the Internet, but it is easier to make the option described below.

The design is made of two pipes, which have different diameters and are inserted into one another. A cooling jacket is installed between them.

Components:

• Fittings for inlet and outlet of cooling water.
• At the top there is a tube for communication with the atmosphere.
• At the bottom there is a fitting for selecting the product.

Note! To ensure that the quality of the product does not suffer, use only silicone tubes and gaskets as a tapping fitting and seal.

The material for making the reflux condenser can be an old thermos or ordinary stainless pipes. Inner pipe equal in diameter to the nozzle tube. If you don’t have welding equipment at hand, use a soldering iron.

Note! Experts recommend using copper or titanium for moonshine stills. The thing is that copper absorbs sulfur oxide, and this improves the properties of moonshine. But this material is expensive, and it is difficult to work with it at home without welding.

The product selection unit is a washer that is welded into the inner tube of the reflux condenser. Located below. The selection unit must contain the following holes:

• For the sampling tube.
• For the thermometer when using it.

For experienced users, a thermometer may not be needed. But for beginners it is advisable to install it. The operating range of the column is 45−55 degrees of cooling water. You can measure the temperature at the junction of the reflux condenser and the drawer. Then the indicators should be around 77-81 degrees.

Before the end of the pasture, the temperature usually fluctuates.

For effective cooling, a screw spiral should be used. Then running water will flow around the dephlegmator better.

Choosing a refrigerator

Note! Using a Dimroth refrigerator is not advisable. The design differs in that substances with a low boiling point can bypass the cooling zone. A dim rotary refrigerator is good for those liquids that boil at temperatures above 160 degrees.

An air cooler should not be used. Cooling in this case will be ineffective. This would be the case if a steam tank was attached to the distillation column. But in this type of device it is not needed.

A laboratory glass cooler is an ideal alternative. It can be purchased at any laboratory glassware store. To regulate the rate of product selection, the tube from the reflux condenser to the refrigerator should be equipped with a tap. You can use a faucet clamp.

Connection sequence:

• Bottom of the refrigerator.
• Fridge.
• Top of the refrigerator.
• Top of the reflux condenser.
• Dephlegmator.
• Bottom of the reflux condenser.
• Stock.

Cooling running water will move along this route. It is important that it enters the reflux condenser jacket warm.

The ideal design of a moonshine still with fusel oil separation is distillation column. If the temperature conditions are observed, you can obtain the purest product. But it will be deprived of its original taste.

But in a regular moonshine still - a distiller - you can get moonshine with a pronounced bouquet. For this purpose, a steam tank is used in the design. But there is a nuance - with a bouquet of aromas, moonshine distillate may contain impurities of fusel oils.

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On next stage you can do heating element the entire apparatus. For this you can use a regular boiler. Having retreated some distance from the end of the wire, so that it is enough to reach the device, you need to cut off a part, you will have to screw everything back afterwards. The ends of the cord from the boiler must be threaded so that when the lid is closed, the element is inside the body. After stripping the wires, they need to be connected back

It is important to take care of high-quality insulation.

The boiler should not touch the bottom; it is advisable that it be completely covered with liquid during operation. Into the same hole through which the boiler cord passes, you need to insert the long end of the coil for the apparatus. The remaining gaps between the tube and the cord must be filled with pieces of cotton wool, making it quite tight. It is important to achieve the best sealing possible.

The resulting structure made of cotton wool must be filled with superglue, which is made on a cyanoacrylic base. This will allow you to obtain the most airtight connection using composite materials. After the glue hardens, you will be able to get a tight, strong connection. All that remains is to make something like a casing for the fan so that the air washes over the fins of the heat exchanger, represented by a coil.

To make the casing, you can use Tetra-Pak packaging. If you are making a moonshine still, then you can use the technology presented in the article. You need to cut a rectangle from the packaging, the width of which will correspond to the dimensions of the fan. These elements will be used to cover the fan on 3 sides. The end of the coil needs to be brought to the fourth side in order to drain the moonshine. In the remaining side wall you need to make a hole for this part of the tube and glue it with the superglue used earlier. The walls can be glued together with tape. When it is necessary to ensure maximum safety, it should be covered with a transparent protective screen.

On this we can assume that mash column ready. Can be used as a power source for the fan computer unit nutrition. To turn it on without using the motherboard, you need to connect the black wire with the green one. Experts use more compact 12-volt sources, which you can find yourself.

Calculation of parameters and selection of materials

Before you begin assembling the column, you should decide on the dimensions and other characteristics of the apparatus.

1. Tsar heightIf previously distillation columns were multi-meter structures, today home distillers use compact options - about 1.5 meters long. Main principle which should be used to guide the calculation of dimensions is as follows: the height of the pipe should be equal to approximately 50 of its diameters. Slight deviations in one direction or the other are allowed. However, the length of the drawer cannot be less than 1 meter. Otherwise, some of the fusel oils will be selected, and difficulties will arise with the separation of fractions. Increasing the height of the column over 1.5 meters does not significantly affect the quality of the product, but lengthens the hauling time. In addition, placing such a structure at home will be problematic. Optimal sizes pipes: length – 1.3-1.4 m, diameter – 3–5 cm.
2. Material and wall thickness The ideal option for the drawer is food-grade stainless steel: it does not in any way affect the composition of the drinks. Copper will also work. Optimal thickness the walls are within 1–2 mm. More is possible, but it will make the structure heavier and increase costs without bringing much benefit. In addition, it is worth remembering that you will have to make holes in the walls.
3. Type and parameters of nozzles The easiest way to use household stainless steel sponges as a contact element is to use them to clean dishes. To check the quality of the metal, you can soak the product in a salt solution and leave it in it for a day: good product will not rust. Alternative options are glass balls, stones of certain types, metal shavings. The packing density is 250–270 g of contact element per 1 liter of column volume.
4. Volume of the cube The distillation container is filled 2/3, and the amount of alcohol-containing liquid should correspond to 10–20 volumes of the nozzle. For a column with a diameter of 5 cm, it is optimal to use a tank of 40–80 l, for a width of 4 cm – 30–50 l.
5. Heating source It is not recommended to use gas, electric or induction cooker. The first option is dangerous, the others do not allow for uniform heat supply. The best option is electric heating using heating elements, which can be installed into the cube yourself. The power of the elements depends on the volume of the cube: for 50 liters at least 4 kW is required, for 40 liters - at least 3 kW, etc.
6. Type of thermal insulation material It must withstand high temperatures, be chemically inert. Typically, foam rubber 3–5 mm thick, fluoroplastic or silicone (but not rubber!) gaskets are used.
7. Docking optionIf used threaded connections, sealant may be required. It is better to give preference to putting elements on top of each other.

Design selection

The size and design of the device depends on a number of factors:

1. Required performance. with higher productivity, the padded drawer will be higher and wider - the pair passes more. The cooler and extraction unit must also provide sufficient efficiency. The minimum length of the drawer is 1.5 meters, it is better to make it collapsible from three bends - 1 meter, 0.2 meters, 0.5 meters. this will allow the device to be used for both distillation and rectification.
2. Possible sizes. Often home distillation columns are limited in size due to ceiling height. Shifting the dimrot refrigerator in the upper part of the apparatus, or placing it perpendicular to the drawer (Thor's hammer) will help save space.
3. Access to metalworking technologies. A stainless steel device will last a long time and will not oxidize alcohol, but to connect the parts you will need argon welding or stainless steel electrodes. Cooking stainless steel is difficult. If possible, you can use laboratory heat-resistant glass, but it is too fragile. Great option for the homemaker - copper. It solders easily gas burner, on sale a large number of
4. Volume of refilled raw materials. The larger the cube used, the higher the productivity should be. Evaporation of alcohol occurs at 75 - 80 °C; lowering the temperature will reduce the speed of the process.
5. Budget. With a minimum budget, you need to consider a simple, but efficient design with mechanical adjustments. If the budget is not tight, the device is supplemented with precision needle taps, additional components and automatic control.

This article brings to your attention a version of a distillation column assembled from available materials, With reflux condenser made from an ordinary household thermos. A thermos with a volume of 0.5 or 0.75 liters is an almost ready-made dephlegmator, which significantly simplifies the design and reduces the amount of work. The productivity of the column for rectified alcohol is 1-1.5 l/hour, depending on the diameter of the pipe. Some column elements will require turning work to produce them. As an evaporation container (distillation cube, hereinafter simply a cube), for raw alcohol (moonshine), you can use any suitable size, starting from two liters, the upper limit is not limited. The cube can be heated in any way, but for safety reasons, you should try, if possible, not to use an open fire for heating.

To make a column you will need:

Tools and equipment you will need:

During operation of the column, to control temperature conditions and tracking the order in which factions are released, you will need:

thermometer up to 100 g

You can use a mercury thermometer with a division value of 0.5 g, or in extreme cases 1 g. Or better yet, with an accuracy of 0.1 g. Inexpensive can be used multimeter with thermometer function.

You will also need it to measure the pressure drop in the cube, although you can do without it.

To supply and discharge coolant, you will need a flexible hose or hose with a diameter of 5-6 mm.

To select the resulting distillate, a diameter of 5-6 mm will be required.

And so, if you want to independently make a column to obtain pure 96% alcohol, then go ahead to the store to purchase the above materials and the missing tools.

To do this, first of all, we’ll take the pipe to a turner so that he can cut off the centimeters we don’t need from the pipe, carefully remove the chamfers and thus trim off the edges of the pipe. If you don’t have a turner, it doesn’t matter, we cut it evenly with a metal hacksaw, as much as necessary, trying to maintain the cutting plane at an angle of 90 degrees to the body of the pipe. To do this, you can evenly wrap the pipe at the cut site with electrical tape and cut along its edge. Then, using a flat file, we align the edges of the cut and remove the burrs. Use a round file to process the inside of the cut. Then we polish sandpaper, in order to prepare the surface for further soldering. Next, we will need to make an adapter to connect the pipe to the lid of the cube, as well as a distillate selection unit. If there is a turner, then we order these parts from him. The adapters should be tightly inserted at one end from the inside or put on from the outside of the pipe. This will depend on the diameter of the pipe itself and the ability to machine or obtain an adapter for this diameter. On the other hand, the adapter must have carving . The thread can be metric, inch or pipe. It is preferable to make the thread pitch no less than 1.5 and no more than 2. If you don’t have a turner, you’ll have to buy an adapter at a plumbing store. 1" or 1¼" adapters will fit depending on the pipe diameter. It is better to take a brass adapter, not nickel-plated, so that it can be lighter and then tinned. But with the selection unit it is more difficult; you will have to improvise on the go, depending on the available parts and the configuration of the neck of the thermos. You can select suitable parts at a plumbing store and, by fitting them together and then soldering them, assemble a selection unit. Then you need to make support washers for nozzle. The diameter of the washer should be such that it ensures a tight fit of the washer into the pipe. The holes in the washer should be drilled as often as possible and have a diameter of at least 3 and no more than 4 mm. Insert a washer into the pipe on one side to the desired depth. Next, you need to solder an adapter to the pipe to connect it to the lid of the cube. To do this, you need a soldering iron, solder (or better yet, pure tin, it does not contain lead) and soldering acid. First, we clean the intended soldering areas on the pipe and adapter with sandpaper or a file. Then we apply soldering acid and heat it with a soldering iron with a drop of tin. Additionally, you can warm up the soldering area with a gas torch. As it warms up, the tin will begin to melt and spread. Thus, you need to tin the entire surface of the adapter to be soldered, as well as the surface that will come into contact with alcohol (but this is only if the adapter is not made of stainless steel). There is no need to tin the stainless steel adapter. Remove excess tin deposits while hot using a rag from natural material(not synthetics). Then insert the tinned adapter into a pipe tinned in the same way and heat the soldering area with a soldering iron, or better yet, with a gas burner. The tin will melt and securely fix the parts together. Then we start making column nozzles . Next, pour the nozzle into the pipe, periodically shaking the pipe slightly to ensure even placement of the nozzle. No need to shake too hard. Thus, we fill the pipe to the very top. We insert another support washer for the nozzle into the pipe. Then we insert the tinned end of the extraction unit and heat the soldering area (naturally, the second end of the pipe is also tinned). We put a heat insulator on the pipe required diameter and at this point the manufacture of the distillation part of the column can be considered completed.

To do this, you need to clean the bottom of the thermos with sandpaper.

Make something like a bracket out of a strip of tin.

Then make a kind of loop out of steel wire, insert it into the hole in the bracket and twist it with pliers.

Clamp the other end of the wire in a vice or nail it to the wall. Take the thermos with both hands, move it away from you and pull it hard. The lid (bottom) should come off. It should be mentioned that some of the bottoms are set loosely and fly off quite easily, and some require very great effort and sometimes the bracket at the soldering site comes off, but the bottom remains in place. In this case, you need to increase the contact area between the bottom and the surface bracket, solder these parts again and try again.

Needs to be trimmed around the perimeter Weld, connecting the lid and the flask. It is better to do this on an emery machine.

But you can also use a drill attachment. You need to grind as evenly as possible and watch for the appearance of a small, barely visible gap between the lid and the flask.

You need to grind until a gap appears around the entire circumference.

After this, the lid is easily removed from the flask. Another flask will be visible under the lid.

If necessary, you can also remove it by sanding the weld seam around the perimeter.

After which the inner flask is easily removed from the outer one.

As a result of all the manipulations to disassemble the thermos, we have two separate flasks.

But if no modifications are provided for in the design of the thermos, then you should not remove the inner flask from the outer one. To make a reflux condenser, it is enough to remove the bottom and vacuum cover and gain access to the inner flask. Next, in the inner flask, in the center, on the back side, you need to drill a hole for a tube for communication with the atmosphere. Clean and then tin the soldering area, both the flask and the tube. Then insert the tube into the hole and solder it securely. The hole must be of such a diameter that the tube can be inserted into it with tension. This will make soldering easier. When soldering, try not to allow solder to flow onto inner side flasks. Then also drill a hole in the center of the bottom and tin the soldering area, tin the mating surfaces of the flask and the bottom. Place the bottom on the flask and solder it. Then solder the tube and bottom. Then tin the neck of the thermos and the selection unit. Insert the selection unit into the neck and solder it by heating with a soldering iron or gas torch. Carefully, without damaging the inner flask, drill holes in the outer flask at the bottom and top for the cooling water inlet and outlet pipes. Tin, insert tubes and solder. In the distillate sampling unit, drill a hole for the thermometer sleeve. It is advisable to make the sleeve from fluoroplastic. Drill a hole in the bushing to the diameter of the thermometer probe. Insert the bushing into the take-off unit. You also need to drill another hole in the selection unit to select the distillate. Insert the tube and solder. At this point, the manufacture of the reflux condenser can be considered complete. Next, you need to thoroughly rinse all soldering areas with a solution of baking soda in water. Then screw the reflux condenser to the column and rinse the entire assembly under running water.

Before using the column for the first time, you should carefully study rectification theory. Then you need to run the column for as long as possible (several hours) without sampling the distillate in order to wash the contaminants remaining after washing with water from the surface of the nozzle, pipe and reflux condenser. After this you can begin to select head fractions into a separate container. These fractions will wash the refrigerator and distillate selection tubes from contaminants. And only after this we begin to select the main one - food fraction . If you don’t understand something from the description, ask questions in reviews and comments. I will try to answer them soon.

Dephlegmator option with removable cover large diameter made from a stainless steel cup

There is also no welding in this option. The bottom needs to be done big hole. The hole should be of such a diameter that a small flask would be difficult to push into it, that is, with as little clearance as possible. I did this with a special drill that I made myself some time ago. Now they are melting (like), they are selling for cutting round holes V ceramic tiles. There is a drill in the center and two more cutters with pobedit soldering along the edges, set these two cutters to the desired diameter and drill at low speeds, pouring water on them. It takes 1-2 minutes. The hole is smooth, without burrs or burrs. But it is advisable to drill on drilling machine, with a drill there is a risk of breaking the incisors or turning out the bottom. If there is neither such a drill nor a machine, then you need to punch it exactly in the center. Take a caliper with a sharp edge and draw a circle of the required diameter, then drill the largest possible drill, then take a cone-shaped drill attachment and bore the hole to the drawn circle, especially at the end you need to be careful so that the hole turns out even. Well, naturally you try it on more often at the end of the boring. This usually takes 15-20 minutes. Next, sand the edges to be tinning until they shine and then tin them. Then you pull the bottom onto the flask with gentle rocking and solder the joint. Further, or rather, this should be done at the very beginning. You also need to drill a large hole in the inner flask. Why is it big, because instead of a lid, a conical stainless steel cup will be inserted there, cut approximately in half; do you know the principle of closing a can of coffee? There is a rather large hole there, but it closes hermetically due to the tension and springy properties of the lid. The same is true here, the cone of the cup fits very tightly into the hole of the flask, and no fluoroplastic or other lids are needed. and through this large hole, firstly, everything is visible what is happening there, and secondly, a hole is drilled in it for a tube that connects to the atmosphere, as well as for a tube into which the thermometer probe is subsequently inserted.