Alcohol column drawings reviews. Do-it-yourself distillation column: reflux condenser. The best material would be

Do-it-yourself distillation column is made on the basis of the scheme. The diagram is needed in order not to make mistakes. It contains not large volumes when compared with other devices that reach 19 meters. A distillation column made at home, its design and the mechanism itself cannot be characterized as easy - it consists of many components. Initially, you should buy a metal tube - its length is ideally about 119-149 cm.

Instead of a reflux condenser, it is allowed to use an ordinary thermos. In addition, you will need:

adapters that will combine the tube with tanks;
Insulation and stainless steel sheet for the production of main washers;
A small reinforcing tube used to drain water;
cooling mechanism.

From the devices you will need a hammer, a drill with a drill, pliers, a file, hard paper, a soldering iron with solder or flux, a transition device into a faucet, a rubber tube of small parameters and a temperature indicator.
A home-made device is produced according to the established scheme. The tube must have the desired length, and its tips must be polished. For the purpose of arranging the tube and the distillate unit, a euro adapter is used. The union of the pipe and the cube should be soldered, and part of the soldering later requires stripping.

Then you need to make metal nozzles that fill the pipe right up to the very top. Now the main washer is introduced into the pipe, a small end of the selection is introduced into it. The section of connecting points is soldered. The next step will be the thermal insulation of the pipe.

A thermos that will be used as a reflux condenser must be considered and removed from the bottom. The inner test tube must be removed from the outside and the vacuum cover of the thermos removed. A passage should be made in the test tube, in the central part of the very bottom of the part and in the main place of its rear edge.
Through the upper passage, you need to mount the pipe and seal it there. Then the base is placed on the cone.

In the outer flask, in addition, holes are made for the tubes for the entry and exit of water. They are located at the top and bottom of the tube. Zones must be fixed. In the distillate extraction unit, it is necessary to make a passage for the purpose of the temperature indicator bushing. The distillation column is created with special care so as not to harm your health.

In our generation, a small distillation column is quite relevant. This device is publicly available to absolutely everyone, and the device requires a little space. Drawing the industrial manufacture of a distillation column is a bit complicated for ordinary people. Nevertheless, the manufacture of alcohol at home occurs quite often, and many people practice it.

The distillation column model needs a large number of trays in order to obtain the highest quality product. This greatly complicates the installation process. To make this kind of apparatus, like a distillation column, with your own hands at home, you will need some details. The cooling mechanism is made from a reddish-yellow tube. In order to do this, it is necessary to wrap the rectifier column with it.

Iron washcloths are made from stainless steel. The period of validity and their reserve of use in the distillation column is quite long. In existing 9.8 cm pipes, you need to take 1 washcloth. It's a good idea to use a medical clip from a dropper, you can take it instead of a tap. The scheme of the distillation column, as a rule, is completed with a tube, for the purpose of interconnection with the environment.

The essence of the column

If we briefly discuss the system of alcohol production and rectification, then this is, in fact, the repeated distillation of the mash, which takes place in special plates. Instead, they usually use all sorts of components. In order to produce alcohol at home, a distillation column with a diameter of 3 to 5 cm, an iron sponge can be used as a connecting component. It is through it that the distillation column for the moonshine will be filled.

During the operation of the distillation column, the distillate smoothly descends to the bottom, and the evaporation rises upward. A rectifier is needed in order to raise degrees. Separate modifications of this device involve the use of a boiler and a cool fluid jet in order to cool. All elements of the device may well be combined with each other using an ordinary soldering tool. Slight differences in volumes in the production of a unit so necessary in the economy will not particularly affect the quality of the product.

However, in order to increase the amount of alcohol, it is necessary to significantly increase the volume of the distillation device, a 1.5 m column tube, guarantees up to 28 liters of alcohol element, in about two days. Upon completion of the production of the apparatus, it is necessary to coat all connections with a detergent. In a similar way, it is allowed to examine the extra holes, if there are bubbles appear. When a water-steam cooler is connected to a tube through which water enters and whether there are holes during operation, it is a column-type system.

All of the above makes it possible to realize what kind of home-made device it is and why people need it at all. With a distillation column, you have the opportunity to get pure alcohol. In addition, we can conclude that it is not at all difficult to create an apparatus with your own hands - you just need to carefully read the instructions. It is also enough to have a strong desire, and the necessary details to create it. Everyone decides for himself what is better - to buy alcohol or make it at home, because there will be no harmful additives in such moonshine, and its quality depends solely on the distillation structure.

Fans of making homemade liquor eventually come to the need to improve quality. The best solution is to obtain pure alcohol and dilute it according to the required recipe.

A distillation column will help you get pure alcohol. More recently, information about home rectification was not available, today a large number of specialized forums and blogs cover in detail the process of home rectification and the construction of related equipment.

Rectification is the process of cleaning alcohol from light ether and heavy fusel components, getting rid of the product from glucose, sugars and acids. The rectification process allows you to get pure ethyl alcohol up to 96 °.

The resulting raw material is used for technical, medical purposes, as well as for the preparation of high-quality alcohol.

Reference. In order to make the device without errors with your own hands, you need to understand the physics and chemistry of rectification processes.

Raw alcohol or mash is heated in a cube. Vapors rise along the side, the heaviest parts condense at the bottom of the packing and flow into the cube. Vapors rise more easily above the packing, condense and flow into the cube. A new portion of vapor rises, heats the already flowing phlegm, light fractions evaporate from it - the fundamental principle of heat and mass transfer comes into force.

The lightest particles reach the Dimroth refrigerator, where they cool and drain. When the vapors in the distillation column "lined up" on the floors in accordance with the density, the selection of alcohol begins in the upper part of the column. Novice rectifiers make a mistake at this very stage - or they make a "choke" - an excessive occurrence of phlegm, or they take a lot of product, then the "number of floors" suffers and the resulting alcohol will be with impurities.

Making a distillation column at home is quite difficult. Serious manufacturers calculate and test their product in detail, attach detailed instructions. The do-it-yourselfer has a choice:

Repeat the idea of popular manufacturers, copy an existing device. If necessary, changes and improvements can be made to the proven schemes.
Design your own scheme, different from others.

What does a distillation column consist of, and its drawing?

A home master can make a tsarg distillation column. She forgives many mistakes, and the result will be guaranteed.

Drawing of distillation column

alembic

This is a container where heaters are built in, mash or raw alcohol evaporates.

Capacity specifications:

Strength. The weight of the distillation pipe will be on the lid, so the cube must be rigid.
Chemical neutrality to alcohol. The ideal material is food grade chromium-nickel steel (stainless steel).
Convenience. The container must be lifted, moved, and the bard (distillation) drained from it. The volume of the container is calculated depending on the required performance of the apparatus, the power of the heaters.
Warming. Heat loss should be kept to a minimum. therefore, both the walls and the bottom must be “packed” in insulation without cold bridges.

Tsarga for moonshine still

The tsarga is a pipe that is installed on a cube. In fact, this is the main frame of the distillation column. There is a plate-shaped tsarga, but it is rarely used at home.

Characteristics:

Strength. The wall thickness of the drawer side is usually taken from 1 to 1.5 mm. This creates sufficient strength at low weight.
chemical neutrality.
Warming. In order to line up a pair of different fractions “by floors” in a column, the tsarga must be well insulated. A sleeve made of expanded polypropylene or expanded polystyrene trays used in plumbing is perfect.
Collapsibility. For ease of cleaning and storage, the drawer can be made collapsible - from knees of 30-40 cm. This will allow you to adjust the height of the device, which affects the speed and quality of products.
The presence of viewing glass areas.
Diameter. If it is a thin tube (up to 2 inches), packing is not needed - all processes take place on the walls. Such a column is called a film column. Diameters higher require the use of a packing - sealing packing to increase the area of heat and mass transfer.

Stuffing or nozzle

The stuffing is needed for the deposition of phlegm, its re-evaporation. The main characteristic of the stuffing is the area. Stones of certain breeds, a stainless steel sieve, stainless steel chip spirals are used as packing.

There are many ready-made solutions on sale, home craftsmen have come up with various inexpensive substitute options. Most often, metal dishwashing nets or metal shavings are used to replace factory packings.

The alignment of vapors by floors depends on the volume and density of the nozzle. If the column uses a small chipping prismatic nozzle, a lattice support must be made so that the nozzle does not fall into the cube.

Dimroth cooler

At the top of the distillation column is a cooler - a tube twisted into a spiral.

Cold water circulates through it. It completely cools all light vapors. It is characterized by the plane of inclination, power, length.

Selection node

It serves to select alcohol from the upper "floor". The selection is not carried out completely, most of the phlegm returns to the tsarga. The ratio of the withdrawn product to the phlegm returned to the back is called the phlegm number.

The higher the reflux number, the lower the productivity of the apparatus, the cleaner the product is.

There are three types of selection:

By the way. the selection unit is located above the Dimroth refrigerator, and catches the erupted vapors. They are cooled in an additional flow-through refrigerator.
By liquid. The cooled phlegm of the “upper floors”, dripping from the refrigerator, is taken through inclined planes or a sump.
For a couple. Part of the steam rises up to Dimroth, and part rushes to an additional refrigerator, where it condenses. A stable reflux ratio is provided, which does not change during the entire distillation time.

Additional refrigerator

Has an auxiliary function.

What is he doing:

cools the resulting product,
besieges accidentally caught vapors,
cools the finished product.

You will learn more about what a distillation column is and what the principle of its operation is from this video:

Design choice

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

Required performance. with greater productivity, the side with stuffing will be higher and wider - the pair passes more. The cooler and extraction unit must also provide sufficient efficiency. The minimum length of the tsarga is 1.5 meters, it is better to make it collapsible from three knees - 1 meter, 0.2 meters, 0.5 meters. this will allow the device to be used for both distillation and rectification.
Possible sizes. Often home distillation columns are limited in size due to the height of the ceiling. To save space will help shifting the dimroth refrigerator in the upper part of the apparatus, or placing it perpendicular to the side (Thor's hammer).
Access to metalworking technologies. A stainless steel apparatus will last a long time and will not oxidize alcohol, but argon welding or stainless steel electrodes will be required to connect the parts. Cooking stainless steel is difficult. If possible, laboratory heat-resistant glass can be used, but it is too fragile. A great option for a do-it-yourselfer is copper. It is easily soldered with a gas burner, there are a large number of
The volume of fueled raw materials. The larger the applied cube, the higher the performance should be. Evaporation of alcohol occurs at 75 - 80 ° C, lowering the temperature will reduce the speed of the process.
Budget. With a minimum budget, a simple but effective design with mechanical adjustments should be considered. If the budget is not constrained, the device is complemented by precise needle cranes, additional nodes and automatic control.

For home distillation, the simplest will be a column with a cube of up to 50 liters with built-in heating elements with a power of 3 kW. Column diameter 32 mm, liquid extraction unit based on the design of Alex Bokakoba, Dimroth cooler inserted above the selection unit.

An additional cooler is not needed; instead, a 1.5-meter long plastic tube cooled by air serves perfectly. As a nozzle, you can use the Panchenko nozzle, SPN or metal stainless steel washcloths for dishes. All connections are made on inexpensive plumbing threaded connections.

Optimal Calculations

The calculation of the column begins with the definition of the following parameters:

Possible height. Practice shows that a height of 1.5 - 2 meters will be optimal for a home device. If a gas stove is used as a heater, the height of the drawer will be 1.2 - 1.5 meters. The diameter depends on the height, the average ratio is 1/50. For example, the tsarga 1.5 meters should be no more than 32 mm. (round up to standard pipes).
The power of the heating element or heater. A 1.5 meter drawer will have a capacity of approximately 300 ml / hour, which corresponds to 300 watts of heating element power. The power of the heater must be sufficient to heat the volume of mash up to 70 ° C for 1 hour, and also have the possibility of optimal regulation.
The volume of the cube. This is an insulated container with a convenient size, transportable. To save room height, the diameter and height should be approximately the same. The amount of heated vapor depends on the volume of the cube. For home use, beer kegs of 25, 30, 50 liters are convenient. It is better not to use aluminum cans or tanks - aluminum corrodes quickly.
Cooler power. The cooler must fully cope with the condensation of vapors with a minimum flow of water. There is no exact formula for calculating the power of a cooler; the number of turns and length are selected empirically. For our design, 30 centimeters of a tightly wound spiral from a 6 mm tube is quite enough. It is better to make a refrigerator with a power reserve and regulate the rate of cold water supply.

How to make from fitting plumbing at home?

Actions are as follows:

We buy materials- 2 meters of 32 mm copper pipe; tin for soldering; 15 cm copper tube with a diameter of 8 mm, 2 meters of 6 mm tube; needle valve, plastic hose with a diameter of 8 mm. We purchase a ready-made nozzle or a substitute - ceramic gravel, metal washcloth. The simplest connectors are clamps or brass threads.
We make a king. We divide the pipe into segments of 1 meter, 0.3 meters, 0.5 meters. We solder a segment of 10 centimeters to the cube lid, insert a mesh to delay the nozzle. At each joint, we solder a clamp connection or plumbing thread made of copper or brass.

Assembling the node selection based on Alex Bocacoba. On a tube 0.3 meters long, closer to the bottom edge, we make two angular cuts at 30 - 40 degrees. We insert copper plates into the cuts, cut and solder. We drill a hole for the liquid sampling tube, the hole should be at the bottom of the "pocket" of the bottom plate. We solder a thread for a needle valve on the sampling tube, which will regulate the sampling. On the side and just above the sampling hole, we insert the “forward flow” tube. It is needed to control the phlegm number. The forward flow conducts the phlegm from the selection “pocket” below, the phlegm drips into the center of the nozzle. The middle part of the forward flow is made of a transparent plastic tube.

Assembling the cooler, for which we tightly wind a copper tube stuffed with sand onto a pin with a diameter of 12 mm. The pin is removed, the sand is shaken out and blown out. It turns out a spiral, one end of which must be threaded inward. The beginning and end of the tube is threaded into a brass "cup" with a thread and sealed - this is a cork. The resulting refrigerator is inserted above the selection unit, dripping phlegm is collected by inclined planes.

Before use, pour the nozzle into the drawer. The nozzle should not tightly clog the pipe, steam should pass freely through it.

If desired, you can make a flow-through aftercooler. It consists of two tubes, with a diameter of 10 and 12 mm. The length of a thin tube is 3 cm shorter than a thick one. The tubes are inserted one into the other and the ends are sealed. The inlet and outlet of cold water are soldered to a thick tube.

The column is assembled and ready to use. Before use, it is better to wash the parts with a weak solution of acetic acid using a brush.

Watch a video that shows how to assemble a distillation column with your own hands:

Operating modes

The modes are as follows:

Heating the mash up to 72 -75 ° С. The Dimroth cooler operates at minimum power.
Warming up the column and building "floors" of reflux condensation. Throughout the column there is active bubbling and steam and mass exchange. It is important to prevent oversaturation of the column, otherwise there will be a "choke" - phlegm will clog the entire diameter of the tsarga. We select the power of the heaters so that the temperature near the sampling unit is 71 - 75 ° C.
Start of selection. When selecting for liquid, the slender pyramid in the side is inevitably violated, so the reflux ratio will need to be adjusted. The vapor density gradually decreases, as does the intensity of selection. The first selected liquid - "heads" - contain volatile ethereal components. The volume of heads reaches 20% of the planned alcohol content.
Selection of the main commercial alcohol goes until the smell of fusel oils.
If you want to extract everything possible from the raw materials, we draw out the "tails" - the last part of the alcohol-containing vapors. They contain a large amount of fusel oils, the tails are mixed in "heads" and used for further rectification.
Completion of rectification- turning off the heater, cooling pipes.

The whole cycle, depending on the desired product quality, can last a relatively long time - from 8 hours to 2 days.

The average productivity of the column assembled by us is 250-300 ml. 96° alcohol per hour.

Do you need to design equipment?

The process of calculating, assembling and testing homemade equipment brings great pleasure. The result after edits and improvements will be guaranteed. However, the first difficulties or failures can cool the ardor of novice rectifiers.

As a result of independent design, even minor nuances affect the result - packing density, angle of inclination, diameter of Dimroth tubes ... If you need a quick and guaranteed result, it is better to purchase a ready-made device from the manufacturer. When buying, it is important to know the device, productivity and purpose of the device, so as not to buy a fake or inefficient device.

Of course, among all varieties of moonshine stills, a home distillation column is one of the most difficult to operate and manufacture. Usually, for home brewing industrial columns are used, which can be purchased almost without restrictions in every specialized store. However, it is also quite possible to do it yourself.

In order to make this apparatus, you need to have its scheme and design drawings, as well as know the main principles of the column and the meaning of the processes occurring in it. And quite a lot of interesting things happen here - the rectification procedure differs from ordinary distillation in its chemical and physical foundations.

Distillation column: Working principle

In the column, as in a simple distiller, there is a refrigerator, a heater, and a regulator, which are working and full-fledged elements. However, from the surface of the mash on the path of alcohol-containing steam to the refrigerator coil, there is another complex unit called a distillation column. This node is a high pipe, the cross section of which is 40-60 times larger than its size. The sectional diagram shows how an alcohol or beer column for the preparation of alcohol is arranged.

Hot steam rises through the pipe, cools slowly along the way, condenses, and flows down, back into the tank. The condensate, while moving from top to bottom, comes into contact with hot steam, reheats, and light-boiling substances turn into steam again. Among these substances is ethyl alcohol.

When you select the mode of operation of this column so that alcohol vapor begins to condense at a certain height, in which the intake pipe is located, then pure alcohol will begin to flow into the refrigerator, without various impurities. After a certain time, the dynamic equilibrium mode begins in this device, due to the difference in the vapor phase and the heat capacities of the liquid, in addition, the liquid-vapor mixture begins to separate in chemical composition into fractions, which will determine vaporization temperature.

Vapors of volatile impurities accumulate directly in the uppermost section - acetone, aldehydes and other toxic components. When the temperature of the column on the upper thermometer is more than 70 degrees, they simply go out into the atmosphere, since it is connected to the outside air by a valve or branch pipe and operates at almost atmospheric pressure.

At about three-quarters of the height of the column, alcohol vapor begins to collect and must be selected. Below are fusel oils and other elements whose boiling point is higher than alcohol. At the alcohol extraction site, it is necessary to maintain the temperature within 75-77 degrees so that this can be realized and a significant size of the column will be required, rather than a larger zone of various fractions, so it is easier to separate one element from another.

How to make a distillation column with your own hands?

Do-it-yourself construction of a distillation column at home is not a myth. This is proved by multiple photos and videos on the Internet, as well as posts on forums. Even when they are half the way their owners claim, this unit is worth making. However, it is necessary to take into account the fact that for the production of moonshine, as such, a distillation column, regardless of whether industrial or home-made production, is not suitable.

A distillation device is required to obtain alcohol with a minimum amount of additives, including resins and aromatics, which give moonshine a special flavor and aroma. However, the resulting alcohol can be used as the basis for some alcoholic beverages made at home, without worrying about poisoning with esters and methyls or fusel, causing severe hangovers.

For the re-distillation of ordinary moonshine or raw alcohol, which is obtained in the usual distiller for moonshiners, a rectifier is an indispensable thing. No distillation system can match the quality of the resulting product.

Manufacturing technology

At home, a do-it-yourself distillation column will only work properly if its height will be at least 1.9-2.1 meters with an inner diameter of 45-60 mm. This column is difficult to operate, store and manufacture. It is advisable to build it collapsible, on threaded or lamp connections, it is quite convenient to use couplings.

Coupling will not be a problem when you have experience with a lathe. Otherwise, you will need to use the paid services of specialists.

Design principle

The main components of the distillation column are as follows:

refrigerator-reflux condenser;
frame;
thermometers;
thermal insulation;
nozzle (spiral or disc).

In the general scheme of the moonshine still, there is also a container for mash, as well as a condensate refrigerator, which is a simple coil. If you correctly make a distillation column, then it can be put on any moonshine device with a tank of at least 20 liters.

For smaller sizes it will only be possible to disperse it to a working state and get a couple of liters of alcohol (from a probable yield of 50 percent). The best volume of the evaporator is 27-45 liters. Thus, it is more convenient to adjust the process temperature, which is considered one of the main factors during rectification.

In addition, the production of alcohol in quantities up to 9-12 liters takes the same amount of time for dispersal and preparation of the column as 4-6 liters. More often than not, saving time is also quite important for reducing the cost of a product.

Frame

The body is preferably made of three parts, approximately the same in length. From below, a flange with a strong cover is welded to a stainless steel pipe for mounting on a distillation tank. The height of the column is quite large - approximately 2 meters. The optimal solution is a flange connection on a sealed gasket. The flanges must be welded so that the entire structure is in a clearly vertical position, only in this case it will work as it should.

The body elements are connected to each other by threads or clamps - whichever is more convenient. The most important thing is to maintain tightness. The best material for the main pipe is food grade stainless steel.This material has a relatively low thermal conductivity, and heat losses in the column are undesirable, up to the passage of vapor into the cooler.

The two pieces on the bottom are just pieces of pipe. Nozzles will be installed here - devices that increase the contact area of liquid and steam. The most complex uppermost structural element, here:

it is necessary to equip a flow-through refrigerator;
provide an air valve;
socket for thermometer;
outlet pipe.

The flow cooler occupies about half of the top 1/3 of the column. The simplest solution is to wind a stainless or copper coil over the pipe. A more complicated way is to install the same coil, Dimroth cooler or ball cooler inside the pipe.

For this task, you can purchase a pipe with a larger cross section by connecting it with an adapter to the bottom. In this case, there are a large number of options - the meaning is one, the dephlegmator is obliged to provide a barrier on the path of steam and convert it into condensate before reaching the air valve. Only couples are required to go here. with a temperature not exceeding 60 degrees. When the refrigerator cannot cope with its task, alcohol will be released into the air along with volatile elements.

The air valve is placed at the highest point and is required to equalize the pressure. You can not install the valve, but simply install a copper thin tube (Ø4-5 mm). The presence of a tube will require special temperature control at all stages of rectification. During the selection of heads, T = 55–65 C must be at the level of the intake pipe.

The selection is made through a pipe that cuts into the body below the refrigerator with a distance of 3-6 cm from it. It is a simple tube where a silicone hose is connected from a medical dropper.

The do-it-yourself distillation column works rather slowly, the main intake takes place in the drip mode. This must be taken into account - making 9-12 liters of alcohol can take a whole day.

Nozzle

This part of the column is one of the most important. Two types of nozzles are used for rectification:

spiral, made of steel mesh tightly twisted into a spiral or special wires that are twisted into prismatic spirals, they are simply poured inside the column;
dish-shaped, in the form of mesh or cap elements.

In the first case, a mesh filter is placed at the bottom of the column, which prevents the nozzle from falling out. For the manufacture of a do-it-yourself distillation column, the most effective is a cap-type plate nozzle. In this case, it is necessary to start work with the purchase of plates - the size of the case must correspond to their diameter. It is easiest to pick up a pipe under the plates, rather than vice versa.

Mesh partitions are much easier to make, which requires only a set of 2-3 mm drills and a drilling machine or drill. Partitions are made of copper, brass or stainless steel. For one meter of column height, 8-10 pieces are needed.

Spiral prismatic special Panchenkov nozzles (OLTC), mesh or analogues will need to be purchased in specialized stores. You can't make them yourself.. You should not choose dishwashing nets - unknown alloys are used for them, which can react with vapors of impurities or alcohol.

thermal insulation

The column must be protected from heat loss to a height not less than the lower cut of the dephlegmator. As insulation, you can choose any elastic heat insulator - tubular basalt foil insulation, penoizol, polyurethane foam. Warming is a pretty important step. If heat losses are avoided, the height of the fractional layers can be reduced by 10-20%. Moreover, the concentration of the substance, in this case - alcohol, will increase in them, clearly preserving the boundaries of the fractions.

Distillation column automation

A rather complicated rectification process needs constant supervision and human presence. High-quality automation allows for rectification, without constant supervision. It makes it possible to select the head fractions in a separate container, does not allow "tails" to enter the commercial alcohol.

The Rectification Control Unit (RCU) will reduce the power during extraction, turn on the cooling water at the required temperature and automatically reduce the extraction at the end. After the selection of tailings, the water and heating will be turned off. The easiest way to automate- this is a start-stop installation with a valve that stops extraction during an increase in temperature in the column, after the temperature is restored, extraction resumes. For a home mini-distillery, it is cheaper to purchase automation on specialized forums or assemble it from Chinese components.

Column) is an apparatus for the production of "under-rectified", that is, strong and relatively pure moonshine. At the output, the product is better than distillate, but it does not reach rectified. You can read about its difference from the usual moonshine and distillation apparatus here -.

Today we will consider the option of making a reinforcing column with our own hands. This work requires knowledge of its device, as well as possession of a welding machine and a grinder. It is rather difficult to assemble something adequate from the trash, but we will try to offer you the most budgetary and affordable option that will produce a strong and relatively high-quality product at the output.

There are not as many components as it might seem at first glance.

Three pipes with a diameter of 32 mm made of stainless steel.
Two nuts for connecting to the cube.
Stainless steel refrigerator
Sewer pipes, coupling and adapter for a washing machine (reflux condenser).
The distillation cube is used as the basis.

So how are we going to do solid column, then you will need a welding machine with electrodes and a grinder.

The design will not imply parsing, and it will need to be washed directly with water.

I propose to study the device and the principle of its operation of this apparatus before work.

Did it most successfully Lucky on your Youtube channel. A lot of questions are closed in the comments, so study this section too.

Blueprints

Probably your base for the apparatus will not be the same as ours. For this reason, you will not be able to make an identical column, as your pipe and connection sizes will be different.

Therefore, we have prepared for you selection of drawings which you can navigate while you work. Choose the best option for yourself, collect all the parts and you can get to work. The video will be presented below.

Drawing with dimensions and part names.
From copper.
With 22 mm drawer side.
Visual scheme.

Step-by-step instructions for making a reinforcing column

It is very difficult to explain the practical part in words, so I suggest you watch 2 videos from the Youtube channel samopal PRODUCTION. It is these videos that are considered the most popular, as they show a budget option for manufacturing a reinforcing column.

The whole process can be divided into several parts:

Preparation of equipment and components of the apparatus.
Connection and welding of pipes, that is, the creation of a sealed system.
Testing and improving the distillation (adding or working with a reflux condenser).

The output is a rather dumb, but working moonshine still. On it you can make moonshine with reinforcement, removing most of the harmful fractions from the product.

copper column

If stainless steel does not suit you, then the only alternative would be copper. The device will be more expensive, more efficient and better. This material is difficult to care for, but the result is always fantastic.

I propose to study the scheme of operation of the copper reinforcing column and understand its main nodes. The author will talk about the parts that make it up, so after watching the video you will have an objective picture of how it can be done.

In order for moonshine to turn out clean and without a characteristic fusel smell, it must be run through the apparatus at least twice. During distillation, most of the fusel oils settle, which gives reason to call the finished product pure. However, experts insist that a truly pure alcohol-containing drink at home can only be obtained using a distillation column.

In order to understand how a do-it-yourself distillation column is made for a moonshine still and why it is needed at all, let's try to figure out the principle of its operation. Here we will consider what materials will be needed and whether it is advisable to make it at home.

How a distillation column works

When the distillation cube, where the mash is poured, is heated, a gradual boiling begins with an intense release of alcohol-containing vapor. These vapors, lighter than liquid, rise up the distillation column, from where they enter a water-cooled reflux condenser. Here, at the highest point, vapor condensation begins, and it again flows into the column in the form of condensate. That, in turn, is filled with special elements through which the liquid flows. At this time, the boiling of the mash continues, and its vapors rise up the column, meeting with condensate along the way. It is this continuous process of liquid and vapor exchange that is called rectification.

During such an exchange, the liquid condensate (phlegm) is saturated with steam, and the steam, on the contrary, is saturated with a liquid with a lower boiling point. This process occurs constantly while the mash boils and condensate forms. As a result, the lightest steam with the highest concentration of alcohol is collected at the head of the distillation column, which is discharged to the refrigerator for final condensation. Already from the refrigerator, absolutely pure distillate - moonshine - descends into the receiving tank.

The working principle of distillation column is shown in this figure

What is continuous rectification?

In order for the steam and the flowing liquid (phlegm) to contact most effectively, special contact elements are used in the distillation column. In industrial samples, this function is performed by physical plates, at home - a metal sponge for washing pans. These elements, due to the disparate structure, increase the contact area of phlegm and steam, and, accordingly, the effectiveness of such interaction. This becomes possible due to the fact that equilibrium is reached very quickly between the two phases (liquid and vapor).

In the process of phlegm flowing down the column, it bypasses a whole layer of metal springs, meeting steam along the way. At the moment when the steam overcomes the first layer of the contact element, the phase of physical equilibrium begins. To obtain the optimal height of a household distillation column, its diameter must be at least 30 and not more than 50 mm.

Production of distillation column

The issue of acquiring such equipment for many is very acute. If we are talking about industrial production, then in most samples there are many flaws. Still, streaming production makes itself felt. It is possible, as an option, to order manual assembly, but then its price will be approximately the same as that of the “wing” of a good SUV. Therefore, the best option is to make a distillation column with your own hands. Of course, its structure is slightly more complex than that of a home-made moonshine still, but still not so much as to lose consciousness from the drawing and instructions.

Stainless steel is suitable as a material for manufacturing - a chemically inert material that does not corrode and does not give foreign impurities and odor.

This is a diagram of a distillation column, according to which it can be collected

Now in more detail about the main elements of the equipment and what they can be made of.

The body is a stainless steel pipe with a diameter of 30-50 mm and a total length of 1300-1400 mm. The allowable wall thickness of the pipe is 2-3 mm, since you will have to make holes for the threaded connection.
Water case (reflux condenser) - most often made from an ordinary thermos. Literally 10-15 minutes, and this element will ideally replace the industrial design. In some cases, the reflux condenser is made of copper pipe. The most exotic and inefficient option is a coil made of copper tube. It is wound around the top of the column and cold water is let through it. From experience, even a flattened tube does not provide the necessary heat loss due to the small contact patch.
Refrigerator - a container with a submerged coil and cold water. The tank and tubes are made of copper. You can also purchase a ready-made laboratory refrigerator at the chemical store.
The contact element is several metal mesh sponges, with which housewives usually remove scale and burnt food from pots and pans.

In addition, silicone connecting and copper tubes, thrust washers, threaded nuts, and adapters are also needed.

There are 2 docking points in the column - a pivot point and a connection with an alembic. Usually, threaded elements are used for connection, but the danger here is in the flow. You can also put one element on another, while docking as tightly as possible in order to prevent the passage of steam and seepage of phlegm. You can, of course, treat the edges with sealant and dock the structure forever, but then you won’t be able to disassemble and clean it.

How to assemble a distillation column

We take a copper pipe with a height of 1300-1400 mm and a diameter of 30-50 mm. We cut it into 2 parts, they can be either of equal length or with slight deviations - this is not important. The edges of both parts are cleaned, trimmed, be sure to chamfer and dock with each other with threaded connections or using an adapter. We remind you! The connection must be tight.
On one part of the pipe, install a grid and thrust washers to prevent the contact element from falling out. This is the lower part of the column that will be put on the alembic. This is where the metal springs come in.

As such a contact element, not only springs, but also small glass balls can be used, although this is quite an expensive pleasure. Absolutely not inferior in terms of contact area and quality of heat transfer to ordinary metal sponges. Made of stainless steel, they are absolutely inert to the alcohol mass and are not subject to corrosion.

Before you buy such a sponge, check with a magnet whether it is really made of stainless steel. If another metal is used, over time the springs will begin to rust, which will negate the quality of moonshine cleaning.

Buy 30-40 metal washcloths and cut them into small pieces up to 5 mm.
In the lower part of the pipe, where the metal grid-fixer is installed, fill in the contact element, periodically tapping on the table. It is not necessary to push it forcibly, so that the springs, if possible, are not intertwined, but compactly compacted. So, shaking and tapping, fill the entire section of the pipe, then close it with a mesh and fix it with a thrust washer.

Already installed on the distillation cube, this part of the pipe should be insulated with any insulator, even foam rubber 3-5 mm thick will do.

On the second part of the pipe, solder a water housing (deflector) with two pipes - one for the water inlet, the other for the outlet.
From above, close the pipe with a lid or solder it by making a hole for the tube.

At 15-20 mm from the junction with the lower part of the pipe, make a hole for the distillate outlet, and under it a small plate for collecting condensate - phlegm.

Connect the column and the refrigerator with a silicone hose, on which a dropper clamp is installed - this is a very convenient tool for adjusting the movement of the liquid.

On this, the hand-made manufacture of the distillation column is completed, you can start distillation.

If you still have questions, in the video you will see how to make a column correctly and in what sequence.