A continuous mash column is the distillery of the house. What is it, how to do it yourself according to the drawings? Continuous beer column

Brewing alcohol at home is far from the easiest process imaginable. To do this, you will need not only high-quality ingredients, but also the right devices and the skills to use them effectively. This article will focus on continuous brew columns, which are also known as NBK.

NSC and their application

They are not very common today, although they have a high level of functionality. On the one hand, people are used to using a standard still for distillation, so they don't want to change to something new. On the other hand, the cost of such a column is quite high and can reach several hundred dollars. That is why many people involved in the manufacture of alcohol at home do not switch to beer columns. Our article is intended to describe this device, how it works, and the main advantages over the standard common vat distillation method. After reading the material, you yourself will be able to decide which method you prefer.

What it is?

So, first you need to figure out what mash columns are in general. NBK is a device that allows you to get the purest raw alcohol from mash by steam generation. As you read this article, you will learn absolutely about all the features of this device and the method of making homemade alcohol. It is worth noting that due to the high cost of the device and its components, this method is not so common in home distillation, but on an industrial scale it has been used for quite a long time and extremely successfully. So if you really want to reach a new level of efficiency, then you should definitely pay attention to continuous mash columns, as they will allow you to achieve the desired result.

Device

Naturally, the dream of every home distiller is a beer column. With your own hands (the drawings will help you with this), everyone can assemble this design. However, it is strongly not recommended to do it yourself, as this can lead to serious negative consequences and may even threaten your health and life. Further in the article, the best models that you can safely purchase right now will be presented - and then you will not have to take risks and try to build something by hand. In the meantime, it is necessary to disassemble this product with the device, so that you have an idea of ​​​​what such a column consists of, and you can also easily navigate the drawings if you still decide not to spend money, but to make the column yourself. So, the device is really not that complicated: the NSC consists of an evaporation tank, the continuous column itself, a pump, a ballast trap, and some other parts that may vary from model to model - a heater, a power regulator, a refrigerator, alcohol meters, and so on. . Well, now that you know what this device consists of, you can create a mash column. There is no need to draw drawings with your own hands. You can use ready-made ones (one of them is presented below). Components, of course, will have to be purchased. You will also need to be extremely careful. And again, you need to repeat: it is not recommended to take risks and make such a device yourself, as this is fraught with not the most pleasant consequences.

Operating principle

The beer column is an idea for those who want to get alcohol quickly and efficiently at home. But in order to use the NSC, you need to understand how it works, and not just the device. Accordingly, now you will get acquainted with the process of producing alcohol from mash. The original raw material, that is, mash, is slowly fed in a thin stream into the heater located on top of the device. In some models, this element may not be, but the device works much more efficiently with it. From the heater, the mash enters the column from above, after which it gradually flows down the plates located throughout the entire structure. At the same time, steam is supplied from the evaporation tank by means of a pump, which is in contact with the descending liquid. As a result, all vapors containing alcohol come out of it, and the bard reaches the bottom of the column, which is discharged into the sewer through a bardo trap. As for vapors saturated with alcohol, they rise higher and enter the distiller, where they already acquire their normal state of aggregation - liquid. That's all, raw alcohol of the highest quality is ready. As you can see, a continuous mash column works very quickly and efficiently, however, of course, a lot depends directly on the model of the device. Some of the options you may want to consider will be presented to you later. In the meantime, you should familiarize yourself with the advantages of this device compared to the usual traditional distillation cube.

A large amount of mash

Now that you can visualize the drawing of the mash column and also have an idea of ​​what is happening inside the device, you can draw some conclusions regarding the functionality of the NSC. The first is that the use of this device is perfect for any amount of mash. The fact is that the standard cube has a limited volume, so only a limited amount of mash can be poured into it, while in the NBK you can pour mash at least for the whole day. Accordingly, if you plan to make alcohol in large quantities, then this device is ideal for you. However, a distillation beer column has more than one advantage, so you should definitely consider each of them in order to fully realize how much more efficient and convenient home distillation will become when you purchase NBK.

Convenience and order

Those people who have ever used a cube for distillation know that after using it, a long cleaning awaits a person, since the bard does not merge anywhere, and you need to wash the cube after each use. If you have a beer column, then the bard obtained in the process of distillation is drained directly into the sewer through a ballast trap, saving you from having to spend time and effort each time cleaning the cube. Thus, as soon as you decide that there is enough distillation for today - you just need to turn off the steam generator and stop serving the mash. That's all, you can immediately go about your business, since you don’t need to clean and clean anything.

Efficiency

Since we are talking about saving time on cleaning, it is worth noting that you will be able to spend less time distilling in principle. The point is that the NSC uses heat recovery technology, which, in turn, provides an impressive increase in efficiency. Accordingly, you can get the same amount of finished alcohol in a shorter period of time, spending much less energy on it. As you can see, the benefits of NBK are numerous, and you should consider and evaluate them all in order to be able to conclude that the beer column is the best assistant to any distiller operating at home.

The quality of the finished product in the cube

All the previous benefits are very nice, but none of them are so impressive as to force the distiller to switch from the traditional method to the use of the beer column. Of course, the lack of cleaning, the ability to process more mash and the easy savings in time and energy are nice bonuses. But so far, the very advantage that is the most important has not been touched upon. The fact is that when using NBR, you can get raw alcohol of much higher quality and much more pure. Why? In fact, everything is quite simple. When you use the vat method, the process of evaporating alcohol from the mash takes quite a long time. During this time, other chemical processes are also launched, during which the yeast contained in the mash, as well as some other substances, are “boiled”, which ultimately give the finished alcohol product additional aromas and tastes. Naturally, when using high-quality equipment, these smells and tastes are barely distinguishable, but they are still present, which significantly reduces the organoleptic properties of raw alcohol.

Finished product quality at NBK

If you use NBK, then the process of evaporating alcohol from the mash is incredibly fast - it takes a maximum of fifteen seconds. During this time, none of the side processes has time to reach such a stage as to give the vapor saturated with alcohol its aromas and tastes. Accordingly, when using NBR, raw alcohol is obtained as pure and of high quality as possible, and this is what puts the beer columns much higher than even the most advanced cube.

NSC Vilenoff (6kW)

Now you will get an idea of ​​what NBKs are on the market today. The product that will be discussed now is the best beer column that can fall into your hands. Its power is 6 kW, which allows the device to function more than efficiently. The unit has a fairly large height - just over two meters. The evaporation tank is located at the very base and has a volume of 93 liters. If we talk about the supply of mash, then it is adjustable, that is, you yourself can control how much product will be fed into the column. The maximum rate is 70 liters per hour, but you can reduce it to any level at your discretion. The approximate output of raw alcohol is 13.5 liters per hour, but this figure is not stable - it largely depends on the qualities of the mash you use. This NSC is the best column available for everyone, but it is far from the only one you can get.

NSC AR-480

The previous product costs more than six hundred dollars, and not everyone wants to spend such an impressive amount. So if you still want to buy NSC, but do not have such funds, then a mini-wash column may come in handy for you. It is much smaller, lacks some elements such as the evaporator tank that you have to connect separately, and is less efficient due to the fact that its power is only 2.5kW, which is much less than from the previous model. However, the device still remains incredibly functional, and most importantly - it will cost you only three hundred dollars, which is half as much as a full-sized highly functional NSC. Accordingly, you can choose one of these options - or go in search of some other option. You were not interested in any of the beer columns? You can build an analogue with your own hands. And although this is not the best and safest option, you can’t just ignore it and not say anything about it.

Do-it-yourself NBK creation

The easiest way out is to purchase a ready-made device, but if you want to experiment, you can try. Perhaps you will get a full-fledged mash column - it is quite difficult to make a device with your own hands, although everything may look simple on the diagram. As you already understood, you need to ensure that alcohol-saturated vapors enter the upper container, which can serve, for example, as an inverted glass jar, and the spent bard flows down. Evaporation must take place in the exhaust pipe, which must be achieved at a certain temperature. If you understand such devices, then you will have a chance to build something similar. If not, then you are unlikely to get something effective enough, and most importantly, a home-made device is far from always safe.

The beer column is a recent invention used at home to distill alcohol from any. This simple device has gained popularity among summer residents and owners of suburban garden plots who use substandard fruits to make mash.

Home distillation has undergone a significant evolution in a relatively short time, having gone from an ancient serpentine to a continuous column, which, according to the principle of operation, is a simplified (home) version of a factory distillation column. What is a beer column and what is the principle of its operation?

What are the advantages and disadvantages of this device? Is it possible to make it with your own hands at home or is it easier to buy ready-made? Let's try to figure it out.

A beer column is an apparatus designed for the distillation of alcohol from any kind of home brew and equipped with a reflux condenser - a device for partial condensation of the vapor of various liquids that occur during the distillation process.

The reflux condenser separates the vapor leaving the column into separate fractions, returning heavy condensate for further separation of alcohol from high-boiling organic compounds of the fermentation solution (fusel oils).

The continuous column retains the same distillation steps as a conventional moonshine still equipped with a “dry steamer”: evaporation plus condensation. The difference lies in the principle of evaporation, which gives high-quality cleaning of the final product.

Continuous beer column, in accordance with the principle of operation, has a simple structure. It consists of the following key elements:

• containers (tank, container, cube) for a fermentation solution, having three threaded holes for installing a thermometer, a drain pipe and a safety valve;
• columns made of copper pipe or stainless steel;
• reflux condenser, which is attached to the top of the column;
• branch pipe for connection with a condenser of any design (coil, shell cooler, etc.);
• two thermometers, one of which is attached to the top of the column, the second indicates the temperature in the container for the fermentation liquid.

Various constructive modifications of this apparatus may contain: silicone gaskets, clamps of clap joints, adapter sleeves of different diameters and bushings. The entire set of elements is usually given in the drawing specification.

The principle of operation of a continuous mash column

Before starting the process, it is necessary to mount the column with the distillation tank using clamp fasteners for this. Put the cube on a heat source (electric stove, gas stove, etc.).

As the solution heats up, alcohol-containing vapors from the tank rise to the condenser, where they are partially condensed, settling on the walls of the refrigerator. The rest of the pair continues to move up.

The first cooler is called a partial cooler precisely because it only partially condenses the steam. The settled liquid is called "phlegm", and the cooler, respectively, is called "reflux condenser".

Phlegm flows down the walls of the reflux condenser back into the tank, encountering uncooled steam on its way and breaking up into three types of fractions: head, main and tail.

The head fraction (head), including aldehydes, esters and other light substances, is cut off at low temperature at the initial stage. Then comes the turn to the main fractions (body) containing the actual alcohol, and at the very end of the process, tail (tails) compounds are removed from fusel oils and other heavy impurities.

In the process of heating, the condensate fills the walls of the column, reaching the dephlegmator. This happens when the thermometer on the upper cooler shows 51 - 55 degrees.

At this stage, the pairs of light fractions complete the condensation and are removed into a special container. This is a poisonous solution that is not used for further distillation. For 20 liters of moonshine, on average, one liter of head fractions comes out.

As the tank heats up, the temperature on the dephlegmator reaches 77 degrees. This is how it should be kept during the entire distillation process. During this period, the main fractions are separated from the fermentation vapors - the alcohol itself.

Fifteen minutes before the end of work, it is necessary to raise the temperature at the upper cooler to 81 - 83 degrees in order to collect "tails" - impurities of fusel oils and other heavy compounds, which are then sent for a second distillation.

The temperature mode of operation of the device is regulated by the upper valve at the cooler inlet and the heat source regulator.

Did you know? The standard technological description of the distillation process looks like this: alcohol vapor rising to the reflux condenser continuously reacts with phlegm flowing towards it. A heat exchange reaction takes place. Steam takes light, low-boiling fractions from phlegm and leaves high-boiling heavy compounds (fusel oils and water) to it. The product of this long reaction is alcohol with a strength of 88 - 90 degrees.

The quality of the alcohol at the outlet (purity of moonshine) is achieved by temperature control, which helps to cut off the head and tail fractions of the alcohol-containing vapor from the final product.

Important! For beginner moonshiners, you need to remember: during the distillation process, in no case should the mash be allowed to boil. The temperature in the tank should not rise above 87 - 89 degrees;

Pros and Cons of the Beer Distillation Process

pros

1. The simplicity of the distillation process: the device will work until the fermentation solution runs out in the cube and the water in the steam generator disappears.
2. Good quality end product. A short distillation time prevents the yeast membranes from "exploding" and introducing a fusel smell into the alcohol.
3. The reflux condenser makes it possible to almost completely remove heavy tail fractions, sending fusel oils to the tank for a new distillation.
4. No additional operation is needed: pour the mash into a cube, and then pour it out. - The container for the mash - is placed on the stove, then after work, the remains of the solution are disposed of in household waste.
5. Economical use of water for cooling. During the distillation process, it is advised to preheat the fermentation solution, so water is only needed to cool the product and nothing else.
6. For continuous operation of the device, automatic and semi-automatic control regulators are not needed. The device, when supplying mash and heat, will work stably in the specified mode for the entire period of distillation.

Minuses

1. The device can only work with liquid mash from sugar, flour solutions and “fruit mash”. Malt types of mash must be passed through the filter.
2. Frequent breakdowns of the tubular electric heater. Due to the large volumes of mash, there is a danger of its exposure. This requires constant monitoring of the solution level in the tank.
3. Foamy mash cannot be used for distillation, since foam is often thrown into the main fractions, which requires additional purification of the final product. -Remove the foam from the mash - you can only use a special defoamer.

How to make a column with your own hands

If you have decided to make a continuous brew column with your own hands and already mentally imagine the drawings of the future device with all sizes, you need to moderate your ardor and stop in time to answer the questions for yourself: how often will you use the device and what volumes of alcohol do you intend to get at the output?

If you have a small summer cottage with two dozen fruit trees, then seasonal distillation will not cost much to make a simple continuous brew column with your own hands and according to your own drawings.

For a farm where there is a large orchard, you need a powerful machine with high productivity.

Finding drawings for the manufacture of a continuous mash column with your own hands is not difficult. They are in the specialized literature and on the pages of thematic sites on the net.

In order to get started, you need to purchase some equipment. In the specification of each drawing there is a complete list of what you need to buy.

In its most general form, the entire list looks something like this:

• container for fermentation solution and evaporator (the volume is indicated in the specification of each specific drawing) - 2 pcs.;
• copper or stainless steel pipe with a diameter of 50 - 100 mm and a length of 1.5 - 2 meters - 2 pcs.;
• thermometers - 2 pcs.;
• silicone hoses (the length is indicated in the specification of each specific drawing);
• prefabricated cooler or separate parts for it;
• clamp holder - 2 pcs.;
• couplings, fittings (quantity and dimensions in the specification);
• mesh filters and partitions (quantity and dimensions in the specification).

Did you know? It should be remembered that the cost of making an apparatus with your own hands is not devoid of common sense only when you have locksmith skills, as well as general engineering knowledge in the field of heat and electrical engineering.

However, if you wish, you can overcome the difficulties and make the device yourself in order to get a quality drink that will be truly yours: from your crop to your equipment.

After drawing up the drawings and purchasing the components, the work on manufacturing the device can be divided into the following stages:

1. Preparation of the column itself from a pipe (copper or stainless steel), the height of which must correspond to the dimensions of 50 diameters. Drill a hole for the column in the fermentation tank and prepare an outlet for the clamp. Then drill another hole for the thermometer in the tank and mount everything into a single system.
2. Deflector manufacturing. You need to take four copper tubes with sizes of 20, 12, 6 and 3 centimeters, five couplings with a transition to an internal thread. Then twist the coil, on which you want to wind the aluminum wire for greater efficiency of the refrigerator and make a cover for the dephlegmator. It can be an ordinary polyethylene lid for a jar, where it is necessary to melt a nylon sleeve in order to tighten the holder nut during installation. Mount the reflux condenser as a separate assembly and only then connect it to the column.
3. Hole. You need to drill a hole in the column for the second thermometer, which should be in front of the dephlegmator.
4. Assembly and installation of a refrigerator-condenser with a tap for supplying and discharging water. The crane is to be mounted using silicone gaskets as a single block and then connected through an adapter to the column.

Here are listed the most necessary operations for the manufacture, installation and assembly of the beer column. However, many craftsmen are trying to improve the device. They include two, three and four reflux condensers in the general distillation system, install automatic relays for supplying water to the condenser cooler, and much more. Everyone decides for himself what kind of device he needs.

With this product you can buy:

Connection type replacement (in addition to the price)

Description

Moonshine still VIP. Continuous mash column HD/3 - 60.

The presented column is the flagship column of the entire NSC line. The column is made of high-quality quartz glass, which is reliably protected by a metal case from mechanical damage. The column has the highest performance and stability of the entire NSC series.

In addition to its main purpose - operation in the NBR mode, this column can be used for secondary distillation of SS into a high-quality product with a concentration of up to 95% (under-rectified). And when using automation in this mode, the process will take place practically without your presence. In addition, the use of automation will allow you to make drinks in a wide range: from 88 to 95%, depending on your taste preferences.

The principle of operation of the NSC is quite simple. Braga is fed into the upper part of the column, then it flows by gravity down the plates installed in the column. Steam is supplied from the bottom of the column, which, meeting with the mash, evaporates the alcohol-containing base from it. Alcohol vapors respectively go up the column and getting into the distiller installed on the column, condense into a receiving tank. The bard, passing along the column to its base, is brought out through the bard trap into the sewer.

As you can see from the photos, the column consists of two parts.

• The first one is the distiller, on which the column is installed to operate in the NSC mode. Through this device, the spent bard is drained into the sewer.
• The second is directly a plate column. If the column is removed from the distiller, then it can be placed directly on the still by means of a DU40 milk coupling and used as a tray column for the second fractional distillation. To do this, the complete set with the column has all the fastenings (clamps and milk coupling DU40)

For a complete set this column requires either a dephlegmator of the XD/3 series for operation in the second fractional distillation mode, or a distiller with preheated mash of the XD/3 series for operation in the NBR mode (see below under "related products").

The evolution from grandmother's serpentine to home distillation columns followed bizarre paths, spawning many dead-end branches and "monsters", but sometimes useful hybrid designs were developed. One of these devices was the beer column (BC), the popularity of which among home distillers is growing every year. However, such a device requires an understanding of the theoretical foundations and proper operation, otherwise the result will be disappointing.

The history of the appearance of the beer column

What did not suit the good old serpentine? First, poor performance. Secondly, even with fractional distillation, the distillate contains a significant amount of harmful impurities. A distillation column (RC) copes with these shortcomings, but has its own problems: expensive equipment, after rectification, the drink does not have the smell of the feedstock, and a distiller is still needed for the first distillation.

The advent of once-through and shell-and-tube refrigerators solved the performance problem. These designs of coolers made it possible to distill the mash into raw alcohol relatively quickly, and an empty pipe was added to the design to overcome splashing. So the distiller of the new generation has acquired a finished form.

Example of a once-through cooler
Example of a shell and tube cooler

The pipe served as a dry steamer - not allowing splashes from the cube, which are formed in wild phlegm, to fall into the selection. Such a distiller easily coped with any heating power available in everyday life. A small fortification of the product also appeared in order to enhance this, as previously considered, a useful property - a reflux condenser was used, which gave rise to a whole family of distillers with fortification, related by the common name: “mash column”.

Attention! The continuous beer column (NBK), despite the similar name, has a completely different purpose and principle of operation.

Film mash column

The main scheme was the BC with a shirt reflux condenser, shown in the figure.

An example of a film column in assembled form

Available materials, ease of manufacture and strengthening of moonshine up to 90-91% contributed to the growth in popularity of such a scheme. With operating experience, the main requirements were formulated.

A film mash column was considered good if:

• the diameter was 25-28 mm, and the height was 30 to 50 times the inner diameter;
• there was a sufficiently powerful and well-controlled dephlegmator capable of extinguishing the working heating power;
• there was a fine adjustment of the flow of cooling water to the dephlegmator using a needle valve;
• implemented a separate water supply to the refrigerator and dephlegmator;
• a thermometer is installed above the reflux condenser in the steam pipe;
• there was a sufficiently productive refrigerator to work with full heating power both in the second and in the first stage.

Working with the film column was not easy and required the owner's constant attention. During the first distillation, the reflux condenser was not turned on so as not to increase the boiling time of the mash, but during the second distillation, the reflux condenser was already working, making it possible to select the “heads” drop by drop and strengthen the “body” up to 90%. True, it was not always possible to achieve the intended goals with the help of a reflux condenser, then heating was used, which eventually became the main one for the BC. However, the product obtained as a result of distillation on film BC seemed to enthusiasts to be much better than moonshine after fractional distillation on a conventional apparatus.

Euphoria can be explained by the fact that the high strength masks the unpleasant smell of the drink. True, after dilution with water up to 40-45%, all the shortcomings of the distillate manifested themselves in full in a couple of days. Users consoled themselves with the fact that they did not seek to obtain alcohol, but wanted to drink well-purified moonshine with the aromas of the raw materials.

Film column disadvantages

"Strong does not mean clean"- this simple idea did not immediately take possession of the minds of moonshiners, but there were sensible skeptics who gave the product for analysis. The results were amazing: laboratory testing showed that the removal of impurities on this equipment is a myth.

Moreover, if the film column still somehow allowed to select the “heads”, then there was almost more fusel in the selection than in the feedstock. This made me think and understand how harmful impurities get into the selection, then determine the reasons and try to overcome them.

1. Sensitivity to water pressure. Even a slight decrease in the flow of water in the dephlegmator is enough for all intermediate harmful impurities accumulated in the pipe to instantly slip into the selection. It is enough to open the faucet in the bathroom or flush the toilet so that the water pressure in the system drops, and the drop-by-drop selection of “heads” turns into a vigorous stream.

Rational proposals fell like a cornucopia: stabilization with the help of pressure regulators, water supply through an intermediate tank under the ceiling or an aquarium pump, autonomous cooling systems, etc. In general, things that are very useful and applicable not only for BC.

It seemed that the problem was solved, but in addition to stabilizing the flow of supplied water, it was also required to control the reflux ratio with its help, and this is very inconvenient due to the large inertia of the system.

2. Small holding and separating ability. Trying to fit coils or a couple of washcloths into the column improved things a bit, but not enough to solve the whole cleaning problem. As a result, the “heads” were selected carelessly, and even despite the drop-by-drop selection, the necessary esters responsible for aroma were also removed along with harmful substances.

Due to the impossibility of concentrating the "heads" in the selection zone in large quantities due to the practically absent holding capacity, it was necessary to select them in excess, losing a significant part of the alcohol. The transition to the selection of the "body" by increasing the heating power instantly sent intermediate impurities accumulated in the pipe to the selection.

The situation was aggravated by the fact that during the selection of the "body" the separation fell to 2-3 plates and could not hold up the sivukh. When the temperature in the cube approached 90-92 °C, if they did not switch to the selection of “tails” in time, the remains of the fusel oil flew into the receiving tank, leaving only water in the “tails”.

Even in the best samples of moonshine obtained on film columns, the content of fusel oils is at least 1-2 thousand mg per liter, more often much more. Due to the design features of the film BC, the distillate turns out to be unbalanced - with a clear bias in the chemical composition towards fuselage.

The emergence of the modern brew column

The solution to the problem of cleaning from fusel oils matured quickly - you need to fill the drawer with a nozzle. As a result, the BK has turned into a mini RK (distillation column) with the same rules and equipment requirements. The differences remained only in the versatility of the design, which allows the use of BC for the distillation of mash. The traditional BC selection by steam is also used, although many distillers appreciated the convenience of liquid selection and installed it on their columns, while others began experiments with selection by steam to the dephlegmator.

Example of a beer column

After that, the BC in the classic form of a film column with a selection of steam above the dephlegmator solemnly marched to the museum of the history of moonshine, where it took a place of honor. You can object: "Full is for sale!". The answer is simple: you never know dealers and collectors of antiques who sell and bribe not only obsolete things, but also their fakes.

Requirements for a good mash column

In most cases, a modern BC has a column with a diameter of 40-50 mm and a height of 75 to 100 cm, as well as a cube of 20-30 liters, liquid extraction and automation. In general, this corresponds to the standards and requirements for the Republic of Kazakhstan, but the main thing remained for the beer column: the versatility of the design and the desire to obtain a well-purified distillate with the taste and aroma of the feedstock, which can be drunk immediately without a long correction-aging in oak barrels.

However, during operation, ordinary users had a problem: using standard rectification technologies during the distillation of mash, they received not the expected well-purified and fortified distillate, but dirty alcohol, which they called NDRF semi-contemptuously - under-rectified. It seemed that the evolution of the development of beer columns had reached a dead end.

Then BK fans began experiments on the use of low reflux numbers in the distillation of raw alcohol. Everything fell into place. Smaller volumes of still bulk and short sides, which do not allow pure alcohol to be obtained on the BC, have become a strong point for the production of distillate. The high side of the RK has a separating ability that is excessive for the distillate, cutting off not only the superfluous, but also the useful.

The low side of the BC made it possible to implement the technology of a balanced reduction in the concentration of all impurities in the product with the removal of some that are definitely not needed. This was facilitated by the use of larger nozzles. So, for 50 mm BC, SPN 4 x 4 x 0.28 is used instead of 3.5 x 3.5 x 0.25 in the Republic of Kazakhstan. For certain tasks, tray columns and copper rings as packings have proven themselves well, but this is a topic for a separate article.

How to work on the beer column

Beginners often complain that despite their best efforts, they end up with pure alcohol on the beer column, and not a tasty drink. There is no universal technology, since many of the nuances of distillation depend on the design of the apparatus, however, following the basic rules, you can make a fragrant and well-purified distillate on the BC.

1. BC and RK are devices that implement heat and mass transfer technologies, so the requirements for preparing equipment for operation are almost the same for them. In order to confidently manage the reflux ratio during operation, you need: stable, controlled heating and cooling, as well as good thermal insulation of the cube and column.

2. Calculate the planned rate of "body" selection. We proceed from the fact that the reflux number should not exceed 2. For example, if the operating heating power for a 50 mm column is 1700 W, then approximately 4.93 x 1.7 = 8.3 liters of liquid per hour evaporate from the cube. We must take away a third, and return two-thirds with phlegm back to the column and cube. This means that the planned selection rate is 2.8 liters per hour, and the reflux ratio is (8.3 -2.8) / 2.8 = 2. Greater accuracy is not required.

3. A long and dull selection of “heads”, adopted during rectification, removes not only aldehydes, but also esters responsible for the aroma of the drink. Therefore, "heads" should be selected no more than 2-3% of the AC (absolute alcohol) in bulk. The rate should be approximately 25-300 ml/h (about 10% of the "body" withdrawal rate).

4. We set the starting speed of the “body” selection equal to the planned one (in our example, 2.8 l / h). And after the start of the selection, we adjust it so that the yield strength is 90-91% with a bulk strength of 40%.

No more speed change! By the end of the “body” selection, the speed will drop anyway, and the strength in the stream will decrease to 87-88% (with a residual strength of raw alcohol in a cube of 5%). The speed compared to rectification is enormous, but this is precisely what allows medium esters and a moderate portion of higher alcohols to pass into the receiving container. You need to finish the selection of the "body" at a bottom temperature of no higher than 95 ° C.

5. If we distill grain raw materials, then we select the “tails” fractionally (2-3 portions of 100-150 ml each) at a speed two to three times less than the starting one when selecting the “body”. "Tails" will go the next day for blending or for further processing in the Republic of Kazakhstan.

The main thing is not to be afraid of a high selection rate: if it is lowered, then the output will no longer be a good distillate, but poorly purified alcohol, which is quite suitable for a barrel - impurities are not completely removed, but only “slightly combed”, freed from excess fusel oil and aldehydes.

If the goal is a distillate for consumption without long exposure, then you can experiment with adjusting the reflux ratio, remembering that the higher the reflux ratio, the greater the degree of purification and approximation to alcohol.

For the distillation of sugar raw materials, only the maximum purification from all impurities and the distillation technology adopted in the Republic of Kazakhstan are suitable. If the bulk volume does not exceed 15-20 volumes of the packing in the column, this SPN packing of the size corresponding to the diameter of the column, and the column itself is at least 1 meter high, there are chances to get quite decent alcohol from raw sugar alcohol on BC.

P.S. Thanks for preparing the material for the article to the user from our forum.

Hi all!

A couple of weeks ago, I came across a very interesting equipment for moonshiners - beer column. It is also called a film column or a fortified distiller. One of my acquaintances, a distiller, bought it and kindly offered to test this unit.

What is the outcome you ask? My colleague makes excellent 88-degree moonshine, and now I know what to answer readers when they ask me "How to make strong moonshine." Interested?

And so, in today's article I will tell you what a mash column is, the principle of its operation and how to properly drive moonshine on it.

What is a wash (film) column

Now I will briefly describe what the mash column is for, and in the next chapter I will analyze in more detail the principle of its operation.

So, a film column is equipment that allows you to get very strong and clean moonshine. Up to 90 degrees! And at the same time, the equipment is quite simple in design and use, and its price is relatively small. It is installed directly on the distillation cube.

In appearance, the mash column resembles an ordinary once-through distiller. In fact, the way it is, the only difference is that another refrigerator is installed on the pipe ascending from the cube. The so-called dephlegmator or partial condenser.

This is where the whole point lies. But more on that in the next chapter.

The principle of operation of the film column

To make it clearer, I drew a simple scheme of work.

So, as I said, the column is placed directly on the distillation cube. The heated vapors of moonshine from the cube enter the partial (in Russian - partial) condenser. There, part of the vapor condenses and settles on the walls of the cooler, while the other part goes further.

Therefore, the first cooler is called partial, because. it does not condense all the vapor.

The liquid that has settled on the walls of the cooler is called phlegm. Hence the other name of the partial cooler - dephlegmator.

As you remember, moonshine consists of various impurities, which are conditionally divided into three main groups - “heads”, “body” and “tails”. The heads evaporate at a lower temperature than the rest of the groups. The body is at a higher temperature than the heads, while the tails are the highest boiling fraction. We drink, as we know, only the body, and cut off everything else. This race is called fractional.

So, by cooling moonshine vapors in a dephlegmator, we separate them and let the lower-boiling components pass on, and everything else condenses on the walls of the cooler and flows back into the cube as a film.

Hence the second name of the column - film.

At the same time, the alcohol-containing vapor rising in the side of the partial condenser constantly interacts with the phlegm flowing towards it. There is a process of heat and mass transfer - steam snatches low-boiling components from phlegm and gives it high-boiling ones (fusel oils and water). Hence such a frenzied strengthening - up to 90 degrees of the final product!

By regulating the temperature in the dephlegmator with water, we can quite qualitatively divide moonshine into fractions and cut off unnecessary parts of it. To begin with, we set the temperature so that only the “heads” pass into the second cooler, and return the alcohol and everything else to the cube. And then we raise the temperature and drive out the alcohol, leaving the “tails” in the phlegm.

But in order to clearly cut off the heads with tails and get a clean and strong moonshine with a column, you need to work correctly. Luckily, this is pretty easy to learn.

How to work on the beer column

• First race.

Well, everything is simple. Our column will work only as a distiller, the dephlegmator is not used. We supply water only to the second refrigerator and distill the mash into raw alcohol as quickly as possible. For those who do not know why this is done - read the article double fractional distillation.

• Second race.

Goal selection

We start to heat the cube. When the temperature in the cube approaches 75 degrees, we supply water to both coolers. Moreover, so much water must be supplied to the reflux condenser so that the steam in it is completely condensed and does not enter the second cooler. Those. nothing should flow into the receiving container.

This mode of operation is called "working for yourself." It should last 25-30 minutes. During this time, the head factions will concentrate in the tsar.

Now, very carefully, we begin to reduce the water supply to the strengthening distiller until moonshine begins to drip from the second cooler at a speed of 2-3 drops per second. It is worth noting that the response time of the column to a change in the water supply is quite long.

Therefore, it is necessary to pause between changes in the incoming parameters - slightly reduce the water and wait 30 seconds. Then look at the result and, if necessary, subtract more. Or added.

And so, at a speed of 2-3 drops per second, we select the heads. They are usually selected for smell, but if your moonshine experience does not yet allow you to do this, then use the standard proportion - 50 ml per kilogram of sugar in Braga.

When the heads are over, we change the container and begin the selection of the body.

body selection

Slowly reduce the water supply to the dephlegmator. Moonshine starts to come out faster. The less water you supply, the faster the process starts. But at the same time, the strength and purity of the distillate falls.

Here choose for yourself - either faster to the detriment of the degree of purification and degrees, or stronger and cleaner, but longer.

A compromise solution, in my opinion, is the speed at which moonshine goes in a thin stream.

Now it's time to pay attention to the thermometer installed above the film column. At this point, a certain temperature should be fixed on it. I can’t say which one you will have, because. it depends on the strength of your raw alcohol poured into the apparatus.

But here's what you need to remember. If you have chosen the correct selection mode, then the temperature should be kept at this level. If it grows, even if very slowly (by 1-1.5 degrees), but constantly, then we are supplying too much heat and the moonshine is of inadequate quality. Therefore, either increase the water supply, or reduce the heating.

Now that we have adjusted the column and strong moonshine flows from the second straight-through, and the temperature of the alcohol-containing steam leaving the column is constant (ranges between 0.1-0.2 degrees), we select the body.

But after some time, the temperature still begins to increase - all because there is less alcohol in the cube. Then it is necessary to slightly increase the amount of water supplied to the dephlegmator again. The temperature will return to its previous value, but the amount of moonshine coming out will decrease.

In this mode, we select the body to the tails. For experienced moonshiners, their appearance will be prompted by their own nose. For beginners, I recommend proceeding to the selection of tails when the temperature in the cube (in the cube, and not above the column!) Rise to 93ºС.

Tailings selection

If you are collecting tailings, then simply turn off the water supply to the reflux condenser and squeeze out the residues as in normal distillation. Just in case, let me remind you that we collect the tails in a separate container.

Update: In February, I purchased my own film column HD/4-2500 PK produced by Moonshine and Vodka. It has been slightly modified compared to the factory design - the dephlegmator has been insulated and needle valves have been installed to regulate the water supply.

General impression and conclusions

I liked working on the film column. And the resulting product was also to the taste.

I will list perhaps the advantages that I noted

1. The heads are concentrated, with a pungent odor. The line when they end and the body begins is well felt. It's the same with tails. Therefore, moonshine can be clearly divided into fractions and a very high-quality product can be obtained.
2. The strength of the distillate reaches 80-90%. Of course, you won’t get alcohol, for this you need more serious equipment, but we didn’t set such a goal either.
3. Fruit and berry mash do not lose their taste and aroma.
4. sugar moonshine is softer and more palatable
5. Simplicity of design, relatively low price and ease of use.

In general, I made conclusions for myself - for sugar moonshine, a mash column is required. And it is very desirable for fruit and berry.

Such equipment allows to produce a product of very decent quality. Personally, I have already decided that I will order myself such a column. True, after the New Year holidays, when the family budget will be restored.

Update: In February, I did buy a column. Her photo in the previous section.

All for now.