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What is a reflux condenser for a moonshine still, its home production. What is a dephlegmator for moonshine, its home-made connection of a dephlegmator and an additional refrigerator

However, despite the widespread use of these names, if you analyze the numerous information on the Internet, then there is widespread confusion about the purpose of these devices. Especially a lot of discrepancies are observed in the functions and essence of the operation of the dephlegmator and the dry steamer. Let's figure it out and start with the basics.

Rectification and distillation

Distillation- this is evaporation followed by condensation of vapors. This is exactly what happens when you use moonshine still the simplest type.
Rectification- separation of the mixture into fractions due to the countercurrent movement of steam and the same steam condensed into a liquid (phlegm).

Thus, it can be seen that during distillation, the vapor formed during the boiling of the liquid enters the condenser in cocurrent flow. As a result, we get a homogeneous mixture containing both alcohol and water, and fusel oils. The alcohol content is increased due to the fact that it evaporates at lower temperatures and faster than water and other fractions.

During rectification, part of the condensed steam flows back towards the distillation vessel, is heated by the newly formed steam and evaporates again. As a result of the reevaporation process, the distilled liquid is divided into its component parts. In the case of moonshine: fusel oils, water and the alcohol we need. The degree of separation depends on the design of the distillation column.

Looking ahead a little, let's say that a reflux condenser for moonshine is one of the elements included in the device of a distillation column.

Dry steamers and wet steamers

Actually, these are two names of the same element. They are also known as bastards. Both a dry steamer and a wet steamer are structurally a thin-walled closed container of a small volume with two steam lines in the upper part: inlet and outlet.

AT lower part prikubnik embedded tap for discharge of waste condensate. However, often prikubniks are made from glass jars, then, naturally, there can be no talk of a tap. The accumulated liquid is drained through the neck and only at the end of the distillation.

A simple dryer from a can

There is only one structural difference between a wet and dry steamer: in a wet steamer, the outlet of the inlet pipe is lowered to the very bottom, so that the steam from the distillation cube “bubbling” through the liquid poured into the container. From here, a wet steamer is often called a bubbler.

How it works

  1. Steam enters the tank and due to the temperature difference begins to condense on the walls and drain to the bottom.
  2. As the body of the dry steamer is heated with new steam, the intensity of condensation decreases, part of the steam begins to go into the selection.
  3. At the same time, the condensate begins to heat up and re-evaporate and also go to the selection.
  4. At a certain point, due to overevaporation, only “dirty” phlegm is at the bottom, which is better to dump through the tap and start the cycle from the beginning.
  5. If there is no valve, then there is only one option - selection before flushing, i.e. at the output we get a "dirty" product.

Both options, both "reset" and "selection to victory" are not good - in the end we still get not the highest quality product. In fact, a dry steamer performs only two useful functions:

  • does not allow pairs of mash to get into the selection;
  • due to overevaporation slightly increases the strength of the product.

Is it possible to increase the efficiency of the sump? It is possible, but it is necessary to change its device: the body should be located above the distillation cube, and the condensate must be discharged directly into the cube. Only it will no longer be a dry steamer, but quite a decent uncontrollable dephlegmator.

How is a reflux condenser

The device of a reflux condenser in its simplest form is two welded tubes of different diameters, installed vertically on a distillation cube. Coolant (water) circulates in the shirt between them, and a smaller diameter tube serves as a conduit for the exit of alcohol-containing vapor.

To explain the principle of operation of this device, we conditionally assume that the distilled liquid has 2 components having different boiling points. The division into fractions is carried out as follows:

  1. At the initial stage, the cooling starts at full capacity and until the distillation cube is heated, the apparatus works “on its own”. That is, the liquid evaporating from the container condenses, forms a thin film on the walls and flows towards the rising steam back into the cube. On its way, it is heated by the newly formed steam and partially evaporates - this is "overevaporation"
  2. After the temperature in the tank reaches a temperature sufficient to boil both fractions, two areas are formed inside the structure:
  3. The upper one, where the vapors of the fraction with a low boiling point condense.
  4. The lower one is the region of condensation of the second component.
  5. Nothing still gets into the main refrigerator, that is, there is no selection yet.
  6. The evaporation and condensation temperatures of each of the fractions are known. Now you can change the cooling mode so that the point of evaporation of the first fraction is at the upper cut of the reflux condenser.
  7. The selection of the 1st component of the mixture begins.
  8. After the low-temperature fraction is selected, the mode is changed again and the second part of the mixture is selected.

The method makes it possible to separate a liquid into any number of components having different boiling points. The process is inertial, and it is better to change the cooling mode very carefully, slowly and stepwise.

Dephlegmator Dimrota

The separating power of the reflux condenser depends on the size of the area of ​​contact of phlegm with steam and the accuracy of adjustment. The principle of operation is the same for all types of these devices, they differ only constructively.

The one that was described in the previous section is a direct-flow film-type refrigerator. The design is simple to manufacture and quite effective. But it has drawbacks - an insignificant interaction area, which tends to zero when the structure deviates from the vertical. The second is the difficulty of adjusting the steam temperature. Dimroth's design is partially devoid of these shortcomings.

The Dimroth reflux condenser is a glass or metal flask with a spiral tube in the center. Water circulates through it and phlegm condenses on it.

The principle of operation is the same, but it is obvious that such a design, even by eye, has a larger area of ​​​​contact between vapor and liquid than a film apparatus. In addition, the interaction of phlegm and steam occurs in the center of the flask, where its temperature is maximum. Consequently, the final product will be cleaner and stronger.

Why is a Dimroth reflux condenser or a film reflux condenser for moonshine still most often used in everyday life? This is due to the properties of the feedstock - mash. If, during its distillation, the most efficient packed column with a large filler area is used, then after half an hour of operation the filler will be so contaminated that no rectification will become possible.

Out of the corner of my eye I saw on one of the forums another discussion of the topic “how to supply water to the refrigerator, towards steam or along the way”, in which they referred to my article on the construction of a BC. I have not touched this topic before, so I decided to state my opinion separately in this article.

In the BC design I proposed, water is supplied to the apparatus from below and it turns out that it enters the reflux condenser along the way (forward flow) to steam, and towards the refrigerator (counterflow). Is it correct? The classical theory of heat exchangers states that counter-flow heat exchangers are more efficient than direct-flow ones. This can be illustrated with a picture.

Figure a shows a direct-flow heat exchanger, figure b shows a counter-flow one. As can be seen from the temperature graphs, with counterflow, the temperature of the hot coolant A at the outlet is lower (point Y), and cold coolant B is higher (point Z) than with forward flow. This fact is explained by the fact that in a direct-flow heat exchanger, the temperatures of the heat carriers equalize to some average value, and in a counterflow heat exchanger, the temperature of the hot heat carrier approaches the temperature of the cold one and vice versa. The temperature delta (heat flow) is greater in the case of a counterflow heat exchanger. Accordingly, the efficiency of the counterflow is higher, it can be made more compact (or it will be more efficient for the same dimensions). Everything seems to be clear.

But, as always, from general rule there are exceptions. In this case, this exception states that if the temperature of one of the heat carriers does not change continuously, but only up to a certain value (which happens during condensation or evaporation), then the heat flux at different options connections are the same. In the case of the dehumidifier, this is what happens. Our mission is to support certain temperature steam (for steam extraction - the boiling point of alcohol, for liquid - the temperature of its condensation, in fact, this is almost the same temperature). In the case of a direct cooler (in other articles, out of habit, I incorrectly call it a direct-flow refrigerator, although it can also be counter-current), the task is somewhat different - to condense the product and then cool it to the temperature of the cooling water, i.e. classically "heat exchanger". It turns out that the BK dephlegmator does not care how to connect, and the refrigerator needs to be connected towards.

There is one more point here. Dissolved gas is always present in water, which, when the temperature rises, tends to be released and “airing” is formed in the system, up to traffic jams. Therefore, it is more expedient to supply water to the shirt reflux condenser from below, excluding airing - the flow of water takes out air bubbles. With small ducts through the reflux condenser, one can observe the formation of an air bubble at the very top of the outlet silicone tube at the height of the process - this is it.

In this way , it is advisable to connect the water supply to the BC from below - along the way to the dephlegmator (forward flow) and towards the refrigerator (counterflow).

It has long been known that properly obtained moonshine does not give a severe hangover. It is better to clean alcohol vapors immediately during distillation than later, folk remedies. Indeed, with improper cleaning, they may not even save a ruined drink. What can contribute to the accurate separation of fractions? Each moonshine still, if it is proudly called a column, has a dephlegmator. In another way, it is also called a strengthening refrigerator. Without a reflux condenser, the metal tube that rises above the still is just a tube. Why is it needed and what is the principle of operation of a dephlegmator in a moonshine still? Everything is very simple. Let's start with the design and location.

Moonshine dephlegmator device

The reflux condenser (reinforcing refrigerator) is something like a “water jacket” located in the upper quarter of the column. In fact, the design of the section of the column with a reflux condenser is two concentric tubes of different diameters. The outer tube is welded to the inner one, and the space between them is supplied cold water. Sometimes the reflux condenser is removable, but most often it is integrally mounted on the column itself. The dephlegmator zone does not have any internal nozzles. In this regard, the dephlegmator of a distillation column is no different from that on a conventional beer column. High performance distillation columns may not have a reflux condenser, however, it will be impossible to distill the mash on such columns: it will “clog” the nozzle, no matter what is used. Therefore, household column apparatuses have a reflux condenser for distillation “in moonshine still mode”. Therefore, when planning (we recommend choosing a device of the brand), pay special attention to the possible modes of its operation.

The principle of operation of the dephlegmator

The essence of the operation of this device is the creation of the required temperature for the purification and strengthening of alcohol vapors due to their cooling and the so-called priority condensation.

Let's explain with an example.

In the operation mode of the column (mash or distillation) “on itself”, there is a complete condensation of all vapors coming from the distillation cube. At this stage, the reflux condenser receives the maximum cooling flow. All condensate flows down the column towards new portions of vapor. When they meet, partial evaporation occurs due to heating of the liquid (phlegm). When the column warms up and enters the operating mode, it separates the temperature regions. In the upper part, vapors of substances with a lower boiling point will condense, and in the lower part, with a higher one. As soon as this mode is established, it is possible to reduce the cooling of the reflux condenser.

The temperature should be set in such a way as to “shift” the area of ​​evaporation of low-boiling fractions to the upper area of ​​the reflux condenser. In this case, all low-boiling fractions will begin to evaporate here and pass further into the condenser, while all other fractions will not be able to leave the column. As soon as the low-boiling fractions (heads) are selected, the temperature in the column is changed again, so that now in the same upper region of the reflux condenser the main fraction of the “body” evaporates. In this way, all components of the mixture having different boiling points can be separated. It turns out that the reflux condenser is such a “barrier”, which can clearly separate the components of the liquid. It is only important to remember that the cooling adjustment should be made as smoothly as possible and “little by little”, since the system needs time to establish a new equilibrium. As a rule, it takes 20-30 seconds.

Types of dephlegmators

Although the principle behind the operation of reflux condensers is the same, they may differ in design and size. The larger the contact area of ​​phlegm and steam (within certain limits), and the more accurate the temperature control, the greater will be the separating power of the reflux condenser. And there are only two designs: direct-flow and Dimroth dephlegmator. Sometimes they are confused, mixing everything into one.

A straight-through reflux condenser is just a “tube in a tube”, which was described above. And the Dimroth reflux condenser has a slightly different design. It is made in the form of a tube, inside which there is a second tube in the form of a spiral. It is in the internal that water is supplied, and here the liquid condenses. Due to the spiral shape, the contact area of ​​the liquid-vapor phases increases, and, consequently, the separation efficiency. Another plus of this design is that this phase contact occurs in the zone of maximum temperature - in the center of the tube. And this also contributes to better purification of alcohol vapors, even