First runs, success and failure

[Squarebear]

My still is now finished and christened, it's a 500mm x 32mm CM reflux with 500mm x 32mm extension both packed with ss scrubbers the coolant runs through the product condenser and the reflux condenser as one, it's on a 50l keg boiler in a cradle heated by a 2 ring gasmate burner.
First run through was vinegar.
Then a cleaning run of TPW 10L charge, about 10%
It ran full heat, 30 min to boil
22° ambient temp
400-500ml water flow, exit temp around 55°
Vapor takeoff around 77-78°
Takeoff about 1200ml/hr
I collected 8 jars and had a go at cuts the following day coming up with
Fores 120ml
Heads 350ml
Hearts 600ml
Tails 120ml
ABV around 90% dropping a little on the last jar.
I discarded everything as it was a cleaning run but felt pretty good about my first go, until my next 2 runs...

Next run was a 30L charge of TPW at 10%
When it came on boil it seemed far too rapid and I struggled to fully reflux it then couldn't stabilize temps, I shut off the inner burner and tried steadying the vapor temp around 78° unfortunately leaving my water exit temp mostly around 33-37° it ran 3 hours collecting 4.1L (1360ml/hr) between 80-85% ABV
I'm guessing less head room, too much cooling and coming to boil too fast were my issues.

Next run was another 35L of TPW at 10% plus the 4L at 85% back in, (realising after I poured it in I shouldve done a strip and low wines)
I cooled off my burner earlier on this one but it still produced more vapor then I could fully reflux, the product condenser works well and no vapor escapes but I couldn't stop production, equalizing my temps proved a struggle again due to altering coolant and heating rates, i had been ramping up my cooling trying to slow collection but realised water exit temp was 30°ish again so slowed cooling and raised exit temp to 50-60 and managed to collect about 6L at around 90% ABV between 2.8-3L p/hr.
This run took about 2.5hrs after coming to heat.
This batch is all airing so I'll have a go at cuts tomorrow.

I think I need to drop back my heat more and earlier and take longer coming to boil.
Set my coolant flow which I did on the first cleaning run but not the next full charges
My cooling is hooked up to a hose with a pvc butterfly valve which I've now swapped out for a brass ball valve for better control

Any pointers welcome
Cheers

[woodduck]

how big is your rc and what is it made of?

Try not to run it to a exact temp just look for a stable one. If you keep adjusting the water to get a certain temp, it will be all over the joint because the reflux starts and stops. Your output will be all over the place. Try a gate valve instead of the ball valve, they have finer adjustment.

If you dont think your rc can hold reflux you should have the water on flat out anyway. :think:

Just my observation. A couple photos of the still might help us?

[Squarebear]

The RC is jacketed copper pipe, 2" over 1 1/4" half meter long, I did have the water flat out when the temp ramped up and dialled back the heat, I eventually stabilised it but with a lot of smearing through the first half of the run.

I've done another run of 23L TPW but dropped my heat back before boil and brang it on slowly which worked far better, I was able to put it into full reflux before slowly starting the run, I swapped out for the ball valve because I had one handy and it was a bit better but I'm going to get a gate or needle to replace it.

I've been reading how to resize and remove the metadata to post a pic but not sure at the moment how to do that from a phone

Cheers

[scythe]

It's a setting,
Generally just don't give location access to the camera.
Or uploading to a 3rd party site

[woodduck]

Email it to yourself, it will resize itself.

I'd like to see the rc, I cant quite picture it :think:

[Squarebear]

20200526_205051.jpg

[Squarebear]

I found a pic resizing app for my phone and checked for location tags.
I just finished making cuts from the last run and managed 1L of hearts from 2400ml, about 1200ml fores/heads and couple hundred tails, starting around 90% finishing around 75-80%
Production was around 1200ml/hr
Went a lot better taking more time with heating, little more control on the cooling valve should help too.
Waiting for the next batches of wash to dry out should give me time to sort a new valve hopefully

[scythe]

I reckon you would get better separation with a tube amd shell RC.
That water jacket idea is old tech.

[Squarebear]

I nearly ordered a turbo 500 not knowing anything about distilling but pretty much all stock was on backorder, so after some looking around found this still and made up my own boiler, thought I was saving some money but by the time i got everything i need turns out not so much, but it was good research and i like to tinker and learn which brought me to this forum, the more i learn the more i realise i don't know but this is the rig I've got for now and I'm happy learning to get the best of it until I know enough to choose and afford an upgrade

[woodduck]

Yeah that rc probably isn't the most efficient. To get higher % and cleaner alc you will need to turn the power down and reduce the take off rate.

[Squarebear]

Cheers, I'll give it ago next run