Has anyone built anything like this?

[PhillT]

and would it work? (for a proposed C.M. build)

Coldfinger .jpg

[Zak Griffin]

Nowhere near as much surface area there as there is in a coil... You also want cold water in at the top and out at the bottom ;-)

[Cranky]

How about a waterjacket outside as well ?

[PhillT]

Nowhere near as much surface area there as there is in a coil... You also want cold water in at the top and out at the bottom ;-)

I can increase the surface area by making the condenser longer, but that is finite.

I don't understand why cold needs to exit at the bottom. Can you enlighten me please Zak?

[Zak Griffin]

It doesn't need to exit at the bottom, sorry, that was badly worded.

You want the flow of the coolant running against the flow of the vapor, to prevent shock cooling :handgestures-thumbupleft:

[PhillT]

Nowhere near as much surface area there as there is in a coil... You also want cold water in at the top and out at the bottom ;-)

OK, so what if I reversed the water flow, in at the top, out from the bottom?

[bt1]

Nowhere near as much surface area there as there is in a coil

:text-+1:
That would be the go even a single helix would help... as is it won't have the grunt.

There was a US design seen once kinda the same but had 4 -6 ??? x 1/2" fingers fed coolant with a circular hot collector with single out. The guy seemed happy enough with it but who knows where he lived and his ambient ... could have bee a snow country location .

No such thing as too much cooling
bt1

[hillzabilly]

In my opinion condencer design is about efficency ,yeh it will work but to do the same job as a coil or shotgun it may have to be three times the length and your coolant flow increased ,and for most of us getting more packing height is more important .cheers hillzabilly

[PhillT]

In my opinion condencer design is about efficency ,yeh it will work but to do the same job as a coil or shotgun it may have to be three times the length and your coolant flow increased ,and for most of us getting more packing height is more important .cheers hillzabilly

OK so it looks like I have underestimated the amount of cooling required to attain 100% reflux in a 2" column :oops:

I was basing my thinking on the very small flow of water required to condense the output of my 2" pot.

Am I wrong in thinking that a high flow rate of water is also not a solution? i.e. if I replace the 3/8" pipe with 1/2" and really push it through?

[Andy]

you could increase the flow rate of the water in 1/2'. but what you are doing is decreasing the surface area and efficiency of the condenser and to compensate you are increasing the water flow.

[PhillT]

you could increase the flow rate of the water in 1/2'. but what you are doing is decreasing the surface area and efficiency of the condenser and to compensate you are increasing the water flow.

Exactly, ...not a good idea???