Rocky's 4" Bubble Plate Build

[hillzabilly]

Hey Rocky just wondering how you calculated the size and number of cuts on ya bubble caps,as I noticed at least ten more cuts that are wider and longer than yours on the 5star ones,that have performed faultlessly for me,wich are now only $15.95 each with matching riser.cheers hillzabilly

[coffe addict]

Hey rocky, I went with 3 2 1 sections as I have a sneaky suspicious that I'm going to prefer 3 for rum and six for vodka and I'll have a packed section for neutral.

It certainly gives you the options. I've also heard I could get a similar effect by running 4 plates harder. Without experience as to what I will like I went for versatility.
My 2c worth

[Rockybrewa]

Hey Rocky just wondering how you calculated the size and number of cuts on ya bubble caps,as I noticed at least ten more cuts that are wider and longer than yours on the 5star ones,that have performed faultlessly for me,wich are now only $15.95 each with matching riser.cheers hillzabilly

Hey Hillzabilly I just used the old near enough is good enough method with a touch of see how it goes. The width of my cuts was directly proportional to my hacksaw blade width and the depth/spacing was roughly 5mm each. The reason I went this path was because the 2 inch and 1.5 inch pipe was very cheap at the scrapyard. I have made all the components for the plates for less then 20 dollars. I'll post results when I get the rig up and running and if I need to redesign I can at a fairly cheap cost.

Hey rocky, I went with 3 2 1 sections as I have a sneaky suspicious that I'm going to prefer 3 for rum and six for vodka and I'll have a packed section for neutral.

It certainly gives you the options. I've also heard I could get a similar effect by running 4 plates harder. Without experience as to what I will like I went for versatility.
My 2c worth

Coffe addict I directly swiped you 3 2 1 configuration due to the lengths of pipe I purchased haha. If I had a solid 600mm section it would be a 4 plate straight up because I'm still planning to use a plate tree style setup. How clean will a vodka be at 6 plates? I still plan to make a packed section though.

Cheers rocky

[hillzabilly]

No worries mate ,this pic some use as refference is a bit short of detail in that regard,the only problem it may cause in my mind would be,blow by thru ya downcomers,wich may leed to flooded plates,because of the restriction caused by too few or too small slots.They may work with lower power of 2400wts but struggle with 3600wts or higher.There is probably a formula for working it out ,but that stuff is not my strong point,wich is why I went the tryed and proven way,just watch them like a hawk until you are confident.cheers hillzabilly ;-)

[scythe]

5mm deep and 5mm apart is the general rule of thumb, 1-2mm slot width is about right.

[coffe addict]

Absolutely no idea rocky :laughing-rolling: but I don't like sipping vodka to be bland flavourless or watery. I plan to make vodka from grain and want to retain a hint of flavour and some mouthfeel like Highend stuff but will be super tight on the cuts. The heads and tails being rerun for neutral.
As I say without experience I am just guessing. Sure is going to be fun working it out :happy-partydance:

[hillzabilly]

5mm deep and 5mm apart is the general rule of thumb, 1-2mm slot width is about right.

If ya useing 5 by 1inch caps ,that would give a lot more slots than a single 2inch cap,and both have the same downcomer size,and both will need ta deal with the same amount of vapour,the maths just does not add up ta me .As I said its not my strong point,but I would presume ya need the same amount of area as the 1inch caps at least,or maybe there is something I am missing,smaller multiple caps gives a cleaner product with less flavour carry over,it could be one of the reasons this happens that way with the 2inch caps giveing more flavour by way of less and quicker exposure to the liquid from the vapour,but I would only be guessing ,any tech heads feel free ta comment or correct me ,anyhooo got me scratching my head now.cheers hillzabilly ;-)

[Zak Griffin]

FSD little caps have about 17 slots, and the 2" caps about 45. On a plate, that makes about 85 slots with little caps or 45 with the big ones. I'm pretty sure my 2" caps ended up with around 45, but I have a 20mm slot-free gap facing the DC.

With 5mm spacing, if they don't work you can always cut another slot between every second one and see how it goes ;-)

[Rockybrewa]

Yeah I'm not too stressed about it at this stage. I feel like these will flow ok. If I need to I can widen each slot or add a few more. The good thing about making all of this out of recycled 2" and 3/4" from the scrappy is that it's cheap if I need to remake 4 plates.

I also run on a mega jet gas burner which has very good flame control. So I think I will have a fair bit of leeway to play with. This will all be reported back in as much detail as I can when its running.

Rocky

[Rockybrewa]

On a side note: I wonder if flow speeds/CFM (cubic feet per minute) can be measured by someone in the performance engine building business? Its a given test on performance cylinder head building, maybe it can be use in this application. what do we really need to know? what the maximum CFM a bubble plate could flow? what is the minimum required to not cause a substantial restriction? if we know the min and max it would be a nice bit of information. its easy enough to calculate the area of the combined cuts... I know this is not a simple vapor flow calculation, its vapor speed v time in contact with liquid v bath depth and so on, but, it would be nice to bench test the flow on some designs, that way with a little certainty you can say what is the minimum required \ and what is overkill.

just the thoughts of an ex-mechanic after a few bourbons...

PS thanks or all the great input guys, lots of food for though which i love :handgestures-thumbupleft:

Rocky!

[scythe]

2" caps allow you to make less caps per plate, and are less fiddly to make as they are physically larger.

But 5 x 1" caps will give you better possible throughput, but are alot more work to make.

[Rockybrewa]

With the first build simplicity is a winner for me. Im sure a few mm3 of area in the cuts is less of an effect than an extra plate. If it runs and makes whiskey and rum its a winner

[Rockybrewa]

Update:Drastic change in design today. After 48 hours of though I am scrapping the plate tree and making a fully modular 4 plate with the option of an extra two. I stopped my procrastination by just going ahead and cuttting up the 4". All sections will be 130mm. I plan to hard solder all easy flanges and soft solder the Plate sections into each modual. Bring on the bubbler! :handgestures-thumbupleft:

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Cheers rocky!wg

[Zak Griffin]

Excellent move! Build it once and build it right :handgestures-thumbupleft:

[rumdidlydum]

Great choice Rocky, Then you can chop and change your configuration as you please. I wish I had made my glass sections easily changeable, now I'm thinking of making them more modular or at least two plates modular.

Keep playing with copper and documenting it :handgestures-thumbupleft:

[Rockybrewa]

Hey all,

Slow few months on the build but I'm starting to get into gear again. Sorted out my 4 inch flanges today. Total of 12 will be required but a few of them are a bit shitty so I may have to make a few more. Also burnt out my $20 XU1 drill from Bunnings using a hole saw for the thee inch hole. Have one section kinda mocked up, I will put on the thee inch easy flange and solder the tee all together in a few nights.

Cheers rocky

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[Zak Griffin]

Good to see you're back into it :handgestures-thumbupleft:

Are you going to cut the 3" branches down? The closer the SG is to the column the more you'll see :handgestures-thumbupleft:

[Rockybrewa]

Yeah I reckon I'll trim them down a bit from that length. I left plenty of room for measure once and cut twice

[Bushy]

Good to see you're back into it :handgestures-thumbupleft:

Are you going to cut the 3" branches down? The closer the SG is to the column the more you'll see :handgestures-thumbupleft:

What the f&$k are you doing in here Zac. Get back out to the shed and build stuff.

[Rockybrewa]

Update time (finally):

I have started to hit some major mile stones in the build. Honest to God I though this build would be well and truly over by now but being my second build and my first bubbler, its proving to be a bit more difficult than i first imagined. My biggest problems lie in the fact that i dont have the correct metal working tools, Jut a good set of files and an angle grinder clamped on to a work bench are doing the bulk of the work. If i had something like a drill press, bench grinder and oxy torch i would be laughin'. anyways here are some photos of the progress made in the last two day/ since my last post.

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I have complete three tee piece bodies, they all have 3" viewing ports. I am going to stick with three right now just to get the bugger up and running. I have enough 4 Inch copper for a deplheg and a 500mm packed section. I only need another 125mm of 4" to completed the final tee (all the internals are build ready to go into it)

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One Tee is completely done. just needs a tidy up but all the goodies are installed. You learn a lot the first time you build one of these. Like its not a good idea to silver solder the bottom flange AND the bubble plate in at the same time. but you make do. its sealed and it fits. the next two tee's have already been a world of difference in ease of building.

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Here is all that makes up my single 2"bubble cap assembly. Tomorrow job, Fark its been hot here in perth today especially doing hot work.

Im going to try build the condenser in the next day or two and order all seals and clamps. Hope everyone is having a good new year!

Rocky