2" or 3" Pot Still

[Aushy]

hey guys,

I've been collecting parts over the past few months to make my first still.

I'll be making both a 3" Boka Reflux Still as well as a standard pot still.

Now I'm in a situation where I have both 3" and 2" copper and am wondering which is best to use for the potstill?

My boiler will have 2x2400w heating elements and my product condenser will be a shotgun - 500mm length, with 5x12mm tubes.

Appreciate your thoughts.

[warramungas]

Doesn't really matter for the pot with that much power. Whatever is easier for you really.
Your PC is the critical part that needs to be able to knock down all the vapour.
Probably wouldn't run ALL that power for a spirit run though.

[Kenster]

In column design... height equals purity and width equals speed of output. Should this not be the same for a pot? If it were up to me, i would/did go 3'' for my pot.

[warramungas]

In column design... height equals purity and width equals speed of output. Should this not be the same for a pot? If it were up to me, i would/did go 3'' for my pot.

Going from 2" to 3" with that amount of power there would be negligible improvement at best. Like going from a 2" exhaust to a 3" on a Morris minor. Performance isn't going to improve much.
3" is expensive so, as I said, up to you. 2" will save you a few bob unless you intend to up the ante later in the power stakes. A 3" exhaust will make a noticeable difference on a 6 liter v8.
If you don't mind the cost to make a 3", go for it. Too big isn't going to be any issue.

[hillzabilly]

I would make both in 3inch so I could use sections for either or,part of ya boka colomn(if ya make it in two sections) could be used for ya pot still,the 3inch shotgun(instead of a coil,wich will need a very good pump pressure ta work well) could be used on either as well ,and you will not need reducers either and all tri clamps will be 3inch.cheers hillzabilly :handgestures-thumbupleft:

[coffe addict]

:text-+1: on the 3in, a 500mm riser for pot can be packed with ss scrubbies to connect with your 1m boka giving you 1.5m packed and 96% is very easy to hit. If you build a shotgun condenser for the rc you can easily repurpose it for a plated column should you want to go that way down the road a bit.

[Aushy]

Okay so I'm leaning towards the 3" now as I like the idea of building a 3" shotgun condenser for the reflux. What's a good number of tubes and length?

[Aushy]

Also, would smearing be a potential issue with a 3" pot when doing my product run?

[Sam.]

Okay so I'm leaning towards the 3" now as I like the idea of building a 3" shotgun condenser for the reflux. What's a good number of tubes and length?

Plenty of builds to see around here mate for inspiration

Also, would smearing be a potential issue with a 3" pot when doing my product run?

No difference on any size rig as long as it's built right ;-)

[Aushy]

Okay so I'm leaning towards the 3" now as I like the idea of building a 3" shotgun condenser for the reflux. What's a good number of tubes and length?

Plenty of builds to see around here mate for inspiration

Also, would smearing be a potential issue with a 3" pot when doing my product run?

No difference on any size rig as long as it's built right ;-)

Plenty of info on shotgun product condensers but a little light on info about shotgun reflux condensers.

Does 15 to 20cm sound about right? I've drawn up a tube pattern with 9 x 12mm(1/2") tubes.

[TasSpirits]

Check out some of the bubbler builds and look at the RCs that have been built. :handgestures-thumbupleft:

[Aushy]

Check out some of the bubbler builds and look at the RCs that have been built. :handgestures-thumbupleft:

Isn't the purpose of a RC in a bubbler not to fully condense the product, so in theory would require less delta Q?

I haven't read much on bubblers to be honest so could be wrong, just trying to find a comparable RC.

[coffe addict]

You're right about rc being able to let product pass through but they are also usually designed to be capable of 100% reflux too.
Around 150mm long should be capable of both. If you look through 3in builds you should be able copy one that's been done before