This is our "Ethanol Shed" my dad made. Outside temperature is between 52*F and 54*F. |
Used keg, modified to be our "boiler." Note the plastic sheet covering the open top when in storage. A brass flange has been mounted to a stainless steel mixing bowl, which is turned upside-down and sits on top of the keg. The keg has had the tap cut out of the top, and the edges of the newly created opening ground to create an opening slightly smaller than the inverted bowl, but quite large enough to reach one's arm into the keg. A home-made seal is created between the inverted bowl and the keg using food-grade RTV silicone sealant. The weight of the copper reflux column sitting above this is the only pressure applied to hold the seal. Should the copper reflux column become plugged and air pressure build inside the keg, this serves as an emergency "blow off" valve. It shouldn't ever be needed provided one only boils strained "beer" or "low wines" inside the keg. |
Light the burner. As can be seen, we used a small one-burner Coleman camping stove to supply our heat. Careful! It's hot! |
Insert long "extension" and "seal" with nitrile rubber band. |
Add 12-inch column and seals. Both the "extension" and this 12" column are packed with copper mesh. |
The "Separator Module" is added next, and sealed. |
The "Condenser Module" is added last, completing the reflux column assembly. Also known as the "reflux condenser." The bottom, where it attaches to the "Separator Module," is sealed, but there is no need for any seals above this point. |
Add the "Product Cooler." This is the final condenser. Cooling water enters the still at the lower point of this condenser, moves up through and out the top, and is directed to the "reflux condenser" (not shown) inside the very top of the still's column. Water exiting the "reflex condenser" is either dumped or recycled. The "needle valve" is OPENED FULLY for this test. (It would also be opened fully for a "beer striping" run.) |
Add short tubing connecting the output of "Cooling condenser" with the input of the "reflux condenser" (blue dot). The remaining tubing will *not* be connected for this test. |
Add the thermometer. |
Add insulation. Shown is the "black fabric" insulation for the reflux column, and Alan wrapping a towel around the stainless steel mixing bowl. Two more bathroom towels were draped around the keg. Without these three towels so much heat was lost to convection that the column would *not* get hot enough to produce steam (water vapor). Outdoor temperature was about 53*F with a light breeze. We also found closing the doors greatly assisted in producing enough heat to allow the still to perform properly. We found this interesting. |
Erik... |
...and Alan. |
| Central Time PM |
Time Elapsed (Per Step) |
Time Elapsed (Accumulated) |
Remarks |
| 12:11 | n/a | 0:00 | Light fire and start assembly of the PDA-1 still. |
| 12:28 | 0:17 | 0:17 | Only the hoses & thermometer remain unassembled. |
| 12:33 | 0:05 | 0:22 | Added thermometer.
Keg is warm to the touch. |
| 12:35 | 0:02 | 0:24 | 60.4*F. |
| 12:39 | 0:04 | 0:28 | 58.1*F. Temperature is dropping!
Add black insulating wraps to the reflux column (supplied with the PDA-1 at purchase). |
| 12:42 | 0:03 | 0:31 |
Add (green) towel at the junction between the keg, the stainless steel mixing bowl, and the bottom fitting of the PDA-1's reflux column. The green towel is wrapped around the s.s. mixing bowl, and well-contained inside the top cavity of the keg, created by its lip with the hand-holds. |
| 12:47 | 0:05 | 0:36 | 56.4*F. Temperature still dropping! |
| 12:56 | 0:09 | 0:45 | 55.9*F. Temperature still dropping! Added two more (bathroom) towels, and wrapped them around the keg as if they were "shawls." |
| 1:02 | 0:06 | 0:51 | 58.2*F. Yay! Temperature is rising! |
| 1:07 | 0:05 | 0:56 | 61.1*F |
| 1:12 | 0:05 | 1:01 | 63.6*F Open propane flow to gas-burner FULLY OPEN.
It had already been almost fully open. |
| 1:20 | 0:08 | 1:09 | 67.6*FOutdoor temperature is 54*F. |
| 1:29 | 0:09 | 1:18 | 209*F. |
| 1:31 | 0:02 | 1:20 | 189*F, after we had doors open.
Open doors, and remove all three towels. We observe the temperature rapidly drops. The green towel is moist. There has been condensate dripping from the "Product Cooler" onto this towel. Water is boiling in the keg. All three towels are replaced. |
| 1:32 | 0:01 | 1:21 | 201*F. Temperature is again rising after replacing the towels. |
| 1:34 | 0:02 | 1:23 | 208*F. |
| 1:35 | 0:01 | 1:24 | 209*F. |
| 1:37 | 0:02 | 1:26 | 210*F. |
| 1:38 | 0:01 | 1:27 | 208*F, after removing the "black wrap insulation." |
| 1:40 | 0:02 | 1:29 | 189*F. Removed all three towels again, and observed the rapid drop in temperature. Replaced all insulation. |
| 1:45 | 0:05 | 1:34 | 210*F. |
| 1:49 | 0:04 | 1:39 | 189*F. It works! We can distill water This is when we noticed a drop of water fell down upon the green towel. We began unwrapping the black wrap insulation to see if water was wicking down the insulation.
We noted that the drop fell from the "Product Cooler" exactly as per its design. We are NOT running any cooling water through the either of the two condensers. We didn't know if the outdoor temperature would provide sufficient cooling to allow the distillation of water. We still don't know if there is sufficient cooling to allow the still to work properly.There is NOT supposed to be any "steam" rising out of the top of the column when it is being cooled properly. I suspect we'll need additional cooling to properly drop the temperature at the "reflux coil" which is inside the copper column, at the very top (the part not wrapped by black fabric insulation). |
| 1:50 | 0:01 | 1:40 | 181*F. |
| 1:52 | 0:02 | 1:42 | 175*F. The keg does require insulation to rise to a boiling temperature. |
|
Outdoor temperature: 52*F to 54*F.
We verified there are no leaks in the column and that we are able to boil water, provided we utilize insulation on the column and keg. Without insulation there is too much heat loss due to convection. This completes "step one" -- we have determined a means of distilling water with the PDA-1, inside the outdoor shed. # # # |
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