Jobson&Rusakova Posted January 31, 2009 Share Posted January 31, 2009 After looking at the information on the methods of distilling I am curious why so many distillers use complicated (and expensive) stills that employ plates in their columns instead of using packed columns. Why not use a sophisticated still with a packed column? Thank you. Robert Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rich phillips Posted January 31, 2009 Share Posted January 31, 2009 After looking at the information on the methods of distilling I am curious why so many distillers use complicated (and expensive) stills that employ plates in their columns instead of using packed columns. Why not use a sophisticated still with a packed column?Thank you. Robert I guess from our experience, you get a lot of oils and crap in a pack; harder to clean Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coop Posted January 31, 2009 Share Posted January 31, 2009 I guess from our experience, you get a lot of oils and crap in a pack; harder to clean After you take your column apart and spend hours cleaning and re furbishing your packings. You will see why we use plates. I can clean and refurbish my 16 plate still in about 1 1/2 hours total. Nothing to take apart so no need for new gaskets and no chance of breaking anything. CIP system is the only way to go. Coop Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robertbirnecker Posted February 2, 2009 Share Posted February 2, 2009 Some of the advantages and disadvantages of the plates in a column vs a packed column have already been listed here. I would like to add two aspects to this that have a high relevance for your final product. For one, you can adjust plates a lot easier than a packed column depending on your raw material / desired output. Some manufacturers give you the option to turn certain plates off and some also have the option to adjust the fluid level in the plate. At least equally important, however, is the dephlegmator. Modern distilling relies heavily on the functionality of the dephlegmator to control the nature of your product. I hope this helps! You can also find a technical drawing for more explanation on our website. All the best, Robert Kothe Distilling Technologies Inc. 5121 N. Ravenswood Ave Chicago, IL 60640 http://www.kothe-distilling.com info@kothe-distilling.com (773) 295 4454 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cowdery Posted February 2, 2009 Share Posted February 2, 2009 Packed stills were used in the 19th century, in both the United States and Canada, for making whiskey. They were popular where metals and metal-workers were scarce. One common configuration was a wooden column packed with smooth stones. Today they are popular for small scale fuel ethanol production (and they're metal, packed with metal), but not for beverage alcohol production, for the reasons listed above. With the 19th century wooden versions, I suspect they didn't worry about cleaning them. When they got to the point that they could no longer produce, they were probably just torn down and replaced. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
O.T. Distillery Posted February 2, 2009 Share Posted February 2, 2009 Packed columns work great for home distillation (where legal). However, when making large batches, it requires a wider diameter column so that more power (or heat) can be used; this way, you are not sitting next to a 3 inch wide column for the next 12 hours. When we move to wider columns, it is much easier to use plates than in is packing. Remember, a packed column is generally only used for making vodka, or GNS. Plate columns are a lot more versatile. -Tyler Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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