I'm pretty sure I've read just about every post here and now im just looking for some answers about my particular system.
I am a distiller for a brewery and i think our equipment might be inadequate to run neutrals , we have a 6in column with 8 plates (fixed plates but removable) sitting on a 100gal electric boiler w/ four 5500 watt elements . Glycol coolant on depleg and prod condenser both controlled with separate ball valves. (i think this is a source of trouble but need some second opinions) i have packed the column with copper so that each plate has a solid 2-3 inches of mesh and double packed the top 2 plates, my boiler charge on a spirit run is 90 gallons @ 30%ABV, this morning i was only able to achieve 181P despite running very slow and trying to keep the dephleg in check. i realize that a lot of distillers are using proportional valves or even needle valves to control dephleg temps, is this my downfall? im running out of ideas.
i know that this subject has been beaten to death, i was just hoping to open a dialogue about our system specifically and try to get to the bottom of it. Thanks in advance for your help, there aren't any distillers in my area that i can call on.