Alcohol Pump

[DyerWolf]

I am trying to design a gravity fed carbon filtering sytem for spirits.

I would like a pump to lift the spirit 10 feet to a resevoir at a rate of 5 to 10 gallons per minute.

Does anyone have thoughts on a explosion proof pump?

Thank you,

Brad Irwin

(DSP on the way)

[will]

http://www.ingersollrandproducts.com/IS/product_nospecs.aspx-am_en-3902

this is a metallic air-driven pump, so in most situations, it would be considered explosion proof. it should be grounded. this is the type of pump often used for fluid transfer by many of us. also available in plastic at lower cost. there are also many larger pumps of the same type. you'll see these all over the place in the food and beverage industries.

will

[Mark Chapman]

I am trying to design a gravity fed carbon filtering sytem for spirits.

I would like a pump to lift the spirit 10 feet to a resevoir at a rate of 5 to 10 gallons per minute.

Does anyone have thoughts on a explosion proof pump?

Thank you,

Brad Irwin

(DSP on the way)

If you are collecting in something that is pressure rated. Compressed gas (N2) is by far the simplest "pump", not much cost (if you have gas on hand anyway), not much to fail, no explosion potential (presuming that everything is grounded for static charge, which is should be anyway!).

At 10 feet speed would be more a question of tube size, than psi.

Mark Chapman

[Scott @ Twenty2Vodka]

If you are designing a system that already uses a pump, why then also incorporate gravity? We tried a gravity system, designed by me, that failed to filter to anything worthy of drinking, and took hours and hours to do a couple of gallons. Our "gravity" system involved lifting a small tank via forklift up to a height that would allow gravity to pull the spirit out and through the carbon. In addition, to ensure max exposure to the carbon, and to prevent channels from forming, our feed was from the bottom and discharge out the top. We mucked with this for a while, then opted for a professionally built carbon filter system with a pump to feed the spirit through. Works 1,000 times better than the gravity system i designed myself, and takes way less time to make a filter pass. Most complicated part was connecting everything.

Good luck.

-Scott

I am trying to design a gravity fed carbon filtering sytem for spirits.

I would like a pump to lift the spirit 10 feet to a resevoir at a rate of 5 to 10 gallons per minute.

Does anyone have thoughts on a explosion proof pump?

Thank you,

Brad Irwin

(DSP on the way)

[Scott @ Twenty2Vodka]

This is the pump we use. Non-reactive materials work fine with alcohol. Stainless is going to run big big bucks.

High-flow Plastic Air-powered Diaphragm Pump, Acetal, Santoprene Diaphragm, 4 Gpm. Available at Mcmaster Carr item # 13465K29. Cheap enough to have a backup incase of failure.

[porter]

I would also reconsider the gravity part of this, personal experience.

Instead, look at using a bottom feed system which pumps up through the material. Make a U-shaped neck with the top of the U higher than the top of the overflow. That way it won't backfeed down through the system when the pressure is off, like an upside down p-trap. You get maximum contact and no chance of backups.

I would look at pumping to a holding tank, then gravity feed to the filter unit, from the bottom up. You have exact control of your flow rate. Use an overflow catch method, like an infinity edge on a pool.

Hey, that's how the big guys do it in Kentucky.....

[Scott @ Twenty2Vodka]

I would look at pumping to a holding tank, then gravity feed to the filter unit, from the bottom up. You have exact control of your flow rate. Use an overflow catch method, like an infinity edge on a pool.

We control flow rate by the PSI of air fed to the pump. A simple adjustment of the regulator coming off the compressor gives us a wide range of control of flow. Our overall process is pretty unique in terms of scale and equipment, however i think this step of the process is pretty standard. We go from 55 gallon stainless drum to 55 gallon stainless drum. Maybe since we're dealing on the scale of ~50 gallons, we don't really have to worry about overflow catches, or fancy equipment in that department.

[Jester]

Hello all,

This has made for some good reading. We at Trident Welding have a very simple gravity fed design. It does feed into the bottom and overflows out the top. Its made out of 304 SS. It has been in use for about a year and a half. The fellas using it run about 300 gallons through it in a rack system that runs from stainless cube container to another of equal size. It is placed on the rack with a forklift. It is no great engineering feat and I have reports of user friendly and great results. IMHO...gravity works...think its a law or something.

[Jester]

Sorry for not inputting an answer for the pump. M.B. Roland uses a stainless steel diaphragm pump that is air operated and very robust. it sells for around $1000. a little pricey but it has many uses. look up Paul and Mary-Beth and ask them about it. Great people-great product!

[daveflintstone]

Terrific information on air driven pumps.

Now...what compressor are you using to run it? I don't know much about compressors, but what the sales people and interweb tell me is that most I see are not continuous operation, they stop and start as the tank empties and fills. That doesn't seem too convenient, but I don't know if it matters.

Any info on a suitable compressor to run an air driven pump like the ones in this thread?

[Scott @ Twenty2Vodka]

We use a basic compressor with the specs below:

Manufacturer: Huskey

120 volt

26 gallon

6.6 SCFM @ 40psi

5.8 SCFM @ 90psi

135 max PSI

the SCFM is the most important spec, i think the pump we use requires 5.5 SCFM when factoring in the head pressure of our setup.

Ours does kick on and off as the tank needs to be refilled. It's loud, i can hear it from my office, and sometimes the lights dim for a half-second as the load is added to the electrical system. Bigger tanks will require fewer filling cycles, but it's something that we can put up with.