GENIO

Good morning, 1 - @richard1 1. SPP in combination with pressure control between theoretical plates and heating power is the key to stable temperatures of the rectification column. It is the "control" of the combination of factors (column diameter, SPP physical properties, heating, pressure, temperature) that gives such results. Automation and software are the key here. 2 - @Hoochter: 1. tails. We can keep the column stable ("force it" to produce ethanol + 96%) until it contains a minimum of 3% alcohol in the tank. With lower values it is not possible to stabilize the theoretical shelves in columns so that the output is + 96% alcohol. Therefore, "tails" are produced, which are the material to be poured into the next charge to recover 100% alcohol, 2. Yes - there is a decrease in alcohol strength in the range of 96.0 - 96.9%. Here is a very simple relationship. If faster - less strength, if slower – higher strength. There is a simple relationship: If we want to receive alcohol with an average of up to 10 liters / 1 hour - the obtained power is from 96.5 to 96.9%. If we want to receive alcohol at a speed of 10 - 15 liters / 1 hour, the actual concentration will be between 96.0 - 96.5%. 3. Fores / Heads. It depends on the load used and the amount of Fores / Heads received. We used a "clean" charge (water, sugar, yeast). A very small amount of substances having a lower boiling point than ethyl alcohol. IN RECTIFICATION - where the basis is "reflux" - "feedback - backward" or the term "reflux" and so Fores / Heads in relation to Distillation - will have a very high alcohol concentration. This is standard. 4. Cooling. It was Genio's "Achilles heel" of the first generation. Again, we return to the differences between Rectification and distillation. We use non-pressure columns for rectification (working on top at atmospheric pressure - open system). Traditional distillation apparatus works in a closed system and in DISTILLATION we can use countercurrent coolers, which as a result allows to obtain 100% use of cooling water. In open systems - the first cooler does not work in countercurrent, it works as a CONDENSER. And here there were very large water losses (water leaving to 50'C - 122'F). Now thanks to a completely new redesigned cooling system, water leaving up to 70 - 90'C, 158'F - 194'F). This is only about 10% worse than the most efficient distillation coolers. Plus, the water flow is now automatically regulated by the computer on the basis of the following parameters: vapor temperature to cool down, inlet and outlet water temperature, and current flow. Website - information is just being prepared. 5. Capacity from the 500 L tank. Here we face a "dilemma". Mount the same column on a 500L tank and have IDENTICAL OPERATING PARAMETERS. The difference will be in the length of warming up, and during the production of hearts, the yield will be basically the same - no more than 10% difference. Only with 30% load, the whole process will result in 120 - 130 liters (32 - 35 US gal lqd) of alcohol + 96%, but it will last about 12 - 13 hours. The second direction - new column diameter, new power, new SPP etc. and greater efficiency: 20 - 25 liters per hour. We will go this way but it will be a few months. 3 - @DrDistillation. 1. Already because of the first sentence "When I watched the video I thought too much ..." and clearly "tendentious" questions, I am sorry but I will give up proving or translating some solutions. I see that whatever I write would be wrong. Of course - the equipment is not perfect, because there are no perfect devices, I have been building devices for 8 years, I am still learning, I am investing a lot of money in the development of the company, people, etc. Can one do better? - Yes, but as one of the few I write what I can do, I will always show what my device is doing and then discuss it. Returning to the subject, I get another question, following your reasoning - why do people make micro distilleries at all? Shops, bars, people should buy cheap alcohol produced in large factories for a fraction of the cost that micro-distilleries absorb. Why should an individual "construct" anything, build, produce by small companies or by individual people, when large factories can do it cheaper? ...... Only one question, is it "better"? P.S. sorry for the language mistakes. Cezary Trzciński

Welcome. Thanks @ richard1. This is a "pun" / "word game". (I'm sorry I don't know if I'm writing well). Approx. I made a mistake. I should write: average yield during heart production. Or: During the production of ethyl alcohol + 96%. In Europe, as Richard1 wrote, neither warm-up time nor stabilization are taken into account. But the fact is a fact - with a load of about 30%, we reach 4 gallons per hour, alcohol 96%. C.

Hello @DrDistillation. Thank you for your observations. I am very glad that you became interested in the film and made comments. 1 - Water. Yes you are right. We use closed-loop water. Over 10,000 liters of water stored. The temperature depends on the outside temperature. That way it could have been "colder water" for some time. So it was between 18 - 14 'C (64'F - 57'F). In addition, the machine was set for an outlet water temperature of 50-60'C (122 - 140'F) - VERY LOW. Therefore, there was more water consumption. It should be realistically set to 65-75'C (149-167'F) - then the water consumption would be lower by more than 15-20% to the current one. We did not make a high limit, because we have poor circulation pumps in a closed system that do not generate a pressure of 3 bar (only 1 bar). That's why we use a lower cooling range. 2 - Average performance. I'm sorry - but you are incorrect here. I must note that Genio 250 erg2 (RECTIFICATION) - is a rectification column - here the process of rectification takes place a little differently than in typical distillation devices. In a week there will be a movie with Genio 250 ghar2 (SIMPLE DISTILLATION) - there your counting method will be as correct and correct as possible. Why? First, some basic theory. There is a difference between rectification and distillation which I will not get into it now. But the stages of these processes can be presented in the diagram as shown below: We have additional stages in the rectification: - STABILIZATION - 3 stages, a total of 1 hour of operation. During stabilization the column DOES NOT produce alcohol. Stabilization serves to "break" the connections of alcohol with unwanted compounds by means of temperature and pressure (pressure between theoretical plates in millibars) and depending on if the unwanted compounds are "light" - they accumulate at the top of the column, if they are "heavy" fall into the boiler. After stabilization, we make a "delicate" collection of light fractions collected at the top of the column. This stage is: - HEADS COLLECTION. There are two stages in total, 15 minutes each. Reception should be made at this stage at a rate between 1.0 L. - 0.8 L. during 15 minutes. Only after a total of five stages of STAB. 1 / HEADS 1 / STAB. 2 / HEADS 2 / STAB. 3 - which last for 1 hour and 30 minutes and after receiving between 1.6 L. - 2.0 L. of alcohol (containing unwanted compounds). The machine begins to produce essential hearts. The production of hearts will continue until the tank has only 3% alcohol. In addition, between HEATING UP and FRIST STABILIZATION, the computer opens the valve for "bad alcohol" in the form of FORESHOT COLLECTION. These are the first vapors produced by the tank in which substances having LOWER BOILING TEMPERATURE THAN ETHYL ALCOHOL are found. To sum up - in the REACTIFICATION process - the Heating Up, Stabilization, Heads Collection stage - WILL ALWAYS BE FIXED. No matter what alcohol content you pour into the tank - THESE STEPS WILL BE 2 hours 45 minutes. As a result, we will get: heated liquid, unwanted alcohols received in the amount of 1.6 - 2.0 liters and only at this point will be the production of ethyl alcohol + 96%. The duration of the production of this alcohol will depend on the amount of alcohol in the tank. 3 - Load with 15-16% alcohol. In Europe, it is very popular to produce pure ethyl alcohol from sugar. (Water, yeast sugar). This serves to obtain pure, strongest ethyl alcohol, which is later used for the production of vodka, distilled gins, macerations, liqueurs, etc. Sugar fermentations are between 12-18% alcohol. That was used here. As for how the process would look like for different batch strengths in the tank. Without a movie, I can answer that with this diagram: With kindest regards, Cezary Trzcinski

Majority of our customers are located in Europe and they require a still that can make 96% ABV (192 proof), which is a requirement to make vodka and gin, and in some cases to even have a Distillery. We became obsessed with the challenge and created a G-Still 2nd generation. Our stills now are able to achieve an average strength of distillate of 96.3% ABV (192.6 proof) with an AVERAGE production speed of 12.4L per hour. Below is a link to a YouTube video documenting the process. We apologize for the quality and length of the video, but we want to show the full process without any camera tricks. https://youtu.be/hA5Nt8orKTs We also improved our column head which is our primary condenser so that it consumes 60% less cooling water than before. There are significant amount of improvements, and some even patent pending. Availability and pricing coming soon.

Hi @Bibi, Since your wash from the local breweries will be clear (no solids), then you will be fine with a non-jacketed still. You will be able to setup a tank for cooling water. The size of the tank will depend on the amount of alcohol you intend to distill during a run (more alcohol proof in a still the longer the run will be), the ambient temperature of the distillery and few other factors. Email me at ca@g-still.com to get more into technical specifics including costs to do distillation runs from an electrical consumption perspective. We do have standalone gin columns for the smaller and larger units now as well. Picture attached of the larger gin column sections, which are easily removed using tri-clamp connections and built-in column lifting mechanism. Cheers, Team GENIO

@Yidakimason, these systems DO NOT require a boiler or glycol chiller. This system is heated using three electric elements which heat up food grade heat transfer fluid inside the jacket which surrounds the tank. The power requirement is 18kW, 210-240V standard phase or 3-phase. The oil in the jacket is cooled using a Cooling System, which is used to reduce the mash temperature for subsequent yeast pitching. The Cooling System requires either a cold water source or a glycol chiller, but a glycol chiller is not required. Attached is a picture of our Cooling System, which includes a high temperature pump for pumping heat transfer fluid from jacket, another smaller pump for pumping cold water or glycol fluid and a heat exchanger. The smaller pump can also be used to recirculate cold water stored in totes, to reduce water wastage during cooling. We have GENIO systems setup on all continents (except Antarctica), therefore please DM us or email us at info@g-still.com to obtain references and further information.

Woodworker's generally produce a lot of dust in their workshops and they use dust collectors as well as air filtration systems in their shops. They vary in price greatly. Here is a link to woodcraft.com which is one of many woodworking suppliers. https://www.woodcraft.com/products/jet-air-filtration-system-model-afs-2000 You may also want to contact some woodworking shops in Peru to see how they deal with wood dust, which should be similar to regular dust. Hope this helps.

We have a simple suggestion for utilizing your heads and tails from your whiskey and other spirit runs. These can be re-distilled in our automated GENIO still, which will give you above 190 proof neutral spirit for subsequent use for VODKAS or GINS. Our stills come with an activated carbon filter and you can select to automatically pass your re-distilled spirit through the filter to remove further aroma and flavor from it. Our GENIO Still 250 (66 gallons) is only about USD $10.1K and shipping to anywhere in the US or Canada is $1.3K, so for about $11.4K you can have a standalone plug and play automated distillation system that can produce on average 10L of above 190 proof neutral spirit per hour. With average electrical power use of 10kW per hour, it will be about 1kWh of electricity cost per liter of 190 proof of spirit. In the US, average kWh costs $0.12, so for $0.45 you can have a gallon of 190 proof neutral spirit, which is likely significantly less than purchased NGS from industrial sources and it would also be made from your ingredients, therefore still "Artisan" and not pretend "Artisan" like NGS is generally considered. Since you already have heads and tails, you might as well use them for something useful as opposed to disposing of it (in a safe manner of course). Our stills have a small footprint, are efficient, affordable and also automated using touchscreen controls therefore other than pouring your heads and tails into the pot and diluting it to less than 60 proof, you don't need to watch over it to ensure it hits 190 proof. Great addition to any existing copper whiskey still or a great standalone workhorse for any distillery. You can also make WHISKY, BRANDY, RUM and any other spirit you want with it, but its competitive advantage is the automated feature in reaching 190 proof. It comes with a GIN basket, which will also save you time from cleaning your other still's column from juniper oils if you want to have this as your standalone Neutral spirit still and Gin still. For additional information, feel free to visit our website or email our US representative at usa@g-still.com or Canada at ca@g-still.com Cheers, Team GENIO g-still.com

We have a simple suggestion for utilizing your heads and tails from your whiskey or other spirit runs. These can be re-distilled in our automated GENIO still, which will give you above 190 proof neutral spirit for subsequent use for vodkas or gins. Our stills come with an activated carbon filter and you can select to automatically pass your re-distilled spirit through the filter to remove further smell and flavor from it. Our GENIO Still 250 (66 gallons) is only about USD $10.1K and shipping to anywhere in the US or Canada is $1.3K, so for about $11.4K you can have a standalone plug and play automated distillation system that can produce on average 10L of above 190 proof neutral spirit per hour. With average electrical power use of 10kW per hour, it will be about 1kWh of electricity cost per liter of 190 proof of spirit. In the US, average kWh costs $0.12, so for $0.45 you can have a gallon of 190 proof neutral spirit, which is likely significantly less than purchased NGS from industrial sources and it would also be made from your ingredients, therefore still "Artisan" and not pretend "Artisan" like NGS is generally considered. Since you already have heads and tails, you might as well use them for something useful as opposed to disposing of it (in a safe manner of course). Our stills have a small footprint, are efficient, affordable and also automated using touchscreen controls therefore other than pouring your heads and tails into the pot and diluting it to less than 60 proof, you don't need to watch over it to ensure it hits 190 proof. Great addition to any existing copper whiskey still or a great standalone workhorse for any distillery. You can also make whiskey, gin, rum and any other spirit you want with it, but its competitive advantage is the automated feature in reaching 190 proof. It comes with a GIN basket, which will also save you time from cleaning your other still's column from juniper oils if you want to have this as your standalone Neutral spirit still and Gin still. For additional information, feel free to visit our website or email our US representative at usa@g-still.com or Canada at ca@g-still.com Cheers, Team GENIO

With regards to Paul's and Steve's debate about CE components and whether they would pass inspection, there is a common misconception about what CE means which most people don't realize. There are TWO CE markings, and each one means something completely different. 1. CE = Conformitée Européenne, meaning European Conformity, which is found on products designed to be sold in Europe, and is the manufacturer's declaration that the product meets the requirements of the applicable European standards. This marking is mandatory for EU countries and EFTA countries such as Norway, Switzerland and Turkey. 2. CE = China Export, means just that. It has been made in China and exported out of China. It has no qualitative assurance, just meant to deceive and confuse the consumer. The symbols look almost identical, which adds to the confusion. Take a look at the picture below. The European Commission is aware of this issue, but nothing much has been done about it yet. Therefore, we agree with Paul (Southernhiglander) that CE markings coming out of China means absolutely nothing from an electrical safety/inspection perspective, unless they are the Conformitée Européenne markings. The difference in the markings is the distance of the "C" from the "E" and also the middle line inside the "E" is longer on the "China Export", otherwise, indistinguishable and only meant to deceive an unaware consumer. The above can be verified on the following Wikipedia link if someone thinks the above is too outrageous to be true: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CE_marking

This is my attempt at translating what Cezary Trzciński, the mastermind behind GENIO Stills wrote in Polish: @jheising - Yes, we do have "some experience" with SPP. I myself have been working with it for several years. You're right, it is important whether it is "SPP" or "SP" or Raschig Ring ("RR"), but even more important is matching of appropriate PARAMETERS with the packing. The shape is important - provided that the filling has the right conditions to take advantage of the shapes qualities. An example with cars (sorry - but I like them very much): If we have a great, powerful, most modern engine in the car (the engine in this context will represent column packing - it performs the main job) - but if you do not give the engine good fuel, or give very little fuel or a lot, or unevenly - then even the best engine will be worth nothing. It is the same in columns - fuel for the column vapor is generated from the boiler. It must be constant, repeatable, measurable and quickly adjustable (therefore best conditions can be achieved through electrical heating). But the most important MUST BE THE RIGHT AMOUNT. Packing (SP, SPP, RR) will work well only if they are kept in proportion with THREE FACTORS: The first factor: The surface area of evaporation of the liquid in the tank and the volume of the liquid in relation to the specified heating power "produce" a predetermined amount of vapors - which must "pass" through the packed column. Too little gas - the column will not be "hydrated" - which will result in loss of column stability. Too much gas - will flood the column - total distillation"flop". The second factor: Another very important factors are the dimension of packing, including the diameter, height, wire thickness (wall), angular offset of packing (SP, SPP, RR). The packing has to be adapted to the diameter of the column and the column height. We have a packing PARADOX: (a) You must have the largest surface area (contact) with the vapor generated from the boiler - or as much wire "shoved" in the column. Then we will be able to thoroughly purify the alcohol. (b) On the other hand, vapor should have least amount of "obstacles" to allow it to reach the top of the column so it can be condensed back into liquid alcohol. So it would be best if the column was empty inside. Therefore, to minimize resistance, but maximize the area of contact with the vapor, "experiment" with SPP began. And again: Too "packed", dense, small packing (SP, SPP, RR) - little vapor passage and column will flood or get "clogged". Too loose, too big packing (SP, SPP, RR) - not enough HETP - "dirty" alcohol produced. The third factor: The material from which packing is made (SP, SPP, RR) - we must remember that inside the column there is an "aggressive" environment - ethanol combined with very high temperature - the packing material must be resistant to such conditions (changes in the surface structure of the wire, ceramics, etc.) - the weaker the material, the more resistance will be created ("porosity" formation - much larger drops are formed on the packing and they "block" the flow of vapor - and again, "flooding" the column - unstable and bad work. Here it is very important to maintain cleanliness - almost laboratory purity (leftovers from vapors, scale deposits out of water, oxidation etc.). Further the material is very important because of the "pressure" that is created by column packing. Consider the amount of weight applied by column packing on packing at the bottom of the column. In addition, during the distillation process when vapors travel through the column - packing is constantly "twitching" and becomes more concentrated - again causing a reduction to vapor passage and "flooding" of the column. And only once the three conditions are met, then we will be able to achieve a well-functioning rectifying column. But not a fully 100% perfect column (but I write further). In reality, here in a "quick" manner I only showed the "tip of the iceberg" - the complexity of column packing (SP, SPP, RR) is very broad and the decision should not be reduced only to how to produce SPP or SP. Here, first, you should be asking WHAT SPP or SP I need. In our company for many years we experimented with the most varied packing. Through trial and error, and that is how we got some results, for example: Our company through my trials and errors on hundreds of test processes, achieved and utilized over the past 5 years packing with parameters congruent to very specifically sized tanks and appropriately fined tuned heating power. And still, in some cases column flooding happened, or something else is not working as it should and so on. So even though the essential THREE CONDITIONS WERE SATISFIED 100%, from time to time there is something else that was not as it should be. Then (as a manufacturer) we have no influence on cleanliness of our customer’s column packing, the physical condition of the columns and operator’s control of the columns, but we can have an impact on heating - to this conclusion I have come a long time ago, but only now after more than 2 years of trial and error we managed to bring to achieve full automation and automatic control of electrical heating (that is how long it took us to record results of the most varied conditions in the form of algorithms for subsequent programming). For example, on the production capabilities of the column and the appropriate column performance (although the parameters were chosen ideally) the customer still has an impact (and that is not all): how much wash is in the tank, what is the density (thickness) of the batch, what is the alcohol content of the vapors, what is the packing "compaction", how clean is the packing, we also have to consider the conditions of the environment’s temperature and pressure, and finally one of the major ills I noticed in the US - what is the actual voltage supplied? All these variables affect the stable operation of the column, and we were able to overcome them just by creating adaptive heating to compensate for all these factors automatically. Sorry for my "chaotic" language - in addition unfortunately my English is at a level of a "tourist" visiting your country - that is why I’m obtaining translation assistance from my friend and GENIO representative for Canada and Western US - Adam. Kind regards to all current and future GENIO Still owners. Cezary Trzciński.

Very innovative technique to automate SPP production using generally accessible tools, really enjoyed the video jheising. SPP is not cheap, but is highly effective when used as column packing as indicated by MythBuster. If you can make SPP yourself, then it will definitely save you a bit of money. For anyone that does not have the time to make it yourself, we offer SPP as an upgrade option with our column stills. Feel free to DM if you're interested.

Our 66 to 122 gal. stills range in price from USD $10,120 to $18,150. Our stills have the following advantages: - Automated distillation runs through touchscreen computer display and ability to save up to 6 distillation runs for future production - Full manual control with ability to observe temperature, pressure, power consumption, etc. during the entire process Two principal distillation options: Pot still mode (70 to 150 proof) for flavor rich spirits such as whiskey, brandy, rum, gin, etc. Reflux still mode (190 to 193 proof) for vodka or neutral spirits for subsequent gin production Additional options: Jacketed tank for on the grain distillations Agitator 66 gallon GENIO Still 250 GENIO Still column with copper basket and touchscreen color display computer To see full list of options and capabilities, please visit our website at: https://g-still.com/shop/ We have showrooms in USA, Canada, England, Poland and Australia for anyone wishing to see our equipment in action. Our contacts can be found at the link below: https://g-still.com/contact/ Cheers, GENIO