Switching to a continuous column

[Thatch]

39 minutes ago, Silk City Distillers said:

Where are you putting the screen, and how large is it?  You mention your fermenters are closed top, so I assume you aren't talking about a false bottom.

40 mesh, 400 micron, is going to capture A LOT of solids, especially if you are roller milling anything and leaving husk intact.  You'd need to pump through some kind of intermediary tank (like a lauter tun), for this to work.

Sorry, my posts blend together.  In a previous post I stated, we are fermenting OFF grain.  We do lauter, sparge and vorlauf in our mash tun prior to pumping over to the fermenter.  The screen is for a 2" tri-clamp fitting.  

I am also considering putting a mesh bag on our outlet valve to catch any debris before it goes to the fermenter.  Our outlet goes to a grant and we pump from the grant to the fermenter.  But, other folks are concerned about changing our flavor profile.    I think we are leaving 99% of the solids behind and capturing that last 1% in a mesh bag can't do any harm.  Any thoughts?

[Pour Decisions]

On 12/9/2021 at 12:48 PM, Alex_Sor said:

I know this column design

New Zealand. This is an old development and very difficult to make and work with.

There are simpler and more reliable designs, for example:

In my picture - Continuous mash column with a diameter of 100 mm, it is positioned as an industrial plant for the processing of sugar mash and other types of liquid alcohol-containing raw materials.

Processing speed - up to 120 liters of mash (8% alcohol) per hour. That is, up to 2900 liters per day.

This column can produce at the outlet up to 25 liters of raw alcohol per hour with a strength of 55-65%.

The column consists of:

1) a continuous steam generator (tank at the bottom of the column),

2) an upper diopter to monitor the process of feeding the mash, (it shows whether there is foam and how the feeding process is going)

3) thermal insulation for a quick exit to a stable mode,

4) a diopter to track the bottom flood and control the operation of the siphon,

5) a parrot for continuous measurement of strength,

6) peristaltic pump and safety sensors.

The column works on the principle of heat recovery: the wash is fed to the top of the column, and steam is fed from the bottom in a counterflow. Mixing with steam, the mash flows down the contact elements and loses alcohol vapors. Getting into the L-shaped distiller-preheater, alcohol vapors condense, giving off part of the heat to the wash entering the upper supply unit.

Then the distillate is fed to the aftercooler, in which it loses the remaining heat, reaching the final temperature, and then enters the parrot, where the strength of the output product is constantly monitored. Waste (evaporated wash, stillage) - flows from the column into the sewer through a siphon.

Fabulous little setup there. Might be a great unit for us smaller guys to be able to produce a larger volume without the need for larger equipment. is this your design?

[SlickFloss]

On 12/6/2021 at 4:44 AM, Thatch said:

It is a continuous column (coffey still) made by a guy in New Zealand.  There are no enzymes, this is an all malt mash.  grist ratio = 4, yes, a tiny amount of dish washing liquid, it keeps the olive oil suspended.

Are you saying grist ratio of four as in four pounds of grain/gallon of water?

[Thatch]

Old post but 4 gallons of water to 1 pound of grain

[SlickFloss]

14 hours ago, Thatch said:

Old post but 4 gallons of water to 1 pound of grain

I know I’m just going through it again trying to put all the pieces together I wish I could try and run that column, what abv are you hitting on yourself ferment? A lot of columns rate at a maximum abv to warn operators at what rate they’ll be pushing alcohol out the bottoms but some columns depending on their design require minimum amounts of alcohol and water to function appropriately, the reflux of water and alcohol help regulate the equilibrium of the column 

[Alex_Sor]

On 2/15/2022 at 6:02 PM, Pour Decisions said:

Fabulous little setup there. Might be a great unit for us smaller guys to be able to produce a larger volume without the need for larger equipment. is this your design?

I rarely visit this forum - write to me in "PM" if you have questions.

This design (as in my photo) can be made for around $10,000. We do not mass-produce this, so the column is not cheap in price ...

[Thatch]

4 hours ago, SlickFloss said:

I know I’m just going through it again trying to put all the pieces together I wish I could try and run that column, what abv are you hitting on yourself ferment? A lot of columns rate at a maximum abv to warn operators at what rate they’ll be pushing alcohol out the bottoms but some columns depending on their design require minimum amounts of alcohol and water to function appropriately, the reflux of water and alcohol help regulate the equilibrium of the column 

ABV from ferment is around 8%.  

I am currently waiting on parts to increase the height of the column.  The manufacturer has been able to duplicate the issue using an all-malt wash and he believes the foam will only rise so high.  The parts were shipped today from New Zealand.  I'll post an update once we're had a chance to try again.  As @Alex_Sorand @Silk City Distillershave mentioned in the thread, foaming is a fact of life with an all malt wash.