To make a strong alcoholic drink at home, you usually need two things.

1. Choose and prepare it correctly.
2. Have a reliable and efficient moonshine still to distill the resulting mash.

A distiller such as a mash column, in terms of the quality and purity of the resulting product, is between a steamer and a distillation column. The drink turns out cleaner and stronger than with the “classic” one, but the absolute purity of rectified alcohol cannot be achieved with a simple mash column. The maximum strength of the distillate obtained on a film (mash) column is 90-95 degrees. But this is more than enough even for cooking r.

How is the mash column constructed?

The mash (or film) column is a hollow vertical tube with a diameter (d) of 25-50 mm and a height of 30*d, the upper part of which is necessarily equipped with a cooling “jacket” - a reflux condenser. It is usually mounted in the top quarter of the column. It is thanks to the dephlegmator in the column that it is possible to create the desired temperature regime and regulate it carefully.

The basic structure of the mash column is shown in the figure:

Hot vapors rising from the distillation cube partially condense on the walls of the column. Heat and mass transfer also occurs here: the liquid (condensate) is saturated with high-boiling impurities from the rising vapors, and the vapors themselves are saturated with low-boiling substances, evaporating them from the liquid. The liquid, called phlegm, flows like a film back into the distillation cube. Hence the name - film column.

The thermometer at the top of the column must be calibrated, because it controls the distillation temperature to a greater extent.

Main types of mash columns

As such, there are only two types of mash columns: a regular mash column, described above, and a continuous mash column. If there are nozzles and fillers inside the column, then it can already be considered rectifying, and it cannot be called mash.

How is a continuous type mash column constructed? Its design differs significantly from a conventional film column, because the key word here is continuous.

This column is designed for continuous distillation of large volumes of mash (from 100-120 l). In this case, the mash should not have small particles, should not be very thick and foamy, and should be uniform in composition. This is important because mash is supplied to a continuous column from above with a constant flow through a pump. And heat and mass transfer occurs on special contact plates. The mash travels the entire way from top to bottom in 12-15 seconds, so high-boiling impurities simply do not have time to evaporate, while alcohol at the desired temperature evaporates almost instantly, carried away into the selection by water vapor.

This technology is well applicable in industry, but it is not easy to implement at home: you need a special pump and volumes of mash that are astronomical by home standards. NBKs are mentioned quite rarely, since they are rarely used in everyday life, and there are only a few models for home use.

A large number of people are now involved in distilling. But, regardless of experience, every distiller at the initial stage of his activity wondered about which apparatus to choose for distilling moonshine. Today you can find a wide variety of models of moonshine stills on sale, ranging from budget options with simple configurations to modern multifunctional devices. “A beer column or a good moonshine still - which is better?” - Perhaps, this question arose for every distiller. To determine which device can be considered the best, you should understand the features of different types of moonshine stills.

Brass column: what is it?

A mash column is equipment that separates moonshine into fractions during the distillation process. The operation of a mash column allows you to obtain high-quality moonshine, but only if several distillations are performed.

The structure of the mash column

Even the simplest mash column has a complex operating mechanism that allows for several stages of moonshine distillation. The hawk moth column always consists of a hawk moth. As you might guess, mash is poured into such a container - the main raw material for making moonshine. Braga is prepared from water, sugar and yeast, and such raw materials are infused for four to five days.

The hawk moth is equipped with three threaded holes designed for installing other elements of the mash column. A thermometer is installed in one of the holes to monitor the heating temperature of the raw materials. The second hole contains the beginning of the outlet tube, and the third hole contains the safety valve. Hawkmoth can be heated at any heat source - a burner on an electric or gas stove. There are models of mash columns in which the mash container can be heated over an open fire, but in this case the process of adjusting the heating intensity becomes much more complicated.

The upper part of the column is equipped with a coil, which has the shape of a spiral, which makes the design of the apparatus less bulky. The coil passes through a container intended for coolant. During the cooling of the vapor, condensate forms, which settles on the pipe wall and flows down it. The coils of all mash columns are made of stainless steel, which is resistant to the effects of vapors from the toxic components of the distillate. You can also attach a container to the mash column to collect raw alcohol.

The mash column separates the moonshine into fractions, which is a very important step during its preparation. Fractions are the constituent parts of moonshine that have different boiling points. Conventionally, all of them can be divided into:

• “heads”: methanol, aldehydes and other toxic impurities that can only be used for technical purposes (a maximum of 10% of the total volume of raw alcohol);
• “body”: this is ethyl alcohol, for the sake of which the distillation of mash is organized (accounts for 80%);
• “tails”: consist of fusel oils, which give the drink a cloudiness and a pungent odor.

The use of a mash column that carries out rectification allows not only to obtain raw alcohol, but also to separate the “heads” and “tails”. In particular, this applies to devices equipped with these two functions, which are configured for distillation and rectification modes.

The mash column can also be equipped with sink plates, which reduce the likelihood of contamination of the distillate with foam formed during boiling. In addition, the simple design of the mash column allows you to efficiently and quickly distill the mash and obtain good raw alcohol.

Brass columns have many other advantages:

1. They allow you to get high-quality moonshine without any effort.
2. There is no need for multiple distillations of moonshine.

However, the mash column also has some disadvantages. For example, if a device operates in two modes, its price will be quite high because of this. In addition, the mash column has quite large dimensions, which does not allow it to be used in a kitchen with a small area.

Moonshine still - what is it?

A moonshine still is a design that allows you to distill moonshine from sugar mash. A good moonshine still has the following characteristics:

1. Volume: a good apparatus has a distillation cube of the volume required by the distiller. If he intends to produce small volumes of moonshine, then a device equipped with a cube with a volume of 12 to 14 liters will be suitable. A cube with a capacity of 20-25 liters is suitable if the distiller intends to produce large volumes of moonshine (over 30 liters).
2. Material: it is better to purchase a device made of high-quality stainless steel, because this material has excellent wear resistance. The thickness of the walls of the device should not be less than 2 millimeters, otherwise the mash will constantly burn.
3. The presence of an element for purifying moonshine: a good moonshine still has a steam chamber - a container where condensation of fusel oil vapors settles, which spoil the characteristics of moonshine. If the steamer has a collapsible design, then the distiller has the opportunity to experiment with the quality of alcohol. You can add flower petals and other additives to the steamer to give the alcohol a pleasant aroma. It should be taken into account that the simplest moonshine stills in terms of design do not have steam chambers, which is why the distiller has to make this structural element from scrap materials. However, in this case, there is a risk that the steamer will be manufactured poorly, which will prevent the moonshine from being fully purified from impurities.

The use of a classic moonshine still allows you to obtain raw alcohol with a strength reaching 70 degrees. Naturally, such a product needs to be reduced in strength and purified from unnecessary impurities. Therefore, the owner of a moonshine still often thinks about purchasing a distillation column installed on a moonshine still.

This portable column is a vertical container 50 centimeters high. All columns are equipped with internal elements to ensure the exchange of heat and liquids. The heated mixture enters the distillation column from the distillation apparatus of the cube. It is important to remember that installing a distillation column will make the moonshine still more cumbersome.

When purchasing a moonshine still, you should pay attention to its contents. The package should ideally include items such as an alcohol meter, a thermometer, food hoses and sealed gaskets. The presence of a steamer is also welcome.

If we compare a moonshine still and a mash column, the first device will have a more affordable price. Experienced distillers note that a moonshine still has higher productivity compared to a mash column. However, the classic model of the apparatus, unlike the mash column, does not allow for quick and high-quality rectification of moonshine. Often, owners of moonshine stills think about purchasing a separate distillation column, which is associated with additional costs.

Both the moonshine still and the mash column have their advantages and disadvantages, but nevertheless, both types of devices have many fans among distillers.

The modern market for home moonshine stills offers two basic types of stainless steel construction: a classic distiller with a steamer and a mash (film) column. And as always, the consumer has a logical question: (we recommend choosing a device with a distillation column of the brand)? Which is better: a simple moonshine still or a mash column?

Let's look at the features of both designs and conduct a comparative analysis.

Common to both types of construction

Both the classic distiller and the distiller equipped with a mash column are suitable for everyone. It is also preferable to re-distill on both, although experienced distillers are able to obtain a distillate of passable quality on either device after the first distillation. Both designs imply protection of the cooler from the ingress of mash drops (splash carryover). Both designs of devices are manufactured with factory quality from food grade stainless steel. In both designs, autonomous (non-flowing) cooling can be used if provided by the manufacturer.

Design and main characteristics of a moonshine still with steam chamber

A classic moonshine still consists of three main blocks: a distillation cube, a steamer and a refrigerator, represented by a long coil placed in a container with cold water. Depending on the model, such a distiller has a capacity of up to 4 liters per hour; the strength of the resulting distillate, as a rule, does not exceed 80-85 degrees. If you try very hard and carefully monitor the distillation modes, then with some models you will be able to reach the strength of 90, but this will be the limit. The distillate obtained in a distiller with a steamer retains the flavor and aromatic characteristics of the raw materials used to prepare the mash. This is why homemade moonshine is most often valued. The distillation temperature is maintained by controlling the heating of the distillation cube (using a thermometer in the cube).

If the design provides for a collapsible steamer, then it is possible to aromatize alcohol vapors immediately during the distillation process. This is one of the important advantages of “classics”.

No special preparation of the apparatus is required before distillation.

Design features of the mash column. The nuances of working with her

The similarity between the design of the mash (or film) column and the “classic” design ends with the distillation cube. Above the cube there is a column curved in an inverted U shape. Its ascending part is equipped with a water reflux condenser (cooling “jacket”), and its descending part is a cooler.

Thanks to the dephlegmator, a strictly defined temperature can be maintained in the column. And this is its main advantage over a classic distiller: thanks to precise temperature control, there is a clearer separation of fractions. This is especially important when separating the head fraction. And impurities with a boiling point higher than that of ethanol (fusel oils, tail impurities) condense in the column and flow down as a film along the walls of the column back into the cube. That's why it's called film. This is how unwanted impurities are removed. And rising hot vapors snatch ethyl alcohol molecules from the condensate. At the same time, the couples are solidly strengthened.

Thus, on the column it is important to monitor the readings of the thermometer on the column, and in the cube the mash can boil quite actively.

It is important to keep in mind that if there is no reflux condenser on the column, then what you have in front of you is not a mash column, but simply a steel steam pipe. And it has nothing to do with high-quality cleaning and strengthening of alcohol vapors.

Before distillation, the column must be prepared. The instructions describe in detail the mode of operation of the column “on its own” for 15-20 minutes. It is also important to learn how to correctly and smoothly regulate the water supply for cooling the reflux condenser. That is, you need to learn how to control the column. However, with proper operation, it allows you to obtain a distillate with a strength of up to 90-95 degrees, and the productivity of such devices reaches 5-7 l/hour (during the second distillation). With the maximum degree of purification of the distillate, the taste and aromatic notes of the original raw material practically disappear, because the result is almost pure alcohol with a minimum of impurities. If the mash column is supplemented with a regular stainless steel or copper packing, then it becomes a distillation column. We wrote about its advantages over the “classics” in one of ours. It is impossible to aromatize alcohol vapors during the distillation process simply on a column; it is necessary to purchase an additional aroma basket (if provided by the manufacturer).

Which is better: a mash column or a moonshine still of a classic design?

The answer depends on what drinks you prefer. If it is enough to get moonshine in its classical sense, with the organoleptics (flavor and aromatic properties) of the raw materials, then a regular distiller with a steamer will do. And if you need to get the most pure alcohol, strong, with a good yield, and you want to work a little more on distillation, then a mash column will be needed. If you do not observe strict temperature conditions, then here you can get a slightly less strong product, but with the taste and aroma of the raw materials.

Why do you use pure alcohol at home? For preparation, for example, obtained at home. The quality of vodka is especially important when preparing medicinal tinctures and balms.

Brass columns are very common among lovers of strong drink. If you decide to make such a design yourself, then you need to familiarize yourself with the technology for carrying out the work and find out what features the device should have.

Preparatory work

The best mash column must have a certain height. You can choose this parameter yourself, but ideally it should be 50 diameters. According to experts, this is not so important; the equipment owner himself must decide what strength the product will have, and also decide how good the separation will be. However, there is a certain objective criterion that determines the smallest height of the manufactured column. You must avoid the possibility of splashing. Based on this, mash columns are not made below 30 centimeters. Otherwise, carrying out the work will be inappropriate.

Work technology

When manufacturing the described structure, it must be equipped with a controlled reflux condenser. The design features of this element may vary depending on your preferences. The element can be created based on a shirt or dimrot. The main condition is the fact that the dephlegmator must have the ability to extinguish the power that is planned to be supplied. This element can be installed not in one quantity, but in quantity 2 or 3. In this case, the element will be primary or secondary. This structure allows for more stable operation of the column. You must understand that such additions are only possible on tall structures.

Work methodology

The mash columns must be able to adjust the cooling of the reflux condenser; this component must be quite thin. To do this, you should stock up on a tap that will allow you to use the liquid as accurately as possible. Experts recommend using the needle type, but you should avoid using a ball valve, as it is completely unsuitable. If we consider available household solutions, then the best option for carrying out this adjustment installation work will be a radiator tap, which is used when installing a heating system.

You can prepare the drawing of the mash column yourself. The column must be equipped with a place for installing a thermometer, which is mounted in front of the condenser entrance. This statement is true for structures that will operate according to a steam extraction scheme. If a liquid withdrawal dephlegmator is used on a film column, the location of the thermometer will be determined by the specific design of the system. The mash columns are equipped with a refrigerator-condenser, which will be responsible for condensing and cooling the supplied steam. If the design has liquid extraction, then a refrigerator will be required that will lower the temperature of the finished product.

It is important to take into account during manufacturing that the supply of liquid to the reflux condenser or to each of them, as well as to the refrigerator, must be done separately. The tubes that will be used for the outlet of the refrigerator and reflux condenser must be used exclusively on a silicone basis. This statement is true for hot water products. If we are talking about cold water, then you can use polyvinyl chloride-based tubes. The copper mash column must be manufactured taking into account the technical requirements described above, for which different design solutions are suitable. However, you can not limit yourself and come up with your own modification. The main condition for this is that in the end you will be able to get your drinks, which will have different qualities and organoleptic characteristics. However, in the end it will not be possible to obtain pure alcohol. The final product will not smell like moonshine, but it will not be pharmaceutical alcohol either. But for making vodka, this design is quite suitable; the master will be able to make the base for high-quality distillates.

Description of the manufacture of a column with a jacket reflux condenser

A continuous mash column can be made on the basis of a jacket reflux condenser. To carry out the work, you will need copper tubes, the length of which should be 500, 2000, 1000 and 300 millimeters. Each of them should have dimensions of 28 x 1.22 x 1.1 x 1.8 x 1 millimeters, respectively. Among other things, you will need a transitional double-socket coupling in the amount of 2 pieces, another transition coupling should have slightly different parameters, equal to 22 x 15 millimeters, 3 such elements will be needed. The master must prepare a single-socket corner, the dimensions of which are equal to 22 millimeters. It will be impossible to carry out the work without a tee, the dimensions of which are 15 millimeters. Be sure to make sure you have an adapter for a 1/2-inch external thread. You will need an adapter for 3/4" internal thread. The element will be required to attach to the cube, however, in each specific case there may be other sizes. If you make a continuous mash column using the elements described above, you will end up with a product with a maximum temperature of 92 degrees.

Features of manufacturing an air-cooled device

A piece of copper pipe will be used to make a coil. A roll of aluminum-based wire will be used without insulation. You can use a computer cooler, superglue and a 500-watt boiler during the work. The power may turn out to be less impressive.

First you need to take a copper tube, bending it to connect to the body of the device. That part of this workpiece that will go down must be included in the spiral. should be wound onto the tube from above, leaving some distance between the turns. In order to reduce thermal resistance, the turns should be as dense as possible. This will increase the heat exchange area and the efficiency of the coil.

When making a mash column with your own hands, at the next stage you need to use any cone-shaped object, the diameter of which should be compared with the dimensions of the selected fan. You need to wind a moonshine coil onto this item. In this example, we will consider a regular beer bottle, the capacity of which is 0.5 liters. The coil must be bent so that it evenly covers the cross section of the fan. You need to try the element on the selected case and make sure that everything is in order. This concludes the work with the coil for now.

Now it’s time to move on to the lid of the device. To do this, you can use a regular polyethylene-based lid. The brass coupling must be heated to half an inch before fusing into the polyethylene cap. The structure must cool down; you can cool it in water. After the coupling is removed, it should be cleaned of adhering polyethylene, and the resulting burrs should be carefully cut off. You need to wrap a fluoroplastic tape around the coupling, which is essential for making a moonshine still. This way you will be able to get something like a gasket. When you make a mash column with your own hands, the next step is to install the coupling in a hole made in advance in the lid. The fluoroplastic should be between the coupling and the cover. The nut should be tightened from the inside without applying excessive force.

At the next stage, you can work on the heating element of the entire device. For this you can use a regular boiler. Having retreated some distance from the end of the wire, so that it is enough to reach the device, you need to cut off a part, you will have to screw everything back afterwards. The ends of the cord from the boiler must be threaded so that when the lid is closed, the element is inside the body. After stripping the wires, they need to be connected back. It is important to take care of high-quality insulation.

The boiler should not touch the bottom; it is advisable that it be completely covered with liquid during operation. Into the same hole through which the boiler cord passes, you need to insert the long end of the coil for the apparatus. The remaining gaps between the tube and the cord must be filled with pieces of cotton wool, making it quite tight. It is important to achieve the best sealing possible.

The resulting structure made of cotton wool must be filled with superglue, which is made on a cyanoacrylic base. This will allow you to obtain the most airtight connection using composite materials. After the glue hardens, you will be able to get a tight, strong connection. All that remains is to make something like a casing for the fan so that the air washes over the fins of the heat exchanger, represented by a coil.

To make the casing, you can use Tetra-Pak packaging. If you are making a moonshine still, then you can use the technology presented in the article. You need to cut a rectangle from the packaging, the width of which will correspond to the dimensions of the fan. These elements will be used to cover the fan on 3 sides. The end of the coil needs to be brought to the fourth side in order to drain the moonshine. In the remaining side wall you need to make a hole for this part of the tube and glue it with the superglue used earlier. The walls can be glued together with tape. When it is necessary to ensure maximum safety, it should be covered with a transparent protective screen.

At this point we can assume that the mash column is ready. You can use a computer power supply as a power source for the fan. To turn it on without using the motherboard, you need to connect the black wire with the green one. Experts use more compact 12-volt sources, which you can find yourself.

Deviation from the above requirements

If you are making a mash column with your own hands, the drawings of which you must complete in advance, then it is important to think about deviations from the mentioned requirements. The main one is an uncontrolled reflux condenser. If we are talking about the Malyutka column, then uncontrollability is sacrificed for compactness. To do this, the condenser and reflux condenser are located in a single container with running water. If you decide to use this scheme, then you will not be able to regulate the process using a reflux condenser, therefore, separation will not be achieved. If you are making a mash column with your own hands, you can borrow the drawings of this design from the article. It should also be remembered that the reflux condenser has low utilization capacity. You may encounter the problem of low column height. Some craftsmen cannot refuse to place the structure on a gas stove under the hood. In this case, separation will be quite difficult to achieve, which is especially true for tall columns.

The Rectify beer column has proven itself among lovers of strong drink. However, if you decide to manufacture such a design yourself, then it is best to use stainless steel-based parts. The fittings must be welded to the pipe, while an internal thread is installed on them on both sides, to which the necks of the kegs are fixed. Using fluoroplastic, you can machine a sleeve-coupling, which will be equipped with a gasket for the clamp. All this will form a single whole. The mash column “Baby” must be equipped with insulating material, which is first cut along the length, then put on the pipe, on which it is glued. You should put a dephlegmator stick on the top cover and secure everything with a clamp clamp. The liquid will be fed into a tube through which the phlegm returns. You should put a piece on it that will prevent splashing to the level of the top plate.

Conclusion

If you cannot decide what you will make - a mash column or then you can make the first of them. It is easier to make and will also allow you to immediately start preparing a strong drink. As an alternative solution, you can try to purchase this device. Home craftsmen today sell them in completely different configurations and at different prices. From the available assortment you will choose something for yourself.

Today there are dozens of varieties of moonshine stills on sale, among which there are many successful models, with the help of which you can obtain not only traditional moonshine, but also fairly pure alcohol. There are also devices with steam generators designed for distilling dense wort, with their help you can get homemade whiskey, Calvados or plum brandy.

Factory mash column

Among the less or more traditional devices, the mash columns were somewhat lost. Relatively few people who engage in moonshine brewing as a hobby, or who professionally process the products of their garden into alcohol, know about them. This type of activity is common in regions attractive to tourists, where the climate allows for the cultivation of various fruits on an industrial scale.

What is a mash column

It should be clarified that the mash column, which is used in home moonshine stills, belongs to the film class, which is somewhat limited in scope and performance. But this is the simplest structural version of a heat and mass transfer device, which, moreover, works surprisingly well.

Why "surprisingly"? Many home craftsmen and manufacturers of industrial moonshine stills for household use follow the path of least resistance. They take the schematic diagram of an industrial installation, such as those used in alcohol and vodka factories, and create their own designs by reducing the size. The principle of operation seems to be the same, but many processes begin to occur completely differently.

The reason for this is the heat capacity of the installation material, the same dimensions - complete heat and mass transfer occurs slowly, requires large contact areas, temperature stability and compliance with many more physico-chemical parameters. The scheme seems to work, but not quite.

This design principle is reminiscent of aircraft manufacturers who have shrunk a Boeing down to the size of a cornbox and wonder why it doesn’t fly, or if it does fly, it’s much worse.

A do-it-yourself mash column, of course, works, but you can’t expect phenomenal results from it. High-quality alcohol can be obtained after the second distillation, as in a good distiller with a steamer and bubbler, after the third distillation and filtration using activated carbon. The economic effect is obvious, but mash columns require constant monitoring and adherence to temperature conditions.

At its core, a mash column is a conventional reflux condenser, in which alcohol vapors are separated from high-boiling impurities (fusel) with great efficiency. There is no significant increase in the yield of alcohol; an increase of 5-10% can be achieved, but is this due to the use of a mash column, or due to careful adherence to the temperature regime. In terms of the effect of the mash column, it is equal to the steam steamer-bubbler tandem.

Column design

Technically, a mash column is a piece of copper or stainless steel pipe with a diameter of 25-50 mm and a height equal to thirty times the diameter. Columns with a lower ratio serve more decorative functions.

At the top of the column, approximately 25% of the entire length, a primary cooler is mounted. It must cool the mash vapor to the point of condensation of heavy impurities and return the condensate back to the tank. The refrigerator can be made in the form of a built-in coil, an external coil in the form of a copper tube wound on a column, or a water jacket.

In a homemade mash column, it is best to use the first two options. It is quite difficult to make a water jacket yourself; this is only possible with industrial equipment and certain engineering knowledge and plumbing skills. The refrigerator circuit is selected based on specific conditions.

Just above the coil there is a place to install a thermometer. In a device with a mash column there must be two thermometers - on the tank and on the top of the column. Moreover, they must work with the same accuracy, both electronic and bimetallic.

The presence of numerous thermometers from the Middle Kingdom on the market does not guarantee that you will be able to buy two that show the same temperature under the same conditions. We'll have to calibrate them. This is done very simply and is accessible to any schoolchild - pour 1 liter of water into a bowl or pan and add 1 kg of crushed ice (you will have to prepare it in advance in the freezer of the refrigerator).

After 15-20 minutes, when the ice begins to slowly melt and about half of the previous amount remains, we immerse the thermometer sensors in this mixture. After about two minutes, both thermometers should show 0 C. If the readings are different, then you at least know how much they diverge.

But the calibration is not finished there. Boil water on the stove and immerse the thermometers in the boiling water. The one that shows 100 C works correctly. It should be used as a base one, and the second one should take into account the error.

The upper part of the column is connected by a steam line from a tube with a diameter of 8-10 mm to a refrigerator of a classic design, such as are used in conventional distillers. Alcohol vapors are purified in the mash column, and their condensation occurs in the refrigerator.

Both column and condenser coolers operate independently of each other. In this case, the refrigerator on the column must be adjustable. It is convenient to do this by mounting a regular valve-regulator from a heating battery on its inlet (lower) pipe. What it is needed for will be discussed below.

Manufacturing materials

It is best to make the tank of the apparatus with a mash column yourself from stainless steel. A threaded or flanged fitting should be made in the cover to connect to the column. It is very convenient to use Clamp clamps. The connection is strong, the device can be mounted and dismantled quickly and does not require the use of tools.

The column itself is made of copper or stainless food steel. You can also use brass if you can find a suitable pipe. It is not recommended to insulate the mash column.

The refrigerator and steam lines are also made of copper or stainless steel. It is easy to make coils and all types of connections from these materials. You can buy a copper tube of any diameter (or stainless steel) on the Internet or at a hardware store.

How does a film-type mash column work?

The principle of operation of the mash column is very similar to the operation of the rectifier, but in a somewhat simplified form. Vapors containing alcohol and accompanying liquids (aldehydes, ethers, fusel and other impurities) rise up the slowly warming column pipe and condense on the walls, flowing back into the tank. As it warms up, the height of the level of complete condensation becomes higher and higher until it reaches the reflux condenser. This occurs at a temperature on the upper refrigerator of about 50-56 C.

Condensate, reflux together with alcohol, flows down, and low-boiling vapors (heads) enter the refrigerator-condenser and are collected in a separate container. Before the main distillation begins, from 10 liters of mash you need to collect up to 0.5 liters of heads, an extremely toxic liquid that is unsuitable for either re-distillation or consumption.

Continuing to heat the cube, we bring the temperature on the upper refrigerator to 76 C. It should be this way throughout almost the entire session, only at the end of distillation it can be raised by 2-4 degrees and the resulting liquid can be collected in a separate container. She will go for re-distillation. The required temperature is maintained using a tap at the refrigerator inlet and a stove regulator or heating element.

In the column itself, the process of interaction between the liquid flowing down the walls of the pipe and the hot vapor rising from the evaporator takes place. The phlegm warms up, and the remaining alcohol evaporates from it, rising to the steam line of the refrigerator. The fusel remains in a liquid state and flows back into the tank.

All interaction between hot steam and reflux occurs on the walls of the column, where the liquid forms a thin film moving downward. Therefore, columns of this type are called film columns.

When distilling, do not allow the mash to boil. The temperature in the cube should not exceed 85-90 C.

A copper mash column is better than stainless steel due to the high thermal conductivity of copper. It better removes heat from the reflux film and its condensation begins earlier, which makes it possible to reduce the height of the column without reducing productivity. Copper tube and fittings provide reliable sealing with high strength and reliability of the entire structure.

Other types of mash columns

We often come across descriptions of columns with filler, prismatic nozzles and other devices that supposedly increase the efficiency of the column. This is not entirely true. Nozzles and filler are an attribute of a distillation column; they are not entirely appropriate in a mash column.

The continuous mash column differs in design. In it, mash is supplied from above in a continuous flow and along the way interacts with water vapor rising from the bottom from the steam generator. The flowing mash along the way is divided into many streams by special plate devices and heated to the temperature of alcohol evaporation. The remaining liquids flow freely into the intake container.

Fusel and other harmful liquids simply do not have time to evaporate. This operating principle is very effective in the industrial production of alcohol, but is difficult to implement in domestic conditions.