Methods of Distillation

POT STILL METHOD( BATCH STILL)

IT IS A VERY SLOW PROCESS AND MAY RESULT IN SOME LEAKAGE OF ALCOHOL,THE APPARATUS IS MADE UP OF COPPER KNOWN AS (ALEMBIC) WITH A CAPACITY OD 1000-1200 LITERS

Credits: wikimedia.org

This is a manual method of separating alcohol  from water .the mixture is taken to a large pot generally made of copper.the pot is heated from below as the mixture starts getting heated and we know that alcohol evaporates at 76*c and water at 100*c,alcohol evaporates first and passes through the neck and enters into the condensation chamber.as soon  as it reaches the condensation chamber where it is cooled by water acting as a coolant changes it form from vapour to droplets of liquid and is collected in the vessel

The liquid is produced in three parts

1HEAD(FORESHOTS) 2 HEART 3 TAIL(FEINTS OR AFTERSHOTS)

The head and tail is collected in a separate vessel .the head contains a lot of methylalcohol and not suitable for human consumption .the heart is taken for second distillation which individually produces the same

1 HEAD HEART TAIL : AT THIS STAGE THE HEART IS THE ACTUAL DESIRED SPIRIT   

Credits : BNG

        It was discovered Mr. Arenas coffering of excise department, but an improvement was needed by Robert stein who patented it thus it came to be know as patent still .it is also called as continuous still. The patent still consists of two stainless steel, heavily insulated columns, each eighty feet high. Column a is the analyzer and column b is the rectifier.in column the spiral copper pipe is supported by plates at each turn. the column a as well as column b is heated by hot steam, in the bottom of the column is the hottest.

Warm wort travels down through the pipe ,and starts boiling by the time it reaches the bottom .the hot wort then travels (pumped up)into the storage tank of the rectifier.(rectification is the removal of other vapors from alcohol).the wort trickles from the tank as very tiny droplets, heats the hot copper plates underneath and vaporizes . The vapors travels through a long tube past the condenser, where they appear as the distillate get rid of the water in the distillate, it is rectified by passing the distillation through the pipe. This process is used for regular brands from grains spirits ,but not brandy “the still can be used continuously and is much faster.no vapor is lost in the process

With this we come to an end of methods of distillation, hope this helps you to know the alcoholic strength more deeply, do write to me if you are need any other assistance about alcohol.

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