hi guys,
as you will immediately realize, I am new to this game. I have bought myself a copper reflux still through ebay from copper still man and I have mounted that on a 25l stainless electric boiler. First attempt turned out a mixed success with temperatures starting condensation of ethanol at 78 C but then regularly fluctuating up to 95 C ; I aborted after I had collected approx. 3 litres of a 55% mix.
At that stage I had stainless steel packing in the column, but was unsure whether I had packed it correctly. I have now packed the column up to the condenser level with Raschig rings and had another go.
It all seems to go alright with a steady flow of approx. 2 liters per hour ( as per instructions) and I am getting a 80% mix. Problem is, my thermometer in the head of the column shows anywhere between 50 C and 65 C. I swapped it with a glass one and checked the position ( probe at condenser inlet), still the same.
How can I be distilling ethanol at those temperatures in the column head?
Increasing and decreasing waterflow has made no difference to the head temperature, even so I can vary the water output temperature from 40 C to 60C.
One problem I can see with this design is that it only has one cooling jacket with the inlet at the bottom of the condenser section and the outlet at the bottom of the reflux column jacket. Does that not lead to an airpocket in the jacket.
I tried to ask copper still man for a comment, but no response.
Surely one of you guys must have a logical explanation for this abnormal temperature reading in the column head.
Looking forward to a comment
cheers
Erwin