Inline Thumper Run Strategies

[MacStill]

Here we go, this is how I used to run the Dragon Slayer as pictured below with the 8" inline thumper attached.



I'll just talk about rum as that's what I always used it for, and my run strategy, this is certainly not the only way you could use this piece of apparatus.

OK so we're up to temp at full power (1 x 2400w & 1 x 3600w element @ 6000w) with all plates loaded and running back to the thumper I would power down (don't remember exact setting) on my controller to about 2 or 3 drips per second so I was bleeding fores & heads slowly keeping the still in around 99% reflux. I'd do this until the thumper was fully charged and by that time all fores would be collected & discarded.

Heads collection is now where I'd ramp up power to a quick drip which you could say was a almost a broken stream leaving the parrot, obviously still being refluxing a lot more than what's being taken off the still with fractions stacking quicker than take off while compressing the heads cut, once I thought the heads cut was getting close I'd throw her back into full reflux for a few minutes by backing off a little on power input to allow the rig to compress any heads that might left.

This is where the fun starts :dance:

Now remembering that your boiler temp is naturally increasing due to depletion of alcohol, and no alcohol has re entered the boiler with the thumper really cranking full of good stuff, so there's no need to touch the controller just yet as and no I'm not controlling boiler temps, I'm controlling power input so dont get thinking otherwise please.

Make sure you have all your cut jars handy, you've been for a leak & are free of distraction at this point.

Close the coolant to RC and let her rip keeping the 1st jar aside marked no.1 and just keep changing jars as required until you see your 1st plate above the thumper showing signs of tails approach and throw back into full reflux restacking, compressing the tails even further until the plate sight glass above the thumper clears from fog & the bubbles look frothy again & close the RC and let her rip...... you're getting near the end now, a couple more jars and it's time to strip the tails right down to about 10% to get the rum oils which is what I'd charge the thumper with on each consecutive run.

ABV of your hearts will be in the 92% to 88% area, the heads and tails are so compress the heads are just window cleaner, keep tails as above & your hearts cut is massive :dance:

The rest is pretty much standard practice and discussed in detail enough for people to air, sample & make cuts so not much point repeating myself there, only to say that from a 80L boiler charge I'd end up with about 6.5L of keeper hearts & about 1.5L of some of feints.

So there you go, not difficult at all..... you just need to take into account the ABV of your boiler charge and build your thumper allowing for a litre or two extra.

Hope it makes sense & brings to light some answers in the other discussion going on inline thumpers, but please remember I was doing this a few years ago and cant really give exact details on some things, but I'll try my best to answer any questions if I've not been clear enough.

So go on get building & thumping, and most of all enjoy!

Over to you lot :handgestures-thumbupleft:

Cheers.

[Mrs Mac]

Good on ya Mac
I've dealt with a lot of clever people over the years, and learnt some very handy things, but I don't think I've ever meet anyone so willing to share the knowledge in their field of expertise as you mate. :clap: :clap: :text-thankyoublue:

[MacStill]

I cant take credit for the concept mate, I believe LWTCS off HD was my inspiration for adapting my own version.

What I do like is these types of discussions where I haven't answered simple things many times before, and believe it or not the sales side of things is secondary to my love of the hobby :handgestures-thumbupleft:

..... and to the guy that said a year or so back "I cant believe that mac wanker still has an audience" well :obscene-birdiedoublered: take a look at the statistics between the two sites now :teasing-tease: ya wanker :laughing-rolling:

[BIG D]

Well if thumpers are old and antiquated I must be to .fast output and more hearts sounds good to me mac :handgestures-thumbupleft:

[BIG D]

Sorry I forgot they look Fuckin cool as well :text-lol:

[1 2many]

Thanks Mac that was a very interesting read and I will be sure to give this run strategy a good crack :handgestures-thumbupleft:

[whiskeyshiner]

Well mac you left me no choice im going to have build one :laughing-rolling: thanks for the interesting read :handgestures-thumbupleft: best way to get back at your enemies is to be better than them :handgestures-thumbupleft:

[MacStill]

I have no enemies mate, and if that's what some think of me as then it's their problem :handgestures-thumbupleft:

Fuck em !!

[whiskeyshiner]

:handgestures-thumbupleft:

[bayshine]

Cool post mac, cheers :handgestures-thumbupleft:
I take it your thumper was a large single bubble cap??
I'll have a crack at at lifting my downcomers so my 6 in plate can hold more distillate, and give this strategy a run on some ag bourbon in a day or two :handgestures-thumbupleft:

[MacStill]

Here is where it first come to life, but it did end up being rebuilt :handgestures-thumbupleft:

viewtopic.php?f=36&t=898#p10275

:handgestures-thumbupleft:

[Yummyrum]

Great thread. :handgestures-thumbupleft:
That answers my questions . :text-thankyoublue:
Edit: this one and the one you linked to

[MacStill]

All good yummy, guess your bubble might just take a bit longer to finish completely now :teasing-tease:

[badbird]

Interesting topic! Have to admit I never really took the inline thumper/ bubble ball thing all that seriously, thought they where mainly a gimmick but it looks like I'll have to do some catching up on the subject.
Any thoughts how they perform under a packed section for neutrals? I guess the run strategy would change a bit.

[MacStill]

Hey Badbird,

Not sure about putting one on a neutral still, the theory would be the same I'd imaging just not sure how you'd go pushing the column so hard as my main thing with this concept was for flavour in rum production.

I filled it with roasted orange peel once prior to a run and it come out wonderful :handgestures-thumbupleft:

I told kimbo what I was up to a few weeks ago about getting back into thumping rums, so watch this space mate, this ones gunna be a cracker :dance:

[BIG D]

What about a double pumper thumper with adjustable" dumper" meaning downcomer height? Has a nice ring to it and probably better bath depth adjustability.

[MacStill]

uh huh, the double pumper thumper booze dumper :laughing-rolling:

if you buggers keep all this up I'm going to have to build an 8" prototype, wonder who'd want on though as 8" gear's gettin pretty exy

[badbird]

Thanks Mac
your prolly right about not helping the neutrals much, I guess the hearts are almost coming off in pot still mode.
Havnt been doing much rum lately, mainly bourbon knockoffs but the same run strategy would no doubt work for them. :think:

Bugger.. Back to the scrappy looking for 8 inch offcuts :D

[crow]

Obviously there is going to be a cleaner product (although that still pumps out a mighty fine product as is) but what sort of time save would we be talking about and do you think it would be worth doing in six inch

[whiskeyshiner]

Bugger.. Back to the scrappy looking for 8 inch offcuts :D

I reckon you'd have to be real lucky to get some but you never kno ya luck till you try. Im to scared to call a mate and ask what his trade price would be :o Im thinking 30 l keg or maybe a corny keg but im pretty sure there 6" so it would have to be alot longer to get desired volume and i have 100 l boiler now so i need the volume :crying-blue: