Pan Pipe "reflux" still

[warramungas]

Have any of us seen one of these before?

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It came out of Peter J. Wheeler & R. Malcolm Willmotts book spirits unlimited 2000 edition I blew the dust off recently.
Not sure it could live up to its hype but looks like an interesting theory and a PITA to build it.

[scythe]

I suppose anything is capable of 95% if you run it slow enough, it sort of has a reflux condenser so i guess it would get higher than a pot still.
What stops vapour bypassing the central column, just the larger diameter pipe?

[warramungas]

Dunno. Can't imagine it would be much better than a pot unless you packed it with something and then the packing would drive the vapor up the side pipes.

[TheMechwarrior]

A ridiculous concept thought up by someone under the influence of drugs/alcohol or both and lacking in common sense.

The same result can be achieved using much simpler methods with far fewer materials, this is more arty farty than function.

[warramungas]

I think its more of a 'in theory it sounds fantastic', in practice probably a waste of time. Kinda like the UN. :))

[Ulysses]

Nothing particularly revolutionary about this design. Seems to be a variation of a cold finger partial condenser reflux with a vapour bypass to prevent entraining the liquid. I have toyed around with the concept using simpler constructions with pipe in pipe in pipe themes. No built any yet.