JohnBee
Harmless
Posts: 37
Registered: 27-5-2015
Member Is Offline
Mood: No Mood
|
|
High volume distillation setup
I've been looking at doing my own distillation for some time now but haven't come to terms with whether I should invest in a high capacity pre-made
unit like a Barnstead or Quartz tube system OR, attempt at making something myself using a mantle and condensers.
Thing being, I'm using approximately 6-8 liters of Di per week.
As for the purity, I don't think I'll be needing double or triple distillation as my intake qualifies as purified RO(UV + 5 stage w/dble RO
filtration). And so I'm thinking a single distillation will be plenty sufficient to get the job done. As the distilled water I've been using to date
is in plastic and actually smells like plastic.
And so my question is, whether or not it's feasible to make Di using conventional lab glass and equipment with the volumes I'm working with, would
that be unrealistic?
For what it's worth, I already own a pair of 5000ml mantles(1100w) and boiling flasks if that helps at all.
PS. I also have a pair of 5 gallon glass jugs for containment. Though I'm not sure if there's a way to feed water into lab distillation system for
larger volumes?
|
|
|
Zombie
Forum Hillbilly
Posts: 1700
Registered: 13-1-2015
Location: Florida PanHandle
Member Is Offline
Mood: I just don't know...
|
|
Purchasing a ready made rig is crazy expensive.
I'd contact DesChem and see what they can do to help.
http://www.deschem.com.cn/eindex.asp
They tried to have me "put to sleep" so I came back to return the favor.
Zom.
|
|
|
JohnBee
Harmless
Posts: 37
Registered: 27-5-2015
Member Is Offline
Mood: No Mood
|
|
Wow what a great resource for lab glass and apparatus.
Thanks a bunch!
|
|
|
Magpie
lab constructor
Posts: 5939
Registered: 1-11-2003
Location: USA
Member Is Offline
Mood: Chemistry: the subtle science.
|
|
For 6-8 liters/wk why would you even bother? That will cost you about $1.50 at Safeway for either DI or RO.
The single most important condition for a successful synthesis is good mixing - Nicodem
|
|
|
JohnBee
Harmless
Posts: 37
Registered: 27-5-2015
Member Is Offline
Mood: No Mood
|
|
Quote: Originally posted by Magpie  | | For 6-8 liters/wk why would you even bother? That will cost you about $1.50 at Safeway for either DI or RO. |
I'd like to start using distilled for rinsing my glass etc. Perhaps not a high grade solution, though good enough so as to avoid cross contamination.
That said, I've gone through all the suppliers in my area, and the lab grade distilled water has proven to be far too expensive to justify against
that of making my own. As for RO, it simply isn't pure enough for use in my case. Though I'd add that I could likely use double RO grade source water
in a single stage distillation as an alternative to triple distillation.
However, I wanted to ask if anyone knew what a reasonable expectation in terms of yield would be using a 5000ml mantle and 600ml condenser? Likewise,
is there any way to feed the boiling flask and get a continuous flow into a 5 gallon receiver bottle?
[Edited on 28-5-2015 by JohnBee]
|
|
|
Zombie
Forum Hillbilly
Posts: 1700
Registered: 13-1-2015
Location: Florida PanHandle
Member Is Offline
Mood: I just don't know...
|
|
Well you could always go old school, and make a working still from stainless stock pots, and easy to get plumbing parts.
If you can solder, and cut a hole in stainless, you can build a 10 gallon stock pot still for around a hundred bucks.
For a continuous feed system it gets about 50 bucks more expensive but exponentially more dangerous. The temptation to walk away, and do something
else is too great, and accidents happen.
Here's a pict of what I am talking about. If you run a recirculating liebig and use Expanded teflon foam as a gasket, you can recover around a 2GPH
of pure DI.
I'd recommend using a carbon filter to clean the water Before distilling, and a second one in the Vapor path.
I wasn't thinking when I replied the first time. My fingers type while I chase monkeys in my mind...
[Edited on 5-29-2015 by Zombie]
They tried to have me "put to sleep" so I came back to return the favor.
Zom.
|
|
|
JohnBee
Harmless
Posts: 37
Registered: 27-5-2015
Member Is Offline
Mood: No Mood
|
|
That is a very impressive DIY setup.
Might be perfect for my distilled cleaning cleaning needs.
| Quote: Originally posted by Zombie | Well you could always go old school, and make a working still from stainless stock pots, and easy to get plumbing parts.
If you can solder, and cut a hole in stainless, you can build a 10 gallon stock pot still for around a hundred bucks.
For a continuous feed system it gets about 50 bucks more expensive but exponentially more dangerous. The temptation to walk away, and do something
else is too great, and accidents happen.
Here's a pict of what I am talking about. If you run a recirculating liebig and use Expanded teflon foam as a gasket, you can recover around a 2GPH
of pure DI.
I'd recommend using a carbon filter to clean the water Before distilling, and a second one in the Vapor path.
I wasn't thinking when I replied the first time. My fingers type while I chase monkeys in my mind...
[Edited on 5-29-2015 by Zombie] |
|
|
|
Zombie
Forum Hillbilly
Posts: 1700
Registered: 13-1-2015
Location: Florida PanHandle
Member Is Offline
Mood: I just don't know...
|
|
Just google "stock pot still", and look thru the images. There are hundreds of ideas.
They tried to have me "put to sleep" so I came back to return the favor.
Zom.
|
|
|
binbin
Harmless
Posts: 24
Registered: 24-5-2015
Member Is Offline
Mood: No Mood
|
|
Heh, I've made a pot still almost identical to this. There are usually two problems you'll find trying to make this:
1. Finding a proper stainless steel pot that has a stainless steel lid (most of them opt for glass these days.) Also, most pots this big are
aluminium. Don't make an aluminium pot still... you will be sad if you try to distill anything other than water :p If you ever want to distil
alcohol say goodbye to the aluminium pot as it will leech in to your distillate.
2. You cannot solder stainless steel like you can copper to copper, etc. You need to weld the copper pipe on to the stainless lid, or you have to
find some coupling device and bolt it on to the lid extremely tight. Also be ready to use insane amounts of Teflon tape around all joints.
3. Do not use lead solder or any solder using lead. I think I used silver solder as that was the safe choice to solder the copper joints.
The picture above doesn't seem to have a place for the cooling water pipes/pump to be hooked up. Make sure your design enables you to use a pond pump
to pump water in to the condenser. After about 20 minutes of distilling water @ 100c, even cold tap water comes out luke warm from a 3 foot, 1.5 inch
in diameter condenser @ 45 degrees
Good luck. let me know if you want pictures of mine and/or have any questions.
[Edited on 30-5-2015 by binbin]
[Edited on 30-5-2015 by binbin]
|
|
|
![[*]](images/xpblue/default_icon.gif){kind=icon}
