2000 Litre Reflux Still Copper Stills Distillery

The Basics of Alcohol Distillation

To further comprehend the functioning of alcohol distillation columns, it’s crucial to delve deeper into the basics of distillation. Distillation is a fundamental separation process utilized across various industries, including beverage production, pharmaceuticals, and petrochemicals. At its core, distillation exploits differences in the boiling points of the components within a liquid mixture to achieve separation.

In the context of alcohol production, the primary objective of distillation is to isolate ethanol from water and other impurities present in the fermented liquid, known as the “wash” or “beer.” Ethanol and water form an azeotropic mixture, meaning they boil at a specific composition and temperature, making complete separation challenging through simple distillation alone.

Alcohol distillation columns employ fractional distillation, a sophisticated technique that enhances separation efficiency by incorporating multiple vaporization-condensation cycles within the column. This process exploits the principles of equilibrium thermodynamics, wherein the vapor and liquid phases reach a state of equilibrium with respect to composition and temperature.

Within the column, the liquid mixture, typically introduced at the top, undergoes repeated vaporization and condensation as it travels down through the column. The column is equipped with trays or packing material, which provide surface area for vapor-liquid contact and facilitate the exchange of components between the vapor and liquid phases.

As the vapor rises through the column, it becomes enriched in the more volatile component, in this case, ethanol, while the liquid becomes increasingly depleted of ethanol. This enrichment occurs due to the differential vaporization of the components based on their respective volatility and affinity for the vapor phase.

AUTOMATION

Automating your distilling process can improve product consistency, increase product yield and enhance labor productivity. Whether you want to automate your entire distilling process or if you want to monitor your distillery remotely, ZJ can tailor an automation solution to suit your goals.

Automation packages include large touch screen control interfaces, and reliable PLC controls. Our Wi-Fi module option allows for remote monitoring and management of your distillery. Contact us to learn more about how automation may help your distilling operation.

Meet the demand from your customers or produce more of your recipes that everyone will love. Built from high quality copper and sanitary stainless steel, and designed for longevity and maximum output, our handmade column stills will allow you to produce more of your best spirits around the clock, including vodka, bourbon, whiskey, rum, or simply bulk ethanol and hand sanitizer.

Not only will your column perform, but it will also look great for your visitors and customers.

· Column designs cater to the volume and type of any spirit you’d like to produce, as well as the fermented product to feed the column.

· Every column we build considers your mash recipes to ensure efficient operation and high performance.

· Our columns integrate world class cleaning-in-place (CIP) to save you time and maximize your production.