Sizing Condenser

floppyflo

Hi there,

I am new to distillation and I want to find the correct size for a Dash column / condenser.
I already brew beer in a brewpub on a 500l system and I want to distill on the same system, adding a Dash column.

First question : Does the speed at which we can distill is correlated to the size of the condenser?

Second question : What size of condenser do you recommend for a 500l pot?

Thanks a lot

Florian

grim

Product condenser? Depends.

How cold is your coolant? Very cold? You can use a smaller condenser. Warm? You'll need a larger condenser.

How much power input are you running? Lots of power in? Larger condenser. Less power in? Smaller condenser.

Are you planning to strip fast? If so, larger condenser, if not, smaller.

IMHO, I'd go with something like a 4" x 48", that'll give you a little flexibility and won't break the bank. You can't go too large on a product condenser, even using an 8" on 500l is not overkill.

punkin

You can get a pretty good idea by looking at the complete systems we offer. Condensers are sized to meet most peoples general needs.

You can specify larger than standard if it's purely for stripping or other needs of course.

Smaug

What punkin and grim said.

Just to add, I would try and go as large as your budget will allow for.

Doing so will reduce your requisite cooling media flow rate.