In Fig. [15] A is a boiler, placed over a brick furnace; B is the still, placed beside it, on a slightly higher level and heated by the furnace flue which passes underneath it. A pipe e conducts the steam from the boiler to the bottom of the still. By another pipe d, which is furnished with a stop cock and which reaches to the bottom of the still A, the alcoholic liquors in the still may be run from it into the boiler; by turning the valve the spent liquor may be run out at a. The glass tubes b and f show the height of liquid in the two vessels. K is the valve for filling the boiler and c the safety valve.
Fig. 16.—Details of Rectifier Column.
The still is surmounted by a column C, shown in section in Fig. [16]. This column contains an enriching arrangement whereby the liquid flowing down into the still B is brought into intimate contact with the steam rising from the still. The liquid meets with obstacles in falling and falls downward in a shower, which thus presents multiplied obstacles to the ascent of the vapor. The liquid is thus heated almost to the boiling point before it falls into the still B. The construction for effecting this is shown at C, Fig. [16] and consists of an enclosed series of nine sets of circular copper saucer-shaped capsules, placed one above the other, and secured to three metallic rods passing through the series so that they can be all removed as one piece. These capsules are of different diameters, the larger ones which are, nearly the diameter of the column, are placed with the rounded side downwards, and are pierced with small holes; the smaller ones are turned bottom upwards, a stream of the liquid to be distilled flows down the pipe h from E, into the top capsule of C and then percolating through the small holes, falls into the smaller capsule beneath, and from the rim of this upon the one next below, and so throughout the whole of the series until it reaches the bottom and falls into the still B. The vapors rise up into the column from the still and meeting the stream of liquid convert it partially into vapor which passes out at the top of C considerably enriched, into the column D.
Fig. [16] shows a sectional view of the column D, the “rectifying column” as it is called. It contains six vessels, placed one above the other, in an inverted position, so as to form seals. These are so disposed that the vapors must pass through a thin layer of liquor in each vessel. Some of the vapor is thus condensed and the condensed liquid flows back into column C, the uncondensed vapor considerably enriched passing up the pipe J, into the coil S in the condenser E, Fig. [17], which is filled with the “wash” to be distilled.
Fig. 17.—Details of Condenser and Mash Heater.
Entering by the pipe t, Fig. [15], the undistilled liquid or “wash” is distributed over a perforated plate y y, and falls in drops into the condenser E, where it is heated by contact with the coil S containing the heated vapors. The condenser is divided into two compartments by a diaphragm X which is pierced with holes at its lower extremity; through these holes the wash flows into the second compartment, and passes out at the top, where it runs through the pipe h, into the top of the column C.