Column fillings

Column fillings for home distillation

The best it to use a random packed professional column filling in the column. Many people use scrub pads. The hardest problems with scrub pads is that one force them into the column and then can not get them out again. And column fillings shall out and be cleaned at least every 3rd distillation (Glasrens is the best cleaner) – and the column shall be flushed backwards with hot water to clean the column filling – after each single distillation.

There are a lot of professional column fillings as you can se down in this page. In practice Rashig rings are the best choice
.
Theoretically best column filling Raschig rings for alcohol home distillation.
Following Raschig rings (glass or ceramic) are theoretically best in comparison to the column diameter:

Column diameter	Raschig rings
25 mm/1 inch	2 mm
32 mm/1 1/4 inch	2 mm
38 mm/1 1/2 inch	2 mm
44 mm/1 3/4 inch	3 mm
51 mm/2 inch	3 mm
76 mm/3 inch	4 mm
101 mm/4 inch	5 mm

In practice used Raschig rings for alcohol home distillation
Because of the extreme prices on 2×2, 3×3, 4×4 and the high price of 5×5 mm Raschig rings, the most used filling is 6 x 6 mm ceramic raschig rings. It works very good, specially if the column diameter is 51 mm/2 Inch or wider. One can order online at www.partyman.se.
The important rule is that the ratio between column diameter and size of the random packing should be between 8.5 to 20. The smaller the size, the higher the internal surface and pressure drop and the better the separation efficiency.
The rule of thumb for column length are 15 – 20 times the widht. If there is coolings trough the column it can be shorted to 12 times. This construction is against the theory of distillation – but works anyway. Both the Labmaster, Brewhaus and Stillmaker stills are constructed this way and works good.

Glass Raschig rings

Packing	Size	Weight kg/m3	Surface m2/m3	Free volume
Raschig ring	2 x 2 3 x 3 4 x 4 5 x 5 6 x 6 8 x 8 10 x 10 12 x 12 15 x 15 20 x 20 25 x25 30 x 30 35 x 35 40 x 40 50 x 50	995 911 669 595 496 570 570 570 574 464 358 329 272 294 304	2133 1435 1205 1047 859 709 502 418 414 266 202 140 115 100 86	60 63 73 76 80 77 77 77 77 81 85 86 89 88 87

Ceramic packing

Packning	Size	Weight kg/m3	Surface m2/m3	Free volume
Raschig – Rings	5 mm 6 mm 8 mm 10 mm 12 mm 15 mm 20 mm 25 mm 30 mm 35 mm 40 mm 50 mm 60 mm 70 mm 80 mm 100 mm 120 mm	900 800 850 900 800 700 650 620 570 580 540 550 520 530 535 450 420	1000 940 550 450 360 310 240 190 165 135 120 98 78 72 60 44 35	63 64 65 63 67 72 74 74 77 77 78 78 79 78 78 82 83
Berl-Sattel	4 mm 6 mm 8 mm 10 mm 15 mm 25 mm 35 mm 50 mm	1000 900 850 850 780 700 650 600	2000 1150 980 660 430 260 178 120	58 63 65 65 67 70 73 75
Pall – Ring	25 mm 35 mm 50 mm 75 mm 80 mm 100 mm	620 540 550 540 520 450	220 165 120 82 80 55	75 78 78 78 79 82
Novalox – Sattel	1/2″ 3/3″ 1″ 1,5″ 2″ 3″	685 660 640 620 580 570	622 335 255 166 120 92	73 74 74 75 77 77

Metal packing

Packning	Size	Weight kg/m3	Surface m2/m3	Free volume
Pall – Ring	15 mm 25 mm 38 mm 55 mm	366 385 310 270	311 196 136 105	95 95 96 97
Top – Pak	#2	160	80	98
VSP	25 mm 40 mm 50 mm	180 170 160	205 132 110	98 98 98
Interpak	10 mm 15 mm 20 mm	600 345 350	620 360 260	92 96 96

Plastic packing

Packning	Size	Weight kg/m3	Surface m2/m3	Free volume
Pall – Ring	15 mm 25 mm 38 mm 50 mm 90 mm	80 80 60 45 60	350 220 145 110 78	91 91 93 95 93
VSP	25 mm 50 mm 90 mm	60 45 30	185 100 78	93 95 97
Novalox – Sattel	1,5″ 2″	80 75	170 120	91 92
Hacketten	45 mm 90 mm	58 53	135 128	94 94

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