Hello. I am building simple to make, and simple to use man portable pyrolysis units. Was looking for help with a fractional distiller secondary unit. Both man portable. I have the first stage workable as a proto type. I have in mind some simple glass packed stainless steel or copper tubing for the fractional distiller. Would anyone care to help with this design? What would it take to hire someone or would you i am not trying to patent. I’m going to make a lot of these simple items and just sell them with my other units. I plan to make and sell them as open source. I just want to make the design safe. What might it cost to have an engineer check this work?
We don’t really have much to go on to have an opinion. Can you share some details or pics that will indicate the degree of simplicity? Feed rate or batch charge and composition to the unit? What work was done to come up with the “fractional distiller” design? Hand calcs, rigorous model, lab work?
Yes, i will show what i have for the first stage unit. I think the second stage will be similar to this, but it is for distilling down the oil from first stage unit. Second stage might be something like https://www.researchgate.net/publication/220049489_Portable_mini_essential_oil_distillation_apparatus
Going for simplicity and ruggedness. Ease of mfg. I have an idea for a stainless tube with glass packed portions. Utilize washers for cooling fins. Can sketch that and come back with a pic of first stage unit soon.
Ruggedness cuts out using glassware, which is what most labs use:
IIRC, most lab fractional distillation units shoot for a reflux ratio of about 4/1. Maybe some labware suppliers have SS units? Worth a look.
By glass pack, i mean sections with glass beads or fractured glass inside for for surface area. Sections inside the column.
Something like this unit. But in stainless or copper. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NT4ZneRiL48&t=159s I would have my unit analogue, meaning off grid so no electricity. I have a stove with a hot plate that does both stages. see here. https://pacstove.com/ I was intending to have that vessel sitting in water or sand on a hot plate heated by wood fire.
I worry about either unit becoming plugged and turning into a small bomb.
I want to see if i can distill out lamp oil for a lamp i will add to my accessories page,and further, can we get cooking safe lighter fluid from this?
Understood. One of the key operating parameters of a distillation column is the reflux ratio. What’s the min. reflux ratio for your separation? What is the design reflux ratio?
Reflux ratio would be maxed out within the size of this unit. I don’t know yet. I can rough that in soon. Im sorry but im hit with some family illness right now so this is partly sidelined.
Okay. Hope they get well soon.