Inside of cooling tower

[TheLakeRat]

Ok so i've been lurking around reading all the post for about a month now and i have a question.

What is the inside of a cooling tower supposed to look like? I have seen some that look like they are just smooth boore but all the diagrams i see have hooded plates inside.


Thanks in advance for the education.

[TheLakeRat]

oh come on guys!!!you folks have got to have some pictures or some advice for me. I've been trying to run waste ATF and i've ruined 2 sets of injectors now. something in the atf is eating the injectors even after i filter it to 1 micron so my last option is distilation. some one help.

[Oilguy]

Sorry... I have been having problems with my keyboard... The "e" and the "l" didn't work and locked up the computer when I hit them...

I lost the pictures of the inside of my tower but I will try to describe basically what it looks like.
I installed a ring inside the tower with a 5 inch hole in it... Then welded a piece of 5" pipe inside the hole with a steel strap over the top... I welded a bolt to the top of the strap. Then I drilled a hole in a Stainless bowl that fit over the bolt and it sits about a 1/4 to half an inch off the bottom so that when the liquid builds up it will act as a bubbler.
Not sure if that was clear.... but ask if you need me to try again.

OG

[Butterbean]

Another way is to place a "perforated metal plate" inside to break up the molecules into a vapor. This is what I'm using inside mine. But different ways will get about the same results. Just depends on how difficult and expensive you want to get.

[ShaferLabs]

and I'm using precisely nothing! Just a tall straight stack. It all depends on your theory of the way You think it should work. There are a thousand ways to get the same thing done. But having said that, if you build this with part if these plans and part of those plans, and half of someone else's system and your brothers idea. It will not work. You have to understand the basic principals, and take a look at all our systems, look at as many patents as possible, and then design your system before you build. I think the reason no one replied to your question is there are as many ways of doing this as there are people ding it. When someone really gets it figured out, he'll let us know exactly what worked. Until then, read read Read! That's the best advice I have!

[Oilguy]

How is everything going Shaferlabs? Have you made any progress?? Anything you have found that didn't work?

OG

[TheLakeRat]

thanks for pointing me in the right direction guys. I have litterally spent the whole day reading posts and searching other sites and then studying on Wikipedia and have decided on 1 of 2 plans of attack.

Shafer i like the simplicity of your tower design but i don't want to have to build my tower that tall. I do want to talk with you though about some of your other ideas and also about hydrogen. my e-mail is thelakerat@aol.com.

OG thanks for that idea. i found a company that makes bubble tray inserts and they are basically the same thing as what you made just a little smaller.

Has anyone here used Raschig rings ? i had a buddy that brews moonshine recommend them and they seem like a great idea. I could just cut up some SS exhaust tubing and randomly place them into the cooling tower.

So far thats my favorite option but i'm open for suggestions.

I also have some questions about how the oil goes from the boiler to the tower but i'll start a new thread.

thanks again !!!!!:D

[Nursecosmo]

I too have been considering Rasching rings for a shorter tower. They sure made a huge difference in my ETOH refluxer.

[TheLakeRat]

Good to know. what did your ETOH setup look like?

Did the rings go from top to bottom or did you have a retainer to hold them off the bottom?

Any kind of tray on top?

[Nursecosmo]

It looks much like this but is made from cooper and sans la fem. I had rasching rings going all the way up the column but I removed them when moving across the state and have lost them somewhere.

[TheLakeRat]

to hell with the rings you can buy more of those, don't "sans la fem" send her to me. I'll hind her in the shop! LOL

Seriously though did the rings start at the bottom of the small tower? Or go all the way to the bottom of the whole assembley?

[Nursecosmo]

I'm not sure that I am following your question but the bottom of the cooling tower has a perforated retainer made from a kitchen sink drain strainer. The rings are added from the top which has a cap on it and they go all the way up the reflux column to the neck of the condenser which has a water jacket to aid in condensation. I used marbles before I got the rings and they seemed to work just as well. Without the added condensing surface it was difficult to control the reflux and I got a lot of water out of the condenser.

[TheLakeRat]

that was my question thanks. :D

[rovingbenz]

I used marbles also. With a thermometer at to top of the column mine worked wonderful.
Ryan

[trailb4u]

Here are some links with information and some nice illustrations relating
to bubble plates, perforated plates, packed columns, and reflux relating to
alcohol distillation. The fundamentals appear to be the same as for petrolium
distillation.
http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel_library/ethanol_motherearth/meCh7.html

http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel_library/ethanol_manual/manual14.html

http://homedistiller.org/refluxdesign.htm