DIY stainless steel column. Do-it-yourself masonry columns: drawings, instructions. Automation of a distillation column

Thanks to the special structure of the distillation column, it becomes possible to almost completely clean the final drink from fusel oils and impurities. Unlike distillation, the quality of the raw materials itself does not have such a key role, since there is practically no organoleptic quality in the final drink. The result is alcohol with a strength of up to 96.6% with poor organoleptic properties, but pure. It can be used to produce vodka and various liqueurs.

Let's consider the principle of the distillation column and what parts it consists of.

Distillation column, drawing

Distillation column, operating principle

Rectification is the separation of binary or multicomponent mixtures due to countercurrent mass and heat exchange between steam and liquid. The parts of the distillation column provide a sequential process:

Evaporation cube - storage and heating of still liquid
Column - heat and mass transfer inside the column itself due to the nozzle
Dephlegmator - condensation of vapors, formation of reflux
Selection unit - selection of reflux and rectified water

Let's look at the operation of each part separately.

Evaporation cube

This is a container in which mash or distillate is stored and heated. It is also called bottom liquid. When heated, the liquid evaporates, and the steam rises up the column, where it is divided into fractions. At the same time, the cube serves as the base for the column. The cube can be heated on regular or. Induction is faster and safer.

Also used as a heat source in some models.

Usually, the mash is distilled first to obtain raw alcohol. The column must be switched to distiller mode, that is, open the selection valve as much as possible. After this, the raw alcohol is distilled again, this time slowly and with the selection of the food fraction.

A thermometer is located on the cube to monitor the temperature of the still liquid. When the cube reaches 60-70°C, it is necessary to supply coolant so that the vapors can condense. When reaching 70°C, the power of the heating element must be reduced and left at this value until rectification is completed.

Tsarga

The drawer is the body of the column, its central part. Heat and mass transfer, which is the principle of operation of the distillation column, occurs here. It is this that makes the rectification process possible:

The liquid in the cube evaporates and steam rises up the column
At the top there is a reflux condenser (refrigerator), in which the steam is condensed
The distillate flows down the reflux condenser and along the walls of the column
The liquid comes into contact with the steam on the walls of the nozzle with which the column is filled
As a result of heat and mass transfer, the lowest boiling fraction accumulates in the upper part of the column
The low-boiling fraction condenses in the refrigerator and enters the selection channel.

A column can be assembled from several frames. The higher the column, the more intense the heat and mass transfer, and the cleaner the liquid is separated into fractions. Inside the column is filled with a nozzle: SPN or RPN. Without a nozzle, heat and mass transfer is impossible.

To speed up the rectification process, you can use. The walls of the column are heated, so phlegm, which is not in contact with the nozzle, evaporates from the walls. As a result, the process is accelerated and the degree of purification increases.

Additionally, they can be used with a column. On its surface, heat and mass exchange also occurs between hot steam and cold phlegm. The degree of purification is increasing.

Rectification attachment

The rectification nozzle is a universal tool that consists of a selection unit and a refrigerator. In the refrigerator, condensation of alcohol vapor occurs, which returns down in the form of phlegm. The selection unit allows you to control the amount of alcohol that comes out of the column. By controlling this volume, you can change the quality of the alcohol, that is, the degree of its purification. The slower the process, the purer the alcohol turns out.

The nozzle can be purchased ready-made or separately.

Alcohol selection unit

Used to improve cleaning quality

Automation for distillation column

Rectification requires constant monitoring to ensure that the head and tail fractions do not end up in the food part. This process can be facilitated using BUR - a rectification control unit. The block will limit the selection of rectified product in accordance with a given program so that the tail part does not mix with the food product. This way you can move away from the column without fear that the tails will end up in the clean rectified material.

BUR is an optional part of the distillation column, but it is much more convenient to work with it.

What's next

The resulting rectified alcohol will have a harsh taste. The alcohol must be diluted, filtered and allowed to brew. You can use alcohol to clean it, it's called. As a result of carbonization, the alcohol acquires a milder taste, the coal binds the remains of fusel oils, which in small quantities penetrate into the drink even during fractional selection in the distillation column. This is how classic Russian vodka is prepared.

After sorting (diluting) and charcoaling, the alcohol needs to rest in a glass container for several days.

Read more about the design and operation of the distillation column in the corresponding product card.

From the school course we know that the rectification process is the process of separating complex mixtures into components through repeated evaporation and condensation of the constituent parts. The results are ideally pure components, the temperatures of transitions to different states of aggregation of which are, accordingly, different.

This simple process is used in the production of gasoline, kerosene, pure oxygen and nitrogen. Rectification also helps separate fusel oils and aldehyde fractions to produce ethanol, or ethyl alcohol.

This process is carried out in distillation columns, the design of which allows the creation of a product with a purity of up to 96%. You can create a homemade moonshine still with straight hands, minimal knowledge of organic chemistry and the desire to enjoy high-quality alcohol of your own production.

Nowadays you can simply buy a rectification chamber, but we will go a different route. We will assemble a miniature distillery with our own hands.

From the name of the process that gave the column its name, it is clear that constant rectification occurs inside, and the column itself is made of materials that do not react with the components of the process.

The working liquid, mash infused with grain, berries, fruits, etc., is poured into the distillation cube. and bring to boiling temperature. As the working fluid boils, alcohol-containing vapor is released, which is lighter than the liquid and due to this rises up the pipe, where it cools.

Cooling, the heated steam falls into condensate on the walls of the column and rushes back into the distillation cube in the form of a liquid, but along the way it encounters a new portion of heated steam. Components whose boiling point is below the working fluid evaporate again, among such components is ethyl alcohol.

The essence of the process is that substances are distributed along a vertical column, in accordance with the level of their evaporation and condensation points. At approximately a height of 75% from the distillation cube, ethyl alcohol vapors are collected - a pipe is installed here to discharge these same vapors into the container with the final product.

Higher up the column, toxic volatile vapors of aldehydes and dimethyl ketone are concentrated and released into the atmosphere through an outlet pipe; below the formation of the concentration of ethyl spirit vapor, fusel oils and other fractions accumulate, whose boiling point exceeds the boiling point of ethanol.

Beginning moonshiners usually prefer distillers. But the more experience, the more you want to get a perfect product - devoid of fusel oils and as strong as possible.

Moonshiners who are not practically familiar with the work of the Republic of Kazakhstan have a prejudice. They believe that the distillation column takes away the smell of the original product. This is only partly true.

It all depends on the purpose, and the column is operated in different ways: to obtain rectified alcohol or a pure and fortified distillate.

Distillation column in appearance - tall pipe, vertically rising above the distillation cube. Indispensable components:

A food-grade stainless steel pipe with a height of no lower than 1 and no higher than 1.5 meters. Industrial ones have dimensions that are thousands of times larger than those indicated.
Dephlegmator - the upper part of the pipe with a water jacket.
Attachments: RPN or kitchen weeding scrapers made of stainless steel, as well as (not always) SPN-spirals of equal diameter and height.
Thermometer. Or better yet, two: one in a cube, the second in a column.
Tube for connection to the atmosphere.
A direct-flow refrigerator that finally condenses the alcohol vapor coming from the column.
Connecting elements and pipes for connecting/draining water for cooling.
Column insulation in the compartment where heat and mass transfer occurs (desirable, but not required).

Calculation of system parameters

Calculation is necessary to ensure that the column produces a product with a strength of up to 95°, free of fusel and other impurities. At the same time, it did not choke and had an optimal transfer speed.

Attention. Any of the distillation columns on the market and homemade ones have a distillation speed several times lower than.

This is due to the need for repeated evaporation of the alcohol-containing liquid.

Productivity and quality of work depend on:

height and diameter of the drawer;
correct calculations for the nozzle;
heating power;
volume of the distillation cube.

Pipe and nozzle dimensions

To ensure the correct strengthening and separating properties, regardless of the internal cross-section, the acceptable height of the drawer is considered to be 1 - 1.5 m. These parameters have been determined by numerous experiments.

At a lower altitude, it will not be possible to protect against fusels breaking through into the finished product, that is, it will not be possible to achieve the proper purity of selection. If you make the height larger, this does not give better performance and, on the contrary, it increases the number of head fractions. Simply put - Every extra centimeter of the column reduces the separating ability device and negatively affects the transfer speed.

Acceptable parameters of the internal diameter of the pipe – 28-52 mm. These are the sizes used in the production of household RKs.

There is a formula: productivity, measured in milliliters of product per hour of operation, and power (Watts) are equal to the cross-sectional area (cross-section) of the pipe in square meters. mm, that is, directly proportional to its diameter squared.

When choosing or constructing a column, calculate the diameter (internal). If there are large deviations, it will not work correctly.

Nozzle

It not only increases the contact of alcohol-containing steam with reflux, it must be tied to a specific column. For home use, nozzles are selected that have a contact surface of 1.5 - 4 m2 per liter of rectified product.

If you take more, the purification will improve, but the already low distillation speed will drop. If you take less than 1.5 sq.m., then the separation and strengthening will fall, resulting in pure alcohol.

When using only on-load tap-changers, usually twisted sheets are inserted one above the other from below - from the cube to the selection unit. The ratio of SPN to internal diameter is selected 13-15 times smaller. That is, with a wire thickness of 0.25 mm, the diameter of the SPN is matched to a 50 mm pipe - 3.5x3.5; 40 mm – 3x3; 28-32 mm – 2x2.

Attention. Different attachments are used for different tasks.

For example, when distilling grain raw materials, it is advisable to use copper on-load tap-changers or spn-on-load tap-changers, rings, and saddle-shaped attachments. For rectification – RPN+SPN, cut wire wool.

Selecting the volume of the distillation cube

Rectification is carried out after the first distillation, when raw alcohol is obtained. 40-degree liquid is poured. The amount of nozzle to prevent fusel from getting into the finished product is calculated from 10 to 20 volumes of alcohol-containing strong liquid per cube.

It is allowed to fill only 2/3 with raw alcohol, then the container should be selected based on the drawer used. Calculations for a 1.5-meter column with a pipe diameter:

50 mm – no less than 30, no more than 60 liters. You need a container of 40-80 liters;
40 mm – from 17 to 34 l. Cube up to 50 liters;
32 mm – from 10 to 20 l. Cube up to 30 liters;
28 mm – up to 14 l. Requires a cube of up to 18 liters.

With minimal volumes, you can take a pipe with a length of not 1.5, but 1-1.2 m.

What to heat with and at what power?

Rectification is not distillation, in which heating on tiles of various industrial manufactures and even wood heating is possible. For the Republic of Kazakhstan, several mandatory conditions must be met:

ensuring the fastest possible heating;
the ability to finely adjust the heating for high-quality separation of alcohol into fractions;
safety – protection from ignition and explosion, taking into account the fact that the cube contains not low-alcohol mash, but strong raw alcohol.

In this regard, it is necessary to select a heating source from many options taking into account these requirements:

Wood burning stove. It is rejected unconditionally, since it does not meet any of the requirements.
Gas burner. Not suitable because the heat cannot be precisely adjusted and there is a high risk of explosion.
Electric stove does not correspond for the reason that it works on the principle of completely stopping heating and resuming after the temperature drops to a critical point (remember the “clicks” made by an electric stove). When the power supply is interrupted, the reflux will not drain gradually, as provided by the technology, but will collapse and rectification simply will not take place or it will have to be started again - with a different heating source.
Induction cooker can be used with some reserve. It is impossible to smoothly change the power, and proper rectification requires a smooth change, no more than 10 W at a time.
heating element with regulation, voltage stabilization and a smooth change in heating by 5-10 W - this is the optimal solution. This is what the RK should be equipped with.

When selecting power, keep in mind: to quickly heat the cube, you need a kilowatt heating element for every 10 liters of liquid. That is:

For a 50 liter (it contains 40 liters), a 4 kilowatt heating element is required.
40 l (optimally 30 l) – 3 kilowatt.
30 (up to 23 l) – 2.5 kW.
20-25 (15-20 l) – 1.5 kW.

Dephlegmator calculations

They are determined based on the type of column. When selecting alcohol below the reflux condenser, the best choice is a Dimroth reflux condenser with a power of up to 5 watts per square cm.

If the extraction is higher than the reflux condenser, then the power can be up to 2 Watts. Both Dimrot and “shirt maker” are used.

For example, if you have a drawer of 50 mm, then for Dimroth a tube of 6 cm (internal cross-section) up to 50 mm in length is sufficient (with an exact calculation - 48.7). The shirt can be made from a 52 mm pipe with a length of 39 cm.

Achieving the required power in the table:

Pipe inner diameter (mm)	Tsar height (cm)	Productivity at optimal heating power (ml/h)
52	100	1900-1950
51	150	1750-1790
42	150	1120-1190
40	100	1100-1130
32	150	630-660
28	150	450-490

Calculation of a once-through refrigerator

If the direct flow is an aftercooler in a refrigeration system with liquid extraction, a 30-centimeter “jacket” on the extraction tube is sufficient. Usually the water drainage is connected to the supply to the dephlegmator.

Another thing is if you intend to use the RK as a distiller, then make a shirtmaker based on distillation needs.

Without burdening you with obscure details, we note that in order to maintain turbulent steam movement, take the internal diameter of the pipe corresponding to the heating power multiplied by 6. Diameter - in mm, power in kW.

Between the walls of the pipe and the jacket, 1.5 mm is enough for free movement of water.

Important. When creating a direct-flow refrigerator, wind a wire with such a diameter onto the inner pipe that the spiral does not reach the inner surface of the shirt by 0.3 mm.

The spiral is wound in increments of 2-3 diameters of the internal (steam) pipe. It prevents wall deformation, improves cooling and prevents the formation of dead zones due to thermal expansion.

It is customary to use pairs of pipes for refrigerators with a wall thickness of 1 mm:

10mm-14mm;
12mm-16mm;
14mm-18mm;
16mm-20mm;
20 mm – 25 mm. In this case, a pipe thickness of 25 mm requires 1.5 mm.

The length of the direct-flow refrigerator is 50-75 cm.

Based on the above calculations, with the right approach to the matter, you will get a productive rectifier, the quality of which is even higher than its industrial analogues. But if you decide to buy a ready-made column, you can check whether its parameters meet the requirements.

Useful videos

Do-it-yourself distillation column for a moonshine still - theory, practice, drawings and diagrams:

To obtain pure moonshine, home cooks usually resort to double distillation. The result is a high-quality product without harmful impurities, with a pleasant taste and aroma.

An even better effect is achieved by distillation in a distillation column. It allows you to obtain the most purified strong alcohol (94–96%) or vodka without additional tastes and odors.

At the same time, the device has practically no disadvantages, with the exception of its large dimensions and the need to work hard on its manufacture. Most experienced moonshiners agree that it is better to assemble the distillation column yourself.

Design and principle of operation of a distillation column

Alembic

Tsarga (pipe) with filler

Alcohol selection unit

Dephlegmator

Additional refrigerator

It works as follows

The mash in the distillation tank heats up and begins to evaporate. The vapors follow up the drawer, reach the refrigerator and the selection unit, the tap of which is initially closed.

The condensed vapor (reflux) flows back down the pipe. In this case, heavy fractions accumulate at the bottom, and light fractions at the top. Thanks to the nozzles, the processes of condensation and evaporation occur repeatedly: vapors and liquids continuously interact.

This process of exchange is the process of rectification. The lightest vapors with a high alcohol content are sent to the refrigerator, where final condensation occurs. As a result, pure distillate enters the receiving tank.

Calculation of parameters and selection of materials

Before you begin assembling the column, you should decide on the dimensions and other characteristics of the apparatus.

Tsar height

If previously distillation columns were multi-meter structures, today home distillers use compact options - about 1.5 meters long. The main principle that should be followed when calculating dimensions is the following: the height of the pipe should be equal to approximately 50 of its diameters. Slight deviations in one direction or the other are allowed. However, the length of the drawer cannot be less than 1 meter. Otherwise, some of the fusel oils will be selected, and difficulties will arise with the separation of fractions. Increasing the height of the column over 1.5 meters does not significantly affect the quality of the product, but lengthens the hauling time. In addition, placing such a structure at home will be problematic. Optimal pipe dimensions: length – 1.3-1.4 m, diameter – 3–5 cm.

Material and wall thickness

The ideal option for the drawer is food-grade stainless steel: it does not affect the composition of the drinks in any way. Copper will also work. The optimal wall thickness is in the range of 1–2 mm. More is possible, but it will make the structure heavier and increase costs without bringing much benefit. In addition, it is worth remembering that you will have to make holes in the walls.

Type and parameters of nozzles

As a contact element, the easiest way is to use household stainless steel sponges, which are used to clean dishes. To check the quality of the metal, you can soak the product in a salt solution and leave it in it for a day: a good product will not rust. Alternative options are glass beads, stones of certain types, and metal shavings. The packing density is 250–270 g of contact element per 1 liter of column volume.

Volume of a cube

The distillation container is filled 2/3, and the amount of alcohol-containing liquid should correspond to 10–20 volumes of the nozzle. For a column with a diameter of 5 cm, it is optimal to use a tank of 40–80 l, for a width of 4 cm – 30–50 l.

Heating source

The use of a gas, electric or induction cooker is not recommended. The first option is dangerous, the others do not allow for uniform heat supply. The best option is electric heating using heating elements, which can be installed into the cube yourself. The power of the elements depends on the volume of the cube: for 50 liters at least 4 kW is required, for 40 liters - at least 3 kW, etc.

Type of thermal insulation material

It must withstand high temperatures and be chemically inert. Typically, foam rubber 3–5 mm thick, fluoroplastic or silicone (but not rubber!) gaskets are used.

Docking option

If threaded connections are used, sealant may be required. It is better to give preference to putting elements on top of each other.

When creating a distillation column, every little detail matters, so all recommendations should be strictly followed. It would be a good idea to watch the assembly video.

The selected type of nozzles is poured into one part, which will be located below, after installing a mesh and a thrust washer to prevent the material from falling out. If metal sponges are used (about 40 pieces are required), first cut them into 5 mm pieces. The springs should be distributed evenly by tapping the pipe on a hard surface. Having filled in the nozzle, cover the pipe with a mesh and secure it with a washer.

The resulting structure is connected to the distillation cube and insulated with heat-insulating material.

The second (upper) part of the pipe is connected to the reflux condenser using a soldering iron. The water housing must have 2 pipes: for water inlet and outlet. You can buy a reflux condenser or make it yourself from a thermos, a pressure cooker, a coil, or a copper tube (the first options are preferable). For example, like this: https://youtu.be/D4ZsbbRH6ds

The upper end of the column is closed with a stopper/lid or sealed, leaving a hole for installing an atmospheric tube. To secure it, use a fitting, the end of the tube is lowered into water.

Make a hole for the outlet pipe for the distillate. It should be located a couple of centimeters above the junction with the bottom of the pipe; a plate is installed under it to collect condensate.

Using a silicone hose, connect the refrigerator to the column. You can buy it or make it yourself. To regulate the process of fluid movement, a clamp from a dropper is attached to the hose.

The cooling elements are connected to each other: the upper part of the refrigerator with the bottom of the reflux condenser, the upper part of the reflux condenser with the sewer. Thus, the water will be heated to the dephlegmator.

Additionally, you can install a water flow regulator and a thermometer (it will require an additional hole in the sampling unit).

You can also divide the drawer into 3 parts: this design is considered more variable in application. The detailed column assembly process can be viewed here:

Moonshiners use in their practice and come up with designs that allow them to obtain a high-strength product with a minimum content of harmful substances. The reinforcing column is especially popular and copes well with this task.

This device is often called Tsarga. The basis of the device’s activity is repeated evaporation of liquids from mash.

Due to this, the final product is purified from water, which, constantly trying to escape from the fermented wort, are forced to return back along with the condensed water. Due to the fact that water vapor also partially condenses before reaching the refrigerator, moonshine is obtained with a high degree.

Film is a column that is not filled with nozzles (hollow). What's going on inside?

Evaporating from the mash, alcohol vapors along with impurities enter the strengthening column.
Here they are cooled, either forcibly using a water jacket (which is preferable) or in air.
There is a division into factions:

alcohol, which has a boiling point of 78°C, rises higher in the form of steam, first enters the second refrigerator, where it condenses, turning into liquid, and from there it flows down a tube into a receiving container;
all heavier fractions (including water and fusel oils) do not pass further. They condense in the strengthening column and flow like a film along its walls back into the distillation cube. That is why this type of reinforcing column is called film.

Reference. Inventive moonshiners sometimes direct a flow of air from a fan to the drawer.

This is effective, but for your own safety you should use it exclusively. electric stove so that the fan does not blow out the gas flame.

The cylinder of the reinforcing column is filled with nozzles (for example, pieces stainless steel washcloths etc.) In addition to the fact that such a column selects reflux with a high content of fusel, it also does not allow methanol to rise higher. Therefore, the output strong alcohol distillate will be cleaner from impurities than when using a film frame.

Need for a column

The presence of a reinforcing column in the moonshine still is due to the desire to obtain high-proof and already largely moonshine.

In the partial cooler, the most harmful, most saturated with harmful substances, “head” vapors are selected. That is, what we call the “heads” of moonshine and pour it out mercilessly, despite its high strength, is no longer harmful.

The “heads” freed from phlegm do not have a sharp fusel smell and almost do not contain dangerous impurities, because of which the strongest part of the moonshine was disposed of.

Principle of operation

Cooling in the column, the moonshine vapors are separated and those that have a lower boiling point (alcohols) go further, and the remaining components flow back into the distillation cube.

During this process, steam containing alcohol, flowing upward along the drawer, interacts with the phlegm flowing down the walls.

The process taking place is called heat and mass transfer: the vapors again select from the condensed liquid the remaining components that have a low boiling point, and also release the water and fusel remaining in the alcohol vapor to reflux. This is how the degree of the future increases.

At the beginning of distillation, a minimum temperature is set, which at the top of the column should not exceed 76°. So, only the head fractions pass into the second cooler (or the only one, if there is no first one) (they drip 2-4 drops per second, they are selected separately).

Peculiarities. Experienced distillers identify “heads” by their specific smell.

As soon as it changes for the better, it is already a body. For beginners, this is 50 ml (if 15-17 liters of mash are distilled). When using a strengthening column, the alcohol does not come out, but returns to the cube. Then we raise the temperature and drive the alcohol without removing the “tails”.

Device

The drawer is a pipe made of stainless steel or copper, which is installed vertically directly on the distillation cube. In most cases, it is tightly connected to a lid that is screwed or otherwise secured to the container with mash.

note. The reinforcing column may also have its own refrigerator, to which a water jacket is connected. This device is called partial cooler.

In a simplified design, there is no flow cooler; the pipe is cooled by air. But with such a device, it is possible to select fusel only from the very first (by the way, really the most poisonous) portions of alcohol vapor.

The body of the moonshine is already chasing, as usual. It is advisable not to “pick up” the tails or put them in a separate container to be added later during the next distillation.

The pipe of the reinforcing column sometimes passes into (in more complex structures), where alcohol vapors are finally released from the fusel.

With this design, it is actually possible to obtain an almost pure rectified alcohol - alcohol with a strength of up to 95°.

More often, the drawer passes into, which additionally frees the alcohol from impurities, and from there - into, where the alcohol vapors are finally cooled and flow down as a liquid into the substituted container.

This is a model of an improved distiller, with which you can get moonshine with a strength of 80° and higher.

The simplest design when the column goes directly into the cooler. The distillate will also be strong (subject to separation into fractions), but requires additional purification with the help of other substances.

How to do it yourself?

Is it possible not to buy a reinforcing column, but to make it yourself? Yes, this is not a very complicated mechanism. You will need:

pipe made from food grade stainless steel or copper. The most common size: width – 22 mm, height – from 40 to 90 mm;

Important. The higher the height, the better the separation of vapors into fractions, but the distillation speed (productivity) decreases.

fitting transitional from 22 to 15 mm. The amount depends on how the column is connected to the lid of the distillation cube. If this is a blind connection, then one fitting is needed - at the point where the reinforcing column transitions into the refrigerator;
welding machine or a soldering iron with consumables;
a piece of tube and a plug - for a thermometer;
thermometer. Preferably, a kitchen mechanical one (with a round scale);
optional - metal grid(attached to the bottom of the column) and pieces of stainless steel (copper) sponge, if you plan to make a column with nozzles.

Attention. For a column with nozzles, it is periodically necessary to change pieces of sponge or other material used (copper springs, etc.).

Operating procedure:

Cut a piece of pipe with a diameter of 22 mm to the required length.
When using nozzles, close the bottom hole with a mesh so that pieces of washcloths do not fall into the cube, but the vapors can freely rise and the phlegm flow down.
Not reaching 1 cm from the top of the pipe, we drill a hole for a 15 mm tube into which the thermometer will be inserted.
We cut the 15 mm tube, cap it and insert it at an angle into the hole made. Solder or weld.
We reliably connect the reinforcing frame with the pipe (plug) of the distillation cube by welding or fitting.
If we are making a column with nozzles, we fill the pipe with them.
We fix the fittings, check the tightness of the entire structure and test it in action.

Peculiarities. Copper is also preferable if you are going to distill grain whiskey using a still. This material is used in (including industrial) applications.

When using copper pipes and fittings (suitable for connecting food water pipes), the work is easier, because copper can be easily soldered and there is no need to use a welding machine.

To complicate the task and want to make an additional water casing, you can use a 15 mm tube for the column, and 22 mm for the casing. You will also need pipes (0.9 - 10 mm) for connecting and draining water.

With certain skills, you will cope with the task and make your own reinforcing column without unnecessary hassle.