The company “SBV Group” is engaged in the sale of goods for the preparation of alcoholic beverages through a network of its wholesale and retail stores and Internet sites. The Topol distiller, according to the manufacturer, is a multifunctional high-performance device that allows you to create both rectified alcohol and high-quality distillates. Let’s take a look at what Topol 2.0 is really capable of and to what extent its capabilities correspond to today’s needs of both beginners and experienced distillers.
Stills
Distillers “Poplar 2.0” are equipped with cubes of 20, 25, 37, 50 and 71 liters. The technical specifications indicate the AISI 304 steel grade – the first deception. We know that LuxStahl pans are made from a cheap substitute – AISI 201. Its shortcomings are well known.
The lid of the pot is plain, not reinforced, with a 2-inch screwed-in clamp connection and an emergency pressure relief valve from the pressure cooker. During operation, the column will swing, which is unacceptable during rectification. The lid is attached to the cube using an unregulated clamp-tie, which can be torn off even at a pressure in the cube of about 1 atm., The valve is triggered at 2,5 atm. A dangerous detail that creates a sense of false security.
The cube in the basic configuration is equipped with an L-shaped tap for discharging the stillage. If you put the cube on the floor, how then to connect the drain hose?
The thermometer is located in the liquid zone – of course, this is a plus, but why a bimetallic one with an accuracy class of 2,5? The temperature measurement error allowed for heating boilers is not acceptable for distillation tasks.
The possibility of inserting a clamp connection under the heating element is good, but pay attention to the quality of the seams and their processing.
In general, the re-equipment of the pan into an alembic under the loud name “Absolute” is unsuccessful.
Distiller “Poplar 2.0”
The composition of the equipment is standard: a drawer 70 cm long with a copper nozzle of the on-load tap changer in the amount of 4 pieces, a dephlegmator, a refrigerator, two 90-degree bends in one, of which a fitting for an electronic thermometer is mounted, clamps for clamp connections with gaskets, plumbing kit, thermometer WT- 1, 1 meter of silicone hose, as well as instructions.
Tsarga
A drawer with a length of 700 mm is an advantage over competitors who complete their devices with stubs of 30-50 cm. But that’s why 4 on-load tap-changers come with it – a mystery. There would be 1 roll – of course, for wads, 7 – for work, and 4 – what is this for?
In fact, everything is simple: the first Topol model had a 1.5” tsarga 40 cm high, and for it someone in the know put 4 nozzles in the kit. In the next model – “Poplar Plus” the side has grown to 70 cm, but the number of nozzles has remained the same! Well, when Poplar 2.0 went on sale with a 2” drawer, the number of nozzles has traditionally not changed.
Dephlegmator and refrigerator
The description of these knots on the site is clearly made by a foreigner who does not understand well what is at stake, and besides, he has not yet mastered the Russian language. One can only guess what he wanted to say by writing about casings with a diameter of 10 mm inside the refrigerator. You can try to separate the text description of the 2.0 model from the copied paragraphs and tables from the description of the previous 1,5” models. Apparently no one has read this. The description is made carelessly, through inaccuracies and just false statements.
The drawer and the refrigerator each have 5 steam tubes with an inner diameter of 8 mm. The length of the refrigerator is 45 cm, the dephlegmator is 20 cm. The rated power of the refrigerator is up to 2,5-3 kW. The distillation speed declared by the manufacturer in distillation mode up to 5 l/h is real.
The maximum power utilized by the reflux condenser is 2,2-2,3 kW, but the steam velocity in its tubes will be a record 6,9 m/s. It is clear that it is not necessary to expect normal work from him at such power.
With a pre-choke power for SPN of 1800 W, the steam speed is 5,4 m / s. At this speed, the phlegm steam will be driven by steam up the reflux tubes and organize chocks. “Heads” will have to be selected at a reduced power and far from the optimal value of the separation capacity of the nozzle. Most likely, the strength of the “heads” will not exceed 93-94%, which corresponds to about 5-6 steps of separation.
The selection of the “body” in the second distillation will have to be done at increased rates of selection with a minimum return of reflux to the column. That is, in the mode of obtaining fortified moonshine. There can be no talk of any good cleaning, and even more so of obtaining alcohol.
The only good thing that can be said about the refrigerator and dephlegmator that come with the device is the use of threaded fittings for connecting cooling water and the presence of a tube for communication with the atmosphere at the product drain spout.
Apparently, realizing the weaknesses of their product, the manufacturer does not even offer them in components. Surprisingly, under the names “reflux condenser and refrigerator” Poplar “2 inches” in the catalog there are 7 tube options.
In this modification, the refrigerator has become more powerful and can utilize up to 4 kW of input power. A refrigerator with a removable product outlet is also available. True, for some reason the nose lost its connection with the atmosphere. How this will affect the operation of the equipment is clear even to a beginner.
The power of the reflux condenser also increased to 2600-2700 W, but the steam speed at an operating power of 1800 W (for SPN) is 3,8 m/s and for 2200 W (for OLTC) – 4,7 m/s. Of course, this is better than the five-pipe version, but still too much for stable operation in modes for obtaining good product purification.
Accessories
There are “magic” components in the components that cause sincere admiration for the promised results and make you feel like a loser in a physics exam. Let’s not be unfounded, an example is in the photo.
Do you think that this is a standard “heads” and “tails” selection unit with a thermometer sleeve? But no! Before us is a magical accumulator of the strongest and purest spirits! This is not a joke, I’m afraid to even quote. Here is a scan from the text of the SBV Group website.
Let’s continue. This is how the specialists of the Topol 2.0 manufacturer see the work of the Panchenkov nozzle.
This description corresponds to the process of partial condensation, but a packed column paired with a reflux condenser implements a completely different process – heat and mass transfer. This is a fundamental difference.
The nozzle is just a developed contact surface for heat and mass transfer between the phlegm flowing down, heated to the boiling point, and the steam rising towards it. At the same time, molecules of non-volatile substances condense from the vapor, and highly volatile substances evaporate from the phlegm. Evaporate and condense always an equal number of molecules. This process underlies the rectification technology.
The list of wonderful nodes and their properties could be continued. But that’s probably enough fantasy for today.
conclusions
- “Poplar 2.0” in the basic configuration is a column-type moonshine, suitable only for the production of moonshine, there can be no talk of rectification or even obtaining NDRF.
- The Absolut Alembic is the most comprehensive collection of LuxStahl retrofit errors and can be a visual aid for studying them.
- The reflux condenser in the 5th and 7th tubular modifications has too high steam velocities in the range of operating capacities of the column and cannot be used for technologies associated with a good purification of raw alcohol from impurities.
- When purchasing components, keep in mind that their description may contain absolutely unreliable information about functions and purpose.
With that said, the Topol 2.0 device is not recommended for purchase.
Reviewed by IgorGor.