Now I can do nitrations until Judgment Day :D

http://www.mitglied.lycos.de/hampivampi/Vinci/whole_stuff.jpg
http://www.mitglied.lycos.de/hampivampi/Vinci/ice.jpg


The system can handle temperatures down to -10�C, most parts are new, some are from an old refrigerator.

Now I can do nitrations until Judgment Day :D

http://www.mitglied.lycos.de/hampivampi/Vinci/whole_stuff.jpg
http://www.mitglied.lycos.de/hampivampi/Vinci/ice.jpg


The system can handle temperatures down to -10�C, most parts are new, some are from an old refrigerator.

Now I can do nitrations until Judgment Day :D

http://www.mitglied.lycos.de/hampivampi/Vinci/whole_stuff.jpg
http://www.mitglied.lycos.de/hampivampi/Vinci/ice.jpg


The system can handle temperatures down to -10�C, most parts are new, some are from an old refrigerator.

You could do better by making an insulated bath of salt water and placing the beaker in that. The conductivity would be much higher, and losses (well, introduction of heat!) probablymuch lower. I know at the fish plant I worked at, we froze the crab by immersion in a -19*C brine bath.

(OT) ... Now don't get me started about when the refrigeration sprung an ammonia leak! Unpleasant.

You could do better by making an insulated bath of salt water and placing the beaker in that. The conductivity would be much higher, and losses (well, introduction of heat!) probablymuch lower. I know at the fish plant I worked at, we froze the crab by immersion in a -19*C brine bath.

(OT) ... Now don't get me started about when the refrigeration sprung an ammonia leak! Unpleasant.

I saw once a beer cooling "device" of intriguing design...double walled plastic jar with liquid between the walls. You put the jar in the freezer and when it solidify put it out and pour in the beer. To bad it was plastic based since I would try that for reaction but since solvents commonly used just kill plastic I skip that idea.

I remember now that there were some old aluminium pots for cooking also double walled for heating interior of pot with steam produced by small amount of water added in the inner jacket, so if I find one maybe I make an experiment:). Only thing now unsolved is what to use for freezing/cooling. It must freeze obviously in the range of minimum temperature obtainable by ordinary freezer. What I'm interested more is which liquid system will absorb more heat during melting in that range (expresed to its unit weight of course)? Not as neat technical solution as the one above but something I was thinking of and brine bath mentioning revive that idea...I'm open to sugestion by anyone who can argument them in understandable way.

I saw once a beer cooling "device" of intriguing design...double walled plastic jar with liquid between the walls. You put the jar in the freezer and when it solidify put it out and pour in the beer. To bad it was plastic based since I would try that for reaction but since solvents commonly used just kill plastic I skip that idea.

I remember now that there were some old aluminium pots for cooking also double walled for heating interior of pot with steam produced by small amount of water added in the inner jacket, so if I find one maybe I make an experiment:). Only thing now unsolved is what to use for freezing/cooling. It must freeze obviously in the range of minimum temperature obtainable by ordinary freezer. What I'm interested more is which liquid system will absorb more heat during melting in that range (expresed to its unit weight of course)? Not as neat technical solution as the one above but something I was thinking of and brine bath mentioning revive that idea...I'm open to sugestion by anyone who can argument them in understandable way.

Have you ever seen something like this below?

http://www.exair.com/vortextube/vt_frmain.htm

I've been really fascinated by the idea behind it, its simplicity and ease of use. I think everybody must take a look at it.
This simple device not only provides cooling (down to minus 46 degree celcius) but also heating (up to 127 degree celcius) out of compressed air. Only thing you need is a compressor and this device. Very neat.

IMHO it might even be improvised by some amateur like me. Regards.

Have you ever seen something like this below?

http://www.exair.com/vortextube/vt_frmain.htm

I've been really fascinated by the idea behind it, its simplicity and ease of use. I think everybody must take a look at it.
This simple device not only provides cooling (down to minus 46 degree celcius) but also heating (up to 127 degree celcius) out of compressed air. Only thing you need is a compressor and this device. Very neat.

IMHO it might even be improvised by some amateur like me. Regards.

akinrog, that's amazing!
I did some searching and I found some relevant data:
One patent (err, I found only one): US1952281
Excellent document: http://www.ieindia.org/publish/mc/0104/jan04mc3.pdf

You're right, this is something that could be improvised. I'll flirt with it later.

Oh yeah, congrats Vinci. It looks great, continuous cooling is priceless.


Edit: More stuff:

Another manufacturer: http://www.airtxinternational.com/how_vortex_tubes_work.php

A VERY good thesis: http://www.southstreet.freeserve.co.uk/rhvtmatl/
Specifically: http://www.southstreet.freeserve.co.uk/rhvtmatl/thchap1/direct.htm

akinrog, that's amazing!
I did some searching and I found some relevant data:
One patent (err, I found only one): US1952281
Excellent document: http://www.ieindia.org/publish/mc/0104/jan04mc3.pdf

You're right, this is something that could be improvised. I'll flirt with it later.

Oh yeah, congrats Vinci. It looks great, continuous cooling is priceless.


Edit: More stuff:

Another manufacturer: http://www.airtxinternational.com/how_vortex_tubes_work.php

A VERY good thesis: http://www.southstreet.freeserve.co.uk/rhvtmatl/
Specifically: http://www.southstreet.freeserve.co.uk/rhvtmatl/thchap1/direct.htm

Very nice setup! Very well contstructed. I suppose the fan also keeps the nasty fumes away too, which is a double bonus.


You'd probably get vastly better results if you submerged the beaker etc in saltwater. As it currently is, very little of the cooling coil actually contacts the beaker. If saltwater was added, it would be cooled down to whatever temp the coil is getting to, and fully contact the beaker. This would vastly increase the efficiency.

Very nice setup! Very well contstructed. I suppose the fan also keeps the nasty fumes away too, which is a double bonus.


You'd probably get vastly better results if you submerged the beaker etc in saltwater. As it currently is, very little of the cooling coil actually contacts the beaker. If saltwater was added, it would be cooled down to whatever temp the coil is getting to, and fully contact the beaker. This would vastly increase the efficiency.

I'm surprised you only got it to -10�C, with a good coolant bath around the beaker/piping you should get it a lot colder than that...

SWIM and a friend of his (no, I'm not the friend...) recently had a similar setup (removed from a refrigerated drink fountain that they "liberated" from an educational institution) that they were using to lower the temperature of the water used to cool the condenser of their alcohol still. They found that the cooler could manage -30�C on it's coldest setting (there was a control inside the case, it had been set to 4�C by default).

SWIM and his friend decided however that water is annoying to use as a coolant, and are rebuilding the still to use air cooling.

Thanks for the nice idea of what to do with the cooler :D (edit: I meant to say, the idea that I can suggest to them ;))

I'm surprised you only got it to -10�C, with a good coolant bath around the beaker/piping you should get it a lot colder than that...

SWIM and a friend of his (no, I'm not the friend...) recently had a similar setup (removed from a refrigerated drink fountain that they "liberated" from an educational institution) that they were using to lower the temperature of the water used to cool the condenser of their alcohol still. They found that the cooler could manage -30�C on it's coldest setting (there was a control inside the case, it had been set to 4�C by default).

SWIM and his friend decided however that water is annoying to use as a coolant, and are rebuilding the still to use air cooling.

Thanks for the nice idea of what to do with the cooler :D (edit: I meant to say, the idea that I can suggest to them ;))

if the water is annoying you could try to use recirculating some other fluid like salt solution or propylenglycol solution which can be cooled to -30 without trouble.

if the water is annoying you could try to use recirculating some other fluid like salt solution or propylenglycol solution which can be cooled to -30 without trouble.

No, I meant that using a liquid coolant itself is annoying (lots of connections to unscrew and screw back together again every time the still is dismantled for cleaning and storage after a run). The freezing point of a solution unfortunately does not affect it's ability to leak out of improperly tightened connections :p.

Aircooling is easier and simpler for an application like a still where very low temperatures are not required.

No, I meant that using a liquid coolant itself is annoying (lots of connections to unscrew and screw back together again every time the still is dismantled for cleaning and storage after a run). The freezing point of a solution unfortunately does not affect it's ability to leak out of improperly tightened connections :p.

Aircooling is easier and simpler for an application like a still where very low temperatures are not required.

You are right xyz...for anything that has boiling point over 150C aircooling works fine, it will work very good even for lower boiling point liquids but only with longer condenser and on smaller scale. And since by Idickless definition all of us here are making large 3o/\/\3z and we need a industrial scale facilities I sugest to switch to liquid coolant system ;) (just kiding of course).

Number of parts to screw can be reduced. If you (or someone) build simple condenser for a still type operation try to make it like a vertical "cold finger" type like for the sublimator. Pass the vapours from the still to that condenser from the top side and watch it condense liquid downward. You would need pressure relief at the bottom and recipient flask. Cold finger is easy to make...you could also try to make a coiled pipe condenser (but that one is harder to clean).

If you meant leaking of water from pipes or tubes or conections...I can't help you with that - find a better one. Plastic tubes can if necesary be partially melted and that way permanently bonded to ordinary condenser - that wont leak but will be hard to remove without precise cutting of the tube (now that is annoying).

You are right xyz...for anything that has boiling point over 150C aircooling works fine, it will work very good even for lower boiling point liquids but only with longer condenser and on smaller scale. And since by Idickless definition all of us here are making large 3o/\/\3z and we need a industrial scale facilities I sugest to switch to liquid coolant system ;) (just kiding of course).

Number of parts to screw can be reduced. If you (or someone) build simple condenser for a still type operation try to make it like a vertical "cold finger" type like for the sublimator. Pass the vapours from the still to that condenser from the top side and watch it condense liquid downward. You would need pressure relief at the bottom and recipient flask. Cold finger is easy to make...you could also try to make a coiled pipe condenser (but that one is harder to clean).

If you meant leaking of water from pipes or tubes or conections...I can't help you with that - find a better one. Plastic tubes can if necesary be partially melted and that way permanently bonded to ordinary condenser - that wont leak but will be hard to remove without precise cutting of the tube (now that is annoying).

The Vortex cooling tube is detailed in a Scientific American Amauter Scientist article. I'll see what details I can find, but I know it was a very simple design to make, using just pipe fittings and a plastic insert.

The Vortex cooling tube is detailed in a Scientific American Amauter Scientist article. I'll see what details I can find, but I know it was a very simple design to make, using just pipe fittings and a plastic insert.

The Vortex cooling tube is detailed in a Scientific American Amauter Scientist article. I'll see what details I can find, but I know it was a very simple design to make, using just pipe fittings and a plastic insert.

Actually I found that by chance while I was looking for vortex tube U enrichment designs. And I must honestly confess that for the first time in my life I heard something like that.

I believe this device may also be used for force breaking the hardened steel hooks of the padlocks. Once upon a time, I read somewhere that tools used in Alaska can be broken by itself if they are dropped on a hard surface out in the cold. Just freeze the think down and pray it to break. :)

The Vortex cooling tube is detailed in a Scientific American Amauter Scientist article. I'll see what details I can find, but I know it was a very simple design to make, using just pipe fittings and a plastic insert.

Actually I found that by chance while I was looking for vortex tube U enrichment designs. And I must honestly confess that for the first time in my life I heard something like that.

I believe this device may also be used for force breaking the hardened steel hooks of the padlocks. Once upon a time, I read somewhere that tools used in Alaska can be broken by itself if they are dropped on a hard surface out in the cold. Just freeze the think down and pray it to break. :)

It'd have to be a lot colder than the 50°F or so that the vortex tube can get to make the hardened hasps brittle enough to be shattered. Something like liquid nitrogen is needed, and even then you need a lot of force.

It'd have to be a lot colder than the 50°F or so that the vortex tube can get to make the hardened hasps brittle enough to be shattered. Something like liquid nitrogen is needed, and even then you need a lot of force.

I tuned the system a bit and made a video:
www.pyroscene.de/he/cooling_system.avi

I tuned the system a bit and made a video:
www.pyroscene.de/he/cooling_system.avi