methanol still

[Fett Affen]

I am constructing a methanol still using a 50 gal water heater. A few questions-how full do I fill?, vacuum venturi at the top of the tank with the vacuum line going where? what kind of vessel is used to collect methanol? how hot do you heat? Will a small radiator and a fan work for the condensor? What is the purpose of the vacuum?
Dave

[RoGrrr]

Fett
I find it interesting that at $2 a gallon, you want to recover your methanol. I mean, if it blows up in your face, what have you gained ?
Granted you might not be buying it for $2, I was quoted $4 but some shopping and I found it for $2, not that much further away.
And if you burn your house down, hmm.....

So, again, why bother ?
RoGrrr

[robertwoodling]

I have a still constructed from a 50gal HWH. I fill it with 43 gallons of glycerol. I do not use a vaccum venturi so I cannot help you there. For condensing I use a crimped copper tube within another copper tube that I run coolant through. A small radiator and fan setup would work well.
It is good that you are willing to recover the methanol as it is a greenhouse gas and releasing it to the atmosphere is not a good thing.
The fact that it costs pennies per recovered gallon is a plus also.

[StorminNorman]

I use a 55 gallon drum with a reflux column and a water cooled condenser, a radiator would also work, but my system allows you to cool down the reflux column if your pot gets too hot. That enables recovery of methanol that is 97 to 99% purity.

Vacumn will allow you to recover at lower pot temperatures, but I do not have problems with heating the glyc. I am puting the finishing touches on a complete system, PM me for details.

Norman