578 



CHAPTER XXVIII 



discharged when the wash is exhausted ; steam from the boilers is admitted 

 by the pipe b, which reaches nearly to the bottom of the vat ; on the top of 

 the vat is placed the copper goose-neck c, which is continued into a smaller 

 vat e known as the retort ; in the latter are placed the low wines resulting 

 from the previous operation. At / is shown the rectifier ; this consists of 

 an upright cylindrical copper vessel, in which are fixed a large number of 

 tubes of small diameter. Water is admitted to the rectifier by the pipe g 

 and circulates on the outside of these tubes. From the rectifier a pipe passes 

 to the tank j, in which a supply of cold water circulates, and after passing 

 in a serpentine fashion emerges at / and passes on to the spirit receiver. 

 The watery mixture of vapour and alcohol proceeds from the still to the 



FIG. 357 



retort, where it takes up any alcohol still remaining in the low wines, and 

 passes upwards through the rectifier, where a large portion of the water and 

 other bodies of high boiling point condenses and falls back into the retort. 

 The vapour of alcohol leaves the retort at a temperature of from rSo F. 

 to 190 F. and is condensed in the serpentine in the tank j. 



Column Still. In Fig. 357 is given a semi-diagrammatic view of what is 

 known as the French column, which is practically identical with Coupler's 

 still. The column or dephlegmator a is divided into chambers by plates, 

 each of which has a central opening covered by a dome, b. A small overflow 

 pipe, c, passes from each plate to the next. The vapours from the boiler 

 d pass upwards through the central openings through the layer of liquid 



