The process of distillation is an important step that takes place when companies are preparing and bottling alcohol. Any alcoholic drink is composed majorly of two parts – distilled spirits and added flavours. By the addition and subtraction of heat from a liquid, desired levels of purity are achieved in the final drink that is being prepared. From beers to vodkas to wines, distillation plays an important role in determining the alcohol content and the taste of the drink.
Owing to how crucial the distillation process for alcoholic drinks is, looking at the equipment utilised to carry out this distillation process is important as well. A major part of this distillation equipment is what we refer to as random packing. In random packing, a distillation column is randomly filled with filtration material (hence the term ‘random’). Why is random packing in distillation towers becoming so famous in the alcohol industry, and what does this help with? Let us have a closer look at the link between random packing and alcoholic drinks.
Random packing and alcohol distillation towers
The many liquid constituents of any alcoholic drink need to go through several steps of distillation to be able to achieve a certain level of alcohol content and taste. By adding or subtracting heat, liquids at lowering boiling points are either added or removed owing to which an alcoholic drink takes on a certain characteristic taste. This also eventually decides how alcohol content a drink would have. It is because of this distillation process that a bottle of wine would have less amount of alcohol content as compared to a bottle of whisky, vodka or tequila.
Now, by using random packing in distillation towers with filtration material, the surface area over which surfactants will interact is optimised. Manufacturers can then distil materials such as grapes, grains, potatoes and other fruits and vegetables. The alcohol content in them gets evaporated quicker than water since alcohol has a lower boiling point than water. This alcoholic content is collected in separate tubes which is then further processed to prepare an alcoholic drink according to specific preferences and needs.
Random packing helps reduce complexity
One reason why random packing in distillation towers is becoming famous is that it effortlessly optimises the surface areas over which multiple surfactants interact with each other. This is taken care of by eliminating the need to plan out structures and placements.
The randomly placed filtration material does a great job of providing enough surface area for reactions without wasting any space. The most common elements found in random packing in distillation towers include raschig ring packing, pall ring packing, high-performance saddle ring and more.
Another reason why random packing in distillation towers is being preferred is the fact that the randomly placed filtration material not only eliminates the need to place complex materials inside the distillation towers but also eliminates the need for such structures altogether. This helps the manufacturers save a lot of time and money which would otherwise be spent in constructing such structures.