Journal of Food Engineering 58 (2003) 379–385

www.elsevier.com/locate/jfoodeng

Design of a continuous distillation plant for the production

of spirits originating from fermented grape
a,* b
Giovanni Cortella , Carla Da Porto
a
Dipartimento di Energetica e Macchine, Universit

a degli Studi di Udine, via delle Scienze, 208, 33100 Udine, Italy
b
Dipartimento di Scienze degli Alimenti, Universit

a di Udine, via Marangoni 97, 33100 Udine, Italy
Received 9 July 2002; accepted 14 October 2002

Abstract
An industrial de-alcoholizing plant and a distillation column were designed, for processing 0.56 kg/s (2000 kg/h) of fermented
grape with an ethanol concentration of 9.0% weight/weight, (w/w) and a content of solids in suspension, expressed as dry matter, of
5–6% (w/w), to obtain a grape-spirit at 80% ethanol (w/w). Mass flow rates, heat flux rates and temperatures were first measured in a
small-scale de-alcoholizing pilot plant. Then, the industrial plant was designed on the basis of results from experimental tests on the
pilot plant. The industrial de-alcoholizing apparatus consisted of 28 plates, each fed by steam at 250 kPa, to obtain an alcoholic
waste composition of 1% ethanol. By applying the McCabe–Thiele method, the number of actual trays in the distillation column has
been estimated to be 10, in order to increase the alcohol content in the product from 13.1% to 80% ethanol (w/w). Technical changes
to the de-alcoholizing plant to improve its performance are also suggested.

2003 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.

Keywords: De-alcoholizing apparatus; Distillation column; Mass balance; Energy balance; Grape-spirit

1. Introduction with different percentages of solids in suspension, such

Two different distillation systems can be used for
spirit production: the batch still and the continuous still.
The continuous distillation consists of two steps: de-
alcoholization and distillation. The de-alcoholization
process is carried out in an apparatus in which ethanol is
steam-stripped to give a product of about 10–20% etha-
nol. Then, this product is fed into the distillation column
for ethanol concentration and rectification. Further
columns can be added to the system in order to improve
the separation of undesired compounds such as metha-
nol. Both the steps are important to obtain a high
quality distillate, but the de-alcoholization is strictly
related to the characteristics of the raw material. Re-
garding spirits of viticultural origin, it should be pointed
out that whilst some de-alcoholizing apparatus have
been optimised for liquid and homogeneous raw mate-
rials such as wine (Bertrand, 1995) and for solid raw
materials such as grape-marc (De Rosa & Castagner,
1994), this has not been done for liquid raw materials
*
Corresponding author. Tel.: +39-0432-558022; fax: +39-0432-
558027.
E-mail address: giovanni.cortella@uniud.it (G. Cortella).
0260-8774/03/$ - see front matter
2003 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.
doi:10.1016/S0260-8774(02)00422-3
as fermented grape. This is the objective of the present
study and experimentation. In fact, in contrast to wine
or grape-marc, fermented grape is a raw material with
about 5–6% (w/w) of dry matter (Da Porto, 1998).
The aim of the present work was to design a con-
tinuous de-alcoholizing apparatus so as to increase the
ethanol recovery and to shorten the storage time of
the fermented grape before distillation, thus improving
the quality of the final spirit. A small-scale pilot plant
was set up and used for a preliminary investigation.
From the results of tests, and mass and energy balances,
the industrial plant was designed.
2. The de-alcoholizing pilot plant
The de-alcoholizing pilot plant used to obtain the
input data for the industrial plant design consisted of
four plates (surface area Ap ¼ 1:33 m2 each) stacked one
above the other, each one self-heated by superheated
vapour, and enclosed in a cylindrical shell (Fig. 1). The
feed material was introduced at the top of the apparatus,
at the first plate, and then falls by gravity, cascading
from plate to plate, through some slits. The fermented
380 G. Cortella, C. Da Porto / Journal of Food Engineering 58 (2003) 379–385

Nomenclature

A area, m2 d distillate
c specific heat, J/(kg K) dm dry matter
h specific enthalpy, J/kg e external
m mass flow rate, kg/s f fermented product
q heat flux, W h heating
t temperature, C l loss
U overall heat transfer coefficient, W/(m2 K) p plates
k latent heat, J/kg s sensible
Subscripts v vapour–steam
a average w waste composition
b boiling k latent
c condensate

termines the residence time of the fermented product on

the plates and consequently the heat absorbed and the
boiling duration. The optimum rotation speed leads to
the best heat exchange on each plate, that is to the
minimum size of the plant.
In the de-alcoholization process, heat is transferred
from the plates to the fermented product with a known
mass flow rate mf inlet temperature tf and inlet com-
position. The product is heated up to its boiling point,
and then the heat for alcohol evaporation is supplied
until the desired alcoholic waste composition is ob-
tained.
In order to simulate the complete process in the pilot
de-alcoholizing plant, the fermented product was recy-
cled several times through the apparatus.
The composition of the fermented grape at the inlet
of the de-alcoholizer, expressed as % w/w, was the fol-
lowing:

• 82–86% water,
• 8.8–12% ethanol,
• 5.0–5.8% dry matter (sugars 0.3–2.5%),
• 0.07–0.1% organic volatile compounds.

The solid percentage of the fermented grape resulted

in the range 18–25% w/w.
The experimental trials carried out on the de-alcoho-
lizing prototype led to estimates of some parameters
such as the overall heat transfer coefficients during the
heating and boiling processes, and the heat flux lost
through the container external surface.

Fig. 1. Schematic diagram of the de-alcoholizing pilot plant.

3. Physical analysis of the de-alcoholizing process

product is moved on the plates by rotating arms. The
remainder of the bottom material is withdrawn as waste Each plate of the de-alcoholizing apparatus is a heat
or bottom product. The rotation speed of the arms de- exchanger where the fermented product at the initial
 G. Cortella, C. Da Porto / Journal of Food Engineering 58 (2003) 379–385
temperature tf is heated up to the boiling temperature tb
by supplying a sensible heat flux qs :
qs ¼ mf cf;a ðtb  tf Þ ð1Þ
Once the boiling temperature is reached, the fer-
mented product undergoes a concentration process, and
the boiling temperature is subjected to an increase due to
concentration effects. Consequently, a further sensible
heat flux qs is supplied to maintain the heating of the
mixture, and a latent heat flux qk is supplied to evapo-
rate the components that will constitute the distillate.
The latent heat flux can be expressed as:
qk ¼ m d kd ð2Þ
where kd is the specific latent heat of evaporation of the
distillate at its average composition on the plate.
From the hot side of the exchanger, each plate is
heated by saturated or slightly superheated steam at 250
kPa, corresponding to a saturation temperature tv of 127
C. Water subcooling could take place into the plates,
the condensate temperature tc being lower than the
saturation temperature tv .
Neglecting superheating and subcooling, the heat flux
from steam is
qv ¼ m v kv ð3Þ
where kv is the latent heat of condensation of water
vapour at its pressure.
A portion ql of the heat flux from steam is also lost
through the metallic walls of the pilot plant, whose
temperature is higher than the ambient temperature.
4. Experimental tests on the pilot plant
For correct evaluation of the heat fluxes and the
overall heat transfer coefficients in the de-alcoholizing
pilot plant, the mass flow rate m, the temperature t and
the ethanol strength of the fermented grape, of the dis-
tillate and of the waste were measured.
First of all the heat loss ql was evaluated. The proto-
type worked idling, feeding the four plates with steam,
but with no feed of fermented product. The test was
carried out with steam at 100 kPa in order to collect the
condensate at atmospheric pressure. In steady-state, a
mass flow rate of condensate mc ¼ 4:83 g/s was mea-
sured, corresponding to ql ¼ 10; 900 W for the four
plates of the pilot plant. The external surface of the pilot
plant was at a uniform temperature so that we can es-
timate an average overall heat transfer coefficient for the
whole surface. The external surface area Ae was 8.8 m2
and the ambient temperature te was 20 C. The average
overall heat transfer coefficient for the heat loss through
the walls was
ql W
Ul ¼ ¼ 15:5 2 ð4Þ
Ae ð100  te Þ m K
381
Later on, the pilot plant was fed with fermented
product. The inlet mass flow rate of the product was
mf ¼ 555 g/s (2000 kg/h) at a temperature tf ¼ 12 C.
The whole de-alcoholization process can be split into
the heating and boiling phases.
4.1. Heating phase of the fermented material
The fermented material fed the de-alcoholizing pro-
totype at a temperature tf ¼ 12 C. At the exit of the
fourth plate the fermented material reached a tempera-
ture t1 ¼ 88:1 C, close to the boiling temperature
(tb ¼ 91:8 C). Therefore, after the first cycle in the de-
alcoholizing apparatus, only the heating phase of the
fermented material was achieved, and consequently a
reliable evaluation of the sensible heat flux qs can be
performed.
The mean specific heat cf;a ¼ 3:98 kJ/(kg K) of the
fermented product was evaluated by considering the
following composition, but excluding the organic vola-
tile compounds because of their negligible concentra-
tion:
• 85.4% water [ca ¼ 4:19 kJ/(kg K)],
• 9.0% ethanol [ca ¼ 2:85 kJ/(kg K)],
• 5.6% dry matter [ca ¼ 2:74 kJ/(kg K)].
The specific heat ca of the components is evaluated as:
R t1
t
cðtÞ dt
ca ¼ f ð5Þ
t1  tf
in the temperature range tf ¼ 12 C to t1 ¼ 88:1 C.
Therefore, the sensible heat flux required to increase
the fermented material temperature up to the exit tem-
perature is
qs ¼ mf cf;a ðt1  tf Þ ¼ 167876 W ð6Þ
It is therefore possible to calculate the logarithmic
mean temperature difference (LMTD) of the heat ex-
changer composed of four plates
Dt1  Dt2 ð127  12Þ  ð127  88:1Þ
LMTD ¼ ¼ 12712
ln Dt1 ln 12788:1
Dt2
¼ 70:2 K ð7Þ
and to evaluate the overall heating process heat transfer
coefficient Uh
qs W
Uh ¼ ¼ 450 2 ð8Þ
Ap  LMDT m K
4.2. Boiling phase of the fermented material
The fermented material was recycled into the pilot
plant at the following conditions: mass flow rate
mf ¼ 555 g/s, temperature tf ¼ 87:3 C.
382 G. Cortella, C. Da Porto / Journal of Food Engineering 58 (2003) 379–385
The mass composition was the same as in the pre-
vious heating phase
• 85.4% water (474 g/s),
• 9.0% ethanol (50 g/s),
• 5.6% dry matter (31.1 g/s).
At steady-state, the de-alcoholizing prototype pro-
duced some distillate at average conditions:
mass flow rate md ¼ 77 g/s, temperature td ¼ 94:8 C,
and with a mass composition
• 59.7% water (46.0 g/s),
• 40.3% ethanol (31.0 g/s)
and some waste at average conditions
mass flow rate mw ¼ 478 g/s, temperature tw ¼ 94:8
C,
and with a mass composition
• 89.5% water (428 g/s),
• 4.0% ethanol (19.0 g/s),
• 6.5% dry matter (31.1 g/s).
Once the mass balance was verified, it was possible to
evaluate through an energy-balance the overall heat
transfer (qs þ qk ) from vapour to the material during the
boiling process. The enthalpy flux balance on the plates
is
mf hf þ qs þ qk ¼ md hd þ mw hw
Enthalpy fluxes at constant pressure were evaluated
using a mean value for the specific heat c (and for the
latent heat of evaporation k when applicable) of the
substance at the different compositions
h  h0 ¼ cðt  t0 Þ þ k
By assuming the enthalpy reference value h0 at the
feeding temperature of the fermented material
(t0 ¼ tf ¼ 87:3 C), Eq. (9) can be simplified
qs þ qk ¼ md hd þ mw hw
The latent heat of vaporisation for ethanol is 837 kJ/kg
(Majer & Svoboda, 1985). The mean specific heat for the
distillate was cd;a ¼ 3:71 kJ/(kg K), while the mean latent
heat was kd;a ¼ 1738 kJ/kg.
From these data, the enthalpy flux due to the distil-
late leaving the de-alcoholizing plant was
md hd ¼ md ½cd;a ðtd  tf Þ þ kd;a  ¼ 135; 968 W
As the mean specific heat of the dry matter was
cdm;a ¼ 1:113 þ 0:00502 Tw
the mean specific heat for the waste was cw;a ¼ 4:07 kJ/
(kg K).
From this value, the enthalpy flux due to the waste
leaving the de-alcoholizing plant was
mw hw ¼ mw cw;a ðtw  tf Þ ¼ 14; 591 W ð14Þ
From Eq. (9), the overall heat flux exchanged be-
tween the plates and the fermented material during
concentration was:
qb ¼ qs þ qk ¼ md hd þ mw hw ¼ 150; 559 W ð15Þ
that is 37640 W from each plate. The estimation of the
overall heat transfer coefficient during evaporation can
be performed by applying the same procedure as for the
heating phase. The logarithmic mean temperature dif-
ference was LMTD ¼ 35.8 K and the overall coefficient
Ub was
qb W
Ub ¼ ¼ 790 2 ð16Þ
Ap  LMDT m K
5. Industrial de-alcoholizing apparatus design
The results of the experimental tests performed on the
pilot plant were then used for a correct design of the
industrial apparatus. The fermented product to be pro-
cessed has the same concentration and mass flow rate as
in the pilot plant (% w/w)
• 85.4% water (474 g/s),
• 9.0% ethanol (50 g/s),
• 5.6% dry matter (31.1 g/s).
ð9Þ
From the industrial apparatus a waste composition
of 1% ethanol is specified. The values of 9.0% and
1% ethanol in the fermented product and the waste
correspond to 9.5% and 1.1% (w/w) ethanol in their
water–alcohol fraction. The phase diagram for the
ð10Þ
ethanol–water system (H
ala, Wichterle, Pol
ak, &
Boublik, 1968) (Fig. 2), shows that 70% of the initial
liquid (9.5% ethanol) has to be evaporated. In other
words, 66.1% of the fermented product has to be evap-
orated, while the remaining fraction is the waste.
ð11Þ
The waste mass flow rate should be 188 g/s (678 kg/h)
with the composition and the corresponding mass flow
rates
• 82.5% water (155 g/s),
• 1.0% ethanol (1.9 g/s),
• 16.5% dry matter (31.1 g/s).
ð12Þ
The distillate mass flow rate should be 367 g/s (1322
kg/h) with the composition and the corresponding mass
flow rates
ð13Þ
• 86.9% water (319 g/s),
• 13.1% ethanol (48.1 g/s).
 G. Cortella, C. Da Porto / Journal of Food Engineering 58 (2003) 379–385
Fig. 2. Vapour liquid equilibrium data for ethanol–water at 100 kPa (H
ala et al., 1968).
The boiling temperature of distillate with such a
composition is td ¼ 98:7 C.
The overall energy-balance of the de-alcoholizing
industrial apparatus (Fig. 3) for the estimation of the
number of plates is
mf hf þ mv hv ¼ md hd þ mw hw þ mc hc þ ql
Eq. (17) differs from Eq. (9) in the fact that it takes the
whole apparatus as the control volume. The first set of
terms contain the entering enthalpy fluxes, due to fer-
mented product and steam supply. The second set of
terms contain the exiting enthalpy fluxes, due to distil-
late, waste, steam condensate (mc ¼ mv ) and heat loss
through the case.
By assuming the enthalpy reference value h0 at the
feeding temperature t0 ¼ tf ¼ 10 C of the fermented
material, Eq. (17) can be simplified
mv hv ¼ md hd þ mw hw þ mc hc þ ql
Fig. 3. Energy-balance on the de-alcoholizing pilot plant.
383
The heat flux supplied by steam through the plates to the
fermented product is
qs þ qk ¼ md hd þ mw hw ð19Þ
which from Eq. (18) can also be expressed as
ð17Þ qs þ qk ¼ mv hv  mc hc  ql ð20Þ
For the evaluation of the distillate enthalpy flux, the
mean specific heat cd;a is calculated on the basis of Eq.
(4) in the temperature range (tf  td ) from the specific
heat of the compounds, and results equal to cd;a ¼ 4:0
kJ/(kg K). The mean latent heat of evaporation is esti-
mated to be kd;a ¼ 2007 kJ/kg, in the boiling tempera-
ture range (Majer & Svoboda, 1985). The organic
volatile compounds are not considered because of their
negligible concentration.
The enthalpy flux related to the distillate is therefore
ð18Þ md hd ¼ md ½cd;a ðtd  tf Þ þ kd;a  ¼ 892; 471 W ð21Þ
For the evaluation of the waste enthalpy flux, the
mean specific heat cw;a is calculated on the basis of Eqs.
(4) and (13) in the temperature range (tf to tw ¼ td ), from
the specific heat of the compounds. It gives cw;a ¼ 3:9 kJ/
(kg K). The enthalpy flux related to the waste is there-
fore
mw hw ¼ mw cwa ðtw  tf Þ ¼ 65; 035 W ð22Þ
From Eq. (19), the overall heat flux exchanged be-
tween the plates and the fermented material is
qs þ qk ¼ 957; 506 W.
This amount can be split into the heat flux for the
heating process from t ¼ tf up to the boiling temperature
tb ¼ 91:8 C and the heat flux required for the boiling
process.
The heat flux for the heating process can be estimated
as
qh ¼ mf ½cf;a ð91:8  tf Þ ¼ 180; 234 W ð23Þ
where cf;a ¼ 3:97 kJ/(kg K) is the mean specific heat of
the fermented product to be heated. The plate surface
384 G. Cortella, C. Da Porto / Journal of Food Engineering 58 (2003) 379–385
area needed for the heating process can be estimated
from Eq. (24), giving Uh ¼ 450 W/(m2 K) from Eq. (8),
and LMDT ¼ 68.1 K
qh
Ap;h ¼ ¼ 5:9 m2
Uh LMDT
corresponding to 4.4 plates.
Over the following plates, the boiling process takes
place, and the remaining heat flux qb ¼ 777; 272 W is
exchanged.
The plate surface area needed for the boiling process
can be estimated from Eq. (25), as Ub ¼ 790 W/(m2 K)
from Eq. (16), and LMDT ¼ 31.6 K
qb
Ap;b ¼ ¼ 31:1 m2
Ub LMDT
corresponding to 23.4 plates.
Heat loss ql can be estimated from Eq. (4) supposing
a mean temperature t ¼ 100 C on the internal side of
the case. If 28 plates are employed, an external area
Ae ¼ 40 m2 can be estimated, and ql ¼ 49; 600 W.
By means of the application of a thermal insulation
on the outer surface (e.g., 0.05 m of material with
thermal conductivity ¼ 0:04 W/(m K)) the overall heat
exchange coefficient Ul can be reduced to Ul ¼ 0:76, and
ql becomes negligible (ql ffi 2500 W).
Therefore, the industrial de-alcoholizing apparatus
should consist of 28 plates, in order to supply heat for
the heating and boiling processes.
Fig. 4. Determination of theoretical plates in the rectifying column.
The mass flow rate of steam can be estimated from
Eq. (20) in the form
mv ðhv  hc Þ ¼ qs þ qk ð26Þ
ð24Þ where mv ¼ mc . Neglecting superheating and subcool-
ing, with kv ¼ 2183 kJ/kg, the mass flow rate of steam is
qs þ qk
mv ¼ ¼ 0:44 kg=s ¼ 1580 kg=h ð27Þ
kv
The energy consumption of the apparatus can be
reduced by means of a regenerative heat exchanger, to
pre-heat the fermented product using heat from the
waste. From Eq. (22), ideally decreasing the waste
product temperature to 10 C would give 65,035 W.
With an actual heat exchanger, we can decrease the
ð25Þ waste product temperature to 30 C, saving
q ¼ mw ½cw;a ðtw  30Þ ¼ 50; 371 W ð28Þ
by which the fermented product temperature could be
raised from 10 C to about 33 C. In this case, the ap-
paratus could be equipped with 27 plates, needing about
0.417 kg/s (1500 kg/h) of steam.
6. Distillation column design
As shown in Fig. 4, by applying the McCabe–Thiele
method (Perry & Chilton, 1973) it is possible to deter-
mine the number of theoretical trays required to obtain
a distillate composition xd ¼ 0:6 (80% w/w ethanol) and
a waste composition xw ¼ 0:003 (1% w/w ethanol) with a
 G. Cortella, C. Da Porto / Journal of Food Engineering 58 (2003) 379–385
feed of 5.5 mol% alcohol (13.1% w/w ethanol). A reflux
ratio (R) of 2.5 times the minimum reflux ratio (Rmin ) has
been assumed and also that the feed enters at its boiling
point (q ¼ 1).
Plotted on the equilibrium diagram (Fig. 4) are the
compositions (xw , xf and xd ), and the q-line is drawn.
From Rmin and R, the operation lines for the rectifying
and stripping sections have been drawn. Therefore, by
starting from the top of the column the number of
theoretical trays has been determined. It was found
there were seven theoretical trays in the column. The
trays are considered to be about 70% efficient, so the
number of actual plates were 7=0:7 ¼ 10.
7. Conclusions
On the basis of results from experimental tests carried
out on a pilot plant, the number of plates in an indus-
trial de-alcoholizing apparatus was estimated equal to
28 plates. In this way the alcohol concentration in the
waste was 1% (w/w) ethanol, and the ethanol concen-
tration in the product increased from 9% to 13% (w/w).
By applying the McCabe-Thiele method a distillation
column was designed, with 10 trays in order to obtain a
final spirit concentration of 80% (w/w) ethanol.
During the experimental tests some technical pro-
blems have been highlighted: an unhomogeneous dis-
tribution of the fermented material on the plates and the
presence of areas where the solids of the fermented
product dried up and overheated. The consequences of
these problems might be serious. A significant reduction
in the heat transfer coefficients and consequently a loss
in efficiency takes place, with formation of undesirable
385
compounds originating from the thermal decomposition
of the raw material.
To overcome these problems a technical modification
would be useful. By adopting on each plate a discharge
system to provide Ôliquid overflowÕ it could be possible to
obtain a Ôpool boilingÕ regime, with higher heat transfer
coefficients and homogeneity of the feed material flow.
A considerably lower vapour consumption would be
experienced in this case.
The de-alcoholizing apparatus could be divided into
two sections in order to reduce the total height of the
unit.
The maximum heat recovery should in any case be
performed, both from waste and from distillate, in order
to reduce energy consumption.
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