Thumpers Explained By: JB Moonshine Life

Recipes Group
Thumpers Explained

MOONSHINE LIFE GROUP

Despite what you may have heard previously, many thumpers are not actually used to increase the
ABV of the product. Its just that this seems to have been latched onto as the main reason for using
one. Sorry folks but it just isn't acurate.

Admitedly they will do that, but in many cases it is incidental. The real purpose often tends to be
flavour modification. Either to increase, or to decrease the flavour, but we can get to that later. Lets
also leave what you put into the thumper to start with to later.

So how do they work?

Simply put there is a mass and energy transfer out of the primary boiler and into the secondary
boiler - the thumper. Yes, a thumper is a true parasitic boiler, and it is heated by the primary boiler.
Naturally what actually occurs, happens in phases, and is 'not quite so simple' as stated just above.

You really do need to think about what a thumper does in phases, because it actually does different
things at different points in the run. Lets start with the simplest version. Add enough plain water to
the thumper to cover the end of the vapour injector.

Phase 1

Your primary boiler starts producing vapour. This is a mixture of different volatiles determined by
the contents of the boiler charge. These all have a boiling point higher than the temperature of the
thumper charge. Result is that virtually all of these vapours will condense into the thumper charge.
The volume of the thumper charge increases. The temperature also increases, because the
condensing vapour releases energy. Your thumper is probably LOUD. This is caused by the violently
collapsing bubbles.

Phase 2

Your boiler is now warmed up and contains a higher volume of charge. It is most likely a lot quieter,
expecially if your vapour injector has been modified to include a diffuser to make smaller bubbles.
So what happens now?
Your boiler is producing
a mixture of volatile vapours, these now hit a hot liquid. Some of them are
going to tend to condense into liquid because their boiling point is still higher than the liquid
temperature. Some others are likely to get through the liquid. NONE of them do anything absolute,
there is no 100% condensation, just tendencies.

So some of the vapour from the boiler gets through the thumper - but the composition has
changed - it contains more of the lower boiling point headsy components.

Phase 3

The thumper charge has heated up enough that it actually starts to produce its own vapour. Some
of this is from agitation by the vapour bubbling through it, and some is from the thumper charge
actually boiling. Importantly the composition of the liquid in the thumper is different to the
composition of the liquid in the primary boiler. That means the two vapour streams ALSO have
different compositions.
So the vapour released from the thumper charge, mixes with the vapour from the boiler (that just
sneaked through the thumper charge). The end result is a vapour produced by the thumper. That
vapour is very different from the vapour produced by the primary boiler AT THAT MOMENT IN
TIME. It will have a different composition and a higher ABV.

The thumper tends to hold back the lighter higher boiling point, components so it compresses the
heads cuts.

Things continue this way through most of the run. The vapour produced by your primary boiler is
constantly changing, as is the vapour produced by the thumper. The two boilers in combination are
behaving just like a normal pot still, only a slightly more efficient one.

Lets jump towards the end of the run.

Phase 4

Your primary boiler charge is now alcohol depleted. It is producing a vapour with a very low ABV,
and can be considered to be steam. This is now directly heating the thumper charge. Most of the
volatiles produced by the thumper now, are being boiled off from the volatiles that remain in the
thumper charge. The effect is that the tails are also compressed so you get a bigger hearts phase.

The thumper is still a pot still, so you still need to find the 'sweet spot' power level. Your best option
is to find the sweet spot for your primary boiler, without the thumper. Then add in the thumper, and
from that starting power level you can experiment with power management to get your run
parameters as you wish them to be.

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