Still facts for kids
A still is a special tool used to make liquids much cleaner or to separate different liquids from each other. It works by first heating a liquid until it turns into a gas. Then, this gas is cooled down, changing it back into a liquid. This whole process is called distillation, and it's how stills get their name.
Stills are often used to make things like alcohol, but they can also be used for many other liquids. For example, they help create medicines, perfumes, and even clean water. The main idea is to get a very pure product.
Contents
What Are the Main Types of Stills?
There are two main kinds of stills that people use: pot stills and reflux stills. Each type works a bit differently and is used for specific purposes.
Pot Stills: Simple and Traditional
A pot still is like a very large kettle or pot. The liquid you want to clean or separate is placed inside this pot. When the pot is heated, the liquid boils and turns into a hot gas. This gas then travels up a simple tube, often called a neck, where it cools down. As it cools, it turns back into a liquid and is collected.
Pot stills are known for being simpler to use. They are commonly used to make alcoholic drinks like whisky. The way they work helps to keep some of the original flavors and smells from the liquid, which is important for these types of drinks.
Reflux Stills: Advanced and Precise
Reflux stills are much more complex than pot stills. They are designed to make liquids extremely pure. In a reflux still, the liquid flows continuously into the heating part, and the purified liquid also flows out continuously.
One special thing about reflux stills is that the distilled liquid can go through the cleaning process multiple times. This is why it's called a "reflux" still – the liquid can flow back and be re-distilled. This repeated cleaning allows the person using the still to control exactly how pure the final product will be. Reflux stills are often used in big industries, like making chemicals or cleaning petroleum (oil).
Images for kids
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Old Ukrainian vodka still
See also
In Spanish: Destilador para niños
