I'm in the process of building a recirc BIAB kettle with the recirc going through the lid. I'm going to use the same 1.5" TC port for the recirc and condenser. After I pull the bag my plan is to swap out the recirc with the condenser. Like others have brought up this could make it difficult to get into the kettle for hop additions and such. The ideas I came up with were:
Hinged lid - Looked around on-line but couldn't find anything pre-made. Was hoping to find something like a soup kettle lid that would fit my 44qt Bayou Classic. I also thought about just cutting my lid and bolting on a hinge. But I feared it would not come out well, which was the likely outcome.
Add a second TC port - I could get a TC cap and devise a way to attach a handle to it (e.g. drill a hole and attach with a screw). I also thought a funnel may be needed to make additions easier. For the funnel I probably would have used a TC concentric reducer. I thought this option was a good viable idea.
Use a flex hose - This is the idea I ended up choosing. I'm going to use a 90 out the top of kettle to a 1.5" stainless flex hose, attached with 1.5" hose barbs. I searched around for the flex hose and found a 20" length for $20 that's meant for a turbo. It's a Vibrant Performance Flexible Interlock Hose. I ordered it from Summit (
https://www.summitracing.com/parts/VPE-84027).
I ordered the hose first to see if it was viable and if a 90 was needed or not out of the top of the kettle. I decided a 90 would probably be best so the flex hose can be sloped down to the condenser. The hose can be flexed into one sweeping arc that would place it about 12" above the kettle, but allow for no down slope.
I have the rest of the parts on order and will post up when I get this thing built and tested out. My only concern at this point is how good the seal between the hose and barbs is going to be. If it does need to be sealed, I guess I could just apply silicone sealant to the barbs.