Alternate fuels, Biodiesel

[cranetruck]

And this stuff is biodegradable too. Doesn't smell bad, but I used plastic gloves
because of the residual methanol that may be in the mix.

Just keeping the troops informed...

Have a great day!

(message was split into three parts to post)

 

[Polverone]

So not only can we run the biodiesel in the engine, we can clean the outside of the engine and running gear as well with the by product??

This is turning out to be Utopia at last!!! :hop: :hop:

 

[cranetruck]

Ken and Brent in Texas, offered to help test separating the water from the biodiesel using their centrifuges, but with all the trouble Brent has had I can understand the delay in getting any results on this.

Perhaps you guys can give us an update on this in a near future. The idea was to shake the water and biodiesel in a bottle and then separate to get a "washed" biodiesel.


__________________
Bjorn
MVPA 19212

1968 M49A2C modified. 1972 HIAB 765A crane and 1960 M756 pipeline truck bed.
11.00-20 NDCC singles.
M103A3 trailer.

CURRENTLY WORKING ON: Vehicle wiring, adding relays for headlights and turn signals.
Adding small fuel tank (starting and shutting down in cold weather) and
installing a heating coil in the main tank for biodiesel/cooking oil.

 

[SixBuy]

Bjorn,

With all this wealth of knowledge on Biodeisel coming up here, it may be helpful to take a look at what the petro diesel contains. There is a website posted by Chevron that contains a wealth of info on Diesel and has a downloadable PDF copy of their 70 page booklet. It is one of the most informative I've seen.

You may want to look at : http://www.chevron.com/products/prodserv/fuels/bulletin/diesel/Diesel Fuel Rev.pdf
The link is a mouthful but cut and paste works wonders!

I'm starting to get the bug...

 

[cranetruck]

A couple of minor concerns have popped up:
1) The paint around the filler opening on the fuel tank is starting to soften and come off because of spilled BD. The CARC seems okay, but not the Gillespie...
2) Was reading about BD metal compatibility and copper is one metal , which should not be in continous contact with it.
The problem is that the deuce's fuel lines are copper. A sediment will form, which can block the fuel filters.

B20 is not a problem, B80-B100 could be.

Just keeping the troops up to date.

______________
Bjorn
MVPA 19212

1968 M49A2C modified. 1972 HIAB 765A crane and 1960 M756 pipeline truck bed.
11.00-20 NDCC singles.
M103A3 trailer.

"Some things cannot be made better, just differently"

CURRENTLY WORKING ON: Vehicle wiring, clearance lights and adding relays for headlights and turn signals.
Adding small fuel tank (starting and shutting down in cold weather) and installing a heating coil (aluminum?) in the main tank for biodiesel/cooking oil.

 

[cranetruck]

A note on the operation of the fuel density compensator.

The FDC is actually only calibrated for the common fuels expected to be used in the multifuel engine, #1 and #2 diesel, kerosene and gasoline. Those fuels nicely fit the rule that a more dense fuel has a higher heating value. However, biodiesel does not. It is more viscous than #2 diesel, but has a lower heating value. Therefore the compensator works against the purpose of adjusting the fuel delivery for a constant power output, it will decrease the fuel delivery when biodiesel is used.

So if you are burning biodiesel manually turn up the fuel delivery for a comparative constant power output.
In defense of the FDC, biodiesel has more oxygen and will provide more power because of it. One reference stated that biodiesel can produce more than 13% more power at full throttle.

_________________
Bjorn
MVPA 19212

1968 M49A2C modified. 1972 HIAB 765A crane and 1960 M756 pipeline truck bed.
11.00-20 NDCC singles.
M103A3 trailer.

"Some things cannot be made better, just differently"

CURRENTLY WORKING ON: Vehicle wiring, clearance lights and adding relays for headlights and turn signals.
Adding small fuel tank (starting and shutting down in cold weather) and installing a heating coil (aluminum?) in the main tank for biodiesel/cooking oil.

 

[cranetruck]

Several images showing the new (used) fuel tank getting heater fittings installed and the setup for testing the pump, which was an attempt to clean the tank from gritty stuff an the bottom. None of the gritty stuff was pumped out.
The tank has about 15 gallons of biodiesel in it and the stuff on the bottom behind the baffles is tough to get out.
The pump pumps at a rate of about 2 gallons/minute.

Bjorn

 

[M_Stark]

I've been following this for a while with great intrest. What are you planning to use to heat the WVO in the tank?

 

[cranetruck]

I've been following this for a while with great intrest. What are you planning to use to heat the WVO in the tank?

The answer is engine coolant.
Earlier today I installed a copper tubing coil in the new tank shown in the above images. 15 ft of 1/2"O.D. tubing connected to the feedthroughs. The coil is in the center area of the tank. For you who don't know, there are three sections to the tank separated by baffles.
Two 5-foot hoses completed the circuit to the engine cooling system. The connections were made where the hot water heater is connected on the engine side of the t-stat.

I ran the deuce for 30 minutes with the tank empty, checking for leaks. The coil got nice and hot (140 F). I then added 10 gallons of biodiesel and after another 30 minutes the temp of the fuel was 100 F in the center of the coil. The fuel below the filler opening behind a baffle was about 90 F.

Even though this adds to the cooling capacity of the engine cooling system, nothing major was noted compared to a normal high idle run.

Biodiesel is nice to work with, no fumes, but it does burn the skin a little and it has already taken some paint off my new tank.

Pictures later.

Bjorn
Meadows of Dan, Virginia

 

[EZFEED]

Cranetruck,

Is stainless steel a metal that BD has adverse affects on. Your using the engine coolant for a heater is brilliant. I wonder in it will aid in cooling the engine. I must say that after all of this I think I will convert over to BD as well.

So is washing the finished BD unecessary????

 

[cranetruck]

Stainless steel is safe, but expensive and hard to work with. I use copper for my tubing.
Using the coolant to heat the fuel in the tank works well. It's only needed for 1/2 hour or so to get the temp up to about 90°F. During that time I'm running on regular diesel from the second tank.
The return fuel from the engine is warm and after an hour on the road, the fuel in the tank will naturally heat. In the summer time it will get to about 120°F on its own.
I'm heating the tank for biodiesel mainly, but WVO/VO is also mixed in up to 80% when it's warm out.
To run on WVO/VO exclusively would require a lot more heating, the veggie oil should be at least 160°F for proper atomization. Heating fuel filters and fuel lines would also become neccessary.

I run on unwashed BD. There is some residul methanol in the fuel, but it adds to the BTU heating value of the fuel, so why remove it. Methanol also handles any moisture in the fuel.

Let us know how it works out.

Bjorn