I have been reading on the bio forums about the need for decent oil to make good bio with high conversion rates. Burnt oil is said to have a tendancy to make gloop more so than good bio.

What I am wondering is, apart from the need to filter and dry SVO properly, can any quality of oil be used? As an example, if one were to get a load of oil that titrated high and a test showed it would not make good bio ( or convert well) would this oil be suitable for use as SVO?

Are there any differences in using lightly worked oil and oil of the same type which has been well and truly Nuked?

I found out my oil was on the non- virgin end of the scale when someone tried to make biodiesel from it in a workshop. The car ran on it fine, but as my car only runs on oils liquid at room temp oils, I was filtering a lot of tallow from it. (the more pre fried food that is cooked, the more the tallows from the pre fried food mixes with the original oil. I abandoned the fish and chip shop oil when it got to 50% tallow)
If you dont flush out your fuel pump with (Ie have an eslblett conversion) I believe it can be harmful to have acidic oil sitting in your injector pump 24/7. If not, I dont think you will know any difference, apart from newer oils are easier to filter.

__________________
cheers
Chris.
1990 landcruiser 80, 1HD-T two tank, copper pipe HE+ 20 plate FPHE, toyota solenoids and filters. 1978 300D, elsbett one tank system. 1979 300D veg oil/ diesel blend for now.

David,
Although the amount of Free Fatty Acids do affect biodiesel production from overused oils, I have not seen any research on the effects of using high FFA oil as SVO in a diesel. It is rare for users of Used Cooking Oil to test for FFA content (titration), so it is possible that some amongst us (me included) could be running on very high FFA oils.
I do not have any answers but it would make a good research topic for some enterprising automotive engineering student. It could be difficult ($$$) to obtain a supply of new IPs for testing.

Tony

Hi,
Check out this paper written about the use of WVO as a fuel in a converted diesel car. Contains some really handy information about what oils are best for running on WVO and the issues which arise from using unsaturated oils as fuels:

From Waste Vegetable Oil As Fuel (WASTE VEGETABLE OIL AS A FUEL) by Calais and Clark

"Many vegetable oils and some animal oils are ‘drying’ or ‘semi-drying’ ...
Drying results from the double bonds (and sometimes triple bonds) in the unsaturated oil molecules being broken by atmospheric oxygen and being converted to peroxides. Cross-linking at this site can then occur and the oil irreversibly polymerises into a plastic-like solid. [9]
In the high temperatures commonly found in internal combustion engines, the process is accelerated and the engine can quickly become gummed-up with the polymerised oil. With some oils, engine failure can occur in as little as 20 hours. [10]"




"The traditional measure of the degree of bonds available for this process is given by the ‘Iodine Value’ (IV) ... The higher the IV, the more unsaturated (the greater the number of double bonds) the oil and the higher is the potential for the oil to polymerise."


" Generally speaking, an IV of less than about 25 is required if the neat oil is to be used for long term applications in unmodified diesel engines "


"With IVs of 25 – 50, the effects on engine life are also generally unaffected if a slightly more active maintenance schedule is maintained such as more frequent lubricating oil changes and exhaust system decoking."



"Triglycerides in the range of IV 50 – 100 may result in decreased engine life, and in particular to decreased fuel pump and injector life. However these must be balanced against greatly decreased fuel costs (if using cheap, surplus oil) and it may be found that even with increased maintenance costs that this is economically viable."




Table 1 Oils and their melting point and Iodine Values [11]
Oil Approx. melting Iodine
point °C Value
Coconut oil 25 10
Palm kernel oil 24 37
Mutton tallow 42 40
Beef tallow 50
Palm oil 35 54
Olive oil -6 81
Castor oil -18 85
Peanut oil 3 93
Rapeseed oil -10 98
Cotton seed oil -1 105
Sunflower oil -17 125
Soybean oil -16 130
Tung oil -2.5 168
Linseed oil -24 178
Sardine oil 185

"All of these problems can be at least partially alleviated by dissolving the oil or hydrogenated oil in petroleum diesel. "



"In many cases, it is possible to use a variety of triglyceride fats and oils as a fuel. While engine wear and maintenance may be increased, in some circumstances these problems are not serious enough to prevent the use of the triglycerides as a fuel."

Noplacebo,
Thanks fro bring our paper back to light.
The paper is being relocated to athe new WARFA website, bt a link from the above location should be ineffect soon, or may be already.

The new location is :
{http://www.warfa.asn.au/paper.html}
Waste Vegetable Oil As A Diesel Replacement Fuel

Regards,
Tony