Part Two of the FAQ - The anti confusion rules say you must start at FAQ #1. Above
Continuing right along.......
How SVO works in a diesel engine.
Vegetable oil burns inside your combustion chamber in the same way diesel does, more or less. The injectors supply a measured amount of fuel and it explodes, or burns quickly to be more accurate. The challenge you face will be to get the viscous oil into your combustion chamber in a way that makes the engine happy.
There are other links that describe this process:
- Straight vegetable oil as diesel fuel: Journey to Forever
- General SVO Discussion - Forum Powered by eve community
- www.veggiediesel.co.uk
- vegetableoildiesel.co.uk - Powered by XMB
- 10 steps to converting to wvo...the basic process - Topic Powered by eve community
You must thin the oil to make it less viscous. You can do this in two ways which can be used together or separately.
1. Blending. You thin the oil using another fuel. This could be BioDiesel, Diesel, ULP – unleaded petrol, kerosene to name some common options. Blending vegetable oil with a light solvent, such as petrol, is a common way of burn vegetable oil in a diesel engine. It is fairly easy to do, compared to making biodiesel, and it runs on any diesel engine without conversion, like biodiesel. The method of blending is basically: mix dirty waste vegetable oil (WVO) at 85% with petrol (ULP) at 15%. Leave it to settle for 1-3 days, then drain off the sludge at the bottom of the tank and filter.
A word on legality of blending. To stop fuel companies diluting their products, there are taxation laws which prohibit the blending of an excisable fuel – diesel, biodiesel and unleaded petrol, with non excisable fuel – vege oil. In short, if you blend your fuels you are breaking tax laws. http://www.biofuelsforum.com/threads...o_wvo_tax.html
2. Heating. The other way of thinning the fuel is by heating. We find heating the oil to over 70°C is adequate, 80° to 90° ideal, over that …. We don’t know much about.
For discussions on blending see these links:
• http://www.biofuelsforum.com/threads...wco_blend.html
• http://www.biofuelsforum.com/threads...ne_supply.html
• http://www.biofuelsforum.com/threads...e_too_far.html
• http://www.biofuelsforum.com/threads/1603-blending.html
There are three sources of heat in an engine.
1. Electrical
Electrical is quick and may help quick warm up, but requires large current drain
2. Exhaust
Exhaust heat is variable and difficult to capture and regulate to manageable temperatures without overheating
3. Coolant.
Coolant is slow to heat up, but reliably regulated by the thermostat and uses excess heat so is free. The common way of using coolant is a Flat Plate Heat Exchanger – FPHE. Two 30 plate FPHE is regarded as best practice, one before the filters, one just before the injection pump. Many people use one heat exchanger satisfactorily.
Links to options on the various forms of heating options are going to be added here later.
It is common practice to start your engine on diesel, wait until the vege reaches a suitable temperature – 60°C is regarded as a good changeover temperature – then switch to your thinned oil. Before you turn your engine off for a period of over a couple of hours, you switch back to diesel for enough time to purge all the SVO from your injector pump and your injectors. The length of time required for purging is a matter of your individual setup but there are related discussions here:
Things you need to know:
1. What your engine model number is. Not just your vehicle make and model, but the engine.
2. What type of injection pump your engine has. You need to figure this stuff out. It is your first test.
3. Whether your engine has direct injection or indirect injection. If your engine is a direct injection, you MUST follow particular procedures and can read the reasons why here.
• If your engine is indirect injection it is much more amenable to using SVO without problems.
• If your engine has common rail direct injection, it can run on WVO but you must do a great deal more research to satisfy yourself you are doing the right things.
• If your engine is a US Powerstroke or Duramax, read here for information. Diesel Place - Duramax Diesel Discussion Forums
4. Where you are going to get your oil supply from and what type of oil it is. See the links here to help you determine the suitable oils.
5. Whether others on this forum have successfully converted your engine/vehicle type. See this link. http://www.biofuelsforum.com/threads...nning_wvo.html
6. You need to understand your own capacity and preparedness to take the inherent risks involved in fuelling with alternative fuels. If you cannot face anything more complex than you already experience filling at the fuel station bowser, this is not for you. If you think you can work outside the square, are handy mechanically and have the time for this, then keep going – one step at a time.
7. You must have space and time to collect, filter and store your oil. Most people say this takes less than 3 hours a week once your system is setup.
Collecting, Filtering and Storing your oil.
There are plenty of ideas in this forum on how to filter and store your supply of the golden fuel. There are no easy commercial solutions and you generally have to cobble together a number of components.
Some people use gravity and long filter bags
Some people use ‘house’ filters with disposable cartridges and a pump to filter their oil.
Gravity and time are excellent methods of getting your oil clean. An upflow settling system is excellent.
Many onboard filtration and fuel tank problems are caused by inadequate home filtration. Do it right at home and your on road life will be much easier.
• http://www.biofuelsforum.com/threads...filtering.html - post26180
• http://www.biofuelsforum.com/threads...ng_system.html
• http://www.biofuelsforum.com/threads...s_filters.html
• http://www.biofuelsforum.com/threads...nk_design.html
How long can you store Oil?
• http://www.biofuelsforum.com/threads...vo_stored.html
How do you move oil?
1. Transfer pumps move oil at high volume low pressure.
Standard ‘drum pumps’ both rotary and push-pull are effective transfer pumps. Some 240V electric pumps are effective, others not.
http://www.biofuelsforum.com/threads...tes_video.html
2. Pumps for pressure are capable of pushing oil through filters.
Gear pumps, or hydraulic pumps driven by electric motors are effective and can push high volume high pressure. Power steering pumps are hydraulic pumps, and gear pumps can be found in hydraulic suppliers and disposal centres.
http://www.biofuelsforum.com/threads...setup_wvo.html - post23631
3. On board pumps provide positive pressure to the inlet of the injection pump.
Not all conversions need on board pumps. Many aftermarket fuel and diesel onboard pumps are inadequate for SVO. Do not assume you need a pump. You must get adequate flow to the Injection pump, not necessarily pressure. Larger fuel lines – 12 mm ID – and or heated fuel lines are generally all that is needed. http://www.biofuelsforum.com/threads...html#post28326
http://www.biofuelsforum.com/threads..._wvo_pump.html
http://www.biofuelsforum.com/threads...tarvation.html
4. Vacuum pumps
Air compressor assisted pumping. http://www.biofuelsforum.com/threads...oil_drums.html
Things that can go wrong:
Plain steel long range tanks, particularly found in 4WD’s most likely need to be coated internally before used for WVO. Some people haven’t had trouble, others have.
• http://www.biofuelsforum.com/threads...il_photos.html
http://www.biofuelsforum.com/threads...fuel_tank.html
A paint type product/process called POR-15 available via POR-15 Shop - Links has proven effective. The product is poured into the tank, which is then rolled around and around to distribute the paint. It’s preferable the tank is removed from the car first, otherwise you will get dizzy from all the rotations necessary.
Gunge in Injector Pumps
• http://www.biofuelsforum.com/threads...ked_gunge.html
Direct injection – see the sticky - http://www.biofuelsforum.com/threads...need_know.html
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