Hi Tom Thanks for the reply
I see your point- I scaled up from 40l (with a different processor) to 150l and I should have gone slower. I was just so keen to get going! My newly built pump and processor will handle 150l- but where do you think I should start? Should I scale right back to 50l and work up slowly or could I start at around 80l? Charles On 16/06/2006, at 12:44 AM, Thomas Kelly wrote: > Charles, > Originally you wrote: > "I have just scaled up to a 150l processor ..... " > "I have done as suggested on JtF and scaled up slowly, learning as > I go. > Unfortunately, my first couple of big > batches (using creamy canola oil) have not gone so well" > > At what point did you start having problems? > In other words how did you progress? (25L? 50L? etc.) > leading up to > 150L. > I would suggest that you learn and then perform quality tests > described > at JTF (in addition to the "wash test") as you scale up. Checking > to see if > the BD is soluble in methanol (JTF: "Quality Testing") is as easy as > performing the "wash test". Pass or fail, use the methanol from the > test in > your next batch. > Using quality tests on my BD as I scaled up allowed me to > tweak the > process (volume of WVO, temp, time). > The limit for my processor seems to be about 91L. > > Following misinformation from another group, I scaled up to 130L > batches, only to find out, after learning about quality testing at > JTF, that > I was NOT making quality fuel. > My batches passed the "wash test", but failed upon reprocessing > (1L), and > also failed the methanol solubility test. > This poor quality fuel (incomplete reactions) had been poured > into my > into my heating oil tank ---> roughly 30% BD : 70% petro. While I > was away > the burner failed to start. Fuel had "leaked" out onto the floor. The > service tech told my wife that the nozzle had some "crap" on it ----> > sputtering fuel that dribbled out onto the floor. The electrodes > also had > some coking. > I suspect that poor quality fuel can be burned in a boiler, > but may > need preheating and pump pressure increased. I had to replace the > nozzle > twice more as well as clean the electrodes, while adding only > quality BD to > the tank. After using good BD I had no problems w. a 30% blend, w/o > any > modifications to the burner. > I now use 100% biodiesel to heat my house and to heat water. > At about > 50 - 60% BD I had some start-up problems, corrected by increasing pump > pressure, nozzle change, and decreasing air flow. > > I've never tried to reprocess a BD-petro blend. > > Best of luck, > Tom > > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "Charles List" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > To: <biofuel@sustainablelists.org> > Sent: Wednesday, June 14, 2006 8:04 PM > Subject: Re: [Biofuel] Help needed! > > >> Hi again >> >> Unfortunately no-one has answered my last post- have I found an >> insurmountable problem?! >> >> Going back a few steps and trying to figure out what's going on, I've >> done some more 1l batches on the original WVO I used in my process, >> using 9.5g of 90% KOH I got three layers- lovely bio for the top 1/2 >> (which passed the wash test and burnt fine), then some original oil >> unreacted, then some glycerine. Using 10.8g KOH I got very dark "bio" >> on top, which passes the wash test but doesn't burn, then glycerine >> at the bottom (looks like the right amount), but no oil un-reacted! I >> have trawled the archives but I can't seem to find anything that will >> help. I realise that I have some incomplete reactions happening but >> I am confused by the continually different results. >> >> Charles >> >> >> On 13/06/2006, at 8:30 AM, Charles List wrote: >> >>> Hi all >>> >>> I have just scaled up to a 150l processor. I am using a 200l drum >>> and >>> have an old swimming pool pump that pumps at 1l per second- which >>> seems pretty speedy! I have done as suggested on JtF and scaled up >>> slowly, learning as I go. Unfortunately, my first couple of big >>> batches (using creamy canola oil) have not gone so well, I am happy >>> with my titrations and measurements but I realise that my >>> temperature control has not been too good as the thermostat on my >>> old >>> spa-pool element heater had too wide a differential and was letting >>> the mixture fall to 45degrees C before coming on again. >>> >>> My problem is this- my first batch came out very dark brown- almost >>> black- but it passed the wash test, so, confused, I washed it, dried >>> it and it was a very clear, dark brown. As it is now winter down >>> here >>> in NZ and the snow is falling, and I only had 50l of petro-diesel >>> left in my boiler tank, I chucked 50l of my black "biodiesel" in. >>> Against my better judgement, but I didn't know what to do! Almost >>> immediately my boiler stopped, leaking black fuel on the floor. >>> So- I >>> drained my tank and tried a 1l batch test on the petro/bio >>> mixture to >>> see what would happen. I used 150ml methanol and 5.8g 85% KOH as my >>> base amount on my test batch. Unfortunately nothing happened, 12 >>> hours later, no separation, no split, no more glycerine! Has the >>> petrodiesel stuffed it up? What can I do? >>> >>> Charles List >>> >>> -- >>> >>> -------------------------------------------------------------- >>> This email was sent using Telecom SchoolZone. >>> www.schoolzone.net.nz >>> >>> This email has been scanned for viruses by Telecom SchoolZone, >>> but is not guaranteed to be virus-free. >>> -------------------------------------------------------------- >>> >>> _______________________________________________ >>> Biofuel mailing list >>> Biofuel@sustainablelists.org >>> http://sustainablelists.org/mailman/listinfo/ >>> biofuel_sustainablelists.org >>> >>> Biofuel at Journey to Forever: >>> http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel.html >>> >>> Search the combined Biofuel and Biofuels-biz list archives (50,000 >>> messages): >>> http://www.mail-archive.com/biofuel@sustainablelists.org/ >>> >> >> >> -- >> >> -------------------------------------------------------------- >> This email was sent using Telecom SchoolZone. >> www.schoolzone.net.nz >> >> This email has been scanned for viruses by Telecom SchoolZone, >> but is not guaranteed to be virus-free. >> -------------------------------------------------------------- >> >> _______________________________________________ >> Biofuel mailing list >> Biofuel@sustainablelists.org >> http://sustainablelists.org/mailman/listinfo/ >> biofuel_sustainablelists.org >> >> Biofuel at Journey to Forever: >> http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel.html >> >> Search the combined Biofuel and Biofuels-biz list archives (50,000 >> messages): >> http://www.mail-archive.com/biofuel@sustainablelists.org/ >> >> >> > > > > _______________________________________________ > Biofuel mailing list > Biofuel@sustainablelists.org > http://sustainablelists.org/mailman/listinfo/ > biofuel_sustainablelists.org > > Biofuel at Journey to Forever: > http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel.html > > Search the combined Biofuel and Biofuels-biz list archives (50,000 > messages): > http://www.mail-archive.com/biofuel@sustainablelists.org/ > -- -------------------------------------------------------------- This email was sent using Telecom SchoolZone. www.schoolzone.net.nz This email has been scanned for viruses by Telecom SchoolZone, but is not guaranteed to be virus-free. -------------------------------------------------------------- _______________________________________________ Biofuel mailing list Biofuel@sustainablelists.org http://sustainablelists.org/mailman/listinfo/biofuel_sustainablelists.org Biofuel at Journey to Forever: http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel.html Search the combined Biofuel and Biofuels-biz list archives (50,000 messages): http://www.mail-archive.com/biofuel@sustainablelists.org/
