Peanut Oil Conversion

[JGrefenstette]

Whose done it??? diesel just hit $4. 60 in town, and i cant be doing that. im looking at getting a 100gal. in-bed steel rectangle tank, and use it for the peanut oil from fastfood joints.



here are some questions:



1. how is the peanut oil on the Injector pump, Injectors, etc? (will it gum them up over time, or cut down on their life span?)



2. How long should the motor be run on diesel before shut down, to fully prime everything?



3. how long should the motor be run on diesel after start up?



4. what type of filtration should be used for this stuff?



5. what type of pump?



6. how is it as far as power? loose any HP/TQ? will it roll coal like diesel will?



7. can it go bad? should i use additaves or somthing in it?



thanks guys i really apreciate any help. one of my best friends in NC, manages a Chik-fil-a right were ill be living, and he said he will give me all his peanut oil, so i cant turn that down. im just wondering how realistic a conversion is. with the warmer temps down in NC i figure it will be more fesable that up here in the VA hills, where the lows can dip down, even in the summer. thanks again

 

[ChrisWilliams]

What part of NC are you going to, it's not always warmer down there.



Check out http://www.ezbiodiesel.com and National Biodiesel Board - www.biodiesel.org - www.nbb.org, you have a lot of reading to do. Don't let the prices of some of these biodiesel systems scare you. A good TDR member should be able to engineer something for a fraction of the cost given enough time and effort.



I don't know about the lubricity of used peanut oil, but soy based biodiesel has better lubricity than #2 ULSD. You could always supplement with a little Opti-Lube XPD.



I have read that biodiesel has less stored energy than #2, but how much I don't know. I'm sure it would be sufficient for everyday driving.



I would expect you will need to process the oil a little and cut it with #2. I would let the oil settle out, then strain through something like cheese cloth over a piece of screen or multiple variations there of. A little heat would probably help the process, say 120° or so. I wonder if you could rig something out of an old water heater, a couple of barrels, and an oil furnace pump. Get it filtered and mixed with #2, start with about 50% #2 (B50) and work down to about 15% (B85) if all goes well. If you put an auxiliary fuel/water separator outside your in-bed tank and a fuel heater inside the tank, I bet you could run B85 or maybe B100. It will take some work and a little money, but you can do it.



I hear fuel may reach $7/gal. in a few years. Biodiesel may be worth the investment now as long as you have a source for cheap fry oil. Keep in mind, your oil supply may not always be free or plentiful.

 

[JGrefenstette]

yea i plan to do a water/fuel seperator, and a intank heater. ill be in Greensboro NC.



im hoping that all i will need to do is strane the oil through some sort of filtration system as i pump it into my inbed tank, then just have the heater in the tank, and a fuel/water seperater between the tank and the lines. i was hoping to run close to 100% peanut oil if possible. but i guess i have a lot of reading to do. thanks for the help

 

[ChrisWilliams]

I want to clarify that strained vegetable oil is not biodiesel. If you want true biodiesel, you have to put it through a process called esterification, which uses alcohol as a catalyst to convert the oil into a fatty-acid methyl-ester fuel, which is biodiesel. Both will run a diesel. Now, also keep in mind, I haven't actually done this before, so reality may be a little different.

 

[JGrefenstette]

right. and want to do is just pump the cooking oil right from the Mcdonalds, wendys, etc, into my inbed tank (with some aditaves, etc. ), straned and filtered, and go. i really am not in the positions to set up a still or a refining process at all. i will be going to school down there, and renting a downstairs room from a friend.

 

[fourwheel1]

check out diesel secret energy. I have been using their mixture for four years in 3 cummins and have had no trouble. Very simple process.

 

[southpaw]

peanuts

MOHP don,t do it unless you heat it in a seperate tank to 160+ or do the chemical process to get rid of the glicerine . I added some to my old mitsi tractor out of desperation and nearly killed it. and that was a 1-3 ratio in the heat of the summer. You might also go to the alt fuel in discussion forum and talk with some members about their trials. and as stated in the above replies go to those forums for more info.

 

[JGrefenstette]

southpaw - can you explain glicerine to me, and what it does to the motor that is bad? i work with a guy who has a company that does the veggie oil installs and hes been helping me out with all the pricing and speculations. so your saying that the veggie nearly killed one of your tractors?



fourwheel1 - is this a website or somthing? ill do a search and look for it.

 

[fourwheel1]

yes its diesel secret energy and its a mixture process. if you go into the alternative fuels- cj hall is an expert on this subject.

 

[The patriot]

Let me start by saying, I'm no expert. In fact I havent yet run my truck on anything other than dino diesel.

I've looked into the peanut oil a little. It gells at 50 deg F.

IMO you'll need to at the very least run a coil circulating coolant from the engine to your bed tank like southpaw suggested.

BTW are you sure it's peanut oil, or just guessing?

 

[Moab4x4]

I frequently fill with B100 in the summer, B20 fall-spring. No modifications, no problems. Lots of power, still smokes, but not quite as dark. Smells like I left the fryer on too long. :-laf



I have looked into a straight veggie system and there is the system of fourwheel that modifies the viscosity of the oil. I think you are looking at more of the Greasel or Grease Car type of mod. You need to run diesel until your veggie oil is heated (I see 180degrees as a target frequently). You then purge with diesel at the end so you don't have grease in the lift pump in the morning. I see you get that, I don't know how long it takes to burn from your switch to the injectors worth of fuel. I decided against the veggie oil for 3 main reasons. #1 I don't drive far enough on a regular basis to make it worth all the changeover. #2 Particulate filtering is going to necessitate at least 2 other tanks of progressively cleaner oil. (some debate on this one)

#3 varied PH of used oil and regular consistent supply. Not a trivial mod, but it sure pays for some.



Best of Luck on this project. Lots of research ahead I fear.

Ken

 

[JGrefenstette]

i actually work with a guy who works for another company that does these systems and installs full time. Welcome to MGE is his website. they know what their doing. hes showed me his F550 with the kit. he said the veggie only needs to be at 70 degrees to use.



if its peanut. thats what i was told by him. but that is a good question. realistically i guess it could be soy, or some other type.



how long it takes to clear the lines before shut down. all depends on how far back you plumb in your veggie. the closer to the IP the shorter time.



his company has a nice switch/valve unit that has 2 "in" lines 2 "out" lines for veggie and diesel, and it electronically switches from one to the other. he sad he can do it at 70mph and not even notice the difference.



i think its coming down to this.

- ill need to streign it some how when pumping it into my inbed tank

-run it through some type of filtration between the tank and the lines (water blocker/regular fuel filter)

-have a coil heater in the tank (ill do an electric unit. i dont want to mess with the coolant lines)

-have a switch plumed in somewere.

-and figure out better, how it will work for me to work the intank lift pump, for the veggie and the diesel.

 

[Moab4x4]

Good Info, thanks! If you do the WVO you will love the smell! Really a quandry for the hippies though. Lots of black smoke when you get on it vs. the whole enviro thing. I figure it kinda cancels each other out.