Used engine oil as fuel?

[dieselman]

Well here goes: I recently purchased a 14-1 Lovson which I am going to tear down, clean and modify ( change things to increase longevity and reliabilty). Once I complete the engine I am going to experiment on using waste engine oil as fuel. To make the oil usable I will clean it using a centrifuge type purifier. Since the viscosity of oil is much higher than diesel I will bring the engine up to NOT (normally operating temperature), then switch to the oil. I allso plan to preheat the oil prior to the injection pump and the injector using a 110V heatstrip and a thermostat to control the temperature. I may have to use a blend of oil and diesel but I will have to do some experimenting. I welcome anyones input, but I have given this a lot of thought and plan to proceed unless someone can give me some very good reasons not to. If this works the benifits are numerous. Obviously there are a lot of details I have not covered here, but I think this the best place to verbally test my theory. 

Okay let er rip!

[rpg52]

Dieselman,
Check out the posts under Waste Oil in the alternative fuel section.  You aren't the only one.
Ray

[rmchambers]

I forsee the big oil companies making a big song and dance about "going green" and gobbling up all the used veggie oil and turning it into biodiesel and charging MORE per gallon for it than dino diesel.

just watch them, as soon as they see some competition (even a small amount) they will be all over it.

[agroot]

Dieselman, check your local regulations before comitting to this route.

Here in NS we have very strict regulatoins for used motor oil...
You must be certified to collect it.
It is illegal for garages and other waste oil collectors to allow anyone uncertified to remove the oil.

In case of an oil spill...
Spills over 100 liters MUST be reported.
Reported spill clean-up is under the control of the province.
A certified clean-up contractor MUST be used.
A certified project manager may be imposed.
Soil / water monitoring may be imposed for an indefinate period.

All of this is to be paid for by the property owner.
This will be VERY expensive, due to govenment and evironmental group involvement.

I'll stay away from this, at least  in my area. 

[mobile_bob]

i think that used vegie oil is going to get expensive and there will be those that set up contracts to pickup the stuff,, this will virtually eliminate its use as a common fuel.

as for waste motor oil,
in the early 90's safetykleen corp lobbied congress to get use motor oil reclassified as a toxic waste product, which would have made it impossible to get in quantity today. their effort failed at that time, but you can be sure they or someone will try again, and likely will be successful in making it a toxic product requireing tons of paperwork and effectively removing its use for a fuel for the DIY'er.

as for spill protection,, in our business we handle about 300gallons a month, and have a double containment for the tote to sit in, this containment cost me about 350 bucks but is cheap insurance against spills. if the tote leaks the steel containment keeps it from going places it don't belong.

i don't know what the future holds, but there are likely going to be serious changes ahead that will effect how and what you are going to get for alternate fuels.

the pendulum is swinging hard toward a greener planet, and options are going to be methodically
removed.

i guess the future is in the DIY pyrolysis of biomass to fuel.

maybe the indians or chinese will make small units to convert biomass into some form of fuel?

time to start researching and experimenting fellas!

bob g

[Doug]

You changed your signature Bob.....

WHat happened to your Petteroids?

They might be the best choice for Producer gas.....

[mobile_bob]

petteroids?? hmmmm

i either misplaced them or they got stolen

hmmmm

 

bob g

[Doug]

Oh well....

I'll keep the Petteroid flames smoldering and stinky....

Doug

[draganof]

You gentlemen bring up some interesting thoughts about using waste motor oil as a fuel. I have a Changfa 195 that I am setting up to run on 100% waste motor oil. I am fortunate to have access to many, many gallons of the stuff. The best part is I have the oil lab test results of all this waste oil so I can be assured of only getting pure oil with no contaminates. I orginally wanted to stockpile 500 gallons to be used in case of an extended power outage here under the shadow of Mt. Rainier but now I am not sure if that is a good idea. I never considered the environmental spill hazard of having that much oil. I intend to run off road diesel as a primary fuel and the waste oil only during a disaster when diesel may not be available. I wanted to be able to run for at least 60-90 days without worrying about fuel. I would prefer waste vegetable oil but it's already spoken for most places around here. I think at the least I will look into getting a double wall tank and a containment dike and do a little research on the laws here concerning oil storage for residential areas. I have a few barrels now and they are protected from the weather but it needs to be in an approved tank. Good post, making me think.....

[theboss]

due to high cost of diesel, its common for truck and bus owners here to pump WMO in their vehicles. Their procedures are somewhat like this..

 1- Heat to oil to very high temperature and then filter it. Hot oil flows easy, hence easier filtering. They use those ceramic micron filters often found in water filters.
 2- after filtering, heat it some more to remove moisture and acid.
 3- Mix it with regular diesel and kerosene in 50/30/20 composition  and pump it in
 4- to keep this kind of fuel hot all the time, the radiator pipes are routed through the fuel tank in a single piece heat-exchange mounted inside the fuel tank. So to reduce a any risk of coolant leakage inside fuel tank. Hot water from engine is pumped into this heat exchange and then to radiator.

[dieselman]

Hmm... some things I haven't considered. (I hate that).  As far as the storage problem, I might have an answer.  About ten years ago the fire marshall cruised through my shop and eventually my painting faciality, where he found a 55 gallon drum of lacquer thinner. He then proceeded to tell me I couldn't store the thinner without an appropriate containment for the drum. So I asked " What are my options?". He said I could use 5 gallon containers.  Being a smart ass I said " So I can have 15 5 gallon cans?  He said sure! At which point I decided I was way ahead and better keep my mouth shut.  Maybe used engine oil isn't the answer.  Maybe a combination of multiple sources could be used. I lost a little wind in my sails but I ain't gonna quit yet. 

[draganof]

Interesting idea. At work we have new 15-40 cat oil in 5 gal containers and they are not in a containment area but the 55 gallon drums are. I'm going to call my local fire inspector friend and find out if that applies in my residential area here. Not as big a spill hazard as a 500 gallon tank. We use empty 5 gallon oil pails to transport waste fuel everyday from job sites. Should work for the home to. Right now I have two 25 gallon Pryco day tanks for my generator. One for diesel and one for used motor oil (fuel). 

[theboss]

I forsee the big oil companies making a big song and dance about "going green" and gobbling up all the used veggie oil and turning it into biodiesel and charging MORE per gallon for it than dino diesel.

just watch them, as soon as they see some competition (even a small amount) they will be all over it.

they are already doing it..aren't they???..example; shell