8/1 on veg

[fabricator]

Well I finally got my 8/1 set up to run centrifuged and dried used veg oil.
The veg tank is on top and the thermosiphon tank is on the floor, I ran 3/8 OD copper from the veg tank to the water tank, there is a coil of about 20 feet in the top of the water tank.

Then the copper line runs inside the top water line down to the engine where I used a compression fitting I modified for the copper to come out of the water line

From there it goes into a ball valve and tees into the fuel line, I need to get a smaller fuel filter the big one holds too much fuel and lets the veg cool down too much.

But it's been running for two weeks now continuously on veg with no hiccups.

[LowGear]

Gosh I hate it when I'm dense.

Are you using veggie oil as the coolant as well as the fuel or just running your veggie fuel line inside the coolant line?

The fuel filter has got to represent a great heat loss.

Casey

[fabricator]

The veg line just runs inside the coolant line.

[akghound]

Good job. Tube In Hose (TIH) is what I use to heat the WVO on my Ford PSD. I have thousands of miles on it burning WVO. The only suggestion I have it to use as much aluminum rather then copper or steel as possable. WVO gets along much better with aluminum.
You could wrap a few coils of tubing around the filter (copper here would be ok as you would be running coolant not WVO through it) to heat it.
Ken Gardner

[bschwartz]

My system has the fuel run from the tank, through a filter, then the 1/4" copper line wraps around the exhaust before going to the selector at the injection pump.

You may notice a tight kink in the line at the first wrap.  This setup is only temporary for testing...... (NOTE:  it has been running this way for 2 years and 1500 hours...)  

I also have an injection line heater as well.



I agree that by the time your fuel makes it through the filter, it will be very cool, and loose the benefit of the added heat.
These engines sip fuel so slowly, that the unheated veg oil goes through my mercedes spin on fuel filter just fine.  

*- Additional note.  This picture is from November of 2009.  The engine is no longer this clean and pretty 

[fabricator]

I wonder how a separate smaller thermo siphon system would work using tube wrapped around the exaust pipe then around the pump, filter and possibly run alongside the injector line.

[BruceM]

I love the simplicity of your 1/4" soft copper wrap on the exhaust, bshwartz.  Faster heat than the coolant, too.  No signs of wear, fatigue, etc? 

[Pete_b]

I wonder how a separate smaller thermo siphon system would work using tube wrapped around the exaust pipe then around the pump, filter and possibly run alongside the injector line.

Are my eyes deceiving me??

I can see your copper feed pipe going around the exhaust then in to a tee which feeds directly in to the injector??

How does the veggie oil get from this line in to the filter and back to the injector!! as from what I can see it would have to travel both ways in the same pipe?


Pete (confused)

[millman56]

 That would be the injector bleed off line, manufacturers reccomend the line to return directly to the fuel tank but no one seems to have problems running it into the fuel feed line.

Mark.

[fabricator]

I think he's referring to Bschwartz's setup, I wondered about that also.

[BruceM]

Bshwartz's setup looks fine to me- the Tee is on the IP input, one diesel (turned of in this photo), one from the exhaust-copper-loop heated WVO.  The IP output is wrapped- he has electric heat tape on it.

[bschwartz]

Bruce has it right.  The top valve is the on/off for veg oil, the bottom valve is the on/off for diesel.

Pete, the veg oil filter is before the wrap (it isn't in the picture).  Even when the oil is cold, it flows fast enough through the filter to feed the small thirst of the 6/1, so no heat is needed there.

" No signs of wear, fatigue, etc?"  What would cause wear or fatigue?  It isn't like a crappy cast, Indian, Lister clone 6/1 at 650 RPM vibrates 

Actually Bruce, I was expecting a leak to form at the kink, or have veg oil/copper issues.  But after 2 years, I haven't had a single problem.  I haven't even changed the fuel filter.  It is a standard Mercedes 300D screw on filter (30 micron would be my guess).  It is only there to catch big particles that may fall in the tank during filling, as my oil is very clean.

"simplicity of your 1/4" soft copper wrap on the exhaust, bshwartz.  Faster heat than the coolant, too"
Yes, the fuel heats up quickly, but I still don't switch off of diesel to the veg until the engine temp is up to 160.  I want to make sure hot oil doesn't hit a cold injector and thicken up right before injection. 

[BruceM]

Good point on the engine head/injector temp. - carbon deposit issue, bschwartz.  Thanks for the great operational info and photo of your successful veggie burning setup!

Best Wishes,
Bruce

[Pete_b]

Bruce has it right.  The top valve is the on/off for veg oil, the bottom valve is the on/off for diesel.

Pete, the veg oil filter is before the wrap (it isn't in the picture).  Even when the oil is cold, it flows fast enough through the filter to feed the small thirst of the 6/1, so no heat is needed there.

" No signs of wear, fatigue, etc?"  What would cause wear or fatigue?  It isn't like a crappy cast, Indian, Lister clone 6/1 at 650 RPM vibrates 

Actually Bruce, I was expecting a leak to form at the kink, or have veg oil/copper issues.  But after 2 years, I haven't had a single problem.  I haven't even changed the fuel filter.  It is a standard Mercedes 300D screw on filter (30 micron would be my guess).  It is only there to catch big particles that may fall in the tank during filling, as my oil is very clean.

"simplicity of your 1/4" soft copper wrap on the exhaust, bshwartz.  Faster heat than the coolant, too"
Yes, the fuel heats up quickly, but I still don't switch off of diesel to the veg until the engine temp is up to 160.  I want to make sure hot oil doesn't hit a cold injector and thicken up right before injection. 

Ah right, thanks for clearing it up, got my 8/1 running sweet now just need to get a new head (wheres the best place to get one. UK )  as the original has bits missing, bearings very noisey and will not turn over when 12v put in to it. I think its dead.

[fabricator]

I had a disaster overnight, the veg line in the water tank apparently had a kink in it and it broke, so it dumped 10 gallons of veg into the water tank which then over flowed, so right now I have about half a yard of saw dust soaking it all up, it's gonna have to wait till Saturday to be fixed