Veggie Oil as Substitute for Diesel

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Re: Veggie Oil as Substitute for Diesel

Post by Gawdzilla Sama » Sat Apr 18, 2009 3:20 pm

FBM wrote:
Gawdzilla wrote:Watching an spaghetti Western in Japanese is good, but watching a Japanese spaghetti Western is even funnier. They sometimes had the footage shot in the Philippines, and "Old West" town with palm trees were not all that rare. Great when you're shit-faced and adding your own dialog. :mrgreen:
We really need to get together for a beer or 7 some day...
Shall we meet in Honolulu? (Splitting the difference, in other words?) :drool:
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Re: Veggie Oil as Substitute for Diesel

Post by FBM » Sat Apr 18, 2009 3:29 pm

Gawdzilla wrote:
FBM wrote:
Gawdzilla wrote:Watching an spaghetti Western in Japanese is good, but watching a Japanese spaghetti Western is even funnier. They sometimes had the footage shot in the Philippines, and "Old West" town with palm trees were not all that rare. Great when you're shit-faced and adding your own dialog. :mrgreen:
We really need to get together for a beer or 7 some day...
Shall we meet in Honolulu? (Splitting the difference, in other words?) :drool:
They got LBFMs in Hawaii?
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Re: Veggie Oil as Substitute for Diesel

Post by Gawdzilla Sama » Sat Apr 18, 2009 3:31 pm

FBM wrote:They got LBFMs in Hawaii?
Oh, hell yes. :drool: :drool: :drool: :drool:
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Re: Veggie Oil as Substitute for Diesel

Post by FBM » Sat Apr 18, 2009 3:36 pm

Gawdzilla wrote:
FBM wrote:They got LBFMs in Hawaii?
Oh, hell yes. :drool: :drool: :drool: :drool:
I'll be free from late June until the end of August. Name a date, bud.
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Re: Veggie Oil as Substitute for Diesel

Post by Gawdzilla Sama » Sat Apr 18, 2009 3:52 pm

FBM wrote:
Gawdzilla wrote:
FBM wrote:They got LBFMs in Hawaii?
Oh, hell yes. :drool: :drool: :drool: :drool:
I'll be free from late June until the end of August. Name a date, bud.
Ain't no way I could make it to Hawaii, sorry. Wishful thinking, I'm afraid. :cry:
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Re: Veggie Oil as Substitute for Diesel

Post by FBM » Sat Apr 18, 2009 3:58 pm

Gawdzilla wrote:
FBM wrote:
Gawdzilla wrote:
FBM wrote:They got LBFMs in Hawaii?
Oh, hell yes. :drool: :drool: :drool: :drool:
I'll be free from late June until the end of August. Name a date, bud.
Ain't no way I could make it to Hawaii, sorry. Wishful thinking, I'm afraid. :cry:
Well, the next time I make it back to the continent, I'll try to drop in on you. LBFMs or no... :cheers:
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Re: Veggie Oil as Substitute for Diesel

Post by Gawdzilla Sama » Sat Apr 18, 2009 4:04 pm

FBM wrote:Well, the next time I make it back to the continent, I'll try to drop in on you. LBFMs or no... :cheers:
We can have a kim-chi eating contest. :cheers: (Okay, you win.) :what:
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Re: Veggie Oil as Substitute for Diesel

Post by maiforpeace » Thu Apr 23, 2009 12:22 am

FBM wrote:Over a year ago, I started using PVO (pure, unused, undiluted veg. oil) as a replacement for diesel in my Kia Retona. Actually, I sold my other car and bought the Kia just to do this experiment. The idea is that by using plant-source fuel instead of petroleum products, the CO2 pumped into the atmosphere by our vehicles will maintain at a fairly constant level. Plants will recapture the CO2 and the annual cycle would be fairly steady. Bringing up millions of years' worth of carbon in the form of oil in just a few decades is the main reason we have a problem with atmospheric pollution. The problem is, considering the number of vehicles in the world, deforestation to make room for veg. oil crops is a danger.

Rather than try to propose a solution for all the world's CO2 problems, I instead decided to just take control of my own emissions. (No, not those. From my car.) After researching the available online information on the topic, I decided to stop buying PVO and instead use only Waste Veg. Oil (WVO). I mentioned this to the group of professors I tutor, and one of them, a prof. in Applied Chemical Engineering, got excited about it. They arranged for me to buy the WVO from the campus cafeteria, which I filter and put straight into the tank. Then the Chemistry prof. got a group of seniors to do a series of experiments to measure viscosity, cloud point, pH, and a few other things at a range of temperatures and blends. They tested 100% diesel, 100% WVO, and blends of 25:75 (both ways) and 50:50.

The real issue is viscosity. Diesel viscosity is fairly constant until the temperature gets very, very cold. The viscosity of PVO and WVO increases relatively sharply as the temperature drops. Above a certain viscosity, it gums up the fuel filter and injectors and doesn't combust very cleanly in the chamber. This is exacerbated by the fact that my engine is a direct-injection type, and veg. oil works better in indirect-injection systems. I don't want to do a 2-tank conversion, nor convert the WVO into bio-diesel; I want to use 100% WVO as long as the weather allows, and gradually blend a minimum of petroleum fuel as the temperature drops in the winter. Just enough to keep the viscosity down to a useable level.

The experiments that the Chemistry students did gave me a fairly detailed guideline for the diesel:WVO blends that should work best at any given temperature. Those results have been published in Korean, but not in English yet.

This year, at my suggestion, the Chemistry students are repeating the experiments using kerosene instead of diesel. Why? Because the only real difference between diesel and kerosene is that kerosene has a lower inherent viscosity. This means that I could blend a smaller amount of petroleum-based fuel in with the WVO in order to achieve the required viscosity in cold weather. Less old CO2 pumped into the atmosphere. The results of those experiments should be ready this summer.

AND, kerosene is cheaper than diesel. I get the WVO for less than half the price of diesel, and kerosene prices are about 75% that of diesel. So far, I've saved...dunno...at least a thousand bucks on fuel expenses.

OK, that's one of the things I'm into right now. I don't really expect anyone else to be interested. Just thought I'd contribute something to the 'serious disscussions' pages.

Now, move along. Nothing to see here. Back to your regularly-scheduled programming.
Actually, I find this to be very interesting. I am not the least bit scientific minded, but, what I understand you to say is that essentially you are running your car on WVO as long as it's warm, and then, when the cold changes the viscosity of the WVO you adjust it with kerosene to keep things running smoothly. I am really curious to hear how that works out.

Why aren't we doing stuff like that here, in the US, where obtaining these items is pretty cheap and easy? All I hear about is WVO being useful only to produce bio-fuel. I assume the WVO is burning cleanly enough to not cause long term problems to your engine? Or, you don't know yet?
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Re: Veggie Oil as Substitute for Diesel

Post by FBM » Thu Apr 23, 2009 1:02 am

maiforpeace wrote:Actually, I find this to be very interesting. I am not the least bit scientific minded, but, what I understand you to say is that essentially you are running your car on WVO as long as it's warm, and then, when the cold changes the viscosity of the WVO you adjust it with kerosene to keep things running smoothly. I am really curious to hear how that works out.

Why aren't we doing stuff like that here, in the US, where obtaining these items is pretty cheap and easy? All I hear about is WVO being useful only to produce bio-fuel. I assume the WVO is burning cleanly enough to not cause long term problems to your engine? Or, you don't know yet?
That's a big part of the experiment. Some people say that it leaves residues in the engine that eventually cause problems. Then again, that may just be a rumor started by people in the petroleum industry. The best way for me to find out is to run it on WVO and see what happens. I'm willing to risk my car in the experiment because it's pretty old and older cars are pretty cheap over here. I paid less than 3 grand USD for a 1999 Kia Retona, which is a small-to-medium-sized 4WD.

Your understanding is right about why I add kerosene in colder weather. There's a second reason, too. If there are residues from the combustion of WVO inside the engine, the kerosene may remove them. Emphasis on 'may'.

Why don't more people in the US do it? For one, diesel cars aren't as common over there. Also, using an unapproved fuel like WVO will void your warranty if you have a newer car/truck that's still under warranty. Converting WVO to bio-fuel may reduce its energy content by 10%, but it also solves the viscosity problem, which is a trade-off. WVO-fuel would be a very good idea for the trucking industry, since they use most of the diesel sold in the US. I vaguely recall that the petroleum giants keep putting up legal arguments to block this from happening, tho. Selfish bastids. If I lived back there, I'd buy an old diesel car/truck, collect WVO and drive for (virtually) free. :dono:
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Re: Veggie Oil as Substitute for Diesel

Post by charlou » Thu Apr 23, 2009 3:46 am

I vaguely recall that the petroleum giants keep putting up legal arguments to block this from happening, tho. Selfish bastids.
Yep. :nono:

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Re: Veggie Oil as Substitute for Diesel

Post by FBM » Thu Apr 23, 2009 4:17 am

Charlou wrote:
I vaguely recall that the petroleum giants keep putting up legal arguments to block this from happening, tho. Selfish bastids.
Yep. :nono:
Maybe we should render a few of the fatcats into lard and put that in our tanks... :twisted:
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Re: Veggie Oil as Substitute for Diesel

Post by Pappa » Thu Apr 23, 2009 12:06 pm

This is all well and good in principle. But if all the veggie oil is used up fueling cars, who the hell is going to want to cook their food in diesel?
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Re: Veggie Oil as Substitute for Diesel

Post by FBM » Thu Apr 23, 2009 12:09 pm

Pappa wrote:This is all well and good in principle. But if all the veggie oil is used up fueling cars, who the hell is going to want to cook their food in diesel?
:lol: WASTE veggie oil! And I just picked up another 170 liters today. My veranda and my office are both filling up. I gotta start driving more or something.

Maybe I could drive to Scotland...hmmm... ;)
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Re: Veggie Oil as Substitute for Diesel

Post by Feck » Thu Apr 23, 2009 12:14 pm

FBM wrote:
Pappa wrote:This is all well and good in principle. But if all the veggie oil is used up fueling cars, who the hell is going to want to cook their food in diesel?
:lol: WASTE veggie oil! And I just picked up another 170 liters today. My veranda and my office are both filling up. I gotta start driving more or something.

Maybe I could drive to Scotland...hmmm... ;)

:hilarious: :dono: can you make ANFOS from veggie oil ?
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Re: Veggie Oil as Substitute for Diesel

Post by FBM » Thu Apr 23, 2009 12:20 pm

mrenutt4 wrote: :hilarious: :dono: can you make ANFOS from veggie oil ?
Is the laughter related to the ANFOS question? :?

Anyway, that's a very interesting question. I've never thought of that before...I'm going to have to do some :read: on that...
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