Chat & Social > The Bar - General Chat
Veg oil
lrmike:
If we talk generically at first:
The absolute easiest product from a consumer standpoint and best for the motor is Biodiesel. It burns cleaner, motor runs quieter, has a slightly higher cetane rating, keeps the fuel system clean, and is, of course, green.
The best part is that from the operator standpoint it is absolutley no different than conventional diesel as it is refined.
On the negative, straight Bio has a higher gel point than dino, (although if you mix when colder it off sets this). Bio can attack some rubber components on older vehicles (US spec about 1990) causing them to swell and deteriorate. A simple conversion of replacing hoses and such will prevent this. Bio is a great cleaning agent, so be prepared for clogged filters for the first few thousand miles miles as the lines and tank are cleaned.
When I say SVO I'm talking about NEW veg oil, preferably rapeseed or similar quality low acid oil. These will combust very nicely in a conventional diesel engine, again low emissions and cleaning qualities as bio. The biggest hurdle here is the viscosity - SVO is thick, very thick at low temps. In a cold engine the injection pump will have a really hard time and possibly suffer damage. The solutions are to preheat the oil, either with a heat exchanger in the tank or in the engine bay. This leads to it's own problems when it comes to getting started on a winter morning! The easiest solution for most owners is to run 2 tanks - 1 dino or bio, the second SVO. Start the vehicle on the dino, then switch over after it comes up to temp. You have to remember to switch back again before you shut down to put dino back into the pump and injectors so it'll start again!
WVO - this is basically used fryer oil from the chip shop. The basics are the same as SVO, but now we have to get it clean, and have a means of monitoring the quality. Actually, chinese shops have some of the best waste oil. Chip shops, per say, not so good as there is too much other 'stuff' in the oil. The oil has to be filtered, down to about 10 microns, to work acceptably well.
I have heard of a gentleman who would dump WVO through a coffee filter directly into his tank, but there are WAY too many variables involved to risk an injection pump on it!
That's sort of the summary, in general. Now the particulars:
SVO and WVO work best in IDI engines - that is the good old fashioned mechanical injection pump motors (Mercedes and VW are great). Modern electronic injectors are a bit trickier - the tolerances are so tight that if the SVO runs too thick or carries too much water with it it can damage the injector. Poor quality oil in this style of injector can also cause nozzle issues from 'polymerization' - the high injection pressures can actually form polymers from the oil at the nozzle. Because of this many manufacturers now recommend blends of bio no higher than 5% in some cases (up to 20% for most). Of course, manufacturers like to CYA a lot, too!
Told you not to get me started!
So, are there any Bio plants or distribution centers in the UK?
lrmike:
Oh, and engine oil quality remains high with any veg oil, the combustion byproducts (sulpher, etc) are much lower so the engine oil has less to take clean out. Fleets over here have used bio successfully for hundreds of thousands of miles and report lower engine wear and failures. They are using quality biodiesel, not SVO.
woody:
interesting read lrmike =D> =D> =D>
heres a few from this side of the pond
http://www.dieselveg.com/conversion%20info.htm
http://www.veggievan.org/
http://www.iwemalpg.com/Diesel_LPG.htm
http://www.bio-power.co.uk/svoconference/
http://www.ravenfamily.org/andyg/vegoil.htm
as you can tell i am a fan
the only thing stopping me is the amount of tax you have to pay in this country :cry: :cry: :cry: :cry:
it makes it not worth the hassle :cry: :cry:
Pike:
My 200 tdi runs cock on on 50% mix (derv and new oil) it runs cleaner and a bit faster and its cheaper,but if you want run on bio-diesel theres a firm in bradford that sells it at 78p a litre (tax included) and they deliver,the only thing is it drags all the s***t from the lines and tank into the filter so you have to change the filter more often for the first 1000 miles but after that its perfect,to buy bio diesel by the gallon its £3.58 (inc tax),to use a mix of derv and asdas finest it still works out at £3.58 a gallon(no tax paid) so use bio diesel its the same price!!!! try this www.rix.co.uk
woody:
last time i checked
Morrisons £1:40 ish for 3 litres SVO
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