fuel status batch #7
Zac Imboden <[email protected]> Thu, 12 Apr 2007 13:03:32 -0700
| Newsgroups | gmane.org.clubs.gobiodiesel.mixmasters |
|---|---|
| Message-ID | <[email protected]> |
--===============1495100345== Content-Type: multipart/alternative; boundary=Apple-Mail-15-532517163 --Apple-Mail-15-532517163 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII; delsp=yes; format=flowed I went down last night and did a 3/27 test on our latest batch. It failed. Lots of precipitate. I went through the log book afterwards and did some careful research and thinking, and I have a few suspects: Remember, that we did a jar test with this oil which produced good fuel. So the question is, what has changed between making the jar and making the large batch. Here are the changes and too likely candidates for causes of failure: Different methanol. The jar test used Heet Yellow. The large batch used methanol that has been sitting in the mixer (albiet sealed with tape) for several weeks in cold, rainy weather). We also used a much higher amount of methanol, 28% to volume of oil, as opposed to 22 %. The reason is because our methoxide mixer isn't calibrated except for a 10 gallon mark. Slightly different titration. Here's an oddity. I used 6 grams KOH / liter of oil in the jar test. I rounded up from the actual calculated amount of 5.85, because our scale is only accurate to the gram. When making the full batch, I used the 5.85 g/liter, which meant an effective difference of 19.87 grams. Not a lot for a 35 gallon batch, but still noteworthy, when considering that it equals a 1 percent change in lye for the reaction. A third concern is that at such high titrations (our oil titrated at 3.9), we might need to increase the amount of lye slightly, disproportionate to titration. If we have problems with this next batch, we should try this. Specifically, we should do a few jar tests as we go and add increasing quantities of lye until we get failure in washing. We should make another batch on Friday. I have someone coming down from a Vancouver school to examine our wash process. We are low on paper towels, rubbing alcohol, we have no clean rags and are also getting low on KOH. Any donations of these items and someone willing to pick up KOH would be appreciated. -------------------------------------------------------------- Zac Imboden [email protected] 1534 SE 35th Place Portland, OR 97214 971-563-2477 --Apple-Mail-15-532517163 Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Content-Type: text/html; charset=US-ASCII <HTML><BODY style=3D"word-wrap: break-word; -khtml-nbsp-mode: space; = -khtml-line-break: after-white-space; ">I went down last night and did a = 3/27 test on our latest batch. It failed. Lots of precipitate.<DIV><BR = class=3D"khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><DIV>I went through the log book = afterwards and did some careful research and thinking, and I have a few = suspects:</DIV><DIV><BR = class=3D"khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><DIV>Remember, that we did a jar = test with this oil which produced good fuel. So the question is, what = has changed between making the jar and making the large = batch.</DIV><DIV><BR class=3D"khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><DIV>Here = are the changes and too likely candidates for causes of = failure:</DIV><DIV><BR = class=3D"khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><DIV>Different methanol. The jar = test used Heet Yellow. The large batch used methanol that has been = sitting in the mixer (albiet sealed with tape) for several weeks in = cold, rainy weather). We also used a much higher amount of methanol, 28% = to volume of oil, as opposed to 22 %. The reason is because our = methoxide mixer isn't calibrated except for a 10 gallon = mark.</DIV><DIV><BR class=3D"khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><DIV>Slightly = different titration. Here's an oddity. I used 6 grams KOH / liter of oil = in the jar test. I rounded up from the actual calculated amount of 5.85, = because our scale is only accurate to the gram. When making the full = batch, I used the 5.85 g/liter, which meant an effective difference of = 19.87 grams. Not a lot for a 35 gallon batch, but still noteworthy, when = considering that it equals a 1 percent change in lye for the = reaction.</DIV><DIV><BR class=3D"khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><DIV>A = third concern is that at such high titrations (our oil titrated at 3.9), = we might need to increase the amount of lye slightly, disproportionate = to titration. If we have problems with this next batch, we should try = this. Specifically, we should do a few jar tests as we go and add = increasing quantities of lye until we get failure in = washing.</DIV><DIV><BR class=3D"khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><DIV>We = should make another batch on Friday. I have someone coming down from a = Vancouver school to examine our wash process.</DIV><DIV><BR = class=3D"khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><DIV>We are low on paper towels, = rubbing alcohol, we have no clean rags and are also getting low on = KOH.</DIV><DIV><BR class=3D"khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><DIV>Any = donations of these items and someone willing to pick up KOH would be = appreciated.</DIV><DIV><BR = class=3D"khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><DIV><BR = class=3D"khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><DIV><BR><DIV> <SPAN = class=3D"Apple-style-span" style=3D"border-collapse: separate; = border-spacing: 0px 0px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Helvetica; = font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: = normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-align: auto; = -khtml-text-decorations-in-effect: none; text-indent: 0px; = -apple-text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; orphans: 2; = white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; "><SPAN = class=3D"Apple-style-span" style=3D"border-collapse: separate; = border-spacing: 0px 0px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Helvetica; = font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: = normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-align: auto; = -khtml-text-decorations-in-effect: none; text-indent: 0px; = -apple-text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; orphans: 2; = white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; = "><DIV>--------------------------------------------------------------</DIV= ><DIV>Zac Imboden</DIV><DIV><A = href=3D"mailto:[email protected]">[email protected]</A></DIV= ><DIV>1534 SE 35th Place</DIV><DIV>Portland, = OR</DIV><DIV>97214</DIV><DIV>971-563-2477</DIV><DIV><BR = class=3D"khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV></SPAN><BR = class=3D"Apple-interchange-newline"></SPAN> = </DIV><BR></DIV></BODY></HTML>= --Apple-Mail-15-532517163-- --===============1495100345== Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Content-Disposition: inline _______________________________________________ mixmasters mailing list [email protected] http://lists.gobiodiesel.org/mailman/listinfo/mixmasters --===============1495100345==--