Course only B20 or so is endorsed by the big 3 so far so until they accept it I doubt we'll see anything more than that.

 

I'm thinking Ford only allows B5 but i could be wrong.

 

I have one pump close, B99, another about a half hour drive to get B20.

Finding a reliable and decent vegi supply would deter me from having another tank with WVO.

I know he has poked a few people from time to time, has anyone seen the bio run injectors Don M got from an HPCR?

 

Straight vegetable oil has a glyceride backbone molecule still in it..

Glcyerin doesnt burn very well and when it does burn, it leaves behind a soapy type residue.

Burn some in a spoon and watch what happens.

Burn some biodiesel or regular diesel in a spoon and watch what happens.

You could design an engine to run on straight vegetable oil but you'd have to redesign the pistons, injectors, valves, etc etc to handle the residue left over.

Modern day diesel engines can't handle it.

The veg conversion people want you to think its just a matter of viscosity... Well,, that's half the story but they are very hush-hush about the other half.

The facts are,
Biodiesel is recognized by every manufacturer i know of and even the US Department of Energy coins it a "Direct alternative to regular diesel fuel"

Vegetable oil isnt recognized by anyone for anything but food.

Anyone using this in a modern day diesel engine is taking a HUGE risk. I am very involved in this alternative fuel stuff and talk to a lot of people who are setting up biodiesel systems. I've heard horror stories about injector issues, blown IP pumps.

In addition, it doesnt do you any good if you want to drive 10 miles..

 

Murph, i can respect what you are saying but not agree with it. I myself am working with a fellow who had over 100k miles on his PSD using straght vegi oil. He has had his top end off the engine at 50k miles just too look inside, not because there was any problem. He went another 70k miles since then. That to me is testimony enough.
Glycerin is very flamable but needs a HOT fire to completely burn it and yes burn it in a spoon and there is residue left over, however this hardly mimics the burn characteristics that take place under high pressure and high heat inside the combustion chamber. Viscosity and atomization ARE the only issues with WVO in any diesel engine. Get the heat up, the viscosity down and you will have complete atomization and combustion in a hot engine.
What you say about driving ten miles is also a point for debate. I heat up and switch to vegi in 2-4 miles (depending on outside ambient temps) which means i drive the other 6-8 miles on vegi...thats greater than a 50% savings...well worth it i would say.

 

CHenry is right. Plus it Lubes. My lift pump went south on a trip to florida. It is just my opinion but I think the WVO kept my vp lubed up enough to save it. Plus I dont know much about bio but from what I know you have waste product which cant be burnt maybe I am wrong.

 

Yes, it lubes well. Injectors will last longer that with ULSD in fact.
The waste left over from making bio is "Glycerin" which can be used for several things and is flamable too. I think some people make sawdust logs with it and use it for heat in logburner stoves and water heaters. To me it just is too much hassle because between me, dad and a buddy of mine, collectively we go through 100 or more gallons of vegi each week. Thats alot of bio-D to be making and alot of time to do it. i can process (dewater and filter) 50 gallons of vegi oil in 24 hours with only 15 minutes of my time involved. You just can't do that when your making home brewed bio.
Murph, how long does it take to brew a batch and how much of your own time is involved?

 

From a practical standpoint, glycerin IS NOT flammable.. In fact, it will put a fire out under most common conditions.

Theoretically, everything is flammable and will burn if you get it hot enough.. Even cement and steel will burn once you obtain the proper temperatures.

I sell biodiesel and related stuff... I teach people to make biodiesel every day and I hear a lot of stories..

A surprising percentage of these people have had negative experiences with WVO or know someone who has. At first, the few people I heard it from was a surprise to me.. Now days,,, its no surprise to hear someone talk about replacing injectors or a high pressure IP pump with the SVO.

The other part of the story is attitude.. Most WVO people are so proud of the fact they are using it, you don't hear them when something goes wrong.. Its an ego thing... However, because biodiesel is approved by all the governing regulators and the manufacturers, every-time it causes a problem someone speaks up and yells as loud as they can.. After all, the darn government and the engine manufacture said it was ok!

The funny part, you don't hear about many biodiesel problems and the ones you do hear about are ALWAYS traced back to poor processing techniques and procedures. (usually some fool who purchased a fool-meister)

I'm not saying WVO can't be used as fuel.. but it would require an entire redesign of the pistons, valves, fuel system, etc etc.. The SVO (Straight veg oil) users just get to do a partial redesign of the fuel system..

In the real world, you can run SVO in a truck but you will take a big chance..

With biodiesel, there is no risk..
With biodiesel, we import no oil at all
With biodiesel, we pollute zero C02 net emissions

None of those are true for the SVO crowd.. You ARE taking a risk, you still need dirty petro diesel and you are still polluting...

And all that doesn't even take into account the fact that the processing, filtering, drying, etc etc is ALMOST as much work as just making the biodiesel and doing it right..

In addition to all that, with biodiesel, your alternative energy solution is transferable from one vehicle to another instantly.. Just pour it in any diesel engine and go.. Not true with SVO.. you're stuck with that one vehicle.

With biodiesel, once you're set up, you can sell and barter it to others for goods, services or even cash. Not with the SVO setup.

With respect to all,
www.MurphysMachines.com

 

Wow, that was a good post if I do say so myself.. I should put that on my website !

 

Wow....What fascinating info guys...It is great to hear two sides of the story, from two different camps.

I am interested in both as fuel prices have reached the stage of ridiculous and for me I burn up to 100l per day, so any reduction in cost would be huge for me....

Thanks for the insight guys!!! Keep it coming!