AltFuel Safe PH of oil to be used as WVO? (1 Viewer)

[rustybucket]

A couple years ago, I would use filtered WVO in my truck and ran great. But after a few months, noticed the fuel economy/performance was getting worse and worse. Took out the injectors and the injector shop said they were worn. I said yea, but in less then a year?

So, could the acidity of the oil caused the seats of the injectors to prematurly wear? What is a safe Ph oil to stick with?

 

[John Galt]

Place a dull copper penny in a sample of the UVO. If the penny gets bright, then the UVO is 'acidic'. The 'acidity' of UVO can only be titration tested as for making biodiesel. see: http://www.make-biodiesel.org/Quality-Testing/go-no-go-field-titration.html

Premature injector wear with UVO is usually caused by wet oil. Did you test for water content?

 

[magnus_heydoc]

it just does not seem to matter as long as the oil settles for long enough. The acidic stuff drops to the bottom. Be patient let it settle; the longer the better. I have well over 50k kms on the same injectors using svo in this fashion.

 

[floridan surfer]

Place a dull copper penny in a sample of the UVO. If the penny gets bright, then the UVO is 'acidic'.

How long does the penny need to sit in the UVO?

 

[magnus_heydoc]

I never bothered with the penny test.

 

[John Galt]

How long does the penny need to sit in the UVO?

As long as the UVO sits in the fuel system.

 

[jmphilion]

Any issues on using copper tubing for a wvo system? That's what i have, but i never thought it could be bad.. Is it..?

 

[John Galt]

Any issues on using copper tubing for a wvo system? That's what i have, but i never thought it could be bad.. Is it..?

yes

 

[jmphilion]

I use a tube in tube home made heat exchanger, the inside tubing is cooper.
see here for photo:
http://i1296.photobucket.com/albums/ag2/Jean-Marc_Philion/P1010050_zps3769bacf.jpg

What are the issues with copper ?, thanks!

 

[John Galt]

I use a tube in tube home made heat exchanger, the inside tubing is cooper.
see here for photo:
http://i1296.photobucket.com/albums/ag2/Jean-Marc_Philion/P1010050_zps3769bacf.jpg

What are the issues with copper ?, thanks!

UVO can react with the copper causing corrosion and a green snot-like deposit that clogs filters.
http://forums.tdiclub.com/showthread.php?t=213580

 

[jmphilion]

Ok, i will try aluminium for the heat exchange - thanks

 

[John Galt]

Don't waste your time and money trying to build a hex. That home-made hex is inadequate for the job. Flat Plate Heat Exchangers designed to do the job correctly are inexpensive and easy to find on e-bay.

 

[jmphilion]

Never seen one, by checking posts i heard of it but never caught my interest. Back when i did mine, everything was expensive, so didnt bother to check. I will check it out. Thx

 

[magnus_heydoc]

Galt's right.
........and I'd go one step further, but a heated fuel pick up for your tank (a Hotfox or similar), that way you can run any type of WVO, saturated or otherwise.

 

[John Galt]

I agree with heydoc. If you want to run 100% UVO then you should have a heated fuel pick-up, or blend it with petrol to reduce viscosity.

 

[magnus_heydoc]

I'm not sure what you mean by UVO. I run 100% WVO. In other words oil deep fryer fat that I process myself to be clean down to 1 micron.
Sometimes invariably there are some saturated fats in the WVO I pick up. I presume this is from whatever meat went in the fryer to cook. At any rate the HFPU heats that up so it's liquid and useable without problems. It would be an extremely small percentage as most of saturated fats settle out when you let you WVO sit for at least 2wks.

 

[John Galt]

None of the canola oil fuel I use is waste, it's never been discarded. No waste collection permits are required to move it anywhere. It is carefully recovered from the fryers every few days and stored in cubies till I come by and pick them up. The best Used Vegetable Oil with no animal fats is used as fuel directly and the lower quality UVO is processed into biodiesel.

 

[magnus_heydoc]

ha! if it's "from the fryer" it is waste to the restaurant owner. Either way if it's clean and free I'll go pick it up.

 

[John Galt]

ha! if it's "from the fryer" it is waste to the restaurant owner.

Maybe in Oz from what you say. The restaurant I collect from doesn't consider it waste at all. Over here we make a distinction between waste which is discarded, and recycled materials which are re-used. The restaurant owner is pleased that their UVO is not wasted but recycled. Different cultures, different attitudes.

 

[magnus_heydoc]

John, I'm in NB friend.