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Author Topic: Using frying oil for diesel engines  (Read 1335 times)

Offline Angus

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Using frying oil for diesel engines
« on: April 23, 2009, 12:13:52 PM »
Since there are many of you involved in engineering, I have a question for you. What is your opinion on using (used) frying oil for diesel engines, the plus & minus, and practical application.
I saw a clip on this from "Top Gear", and the result was it being no problem at all. Filter it, mix it with a tad of white spirit (3 promilles from the top of my head), let it wait a week and use it. Runs fine on pure. Your Hp may go up.
The downsides I have heard is getting quickly thicker in the cold. Diesel also does that, so I mix it with mineral oil and add some two-stroke oil for the lubricating of the system. That is just fine.
Would this also mix with diesel? Is that perhaps the middle road to go?
The reason I ask, is that I run an old Perkins engine (tractor) frequently, and there are 4 restaurants within 1 km, as well as a big meat industry (including pre-cooked meals), so....just being practical, but remaining suspicious since nobody is doing it.
Hope some of you have something on this.
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Offline Angus

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Re: Using frying oil for diesel engines
« Reply #1 on: April 23, 2009, 12:18:01 PM »
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It was very interesting to carry out the flight trials at Rechlin with the Spitfire and the Hurricane. Both types are very simple to fly compared to our aircraft, and childishly easy to take-off and land. (Werner Mölders)

Offline hubsonfire

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Re: Using frying oil for diesel engines
« Reply #2 on: April 23, 2009, 02:05:24 PM »
You might google "vegetable oil titration". I know at least one company in the area that collects waste oil and processes it for use in their diesel equipment. I've seen the process demonstrated, using fairly expensive tank/pump/filter contraptions, but at the time, diesel had doubled in cost here, and IIRC, providing you could source enough oil, it was relatively simple and cheap to produce. I believe the first diesel engine actually ran on peanut oil, incidentally.

I'm a bit leery of the "just dump some white spirit in and go", as there are acids in the waste oil, small food particles and such, but in an old tractor (no injectors to clog, nothing terribly fragile in the fuel system), it might be fine.
« Last Edit: April 23, 2009, 02:08:27 PM by hubsonfire »
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Offline SIK1

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Re: Using frying oil for diesel engines
« Reply #3 on: April 23, 2009, 02:34:53 PM »
Do a search, there is a lot of information on this subject.
Personally I think using wvo to make bio-diesel is a great idea. I'm not as big of a fan of using svo as a fuel.
Also I have heard from many people that using straight bio B100 will clean out the fuel system to the extreme. Many say that they have too change three or four fuel filters before they quite plugging up with junk from the fuels system.

If you can find a reliable source for your wvo then you can usually make your fuel much cheaper then you can buy it. Be aware that you still may be liable for any fuel taxes on your fuel depending on what the local laws are.

« Last Edit: April 23, 2009, 02:36:44 PM by SIK1 »
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Offline ROX

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Re: Using frying oil for diesel engines
« Reply #4 on: April 23, 2009, 03:29:44 PM »
Here in Hot Springs there are a number of buses and services that use it.  In the summer--it smells like hot french fries everywhere.


ROX
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Offline Saxman

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Re: Using frying oil for diesel engines
« Reply #5 on: April 23, 2009, 04:09:48 PM »
Mythbusters did this one. They also managed to run a car on pure hydrogen for a couple minutes. Until it exploded. :D
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Offline Angus

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Re: Using frying oil for diesel engines
« Reply #6 on: April 23, 2009, 04:14:27 PM »
That gives me some questions.
For instance, how do you, at best, filter the frying oil. What kind of method and materials?
Then it's mixing. I'd not get enough to run pure, so what kind of a "coktail" would suit?
In winter, for instance, the normal diesel we get does not always work. They're running with just one sort over the year (before it was one special for winter), and it gets to thick, so you use some specials (which are expensive) or just mix with mineral oil (which costs about the same as diesel). The mineral oil dries out a little bit too much the lube quality (needed for the oil feeding system) so you add either just some engine oil (like 0,5%) or what is told to be better, - two-stroke oil, 2%. So welcome to the world of cocktails, and the difference this does for me is simply an engine running instead of...not.
My testbed would be a Perkins engine, 3 cyl, 47 hp, no complex system, just a simple engine. Design is from about 1965-1970. Secondary would be a Czech Zetor, also 3 cyl, 47 hp. Eastern block of old design.
Ahh, and the benefit. My countrymen haven't caught up with this, and most of those who would want this run modern engines and do not take risks. The fuel is up for grabs, and probably completely free of charge. That does make a bit, when you use 10 gallons a day, and the gallon costs you $4 off the pump.
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It was very interesting to carry out the flight trials at Rechlin with the Spitfire and the Hurricane. Both types are very simple to fly compared to our aircraft, and childishly easy to take-off and land. (Werner Mölders)

Offline Airscrew

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Re: Using frying oil for diesel engines
« Reply #7 on: April 23, 2009, 05:09:06 PM »
angus, search it out.  I recall not too long ago (2-3 years) a writeup or Tv show about some guy converting some small diesel car to run on vegatable oil, running it across country, stopping off at restaurants and buying oil from them, and in some cases getting it for free.  Might have been a Car&Driver or Road&Track article too,  just dont remember where I saw it... said the exhaust spelled like french fries....
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Offline SIK1

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Re: Using frying oil for diesel engines
« Reply #8 on: April 23, 2009, 05:16:21 PM »
If you just filter the vo and want to run basically straight vegetable oil (svo) then you have to make modifications to the engine. If you want to process your vo into bio-diesel then you have to modify the oil, but the engine needs no modifications.

To me it makes more sense to leave the engine alone and process bio. The reason I feel this way is if you lose your source of wvo you can still run the engine on dino diesel. You can't do that as easily if you modify the engine to run svo.

You also need to check around your area and see how much is available. Before you agree to take anything make sure you see the containers the oil comes in and verify that it is vegetable oil and not lard.

Over here you can get a bio diesel processor starting around $1,000. There are plans on the internet on how to build one. I know that several of the big diesel engine manufacturers certify their engines to a certain level of bio-diesel, ie. B10, B20 etc, but never to svo. If you had your heart set on running svo an older mechanical pumped engine would be way more desireable than an electronically controlled engine.
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Offline Treize69

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Re: Using frying oil for diesel engines
« Reply #9 on: April 23, 2009, 05:20:48 PM »
One of my sergeants a few years back had a pickup that ran on fryer oil, if I could remember where he got the conversion kit from I'd post the link. Aside from the fact that his exhaust smelled like french fries and taco shells, it seemed to work just fine for him, and a lot of the place he got it from let him take it for free.
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Offline eagl

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Re: Using frying oil for diesel engines
« Reply #10 on: April 23, 2009, 05:40:44 PM »
Quote from: Airscrew on April 23, 2009, 05:09:06 PM
angus, search it out.  I recall not too long ago (2-3 years) a writeup or Tv show about some guy converting some small diesel car to run on vegatable oil, running it across country, stopping off at restaurants and buying oil from them, and in some cases getting it for free.  Might have been a Car&Driver or Road&Track article too,  just dont remember where I saw it... said the exhaust spelled like french fries....

Isn't that the guy who the govt sent a bill for auto fuel taxes, plus a fine for not paying them when the fuel was produced?  Last I heard, the guy who got the bill wasn't having any luck getting a waiver.

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Offline boxboy28

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Re: Using frying oil for diesel engines
« Reply #11 on: April 23, 2009, 07:53:45 PM »
GO GREEN     :rock


the best part of it all is it spits out way more pollutants .............. GO GREEN
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Offline hubsonfire

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Re: Using frying oil for diesel engines
« Reply #12 on: April 23, 2009, 10:16:11 PM »
THANKS MR WIZARD
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mook
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Offline crazyivan

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Re: Using frying oil for diesel engines
« Reply #13 on: April 23, 2009, 11:03:38 PM »
Quote from: boxboy28 on April 23, 2009, 07:53:45 PM
GO GREEN     :rock


the best part of it all is it spits out way more pollutants .............. GO GREEN
But it smells like popcorn. :D and cost twice as much as regular diesel. doh!
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Offline MrRiplEy[H]

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Re: Using frying oil for diesel engines
« Reply #14 on: April 24, 2009, 02:14:25 AM »
Visit some local Mercedes Benz user forums many US benz enthusiasts have been filtering their homebrew for ages. Especially older generation MB runs great on veggie oil.
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