Vegetable oil heating in a diesel vanagon

[jtanguay]

just a couple of questions, jtanguay:

1) By already available vacuum line do you mean the same vacuum line that is used for brakes?

2) Is the check valve between the two tanks? If so, then I don't understand Your idea at all... or..

3) Is there only the main tank in the picture?

1.  yes.  the vacuum pump is capable of producing lots of vacuum.  i'm looking to find special valves that will cut off the vacuum if it gets too low. this could be in the form of a 5lb loaded check valve that would shut when the vacuum gets too low, or in the form of a solenoid that would disable the vacuum to the veg tank should the vacuum in the brake system become too low...  might seem a bit complicated, but one just needs to find the proper switches.  air solenoids can be quite pricey though...

2.  yes - the check valve is just a metal flap that opens one way, and shuts the other.  the vacuum force will hold it up against a rubber gasket to ensure a tight seal.  the fact that it just flaps, with absolutely no pressure means the veg oil can easy equalize itself between both 'tanks'

3. its a quick and dirty diagram.  imagine both of the 'squares' as being separate tanks.  the check valve is only there to equalize the tanks, and should work very efficiently.  like i said, the vacuum tank could probably benefit from being a little higher up than the main holding tank...

this diagram might explain it a little better...



another issue will be that the dirty tank have a vent to let air get into the tank so that the vacuum can be dissipated.  i don't think a normal gas cap will suffice...

[ragulka]

So which one of them is for dirty and which one is for clean oil?

You mentioned in the previous post that the vacuum could suck the oil thru the filter... but I don't see how that would happen by looking at your diagram - wouldn't the bypass filter need to be between the two tanks?

Maybe you can add arrows to point out the direction the oil would be moving...

[ragulka]

Oh, okay, in that caes it makes much more sense. But why would You need an extra vacuum tank? Couldn't You just use the main tank as vacuum tank as well? no?

[jtanguay]

He's not showing the dirty oil tank.  If I'm thinking correctly, the vacuum tank is simply for level control of the clean tank and to suck the clean fuel through the filter.

Andrew

yep! right on Andrew.

Oh, okay, in that caes it makes much more sense. But why would You need an extra vacuum tank? Couldn't You just use the main tank as vacuum tank as well? no?

i've never had a chance to see what it would be like to get the injection pump to suck fuel from a tank that had vacuum applied to it.  i was imagining something along the lines of a gasser with a broken gas cap  :lol:

[ragulka]

Do You think this could work at all? No valves, vacuum or anything... just gravity.

[jtanguay]

Do You think this could work at all? No valves, vacuum or anything... just gravity.

if you could somehow heat the oil as its going through the bag filter, it will speed up the process, but nowhere near as fast as the vacuum method.  i would recommend going through the bag filter AND either a series of large to small filters, or the bypass filter which is already layered.

my friend is using the bag filter technique right now (but doing it in his basement), and he needed a small electric pump to extend his filter life.  he was changing filters about once every 200km or so (or it seemed) and with the electric pump its more like 1000km...  he is using a small fuel filter (cheapie filter - maybe 10 micron?) before the electric pump, and a 5 micron cellulose filter after it.

[ragulka]

how much does that fs2500 bypass filter cost?

[jtanguay]

how much does that fs2500 bypass filter cost?

too much.  i was going to see if someone could fabricate one up.  all you need is some aluminum, and welding/machining skills.  the filters themselves run about $25 but last quite a while and are also very robust.  they were designed to run high oil pressure from big rigs and heavy equipment.  from thick oil to thin oil as well.

i currently have one on my diesel filtering the engine oil.  the oil is very clean despite over 400km of driving.

[TDSami]

i strain mine through a t shirt and run 50/50 with regular diesel all year round without preheat or plugged in at -20 here this winter

[dillenger1]

i strain mine through a t shirt and run 50/50 with regular diesel all year round without preheat or plugged in at -20 here this winter

Thats askin for failure.Cotton is going to let through small particals that will clog injectors and pump passages for sure.

[TDSami]

i also have a couple filters on it, the wvo sits for a yr before i use to so it settles and i only use the top 3/4 of the container, my buddy has run his rabbit that way for 9yrs and no problems

[jtanguay]

i also have a couple filters on it, the wvo sits for a yr before i use to so it settles and i only use the top 3/4 of the container, my buddy has run his rabbit that way for 9yrs and no problems

you'd want to make sure that there the oil is de-watered then... otherwise the water will turn to acid and make a nice corrosive 'soup' to ruin your pump.  it won't really affect it right away, but eventually it will damage the internals.

[ragulka]

Alright, so I changed the coolant flow just as suggested. The oil gets warm now! Sweet smell of french fries, here I come !

However, I plan to change my whole oil tank setup (2 tanks for oil) and I'm open to suggestions. I will probably let someone custom weld them from aluminium. The first thing I need to figure out, is where to place the tanks. There are 2 obvious places:
a) inside the van, under the rear seat and in one of the closets
b) outside and under the van, on both two sides, where there is a pretty big space (some vans have a water tank or propane tank there)

That said, I also would need to mount a filter and a pump between the two tanks.

As I probably need to open the tanks for cleaning, I thought of a design, where all the connections to the tank (fuel in, fuel out, heating, fuel level senders etc) are mounted on the top cover, which I can remove somehow (either it is attached by screws or some other ingenius thing). This way I can just lift the cover away and clean or check the tank and the connections on the cover.

Benefits for A:
- Very easy to maintain, just open the closet/rear seat  and remove the top cover
- Veggie oil stays a bit warmer during wintertime & driving
Cons:
- Takes away valuable closet space
- Could make the inside of the van messy when there is a leak or when I need to change the filter

Benefits for B:
- Will not take up valuable space, Good use of free space under the car
- No need to worry about interior getting messy or smelly
Cons:
- Removal of top cover would be a lot harder - actually it would mean to remove the whole tank and drop it to the ground and afterwards remove the top cover
- The connections are hidden behind the top conver so I cannot check their situation, I would need to remove the whole tank
- Oil can get really cold during wintertime

Any thoughts/ideas?

[jellyhead]

Did you get your veg system working?