I am also in the process of constructing an SVO / WVO 2-tank system.
Moreover, I'll be able to provide some pix and videos of what SVO spray patterns look like out of our injectors at various temperatures and such; this is something I've been working on for a while. It'll be at least another couple of months, but when I've got the stuff made up, it'll be posted here.
As far as an additive with SVO / WVO - no, not really necessary. Or rather, that is to say it isn't necessary as long as proper attention has been paid to everything else. Here's why:
Additives (Like Stanadyne Performance Formula) aren't really intended to "keep your injection system clean". They have a few main purposes:
- Raise cetane levels (Most North American diesel fuel hovers around 40
- Improve lubricity. Ultra-Low Sulphur Diesel (ULSD) in particular has especially poor lubrication properties.
- Stabilize the fuel. Basically, prevent undue oxidation or other deterioration if you're storing it for a while.
In most good additives, there aren't any detergents or other "extras" because they're not directly related to fuel quality anyway. SVO / WVO is already:
- Higher cetane. Vegetable oils range in cetane from low-40's to over 60, depending on the feedstock. So at a minimum, we're talking 5 to 50% higher cetane than readily-available diesel.
- Better lubricity. WAAAAAY better, so long as all water (Not just FREE water, but that's another topic entirely) and all contaminants have been removed.
- Much Less Stable. Vegetable oil or even biodiesel are carbohydrates, not hydrocarbons. Bottom line is, they rot, and they are food for all manner of living things. Not so with diesel fuel. So with all other things being equal, SVO/WVO will oxidise much more quickly than "conventional" fuels and/or turn rancid in your tank / cans / drums in time. There are additives ostensibly intended for biodiesel or vegetable oil out there - I've never used any, nor examined their chemical composition, so I can't tell you a damn thing about them. My guess is that most of them are snake oil, but that is based on 100% conjecture and speculation. Feel free to disregard my opinion any time I have no info to back it up.
So basically, for 2 of the 3 major benefits provided by diesel additives, SVO or WVO is already superior, assuming that you have paid the requisite attention to collection, filtration, and handling. If you haven't done that, then all bets are off.
For the remaining one attribute, SVO / WVO is definitely inferior. However, if you are already aware of this and structure your usage and storage patterns around it (i.e. make use of good oil and burn it within 2 months) it shouldn't be an issue. Bottom line here is that diesel additives are meant for diesel, and the benefits that they confer on diesel fuel are mostly not required for (Properly Treated) SVO / WVO anyway.
If the oil is fully de-watered (which actually implies the use of a chemical desiccant or molecular sieve, not just removing the "free" water that you can see), filtered down to 1-2 microns, and de-acidified if necessary, there is no reason to believe that it will cause undue damage to your fuel pump. 99.9% of people won't do all of this, however. They will remove free water (skip the chemical dessicant or molecular sieve and just do a "crackle" test), filter it down to 2-10 microns give or take, and ignore the pH. I can't even begin to gauge what it will or won't do to your pump and injectors in that case - but over time, odds are high that it won't be good. You may well make back the investment to get another pump and rebuild your injectors in that time, I don't know. Just bear in mind that it likely won't run forever or even as long as on "conventional" diesel and you're OK.
With regard to how the oil will function in the injectors / engine.
As far as what will happen to injectors themselves, or within the engine; engine internals are beyond my knowledge and ability to test, so there's not much I can say. One point I can make is that Elsbett uses different injector nozzles for their SVO systems, which supposedly narrow the spray to keep the SVO away from cylinder walls, ostensibly reducing or eliminating coking and allowing a complete burn in air instead of spattering onto metal. Haven't seen or tested, can't make a judgement.
Giles and I may have the opportunity in the reasonably near future to strip down and fully examine (and document) an SVO/WVO pump which was put on brand new, used in a 2-tank system, and had 10-15,000 km put on it. There's nothing wrong with the pump at this point, we just figured it might be interesting to do an examination and see if there is any early damage or not. The system is managed by a pretty conscientious guy, a friend of mine, so it's a good representative of the "best-case" scenario. If or when we get to that, I'll link to the full report and any associated images.
And that's all for my latest ramble. Hopefully some of this info is helpful.
Topic: Diesel Prices (Read 7164 times)
