I am considering using used cooking oil in my diesel. I would like to know if anyone is currently doing so, and if so what were the results.


Also, how do I go about paying the road tax?

Hey HRjack,


Grease is the word.


I have converted FAO's (Fatty Acid Oils) into ethyl-esters (bio-diesel) but I can see the validity of burning SVO (straight vegtable oil). It will be an experiment because I havn't heard anyone conclusively say they've run it in their 6.5L and what the issues would be.


It's a great idea, and you will still buy reg. diesel with road tax on it.

My brother is currently rigging up a system for his 95 6.5TD 4x4 doolie to run grease.... apparently lots of people have done it. Her is a good link that has specific information for the 6.5TD http://www.greasel.com/html/body_tech_section.html#Chevy65


Dan

I would have to do a cleaner install than this.


http://www.greasel.com/techimages/94_65l_td/overall.jpg


This would get in my way.

Qm,


Yes, that is not quite what I envisioned. Any idea about paying the road taxes here in Tx?

I would start with the state comptroller's office. Please report back. I would like to know what is currently required of an individual using a "green fuel" as a supplemental fuel. you will still have to put petro-diesel in this rig, you know. I think there's nothing in place right now, but everything changes.


The labor and expense of making your own is enough isn't it?Edited by: quantum mechanic

The system breaks down to a "T" or solenoid coming in, a"T" or solenoid on the return line, a heat exchanger to warm the fuel oil before the IP, a tough fuel oil pump and a spare tank for the SVO.

I'm looking at doing this exact thing when I get my diesel suburban.

Some other links that might help:

http://www.greasecar.com
http://journeytoforever.org/biodiesel_svo.html Edited by: quantum mechanic

Quantum,


I'm not sure you really need a tough Injection pump. From all the literature I have read on the subject, running straight vegetable oil, and especially bio-diesel is much better for your pump, than running diesel fuel. Both have much better lubricity. Most of the diesel additives people taught on this website, do little more than improve the lubricity of diesel fuel.

Not the DS-4, A HD "lift" pump like the one in the picture above. They show a holley blue sitting on the right.

QM,

a setup that about duplicates (plus solenoids, plus heat exchanger, plus tank) what's already there has some advantages. If one of the systems fails, the other one can be used as a backup, you can use cheaper fuel filters on the SVO side, and, most important, you can put a crossover into the return line of the SVO system.

Thus, you can run the SVO through the heat exchanger while running on Diesel and have it readyly heated up before you switch over. It would do much better on the IP because the viscosity of the SVO getting into it is closer to what the pump has been built for.

Another advantage of the crossover is keeping the temperature of the SVO tank at decent levels. The Holley pump afair runs about 75 gal/h, and the plated heat exchangers I've seen on ebay are rated at a maximum transfer power of 23kW. The whole tank full of SVO (I'm thinking of ~200 liters) would get to almost engine coolant temperature within 2 hours and less.

Because I'd have to install the tank in the back in the cabin, the tank would turn into a major source of heat there. Additional engine cooling would be welcome, but dumping the heat into the cabin could lead to unwanted results, at least during summer :)

Without a crossover, one might end up with another radiator on the front just to cool down the fuel return ... ;)


Steelydan,

how's peoples experience with the IP? The 6.5 may be the ideal engine to run SVO, but if it brakes the IP soon, it doesn't pay out.
Edited by: 0lee

Here's what I think.


To work for me, it has to switch between fuels from the cab(12v solenoids). I'm not the type to get out and turn a key or two everytime I am going to use it, but having a new switch to flip, i like. I would run a heat exchanger in my SVO tank and all the plumbing would look like it belonged.

Ja, switching from the cabin would be a neccessity. But when you put the heat exchanger into the tank, you would heat the whole tank --- and would _have_ to to fully heat it up before switching. Moreover, the SVO would cool down too much before it gets to the IP.

Having the heat exchanger under the hood would also reduce the amount of plumbing needed.


PS: Are you actually going to do it?
Edited by: 0lee

Lee,


This is south Texas, It's warm here most of the year, even winter. I don't think I'll have to warm it to burn it except on the coldest days. I can always put a probe on the tank to monitor tempatures.


Am I really going to do it? Ja

Heating is important to lower the viscosity, much more than it is to get the engine started. I've been reading that many ppl consider a temperature of 158F (70C) as best for SVO. Even in Texas, it isn't *that* hot there, is it? :)

Do you remember TDGs post about viscosity? He pointed out that the IP is built tightly to the specs of Diesel fuel and that he can imagine the pump wearing out prematurely if it has to deal with much higher viscosity.

Personally, I'd think that heating the SVO to coolant temp is better than keeping it at 158F, because viscosity would be a bit lower. Blending it with maybe 10% Diesel might be a good idea, too.

The ppl here in Germany are using SVO mostly on rather old cars that have inline pumps on them, no electronics, no optical sensors in the pumps. It seems that those pumps can stand SVO well enough, much better than the distributor pumps we have. They heat their SVO to lower the viscosity --- high viscosity is even the reason for the engine being hard to start on cold SVO.

You will want the SVO at at least 158F when it enters the pump. Heating the tank isn't exactly a good way to do it, and your pump will probably fail very soon. Please, don't do it that way.

Anyway, I'm looking forward to hear how it works for you.

BTW, what do you pay for a gallon of SVO?

i saw a system that used standard tank switches like you would use if have two fuel tanks on the truck anyway. there you go qm another switch for the dash. run two in parallel for feed and return lines. you have to start the truck on diesel to warm up the veggie and then switch back to diesel a few minutes before you stop for the night because if that veggie cools in your pump your screwed.

My SVO source is yellow grease from local resturants. I weld and I'm considering making a few grease traps. Then I will have a paying source for all the fuel I can burn.


I have a little experience with fuel oils. I've made biodiesel from several types of oil and mixed my own EtOH 7.7%, THF 1.1%, remainder fuel oil mixes and burned them. Pumping 175 deg F oil is not a problem. I've seen SS pumps for this purpose.


Don't forget your IP is 140-150 deg F, and if you mount the SVO filter on the block it would get hot too. You will find out real fast how hot the oil has to be going in. Edited by: quantum mechanic

Does the pump generate significant amounts of heat itself, or is it warmed up by the heat from the engine?

If the SVO must not be heated over 130F or so to keep the pump happy, I'd need some thermostat setup to control the heat exchanger ... :/

It's getting cold enough here in winter, usually not lower than 14F, rarely 5F, and it can get to about -7.6F, but hasn't in the past 15 years or so. Heating the tank only won't be sufficient.

I'm really not sure if it's worthwhile --- it would save me about $1000 per year, but a failing pump would cost more to repair. And it has 171kkm on it now, if not one of the previous owners replaced a pump.

Collecting WVO from restaurants and refining it would be too much hassle, and I don't have the time for it. I need about 120l per week.
Edited by: 0lee

Qm


I am going to put a trans cooler in front of the radiator and use the radiator ( trans part) to pre heat the grease before going to the IP. Do you think the grease will be too hot? Yes, I am going to heat the grease in the tank, but just enough to make it flow ( above 70 degrees). As far as filtering the grease, I use the Frantz toliet paper filter, and it lasts about 20 gal for each roll, and it's really clean after the filter. I probably need a pre filter to extend the life of the toliet paper, but I have not gotten that far yet.

Ray


The trans part of the radiator is excellent. You could get away with only running it through there. It should be 180*F as it heads to the IP. I don't think the extra heat will hurt anything. The oil flows well at 150-180*F. This is a much better use of the trans part of the radiator. I've seen pepto bismal colored tranny fluid a time or two before and it can be the end of the tranny.

I like the idea, but the IP won't like being fed with a mixture of coolant and SVO ...

Olee, Do you mean in case the radiator leaks? or not getting the trans cooling part of the radiator clean enough?

I've been running waste veg oil in my 6.2 suburban for the past couple of months and have had no negative effects. I start cold in the morning on diesel and run approx 2.5 miles before I switch over to the oil. At that point my coolant temp is 150F. I have 22' of fuel line and heater hose bundled together in large (2"unshrunk) heat shrink tubing running to the tank in the back of the truck that heats the oil. After the 8 minutes it takes me to run that 2.5 miles the oil at the filter has come up to 120F and the injectors/lines are 175F. The tank is only at 70F (ambient air in the moring approx 60) I figure the 120F oil will hit 150 before it is injected by way of heat absorbed while being in the injector pumps/lines. There is no reason to heat the whole tank before switching over. After 3000 veggie miles I pulled an injector and there was no difference (coking) when compared to the injector before the conversion. I have never seen tank temps go above 155, and that was after running 4.5 hours, the coolant lines at the tank were 165F.

That is exactly what I was thinking. The filter and the IP get hot enough to preheat the grease. The tranny cooler inside the raditor is still good for a warm up and a poor excuse for a tranny cooler anyhow.