Rodburner
Member
- 17
- 40
- 13
- Location
- NW Oklahoma
I’ve taken some pictures of my setup and maybe I’ll figure out how to post them lol.
first I have several settling tanks and barrels. When I get ready to start processing the oil I’ll transfer it from one of them to my heated barrels. The heaters consist of a large and small burner from an electric stove. In the bottom of the barrels there is a 1” pipe that has a riser inside so sediment doesn’t get circulated (about 4” tall). Also there is a 2” drain to empty the sediment.
To begin the processing I’ll fill the barrel with about 40 gallons of oil and begin to heat. The oil I have is sometimes quite nasty so it will roll and boil at around 220*F for a while. After it heats up to 240*F or more I’ll add 10 gallons of water. This is my experiment of washing the oil. Any comments are welcome. My thought is as the steam rises through the oil some of the impurities will attach to it and be boiled out. I do this 2 or 3 times. When the water has been boiled out the oil will quit boiling, temperature will rise and the oil just circulates in the barrel.
At this stage I let the oil cool to between 170*F and 200*F and pump it into the second barrel. The second barrel has a “PA Biodiesel centrifuge on it and I circulate the oil through it for a day before I clean the centrifuge. Depending on how dirty the centrifuge is, I’ll run it again for 2 or 3 days then clean the centrifuge again. After the second cleaning the centrifuge will usually be clean when it is checked the third time. At this time I transfer the oil to a holding tank. That is my process so far. The next step will be to dilute it with gasoline and run it through a filter system. I tried filtering while I was centrifuging but my filters plugged quickly. If someone knows of any filtration system that would trap the soot (carbon) I would be interested in hearing about it.
Now let’s see if I can upload some pictures to give you some clarity.
first I have several settling tanks and barrels. When I get ready to start processing the oil I’ll transfer it from one of them to my heated barrels. The heaters consist of a large and small burner from an electric stove. In the bottom of the barrels there is a 1” pipe that has a riser inside so sediment doesn’t get circulated (about 4” tall). Also there is a 2” drain to empty the sediment.
To begin the processing I’ll fill the barrel with about 40 gallons of oil and begin to heat. The oil I have is sometimes quite nasty so it will roll and boil at around 220*F for a while. After it heats up to 240*F or more I’ll add 10 gallons of water. This is my experiment of washing the oil. Any comments are welcome. My thought is as the steam rises through the oil some of the impurities will attach to it and be boiled out. I do this 2 or 3 times. When the water has been boiled out the oil will quit boiling, temperature will rise and the oil just circulates in the barrel.
At this stage I let the oil cool to between 170*F and 200*F and pump it into the second barrel. The second barrel has a “PA Biodiesel centrifuge on it and I circulate the oil through it for a day before I clean the centrifuge. Depending on how dirty the centrifuge is, I’ll run it again for 2 or 3 days then clean the centrifuge again. After the second cleaning the centrifuge will usually be clean when it is checked the third time. At this time I transfer the oil to a holding tank. That is my process so far. The next step will be to dilute it with gasoline and run it through a filter system. I tried filtering while I was centrifuging but my filters plugged quickly. If someone knows of any filtration system that would trap the soot (carbon) I would be interested in hearing about it.
Now let’s see if I can upload some pictures to give you some clarity.
