Biopowered - vegetable oil and biodiesel forum
Oil Feedstock => Oil coarse filtering, settling, drying and storage => Topic started by: Tony on June 06, 2011, 07:13:07 PM
-
I like this:
http://www.biopowered.co.uk/wiki/Simple_fat_melting_and_de-watering_tank.
I take it you sit the tin in hot oil to melt the contents, then pour them in with the mix? How do you filter the hot oil for BCBs?
-
You could use oil, but the intension was to use water, less messy.
I've mostly used it on semi liquid oil that will just about pour, probably a different story in winter. It heats oil quite quickly, but as stated it does need a stir to get the very bottom hot. It's left to settle, water drained off and oil skimmed off the top with the Mono via this ... http://www.biopowered.co.uk/wiki/Tips_and_wrinkles#Foot_strainer.
When the oil is more solid, I'm guessing I could heat and settle, drain water and then reheat without stirring, hopefully leaving all the BCBs in the stagnant bottom section.
Great little device for dealing with rubbish oil, I've just got nowhere to put it!
-
Oh, forgot to say ... for semisolids, a large sieve or strainer sitting in the top would be a good idea.
one like this ... http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Quality-Double-Strainer-Beekeeping-Equipment-/270760212927?pt=UK_Pet_Supplies_Bee_Keeping&hash=item3f0a90f9bf
or this ... http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/kitchen-colander-sieve-vegetable-rice-pasta-strainer-/180672491828?pt=UK_Kitchen_Accessories&hash=item2a10eb7134
-
Ah maybe you should mention it's a water based heater on the wiki page. Nice idea, I do like that. I'm getting increasing quantities of solids or semi-solids but no way to handle the stuff at the moment. Just need to apply heat somehow, and the idea of a water heater appeals - but I'd need one big enough to sit my 60l clip-tops in (or bail them out by hand, eeeeeew)
-
It can be either water or oil, depending on what you are doing.
Water is mentioned in the "Using the tank" section, but good point, I agree, it's water operation should be made more obvious at the beginning. I'll change it later if I get a chance.
What's the diameter of your 60 litre drums?
-
first post link not showing to me?
-
Oo Er, me neither, strange. Try this one
http://www.biopowered.co.uk/wiki/Simple_fat_melting_and_de-watering_tank.
or the link on the main menu works.
-
Nope, weird ... I'll try and suss out why, mean time the link on the main page works ok.
-
Oo Er, me neither, strange. Try this one
http://www.biopowered.co.uk/wiki/Simple_fat_melting_and_de-watering_tank.
or the link on the main menu works.
Ha Ha,bleedin armature
-
Ok, ok ... I feel suitably admonished.
It's the full stop. I'll remove it from the title, no other page title has a full stop ... trust me to screw it up.
-
There you go, removed the full stop and the links work.
Now, about this unresolved problem on your processor ...
-
I bought one of these:
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/TRAVEL-HEATER-ELEMENT-WATER-COFFEE-IMMERSION-500w-220V-/270707176206
Actually very impressed, drop into a 60l drum of slops, leave for a few hours and it gets up to a good 60C. Could possibly even dewater by air bubbling while the heater is on.
Small enough to fit through the hole in a cubie too :)
-
Make sure it doesn't touch the sides ... melted cubie ... Exxon Valdez!
-
I was worried about that, so I deliberately pressed it against the side of the HDPE drum I was using to see if it would melt in - but it didn't. I guess the oil around it keeps the element cool enough not to be a problem.
Perhaps that's why kettles are OK, they're plastic but have a heating element in close proximity - so long as they're covered with water all is OK.
I'll try the same with a cubie - if anything is going to melt it'll be that.
-
I tried boiling water in a PET bottle and holding the element hard against the sides - no trouble at all.
No good for melting oil that's thick in BCBs though (bottom of barrels) - get bubbles coming up with smoke in them :o Burns onto the element.
-
Be interesting to strap a thermocouple to the element and record the temperatures as it heats up. Dose it have an integral thermostat?
-
No thermostat, just a raw 500W of unstoppable power :)
I've got an open junction thermocouple but no meter to plug it into, was going to strip the connector off for the PID (suppose I could use the PID to monitor the temp, but it would be a hassle).
-
It'll only want the TC connected plus a power supply.
-
i always liked the idea of a 47kg gas bottle as a processor i think thta equate to 90 something ltrs capacity
but love this for a fat burner, nice solid lump of tank, wonder if it takes longer with thicker metal tank to heat a set volume of liquid?
nice job though!!
-
As my stock of gloopy/solid oil builds up I am thinking of building an insulated box with maybe a 60w or 100w bulb in the bottom to stand cubies in (just so the oil can be poured through the sieve to get into my processor), do you think it will work ?
-
I wouldnt know exactly how, but you could work it out using the u value (?) of the insulation you were planning on using.
Did you see that photo of the palm oil stalectite the other day? He was using somthing off a hostess trolly, im told.
-
I wouldnt know exactly how, but you could work it out using the u value (?) of the insulation you were planning on using.
Did you see that photo of the palm oil stalectite the other day? He was using somthing off a hostess trolly, im told.
I didn't see that Julian, but i can see a modified hostess trolley could really work... Hmm on the lookout now cheers.
-
Julian I have a simple way to remove that pocket of air in the bottom of the drum,
you'll like this, it's lateral thinking,
belt the beaded edge with a hammer from underneath ;D
-
... and then it splits and then it leaks and then my shed looks like your shed!
-
Believe me those tins are stronger than you think,
and if it does leak it'll be into the outer drum, where it will then sit on top of the water so even you could see it.
My shed will never rot, it may get eaten by small fury things, but it wont rot.
-
This would do the job too if you could find one cheap enough at auction
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/LINCAT-GM2-PANTHER-MOBILE-HOT-CUPBOARD-PLAIN-TOP-digital-temp-single-phase-/310541814538
-
Or make your own with one of these and a pid?
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/BAIN-MARIE-ELEMENTS-HOT-CUPBOARD-HEATING-ELEMENT-240v-/130404427674
-
Or make your own with one of these and a pid?
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/BAIN-MARIE-ELEMENTS-HOT-CUPBOARD-HEATING-ELEMENT-240v-/130404427674
Nice one... I have an old hot plate hostess trolley coming up boxing day.. if I cant utilise that then your find will be ordered. cheers for that.
-
Steve - what's your central heating run on?
Im only 1/2 way through it here, but i accquired a large metal storage cupboard (large enough to stack 4-off the 60ltr drums i collect, along with a few cubies of glyc for the wash) and a radiator. I can fit 25mm of insulation all over the inside (about £7 for a 1200 x 2400 sheet from wicks) and 50mm all over the outside.
I know that may be oversized for what you want, but, if youre running your heating on somthing cheaper than electric, it may be worth considering?
-
Steve - what's your central heating run on?
Im only 1/2 way through it here, but i accquired a large metal storage cupboard (large enough to stack 4-off the 60ltr drums i collect, along with a few cubies of glyc for the wash) and a radiator. I can fit 25mm of insulation all over the inside (about £7 for a 1200 x 2400 sheet from wicks) and 50mm all over the outside.
I know that may be oversized for what you want, but, if youre running your heating on somthing cheaper than electric, it may be worth considering?
If my processor were at home I would most likely use my central heating.... but.... it's at my sisters house where I am lucky enough to have a fairly large garage just for my Bio kit a lathe and a whole load of ! ! ! ! ! Plumbing into her central heating would probably topple the scales into her evicting me..lol....