Acronyms

Acronyms, initialisms, abbreviations and mnemonics used by the biodiesel community and on this wiki are often confusing for newcomers - it's like another language - so here is a list to try to clear things up a bit:

• AAF - Arse About Face method; the Methoxide is put into the processor first, then the pre-heated oil for reaction.

• AE - Acid Esterification: Using acid in the presence of alcohol (Methanol) to turn Free Fatty Acids into biodiesel before the normal base transesterification process. External link

• BCB - Burnt Crispy Bit

• BDF - Biodiesel Forum

• BSP / BSPT / BSPP - British Standard Pipe (thread): BSPT = tapered thread, BSPP = parallel thread. Wikipedia entry

• CBBB - Chug's Bio Buddies Bash

• CFPP - Cold Filter Plug Point: The lower temp at which a liquid will start to block filters. Wikipedia entry

• CHP - either Central Heating Pump or Combined Heat and Power (electricity generation with the generator's coolant used for heating)

• CP - Cloud Point: Wikipedia entry

• CPRO - Cold Pressed Rapeseed Oil: food grade rapeseed oil

• DG - Diglyceride: A component of part-reacted oil in the biodiesel reaction

• DSS - Door Step Sample: sample left outside to replicate temperature effects of bio in vehicle tank

• DWS - Dreaded White Stuff: Any white gunk that forms between the bio and water layers after doing a soap shake-up test. Dreaded because it indicates the presence of mono and di-glycerides from an incomplete reaction

• EA - Environment Agency: See Rules_and_Regulations#Environment_Agency

• FAME - Fatty Acid Methyl Esters: The chemical name for Biodiesel. Wikipedia entry

• FFA - Free Fatty Acids: Acids created by frying with oil, from the water in the food. FFAs neutrilise the catalyst, so more catalyst has to be added to compensate. Titration measures the FFA level of the oil. Wikipedia entry

• FPHE - Flat Plate Heat Exchanger: A heat exchanger commonly used in household boilers to indirectly warm tap water from the central heating water, used by twin-tankers to heat veg oil using the engine's coolant prior to injection

• GL - Graham Laming: UK pioneer for home biodiesel production - GL processor
• HDPE - High-Density Polyethylene

• HE - Heat Exchanger

• HMPE - High Melt Point Esters: Esters that form wax-like crystals in biodiesel at cold temperatures, which can result in blocked filters

• HMPFA - High Melting Point Fatty Acids

• HMRC - HM Revenue & Customs: See Rules_and_Regulations#HMRC

• HTAE - High Temperature Acid Esterification: (74C / 165F) See AE above.

• IBC - Intermediate Bulk Container: Steel framed plastic container on a standard pallet, typically 1000l. Wikipedia entry

• IP - Injection Pump: sits on the side of a diesel engine and squirts fuel up to the injectors at high pressure

• IPA - Isopropyl Alcohol: pure alcohol used in titration

• IPC - International Polymers Corporation: produce automotive spec plastic materials for items such as fuel tanks

• KOH - Potassium Hydroxide: a common catalyst for the biodiesel reaction. The Glycerol byproduct is usually liquid when cool, unlike NaOH.

• LDPE - Low-Density Polyethylene

• MDPE - Medium-Density Polyethylene

• MG - Monoglyceride: A component of part-reacted oil in the biodiesel reaction

• NaOH - Sodium Hydroxide: a common catalyst for the biodiesel reaction. The Glycerol byproduct is usually solid when cool, unlike KOH.

• NPT - National Pipe Thread: U.S. standard for tapered threads. Wikipedia entry

• OSR - Oil Seed Rape

• PD / PDHE - Plumbers Delight: heat exchanger made from copper pipe, used as a Methanol vapour condenser. Link

• PID - Proportional–Integral–Derivative: A negative feedback controller typically used to control processor temperatures. Wikipedia entry

• PLC - Programmable Logic Controller: A controller used for process automation. Wikipedia entry

• PPO - Pure Plant Oil: generally a term used in Germany for CPRSO sold as fuel grade

• PPO - Polyphenylene Oxide: a thermoplastic material commonly used in water pumps. Generally considered unsuitable for processor pumps but OK for cold filtering WVO and biodiesel. Wikipedia entry

• PW - Pre-Wash: depending on context - either a Glycerol prewash; mixing glycerol with WVO to lower the titration level before reaction, Water prewash; mixing a small amount of water with the bio/glycerol after the reaction is complete, to stop the reaction and help remove soaps

• RME - Rapeseed Methyl Ester: The German preferred acronym for biodiesel

• RSO - Rapeseed Oil

• RUG - Regular Unleaded Gasoline, aka Petrol

• SBO - Soy Bean Oil

• SHHE - Still Head Heat Exchanger: A vapour-vapour heat exchanger that both cools the vapour from the top of the processor and heats the cold return vapour from the bottom of the condenser

• SSR - Solid State Relay: Relay with no moving (sparky) parts. Wikipedia entry

• SVO - Straight Vegetable Oil: Clean, fresh oil as bought in supermarkets, used in modified vehicles directly or blended with Diesel/Petrol

• TAM - Clark TAM105 pump, commonly used for oil filtration or on biodiesel processors.

• TG - Triglyceride: The chemical name for vegetable oil. Wikipedia entry

• UCO - Used Cooking Oil

• UMO - Used Motor Oil

• WBD - Whole Batch Demeth: Demething the glycerol and biodiesel together, almost down to the stoichiometric ratio required to convert all the oil to bio.

• WI - Water injection (into diesel engines) Link to vegetableoildiesel thread

• WTN - Waste Transfer Note: duty of care documentation allowing the Environment Agency to track waste. Should be signed by the waste collector and the waste producer and copies kept by both.

• WVO - Waste Vegetable Oil

Thanks for reading!