Tips and wrinkles 1

There must be numerous homebrew biodiesel plants where the owners have added little modifications to improve performance or to make life easer for the operator. This page is intended to detail these wrinkles in the hope that they will be of benefit to others.

Drip catcher

Prevent sample points dripping on the floor. Made from an aerosol lid and a length of electrical cable. Note some lids may have a breather hole. These can be “welded” closed with a heated screwdriver. A length of copper wire is soldered to the pipe, forming a hook on which to hang the pot. When you want to take a sample, swing the pot out of the way, take the sample and then let the pot swing back to catch the drips.

• Drip catcher
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  Pot simply swings out of the way when taking a sample, then swings back to catch the drips.

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  Simple hook from copper wire soldered to back of pipe to hold the pot.

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  Similar arrangement using a tin can and string. Source: K.H

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  Another arrangement, employing a hose clip to prevent the pot from slipping off the pipe. Source: mark

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  A larger version where the fuel delivery nozzle is stored in the drip catcher. Source: mark

Bio-rich-time-poor 00:26, 8 May 2011 (BST)

Spill gutter

Where storage barrels sit on a bench (this facilitates additional room for cubie or drum storage underneath) a good method of catching spills is to cover the bench in plastic sheet or vinyl flooring and fix a length of guttering to the edge of the bench. In the event of a spill, the oil can be scraped into the gutter and collected in a bucket positioned under the outlet.

• Spill gutter
• .jpg

  Photo to come.

• .jpg

  Photo to come.

Bio-rich-time-poor 00:26, 8 May 2011 (BST)

Condenser tell-tail

To get an indication of possible condenser performance problems, a tell tail can be installed on the vapour return to the venturi. Any liquid carryover from the condenser or uncondensed Methanol condensing in the vapour return will collect in the pot indicating a problem with the condenser. This will also serve to collect any oil being forced backwards round the vapour circuit, due to valves being opened at the wrong times etc, before it contaminates the condenser. Easily made with a valve, a jam jar and a tank connector.

• Condenser tell-tail
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  Located at the bottom of the condenser, the tell tail catches any carry over.

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  Construction is self explanatory using the parts listed.

Bio-rich-time-poor 00:26, 8 May 2011 (BST)

Foot strainer

Simply made from an old shower head, some wire mesh and scrap. Unfortunately no photos were taken during construction, but manufacture was thus. All internals of shower head were removed. An adapter was made to allow a length of copper tube to be soldered to the inlet.

A circle of mesh was cut to be larger than the head diameter and the edges bent up to grip the shower head all round. The mesh was then trimmed to leave an up-stand about 3mm high. A length of copper pipe was cut lengthwise to generate a thin strip 4mm wide. The chrome was removed from the edge of the shower head, the mesh put into position and the copper strip wrapped around to hold it all in place. The assembly was then simply soldered together. I was lucky enough to locate some copper mesh but the method should work with steel, or stainless steel, provided it’s clean.

• Foot strainer
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  Solder can be seen having run inside the copper band holding the mesh to the body.

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  Top view showing copper band holding mesh and adapter to take 15mm copper pipe.

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  Top view of the lid. The pipe on the right is the vent connected to the processor vent by flexible tube which runs to outside. Completed unit.

Bio-rich-time-poor 00:26, 8 May 2011 (BST)

Barrel pick up pipe

Not liking the idea of drilling holes in plastic barrels, this suction pipe is used in conjunction with a self priming pump and flying hoses to transfer liquids. Using a 180° return bend, it simply hooks over the edge of the barrel. The length is such that it will not pick up dregs from the bottom.

• Pick up pipe
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  Pipe has a reduced diameter section soldered on to suit hose size used.

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  Dog leg in pipe accommodates shape of barrel.

Bio-rich-time-poor 00:26, 8 May 2011 (BST)

Flying hose holders

15mm pipe clips can be used to hold hoses whilst being stored or pumping into containers. Two clips bolted together can hold a hose to a pipe.

• Flying hose holders
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  Clips used to store hoses upright, preventing drips.

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  Clip used to hold hose into mouth of sock filter whilst pumping WVO.

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  Two clips can be bolted together to hold hose to pipe.

Bio-rich-time-poor 00:26, 8 May 2011 (BST)

Winged jubilee clips

If you use flying hoses to move oil, glycerol or Biodiesel around these make life a whole lot easer. It’s not an original idea, but it’s a cheap and easy way of making quick to use hose clips.

Simply file the screw driver slot wider to accept a suitably sized piece of scrap steel, use another piece of scrap for the handle and silver solder the whole lot together. Just ensure you don’t solder the screw mechanism.

Although not yet tried, a great idea of using a cut down door key in place of the bits of scrap has been suggested by BioWombat.

• Winged jubilee clips
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  Simply made from scrap and silver soldered together.

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  Tightened with one hand, no screwdriver to find or to slip off the screw.

Bio-rich-time-poor 00:26, 8 May 2011 (BST)

’O’ rings used on Acrylic sight glass

Acrylic is not to be recommended as a sight glass as some types tend to haze and crack over time. To prolong the life of the tube use two suitably sized “O” rings in place of an olive in a compression fitting. This will prevent the olive biting into the tube and creating a weak point which will promote breakage.

• ’O’ rings on Acrylic sight glass
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  'O' rings can just be seen through the sight tube. Don't over tighten.

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  Examples of stress fractures caused but copper olives biting into the Acrylic tube.

Bio-rich-time-poor 00:26, 8 May 2011 (BST)

Easily made temperature measurement panel

Cheap temperature meters can be had on internet auction sites. A quick and easy way of mounting the readouts is to cut a sheet of steel or aluminium to suit and mount to a convenient pipe using plumbing pipe clips.

• Temperature panel
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  Simple flat plate with cut-outs to accept the read-outs.

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  Two pipe clips bolted to the plate hold the unit on a convenient pipe.

Bio-rich-time-poor 00:26, 8 May 2011 (BST)

Thermocouple pocket

If you use thin or exposed junction thermocouples for temperature measurement, then this design of pocket will give accurate measurement in a small diameter pipe, as it provides a long pocket, from which the heat loss is minimal.

The one pictured is totally fabricated, but fittings could be used to ease manufacture.

• Thermocouple pocket
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  Simple pocket fabricated at the condenser inlet.

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  Sectional diagram shows how vapour or fluid can surround an extended pocket, minimising heat loss and allowing more accurate measurement.

Bio-rich-time-poor 00:26, 8 May 2011 (BST)

Homemade sock filters

Course sock filters can be made from surplus, woven, polypropylene landscaping fabric and finer ones from old bed sheets. The suspension collar can be made from an off cut of garden hose and stitching can be done with a simple domestic sewing machine.

Dimensions will obviously vary according to requirements, but typically start with a rectangle, the length of which equal to the height of the sock required. The width will be dictated by the length of garden hose used to create the collar. Provided the collar is about 25mm than the hole in which the sock is suspended it shouldn’t pull through, even when full of oil. Make the width the length of the hose plus 50mm to allow for two seams.

• Homemade sock filters
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  Suggested method of constructing home made sock filters.

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  Two filters fitted through a plywood barrel top. The hose pipe collar can just be seen sticking out of the hem on right-hand filter.

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  Same filters within the barrel.

Bio-rich-time-poor 00:26, 8 May 2011 (BST)

Human centrifuge

When performing 3/27test, the process can be speeded up by use of a simple piece of cord. Take a sample of Bio in a capped sample tube, tie a length of stout chord around the top (a clove hitch works well), so that the lip prevents the cord slipping off. Choose a safe place and whirl the tube around on the chord, the separation between Biodiesel and glycerol is surprisingly fast and complete.

Once the 3/27 test is mixed, the same process can be repeated to speed up the fall out process.

• Human centrifuge
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  A clove hitch holds well provided it has a lip to preventing it slipping off the tube.

Bio-rich-time-poor 00:26, 8 May 2011 (BST)

Strong back dome puller

Not quite suitable for a bottom drainage dome, but excellent for doming the lid of a clip top drum, this simple strong back idea will pull a dome of around 30mm.

<gallery caption="Dome puller" widths="400px" heights="350px" perrow="2" align="center"> File:Strong back 2.jpg|Simple construction and quiet in operation compared to the more common"bashing with a fence post" method. File:Strong back 1.jpg|Note the added lock nut on the face of the lid. The studding needs to be clamped to the lid to prevent the assembly from turning. </gallery