Processor - basic design
A typical two drum processing method
Fill processer to required level,turn on pump and heater and circulate with lid off and venturi open (if applicable) until required temperature is reached (70 – 90 C )
Replace lid and settle overnight then drain off any water,perform a hot pan test to verify the oil is dry
Titrate and set level,turn on heater and pump until 64C is reached,turn off heater and introduce methoxide via pump or venturi
Circulate for x amount of time (x will depend on pump size,typically ½ hour – 1 ½ hours )
Perform 27/3 or 5/45 test at 20C continue circulating until a pass is achieved
Prewash – if required Slowly add 7% water and ciculate for 15 minutes
Close bottom valve and settle for at least 1 hour then drain glycerol
Transfer to wash tank
Wash until water is clear,perform 50/50 soap test to confirm
Allow to settle for 1 hour then drain water,turn on heater (optional) and airstones and bubble overnight to dry
Pump through chosen filters to holding tank
Instead of drying the wvo by heat and circulation you can perform a glycerol prewash which will also lower the titration value
Fill processer to required level turn on heater and pump then heat to 60C Turn off heater and add 20% glycerol,circulate for ½ hour then settle for 1 hour before draining off glycerol
Titrate as normal
You can speed up your processing times by add things like an eductor
Seen here in action
This is a picture of my current setup which doesnt use an eductor or venturi but has a large pump and 2” pipework
Thanks to Steve/e3msb for his original design and help