Multi-tasking processor
Waste Vegetable Oil can be collected from numerous outlets, for example; cafes, public houses, restaurants, fish and chips shops - anywhere that uses vegetable oils for cooking. The waste produced can be used as a road fuel, but needs to be cleaned before use in a road vehicle. Waste oil contains impurities from food that have been cooked into it, water, meat, fats, etc. These need to be separated from the oil to make it ready for use. There are alot of different ways to clean oil, all variations on a theme; below is a widely used separation system which a lot of domestic users find best, speeding up the natural process of separation.
See also - Filtering waste vegetable oil
K.H. Dual processing system (which includes a bypass to keep the filters within there pressure rating)
Parts List
- 3mts 22mm pipe
- 2x 3/4 hosetails
- 3mt clear 1" pipe
- 4x tees 22mm
- 9x 90s 22mm
- 1x 45 22mm
- 1x bypass valve 22mm
- 5x tank connectors 22mm
- 5x nylon washers
- 3x joiners 22mm
- 4x 3/4"-22mm
- 8x full bore valves 22mm
- 2x pressure gauges
- 18" immersion heater
- 3x 10" filters plus brackets/elements
- mechanical flange 2 1/4"
- 400mic drum filter
- 205lt clip top drum
- 120lt HDPE clip top drum
- tam 105 pump
- 2x 1"-22mm
- 4 mt flex
- 2 plugs
- 22-15-22 tee
- 1x 15mm ball valve
- 1x 15mm tank connector
- 1x 15mm comp 90
- 1x 15 comp tee
- 1x 15mm speedfit stopend
- 4x nylon washers
- 1x float switch
- 1x Connection box
- 1x SSR (soild state relay)
- various cable ties, jubilee clips etc
- 2x 1" tees
- 1x 1" hosetail
- 1x forecourt dispensing nozzle
Total cost @ 01/05/11 £395
Usage
The wvo goes into the drum via a 400 micron drum filter,its then heated with the option of circulating to speed dewatering,it is then pumped into the storage drum via 20 and 5 micron filters,most filters are rated at 0.8 bar so there is a bypass valve which ensures the oil is never forced through the filters,from the storage drum the oil goes through a 1 micron filter to the car/drums. A pipe and valve also connect the crud valve to the pump inlet so this can also be used to make biodiesel but it will need an additional wet or dry wash tank,the methanol can be introduced before the pump and a pipe attatched to the top of the sight tube becomes the vent. It will transfer to the wash/settling tank avoiding the filters and it utilises the clip top for sealing the processor An inline heater cannot be used with this design but an eductor or venturi could be added if desired along with a condensor but an additional vent outlet would need to be fitted to the lid
Safety Point
There is a float switch which cuts out the immersion heater at low oil level
Main Features
My aim was to make a self contained dual unit to which you can add extra storage drums/wash tank as needed but to also be affordable and portable. Also if either filter blocks the bypass valve will send the oil back into the main drum where it will just circulate in a loop. It is geared heavily towards filtering but can easily be used to process the unusable oil into bio
Footnote
Note: When useing this filter system (YOU MUST DROP WATER & FATS) after heating and before pumping out, if not you run the risk of emulsification with newly settled oil and the crud layer zone water/fats mixing up.