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Vegetable Oil as an Alternative Fuel. By Samantha, Stu,. Evan and Mike. Why vegetable oil?. 1. Fossil fuels such as oil have proven to be very harmful to our environment
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Vegetable Oil as an Alternative Fuel By Samantha, Stu, Evan and Mike
Why vegetable oil? • 1. Fossil fuels such as oil have proven to be very harmful to our environment • 2.Using vegetable oil means growing more crops for more fuel. As long as the land is taken care of we can keep growing more crops • 3. The crops being used as a fuel actually suck out the same amount of Carbon dioxide that they will release when in fuel form • 4. Renewable fuels do not contribute significantly to Global Warming
5)Price-restaurant waste oil is free and reused as fuel, where as Diesel fuel is about $2.65 per gallon in Dominica.
Source that can make Vegetable Oil • There are over 350 different plant types that can supply the oil, here are a few Plant types lb/oil acre kg. oil/hectare Oil Palm 4585 5,000 Coconut 2070 2,260 Jatropha 1460 1,590 Rapeseed 915 1,000 Peanut 815 890 Sunflower 720 800 Safflower 605 655 Soybean 345 375 Hemp 280 305 Corn 135 145 Oildsifhads
Diesel Engines Not just any car can be converted to use vegetable oil, but in fact only diesel engines are capable Scientists discovered that the viscosity of vegetable oil could be decreased through a simple chemical process. The process yields a vegetable oil-based fuel that works as well as diesel fuel in modern diesel engines. This new fuel is called Bio-diesel There are 3 “Do it Yourself” methods of using vegetable oil in Diesel engine 1) Biodiesel 2) Vegetable Oil/Kerosene Mix 3) Straight Vegetable Oil
BIODIESEL • Is a fuel made from 80-90% vegetable oil, 10-20% alcohol, and 0.35-1.5% catalyst • It’s a stable fuel that is reliable in most diesel engines • Cuts Emissions • Mixable with petroleum diesel fuel • Easy to make and safe to handle and will work with all diesel fuel storage and pumping systems • NO engine modifications are necessary, Biodiesel can be poured straight into any Diesel fuel tank
Vegetable Oil/Kerosene Mix • Diesel Engines can run on a mixture of vegetable oil and kerosene • Mixing proportions of the two must be very accurate • This method does not always produce very reliable results, and can be damaging to a diesel engine if not done properly • An extra fuel tank is also necessary in the vehicle. • The vehicle must be started and cooled down on petroleum diesel fuel
Straight Vegetable Oil Diesel Engine can run on straight vegetable oil as long as the engine is started on diesel fuel A heater is also necessary to keep the vegetable oil warmed to a certain temperature Either used cooking oil (from a fryer) or new cooking oil can be used A new vegetable oil tank must be installed, and modifications on the heating hoses of the diesel engine must be done The vehicle is started and stopped on diesel fuel, then swtiched over to run off the hot, straight vegetable oil When the engine is running the engine coolant is used to heat the vegetable oil so it has a similar viscosity that of diesel
Precautions • Injector Coking Coking-is when there is unburned fuel build up on the injectors causing them to spray incorrect amounts and patterns of fuel into the engine. This can completely destroy the engine. Starting and ending your vehicle’s journey on diesel or biodiesel fuel will prevent this problem. • Engine Coolant Antifreeze is used to prevent the engine from overheating. DO NOT open the radiator cap on a warm engine. This will result in painful burns and other possible injuries such as blindness. To avoid these injuries wait at least three hours (it is best to let is sit overnight) after the vehicle has been shut down to open the radiator cap.
Steps for Driving Your Vehicle On Veggie Oil 1)Start the engine on diesel fuel 2)Turn on the Toggle Switch which activates the veggie oil system 3)Begin driving your awesome, newly converted, veggie oil vehicle-this allows the coolant from the engine to heat the oil. 4)Once oil at 160°F or 70°C Thermoswitch turns on the Solenoid Valve closing the valve on the main diesel tank and opens the veggie oil tank (this can also be done manually)
Driving Your Vehicle Continued 5)At the end of your exciting excursion, flip off the Toggle Switch. This will make the vehicle run on diesel once again washing out veggie oil from the fuel pump and injectors.
Other Biofuels Ethanol Methanol Butanol CNG Others?
Sources • http://www.caribbeannetnews.com/2004/01/28/gas.htm • Greasecar.com • Tickel, Joshua. From the Fryer to the Fuel Tank. Joshua Tickel Media Productions, New Orleans, LA, 2003.