Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Outline
How we started How things work now Things weve learned Future goals
How we started
Student group of 5 chemical engineers No place on campus A professors, wifes , brothers,
Our Setup
Settling Tank
Secondary containment! Raise storage off ground
Reactor
60 gal water heater 1500W heating element on temperature regulator Max fill is 50 gal
Titration
We titrated at first Now we dont
Draining Glycerol
Let settle:
During rxn for 20-30 min End of rxn for 1 day
Valve at bottom
Taken to IBC storage
BD and Glycerol separate Later will distill glycerol
27/3 Test
27 mL MeOH3mL BD mix No oil residue! Good testing= happy engine!
Wash Tank
Water mister at low volumes <0.25 gpm Drains water off bottoms to compost
No soap curds
Water Misters
Fogg-It Misting Heads $16 for 0.25 and 0.5 gpm heads at Utah Biodiesel Supply
Wash Test
2 parts biodiesel: 1 part water No soap curds in the water
Water clear-ish
Drying Tank
Air bubbler 1 kW Heater- no insulation Clear to bottom
Construction Notes
Have secondary containment Include methanol recovery and glycerol purification in original design Check system for leaks with oil or methanol first Insulate everything your heating and include temperature control Having a compost pile is nice If you want to operate year-round make sure the place is insulated and can be heated safely
Future Goals
Larger, more automated system
Less time per gallon Smaller learning curve
People Involved
Big thanks to:
Drayton Farms, LLC Matt McShane Dr. Arnold Students of UMBC Biodiesel Project