Re: [Biofuel] Anyone in East Texas

[Garth & Kim Travis]

Where in East Texas, that is a large area.
Bright Blessings,
Kim

At 08:27 PM 11/4/2005, you wrote:
>Is there anyone in East Texas that can perhaps mentor me? No matter what I
>do, I can't pass the Wash Test.
>
>
>
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[Biofuel] Biofuel car rental near Washington, DC?

[Sam Critchley]

Hi,

This Wednesday I'll be flying from Amsterdam to Washington, DC (arriving Dulles 
airport in mid afternoon), and spending some time in DC and Virginia until next 
week Monday.

Does anyone know of an organisation which rents biofuel-powered vehicles in the 
area?

Thanks,


Sam

-- 
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Re: [Biofuel] methanol recovery from fuel stock?

[tanuki]

Ken,

Thanks for this.

Am just starting on this biofuel thing and have set up test batches.  That
"simple" statement is is just an example of what makes this list really kick
ass!!  I learn everyday!!  I really appreciate you guys!!!  Makes my day!

Cheers,

Ken Uy


- Original Message -
From: "Ken Provost" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: 
Sent: Saturday, November 05, 2005 11:45 PM
Subject: Re: [Biofuel] methanol recovery from fuel stock?


>
> On Nov 4, 2005, at 10:11 PM, Ken Dunn wrote:
> >
> >
> > I'm still a bit confused.
> >
> > What is the trick to evaporating the methanol
> > without reversing the process?
>
>
> Very simple -- you can't boil off methanol when both
> biodiesel and glycerine are present without shifting
> the equilibrium backwards to some extent.
>
> You can recover methanol out of a mixture of
> methanol with biodiesel, or out of a mixture of
> methanol with glycerine, but NOT out of a mixture
> of all three.
>
> -K
>
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Re: [Biofuel] methanol recovery from fuel stock?

[Keith Addison]

Thankyou Ken, succinctly put, as ever.

Best

Keith


>On Nov 4, 2005, at 10:11 PM, Ken Dunn wrote:
> >
> >
> > I'm still a bit confused.
> >
> > What is the trick to evaporating the methanol
> > without reversing the process?
>
>
>Very simple -- you can't boil off methanol when both
>biodiesel and glycerine are present without shifting
>the equilibrium backwards to some extent.
>
>You can recover methanol out of a mixture of
>methanol with biodiesel, or out of a mixture of
>methanol with glycerine, but NOT out of a mixture
>of all three.
>
>-K


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[Biofuel] Power Compost!

[robert luis rabello]

A friend of mine recently "donated" a shredder for my use.  After 
rebuilding its carburetor (hateful things, carburetors!) and 
re-lapping stuck valves, changing gaskets and cleaning GUNK out of the 
fuel tank, it's running fairly well again.  (It still needs a 
replacement throttle return spring, but I'm trying to solve one 
problem at a time . . .)

I used the machine for a couple of hours this afternoon and made a few 
observations.  Plant stalks contain quite a bit of water.  The huge 
sunflower and corn plants we grew this summer reduced down to a 
surprisingly small pile after going through the shredder.  I'm left 
with quite a bit LESS material than I'd initially believed I would 
have.  Compacting all of that "yard waste" takes up far less room, and 
the shredded plants will compost more effectively in tiny pieces than 
they would with their stalks intact.  (Keith likes to say that 
bacteria have no teeth!) The resulting pile has a strangely sweet 
aroma.  (I know that cellulose is basically plant sugar, but I really 
had no clue that it would smell like it could ferment "as is".)

However, the 3 horsepower shredder uses quite a bit of fuel for such a 
little engine.  I burned nearly four liters of gasoline in two hours 
of operation, whereas the engine in my truck (running at part throttle 
cruise on the highway and probably cranking out about 25 horsepower) 
can take me about 40 kilometers down the road at 100 km / hour, or 
roughly 20 minutes of driving, on the same amount of fuel.  Therefore, 
my supercharged, fuel injected truck engine requires .4 liters of fuel 
per "horsepower hour", while the shredder needs .67 liters of fuel per 
"horsepower hour".  That's better than 25% more fuel being burned to 
get the job done.  (Low compression, carb technology is likely the 
culprit here, coupled with the fact that on the freeway, my truck 
engine isn't exactly working very hard, whereas I had to have the 
shredder running full tilt in order to handle the big sunflower stalks.)

It seems to me that an electric motor would be far better suited to 
the task than is the very noisy gasoline engine.  Perhaps a low speed 
diesel, with its high torque, would do nicely as well.  Either option 
seems superior in my mind, as it bothers me on some level to burn 
fossil derived gasoline for the sake of my "organic" garden . . .

Of course, the same thing could be said of rototilling.  I'm certainly 
not going to invest in one of those tiny horses I've seen around here 
to do that job for me.



robert luis rabello
"The Edge of Justice"
Adventure for Your Mind
http://www.newadventure.ca

Ranger Supercharger Project Page
http://www.members.shaw.ca/rabello/


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[Biofuel] Information in Japanese

[Nicholas Ghiglia]

 
I am in Japan and would like to 'inform' my Japanese father-in-law about the biodiesel process. Is there any information available? The terminology is rather specific and my Japanese isn't the best...
 
Any help would be appreciated.
 
Nicholas
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Re: [Biofuel] alternative biodiesel process

[Jason and Katie]

I was thinking a typical 110 VAC gas or diesel generator, like what would be
found on a small construction site.
- Original Message -
From: "Joe Street" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: 
Sent: Friday, November 04, 2005 9:04 AM
Subject: Re: [Biofuel] alternative biodiesel process


>
>
> Jason and Katie wrote:
>
> >If I'm reading this patent paper right, the reaction can happen at less
than
> >500mA using the methoxide catalyst as an electrolyte, but you need more
than
> >800 volts to create the field strength necessary for a proper conversion.
is
> >this correct?
> >
> Unless I missed something the paper says you do not need methoxide
> catalyst.  The reaction is supposed to involve a renewable oil and an
> alcohol and and electric current.
>
> >could someone read the paper and tell me if i'm nuts? you can
> >make ~12 amps with a 1500W AC generator, and even considering the draw
> >nessecary for conversion from AC to DC there would be PLENTY left for the
> >reaction, almost 9 amps.
> >
> Well this is a little hasty.  Your generator produces what voltage?
> Conidering ohm's law you are only going to get as much current flowing
> as the voltage/resistance will allow.  Dry oil is a dielectric, in other
> words it has high resistivity.  So does alcohol if it is anhydrous.  For
> instance I can suspend two copper rods in a mixture of oil and methanol
> at a distance of 5 milimeters separation between the parallel surfaces
> and apply 2000 vdc and get virtually no current.  You will need a very
> special generator to do this job.  I have constructed a power supply
> with a high voltage transformer and a 'stack' which is a chain of HV
> diodes and capacitors which can deliver upwards of 300 mA at several
> kilovolts for this purpose.  I have a background in maintaining plasma
> equipment and particle accelerators which run up into the hundreds of
> kilovolts DC and I would suggest that unless you are experienced with
> high voltage, even if you are and electronics technician you should
> think twice ( or ten times) before you go casually fiddling with HV
> stuff. Remember a couple of joules can be lethal and with DC you don't
> get a chance to let go 60 times every second like you do with AC!
>
> >i fail to see the reason why more people haven't
> >been looking into this process, i am certainly going to try it. anyone
have
> >an idea if a switching or linear supply would be better?
> >
> >
> The supply they used in the abstract sounds like a regulated DC supply
> with pulse capability and isolated output.  References to ground loops
> messing up the regulation circuitry tells me this.  Initially I assumed
> this choice of supply was a poor one and that an unregulated supply
> would be less constraining.  Initial test results as posted earlier
> indicated that the oil/alcohol mixture could withstand much higher field
> strengths than one would gather from reading the abstract - on the order
> of 650 V/mm before dielectric breakdown occured.  No sign of hydrogen
> bubbles was seen at field strengths below breakdown.  Of course plenty
> of bubbles are in evidence in the presence of an submerged arc but these
> are most likely vaporised oil.  The abstract does say that conditions at
> the anode during reaction involve temperatures in the range of 1600 deg.
> C. and are strongly oxidizing which makes me wonder now if the regulated
> supply was actually sustaining and regulating an arc and this is how the
> reaction is supposed to proceed??  This is a big question mark at the
> present time.  Once ionization happens all bets are off as far as
> thinking about how liquid reactions normally take place. Plasma
> reactions can account for many weird and wonderful pairings of ionic
> species depending on energy and ionization levels and the field is
> really not that well understood at the practical level, even for vacuum
> systems where the majority of the knowledge was derived.  My simple
> supply is not capable of regulating under arc conditions so I have
> reached a temporary impass.  I also find it hard to know if any reaction
> has taken place during some of the experiments I have done since there
> is no visual indication to be expected as with the conventional BD
> process, i.e. no glycerine precipitate!
>
> Regards
> Joe
>
>
>
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>
>

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Biofu

Re: [Biofuel] Titration

[Joe Street]

Hi Logan;

I would rather put the thermal paste on the test tube then and heat it
directly.  The rotating magnet must be within 2 mm of the stir bar to
hold it on the side against gravity.  If I turn the unit on while I am
measuring out 2 ml of oil and 20 ml of IPA and then by the time I get
ready with the KOH solution the oil is fully disolved in the alcohol
and everything is clear.  Extra heat transfer is not really needed.

Joe

logan vilas wrote:

  Hi Joe,

I like the setup very much. How strong is the magnetic attraction to the 
stirr stick?

I am thinking of building one like this. Atach a beaker(just big enough to 
hold your test tube) to the unit then put thermal paste for a computer cpu 
between the beaker and the heater you would get much better thermal 
transfer. Put water in the beaker and place yor test tube in that to get the 
heat from the water. The only real question would be if the stir bar will 
work with the extra layer of water and glass, but a 2 dollar motor, or a 
magnet would probably solve that. I think the aditional heat transfer would 
make up for the time lost heating the water. And It would only cost about 
10-15 dollars for the beaker and the thermal paste.

Logan Vilas
Bio-Fuel Enterprises, Inc.



- Original Message - 
From: "Joe Street" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: 
Sent: Friday, November 04, 2005 2:52 PM
Subject: Re: [Biofuel] Titration


  
  
Hi All;

Ok I managed to scribble down some text on my little titration unit and
throw some pics in with the description on my website.

http://www.nonprofitfuel.ca/Titrator.html

The link is under the equipment section. Anyone who is handy enough to
be farting around with biofuel reactors ought to be more than capable of
reproducing it if desired.  I'm really happy with how it works.  Of
course one can get by with a hot water bath and a stir stick but I have
gone and spoiled myself and now I can never go back!

Cheers
Joe

  
  

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Re: [Biofuel] pump washing

[Joe Street]

Hi Tom;

Yes if you had an incomplete reaction washing becomes very
problematic.  It is important to make sure the reaction is complete.
The oil I get looks almost black when sitting in a 20 liter pail.  In a
3/8" tube it is about the color of maple syrup (if you are familiar
with that - sorry I am canadian eh?) When it is reacted it is a much
lighter straw color normally.  Darker usually indicates incomplete in
my experience, but this is all relative to how dark the oil is at the
start I guess. The process I use is very similar to the way I inject
methoxide as you suggest.  I don't want a homogeneous mixture.  What I
am doing is adding a very small stream of water into a much larger
stream of ester and letting it settle back through the batch to the
bottom where it gets picked up again and metered into the flow.  The
valve is barely cracked open.  It works when you are carful, but it
still means the reactor is tied up for a couple of days with washing. 
I do this because I have very little space and no room for wash tanks
and my need for fuel is very low since I walk to work.  If I needed
more and I had the space I would go for a separate wash tank and a mist
nozzle for the water.

Joe

Thomas Kelly wrote:

  
  
  
  
  Joe,
   Pump washing appeals to me in
principle. A nice closed system. No welding involved. I can see that
the mix is homogenized and can even see the separation as it occurs
through the clear vinyl tubing. In my only attempt at it my wash water
remained milk white even after 7washes.good separation of water
& BD, but the wash water stayed white. 
   It was only a 18L batch. The
pump was a 1/2hp clearwater pump. The BD washed very easily when I
switched to stir washing, but upon reprocessing 1L of washed and dried
BD I got some glycerine. I was being rough with the product of an
incomplete reaction. 
   I think I understand your wash
setup, but don't understand the actual process. 
   When you pump wash do you stop
the pump when all the water has been pumped in from the bottom or do
you continue pumping to achieve a homogeneous mixture of water and BD? 
    Couldn't the water be
introduced from outside the tank while the BD is circulating? . in
a manner similar to how we add methoxide during reaction?
   I have been making quality BD
on my recent batches and have 75L in my settling tank. I found a small
pump that pumps about 3L/min. I'm tempted to connect it to my wash tank
and give it a go. See if using a smaller pump and high quality BD I
can use pump washing. 
   And Joe, Thanks for the visual
aids for the titration station. If I ever get the time, maybe I'll give
it a try.
   
   Best Wishes,
   Tom
  - Original Message - 
  
From:
Joe Street 
To:
Biofuel@sustainablelists.org

Sent:
Friday, November 04, 2005 12:32 PM
Subject:
Re: [Biofuel] pump washing


Hi Jonathan;

One suggestion for you.  I pump wash my fuel and my pump picks up fuel
from above the water level and dumps it at the top of the tank.   I
also have a fitting at the bottom of the tank with a ball valve
connected to a plastic 1/4 inch line that feeds into a tee at the inlet
of the pump.  The judicious use of that ball valve is critical to a
good wash, especially in the early washes.  Basically I turn the pump
on and let it recirculate the fuel and then while watching the boundary
between the fuel and water in the clear plastic tube at the bottom of
the tank I slowly crack the ball valve open until I see the water start
to slowly move torard the pump inlet.  Too much water will result in
emulsion at the pump impeller.  As the fuel gets cleaner at later wash
stages it will tolerate more water.  1/4 inch poly line is enough to
carry plenty (too much actually) of water.

Cheers
Joe

Jonathan Schearer wrote:

  Is anyone using circulating pump to wash their fuel?  I
performed a wash test on my first batch from my processor and it
seperated nicely.  I then pumped it into my wash tank added equal
volume of water and circulated it from bottom back into top of tank. 
The water was cold the first time and I changed that to warm water for
the rest of the washes.  I had to was the fuel 5 times before it was
acceptable to me.  I let the pump run too long the first time-45
minutes.  It homogenized quite well:)  The next 4 times I only ran it
for about 5 minutes or just until mixture homogenized.  Is the pump
mixing the wash too well?  I have not tried the bubble wash or the
stirring method.  I guess I thought that the pump would be similar to
the stirrer.  Any thoughts?  
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Re: [Biofuel] Isopropyl Source

[Mike Weaver]

I have loads of this stuff - 99.9% Pure Anhydrous Isopropyl if anyone 
wants some...

-Mike


Rob Rogers wrote:

>Thanks for that info. I found a local supplier through the link. I was
>paying about $10 for a pint over the internet. I think it a good deal.
>
>-Original Message-
>From: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
>[mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of logan vilas
>Sent: Wednesday, November 02, 2005 3:36 PM
>To: Biofuel@sustainablelists.org
>Subject: [Biofuel] Isopropyl Source
>
>I have found a reasonable source for Isopropyl and want to see what ya'll 
>think about it.
>
>http://www.mgchemicals.com/products/824.html
>99.953% Pure Anhydrous
>
>I can buy it by the gallon locally for $13.75us.
>
>Do ya'll think this is a good price? It sure beats ISO Heat. Has anyone used
>
>this brand?
>
>Logan Vilas
>Bio-Fuel Enterprises, Inc. 
>
>
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>
>
>
>
>
>
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>  
>



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Re: [Biofuel] Titration

[Doug Turner]

Hi Joe:

Thanks for the info on the titration set-up.  I am just starting on this
BD adventure and I really appreciate all the information and help that has
been provided here and on the JtF website.
Now for my question.  I can find all of the items needed to build a
similar unit, except one, the Teflon coated magnetic stir bar.  Where did
you get it?  I'm in Hamilton so a suggestion for a supplier in the southern
Ontario would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance,

Doug Turner




- Original Message - 
From: "Joe Street" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: 
Sent: Friday, November 04, 2005 3:52 PM
Subject: Re: [Biofuel] Titration


> Hi All;
>
> Ok I managed to scribble down some text on my little titration unit and
> throw some pics in with the description on my website.
>
> http://www.nonprofitfuel.ca/Titrator.html
>
> The link is under the equipment section. Anyone who is handy enough to
> be farting around with biofuel reactors ought to be more than capable of
> reproducing it if desired.  I'm really happy with how it works.  Of
> course one can get by with a hot water bath and a stir stick but I have
> gone and spoiled myself and now I can never go back!
>
> Cheers
> Joe
>
>
> ___
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>
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messages):
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Re: [Biofuel] Information in Japanese

[Rob Rogers]

Here ya go dude..

http://www.journeytoforever.org/jp/index.html

 

I use to live in Misawa Japan while in
the Navy. Are you in the service?

 









From:
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
[mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On
Behalf Of Nicholas Ghiglia
Sent: Sunday, November 06, 2005
11:05 PM
To: Biofuel@sustainablelists.org
Subject: [Biofuel] Information in
Japanese



 



Greetings,





 





I am in Japan
and would like to 'inform' my Japanese father-in-law about the biodiesel
process. Is there any information available? The terminology is rather specific
and my Japanese isn't the best...





 





Any help would be appreciated.





 





Nicholas









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FareChase - Search multiple travel sites in one click. 







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Re: [Biofuel] Information in Japanese

[Keith Addison]

Hello Nicholas

>Greetings,
>
>I am in Japan and would like to 'inform' my Japanese father-in-law 
>about the biodiesel process. Is there any information available? The 
>terminology is rather specific and my Japanese isn't the best...
>
>Any help would be appreciated.
>
>Nicholas

At the bottom of all the pages at the Journey to Forever website 
there's a link to Midori's Japanese Journey to Forever website, find 
your way from there to the biodiesel section:

http://journeytoforever.org//jp/index.html

Midori also runs a Japanese Biofuel mailing list, sister to this one. 
We hold regular seminars on biodiesel here in Tamba, very intensive 
four hours, people come from all over Japan. Dates of the seminars 
are announced in advance at the Japanese website and the mailing list.

Best wishes

Keith Addison
Journey to Forever
KYOTO Pref., Japan
http://journeytoforever.org/

 


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[Biofuel] Conical tank or Inductor Tank

[Rob Rogers]

Does anyone know how to make a plastic Conical Tank? I really don't want a
steel one because it will eventually rust.
Or where can I get a reasonable deal on one?


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Re: [Biofuel] Power Compost!

[DHAJOGLO]

Robert,

I'm not sure what type of engine you have, but an option might be to modify it 
to use ethanol and then delay the timing to get higher compression.  That may 
result in a more efficient system.  You would have to have a supply of ethanol 
though and you may not be able to delay the timing if its a magneto style 
engine (can one delay timing on a magneto?)

>
>A friend of mine recently "donated" a shredder for my use.  After
>rebuilding its carburetor (hateful things, carburetors!) and
>re-lapping stuck valves, changing gaskets and cleaning GUNK out of the
>fuel tank, it's running fairly well again.  (It still needs a
>replacement throttle return spring, but I'm trying to solve one
>problem at a time . . .)
>

You could buy the horse and feed it the cornstalks and compute your milage 
based on that!

>
>Of course, the same thing could be said of rototilling.  I'm certainly
>not going to invest in one of those tiny horses I've seen around here
>to do that job for me.
>
>
>
>robert luis rabello




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Re: [Biofuel] Power Compost!

[robert luis rabello]

DHAJOGLO wrote:

> Robert,
> 
> I'm not sure what type of engine you have, but an option might be to modify 
> it to use ethanol and then delay the timing to get higher compression.


I'd like to run ethanol in my truck!

Getting higher compression out of a Briggs and Stratton engine would 
involve milling the cylinder head.  For the amount of time the 
shredder will be used every year, that hardly seems to justify the 
machine shop expense.  I've also seen tiny turbos in my internet 
meanderings, and while installing one of those would be really cool 
(Robert's turbo shredder!), I'm probably better off to swap the engine 
with an electric motor when it dies.


> You could buy the horse and feed it the cornstalks and compute your milage 
> based on that!

Then I wouldn't need the shredder, would I?

robert luis rabello
"The Edge of Justice"
Adventure for Your Mind
http://www.newadventure.ca

Ranger Supercharger Project Page
http://www.members.shaw.ca/rabello/


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Re: [Biofuel] pump washing

[Keith Addison]

Hello Joe

>Hi Tom;
>
>Yes if you had an incomplete reaction washing becomes very 
>problematic.  It is important to make sure the reaction is complete. 
>The oil I get looks almost black when sitting in a 20 liter pail. 
>In a 3/8" tube it is about the color of maple syrup (if you are 
>familiar with that - sorry I am canadian eh?) When it is reacted it 
>is a much lighter straw color normally.  Darker usually indicates 
>incomplete in my experience, but this is all relative to how dark 
>the oil is at the start I guess. The process I use is very similar 
>to the way I inject methoxide as you suggest.  I don't want a 
>homogeneous mixture.  What I am doing is adding a very small stream 
>of water into a much larger stream of ester and letting it settle 
>back through the batch to the bottom where it gets picked up again 
>and metered into the flow.  The valve is barely cracked open.  It 
>works when you are carful, but it still means the reactor is tied up 
>for a couple of days with washing.  I do this because I have very 
>little space and no room for wash tanks and my need for fuel is very 
>low since I walk to work.  If I needed more and I had the space I 
>would go for a separate wash tank and a mist nozzle for the water.

That you don't need. See:

Mist-washing
http://journeytoforever.org/biodiesel_bubblewash.html#mist

Or read the whole page.

Best wishes

Keith


>Joe
>
>Thomas Kelly wrote:
>
>>Joe,
>> Pump washing appeals to me in principle. A nice closed system. 
>>No welding involved. I can see that the mix is homogenized and can 
>>even see the separation as it occurs through the clear vinyl 
>>tubing. In my only attempt at it my wash water remained milk white 
>>even after 7washes.good separation of water & BD, but the wash 
>>water stayed white.
>> It was only a 18L batch. The pump was a 1/2hp clearwater pump. 
>>The BD washed very easily when I switched to stir washing, but upon 
>>reprocessing 1L of washed and dried BD I got some glycerine. I was 
>>being rough with the product of an incomplete reaction.
>> I think I understand your wash setup, but don't understand the 
>>actual process.
>> When you pump wash do you stop the pump when all the water has 
>>been pumped in from the bottom or do you continue pumping to 
>>achieve a homogeneous mixture of water and BD?
>>  Couldn't the water be introduced from outside the tank while 
>>the BD is circulating? . in a manner similar to how we add 
>>methoxide during reaction?
>> I have been making quality BD on my recent batches and have 
>>75L in my settling tank. I found a small pump that pumps about 
>>3L/min. I'm tempted to connect it to my wash tank and give it a go. 
>>See if using a smaller pump and high quality BD I can use pump 
>>washing.
>> And Joe, Thanks for the visual aids for the titration station. 
>>If I ever get the time, maybe I'll give it a try.
>>
>> Best Wishes,
>> Tom
>>- Original Message -
>>
>>From: Joe Street
>>To: Biofuel@sustainablelists.org
>>Sent: Friday, November 04, 2005 12:32 PM
>>Subject: Re: [Biofuel] pump washing
>>
>>Hi Jonathan;
>>
>>One suggestion for you.  I pump wash my fuel and my pump picks up 
>>fuel from above the water level and dumps it at the top of the 
>>tank.   I also have a fitting at the bottom of the tank with a ball 
>>valve connected to a plastic 1/4 inch line that feeds into a tee at 
>>the inlet of the pump.  The judicious use of that ball valve is 
>>critical to a good wash, especially in the early washes.  Basically 
>>I turn the pump on and let it recirculate the fuel and then while 
>>watching the boundary between the fuel and water in the clear 
>>plastic tube at the bottom of the tank I slowly crack the ball 
>>valve open until I see the water start to slowly move torard the 
>>pump inlet.  Too much water will result in emulsion at the pump 
>>impeller.  As the fuel gets cleaner at later wash stages it will 
>>tolerate more water.  1/4 inch poly line is enough to carry plenty 
>>(too much actually) of water.
>>
>>Cheers
>>Joe
>>
>>Jonathan Schearer wrote:
>>
>>>Is anyone using circulating pump to wash their fuel?  I performed 
>>>a wash test on my first batch from my processor and it seperated 
>>>nicely.  I then pumped it into my wash tank added equal volume of 
>>>water and circulated it from bottom back into top of tank.  The 
>>>water was cold the first time and I changed that to warm water for 
>>>the rest of the washes.  I had to was the fuel 5 times before it 
>>>was acceptable to me.  I let the pump run too long the first 
>>>time-45 minutes.  It homogenized quite well:)  The next 4 times I 
>>>only ran it for about 5 minutes or just until mixture homogenized. 
>>>Is the pump mixing the wash too well?  I have not tried the bubble 
>>>wash or the stirring method.  I guess I thought that the pump 
>>>would be similar 

Re: [Biofuel] Power Compost!

[Zeke Yewdall]

It should be relatively easy to modify the ignition timing on a
magneto driven lawnmower type engine.  The magnets are usually on the
flyweel/blower on top of the engine (or the other end from the drive
shaft, for horizontal shaft engines). They trigger the magneto which
is fixed to the engine block.  I guess it actually sparks during the
end of the exhaust stroke too since it's on the crankshaft instead of
the cam?  If you could adjust the positioning of the trigger magnets
on the block, or rotate the flyweel in relation to the crankshaft by
modifying the keyway, you could adjust the spark timing.  We would
always hit stumps with our little lawnmowers, which slowly shears the
flywheel key off, and eventually the ignition gets too far out of time
for the engine to run any more so you have to take it apart and put a
new key in.

Adjusting valve timing is harder, since these usually use a 1:2 gear
reduction.  You could shift it one tooth off, but this is probably
about 20 degrees -- too much I think, and you really need to be able
to adjust the intake and exhaust valve timing separately.  Regrinding
the cams could also work, but that's probably way more work than is
justified for a little gas engine.  Even more work than milling the
head.

I'd be tempted to run it from biodigester gas.  That should only
require replacing the carbureator with a relatively simple air/biogas
mixer, and probably derating the horsepower a bit based on the heat
content of the biogas.

Zeke

On 11/7/05, robert luis rabello <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
> DHAJOGLO wrote:
>
> > Robert,
> >
> > I'm not sure what type of engine you have, but an option might be to modify 
> > it to use ethanol and then delay the timing to get higher compression.
>
>
> I'd like to run ethanol in my truck!
>
> Getting higher compression out of a Briggs and Stratton engine would
> involve milling the cylinder head.  For the amount of time the
> shredder will be used every year, that hardly seems to justify the
> machine shop expense.  I've also seen tiny turbos in my internet
> meanderings, and while installing one of those would be really cool
> (Robert's turbo shredder!), I'm probably better off to swap the engine
> with an electric motor when it dies.
>
>
> > You could buy the horse and feed it the cornstalks and compute your milage 
> > based on that!
>
> Then I wouldn't need the shredder, would I?
>
> robert luis rabello
> "The Edge of Justice"
> Adventure for Your Mind
> http://www.newadventure.ca
>
> Ranger Supercharger Project Page
> http://www.members.shaw.ca/rabello/
>
>
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>
>

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