High quality coconut oil has been tested at the University of Wollongong (Australia) in recent years which apparently reached the conclusion that diesel engines used in generators, marine engines and vehicles can run on such coconut oil. At these tests, the oil has demonstrated excellent credentials for use as a replacement fuel for diesel in compression ignition engines and the tests have shown it to equal or exceed the specifications of petro diesel in all respects at temperatures above 35 degrees Celsius.
I have a paper on the subject if you are interested. Probably the 70/30 mixture in Thailand contained unrefined oil straight from the copra mill. This is pretty filthy stuff and I am not surprised it messed up the engine. Hanns -----Original Message----- From: Keith Addison [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Tuesday, 29 May 2001 4:56 PM To: biofuel@yahoogroups.com Cc: [EMAIL PROTECTED]; [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: [biofuel] Coco-diesel - Engine repair claims turned down I've been expecting something like this. I've had doubts that this SVO mixture that's being misnamed "biodiesel" would escape the need for a dual-fuel system. This could do a lot of harm. Not cleaning the filters either. Mess. :-( Keith Addison Journey to Forever Handmade Projects Tokyo http://journeytoforever.org/ Engine repair claims turned down Bangkok Post 28 May 2001 Carmakers, insurers want fuel regulated Walailak Keeratipipatpong Santan Santivimolnat Motorists keen to use biodiesel as fuel are thinking twice as carmakers and insurance companies are refusing to take responsibility for engine damage. Repair guarantees and insurance will not cover the damage until specifications of alternative fuels are set by regulators, the companies say. A Nakhon Pathom motorist, Praphan Morakotchinda, 26, is a test case. The employee of a private company filled the tank of his Ford Ranger pickup with 16 litres of biodiesel, which cost him 200 baht from a filling station in Sampran district. When he turned on the ignition, the engine started working but the car did not move. He added more diesel oil to the tank, but to no avail. A technician inspected the engine and told him to replace the filter, which was full of dirt and grease. However, the pickup would not budge until all the fuel had been pumped out and replaced by undiluted diesel oil. The owner of the service station told Mr Praphan that he had bought the biodiesel from Samut Sakhon. The mixture contained 30% diesel oil and 70% coconut oil. As the pickup was still covered by a sales warranty, Mr Praphan asked whether his car dealer would replace the filter at no charge. The dealer refused. As well, Mr Praphan's insurance company declined to pay the cost of replacing the filter. Insurance industry spokesmen say they are worried there will be a rash of claims resulting from the increasing use of many types of blended fuels, none of which are covered by regulations. Nopadol Santipakorn, vice-chairman of the auto insurance group of the General Insurance Association, said engine damage caused by the use of non-regulated petroleum products would not be covered by insurance. "Insurance covers damage to the bodywork and engine in an accident, not the use of fuels other than those specified in the driver's manual." If a motorist wanted additional coverage for alternative fuels, it could be obtained through buying a special insurance policy against damage by innovations and inventions. New types of drugs, tyres and fuel would fall in this category, he said. Noravat Suwan, head of the Insurance Department, said that under current regulations "vehicle-friendly" biodiesel must be at least 90% diesel oil, the other ingredient being purified palm or coconut oil, as stated by the Petroleum Authority of Thailand. An employee of Tri Petch Isuzu Sales Co, the country's biggest seller of light trucks, said the company would accept claims only if the vehicle had been used according to the conditions specified in the warranty. He said that no industry organisation or state agency had yet certified biofuels, especially biodiesel, as suitable for auto engines. Therefore, it was difficult to accept repair claims. However, the company would check whether the breakdown was due to biofuels or defective engine parts. A mechanic at Toyota Mahanakhorn Co, a major Toyota dealer in Bangkok, said he could not confirm whether the warranty was invalidated if Toyota trucks were powered by biofuels. "For any claim that is outside the warranty conditions, the dealers have to consult the carmakers," he said. The warranty terms for Toyota pickups stated that only diesel fuel with a cetane value of 45 or higher could be used. Cetane improves combustion efficiency to increase power in diesel engines. Mingkwan Saengsuwan, spokesman for Toyota Motor Thailand Co, said he could not confirm the company's position on the issue as it was for senior policy makers to decide. A senior staff member at MMC Sittipol Co, the Mitsubishi distributor, said that the company could not accept claims for breakdowns caused by alternative fuels until the industry was properly regulated. Komkrit Nongswadi, spokesman for Ford Sales Thailand Co, said that in general, if motorists breached warranties that stipulated only fossil fuels could be used, claims would be refused. Many car companies have upgraded their warranties to three years or 100,000 kilometres. Biofuel at Journey to Forever: http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel.html Please do NOT send "unsubscribe" messages to the list address. To unsubscribe, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/ Biofuel at Journey to Forever: http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel.html Please do NOT send "unsubscribe" messages to the list address. To unsubscribe, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
