> >Any one who has done at least a little research into > >the biodiesel conversion process is aware that it removes glycerin from > >the wvo and converts the oil into esters. Viscosity reduction may be a > >by product but is not why the process is done. > >I was under the impression that the viscosity reduction was the entire >reason for doing transesterification. Otherwise, whats the benefit of >using biodiesel instead of SVO?
Re SVO, Elsbett says, "Vegetable oil is hardly flammable. This is why there have to be some changes of the injection system, the glow-plugs and the control[s]" - ie burning SVO needs more than just pre-heating to reduce the viscosity (the Elsbett system pre-heats it as well). Two-tank SVO systems pre-heat the SVO to 70-80 deg C (160-180 deg F) to reduce the viscosity, but it's been found that it has to be heated to 150 deg C (302 deg F) to reach the same fuel performance as petro-diesel. Biodiesel burns much better than SVO does. I agree viscosity reduction is more or less a by-product of the biodiesel process. Probably more than less, but the main purpose is to produce an excellent diesel fuel with good combustion characteristics, not just thin it down. A number of studies have found that SVO doesn't burn as cleanly as biodiesel either, at least short of a professional single-tank SVO system. IMHO some poor practices have grown from the idea that all you need to do is make it thinner, with both biodiesel and SVO. Best wishes Keith _______________________________________________ Biofuel mailing list Biofuel@sustainablelists.org http://sustainablelists.org/mailman/listinfo/biofuel_sustainablelists.org Biofuel at Journey to Forever: http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel.html Search the combined Biofuel and Biofuels-biz list archives (50,000 messages): http://www.mail-archive.com/biofuel@sustainablelists.org/
