A worthwhile discussion on HiH:
http://biodiesel.infopop.cc/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/159605551/m/3961053671


Sounds like a great project.
You may want to take a few minutes to describe how you are converting your car. What are you doing to heat the vegetable oil? What are you doing for a veggie oil pump? Filtration? Fuel valves?

This info will help us make suggestions.

You may want to look at thing called a smerf tube (used in dsl cable installs) I think you will find it at home depot ... anyway you can slide it over the hih under the car to protect the hih from rocks and other road stuff that can cut the hose ... I think Craig of plant drive knows about it ... just a thought
Omar
ps look at BG CAST 240d install he runs his coolant line with out cutting any holes ....

http://www.frybrid.com/forum/showthread.php?t=3127&page=3

take a look at bg cast install he has lots of photo's

Great question Jake, in regards to what parts we are going to use on the project. At the time we have pretty much everything we need and are using the following components: Jem valves, 26 plate flat plate heat exchanger, Frybrid heated filter, the veg tank is the old diesel tank with a 25ft of coiled aluminum tubing as the heat exchanger.
I've got the students broken into eight different groups. They are working on the many areas of a car restoration, veggie conversion, and documenting the process. Things have been going well as they have become formalize with the veggie process and their area. The next few classes we are really going to be getting the ball rolling with meat of the conversion. A great class project indeed. Thanks to all for the help and insight.

Andrew Bauman
Tech Ed.
Oostburg High School

quote:

Originally posted by Oostburg High School:
Greetings, this is peter from Oostburg and I am running the HIH for the veggie fuel lines. My plan at the time is to follow the diesel fuel lines running out of the engine and following them to the rear axle and going under the A frame and running the HIH over to the center of the car where the tank will be located I was wondering if I should run the hose a different way then I am planning?

i posted a link on the hose routing i used routing thru the side channels of the car. this is on a sedan and depending on where you enter the tank, you may have to go back ouside on the wagon. i built one running outside and thru the suspension and it works ok. it looks very amaturish and would suspect it to be prone for problems.

pat

quote:

Originally posted by Oostburg High School:
the veg tank is the old diesel tank with a 25ft of coiled aluminum tubing as the heat exchanger.

25' sounds like far too much heat exchanger. You only need heat around the pickup tube, I have about 3' in mine in a 6" coil around the bottom of the pickup tube. You want just enough heat for the VO to flow, mine flows fine at -10F which is the coldest temp I have had here.

Any more heat than that can accelerate the oxidation of the VO and lead to polymerization, especially in the summer when your whole tank could get to 150F.

I think with a heated tank & 26 plate FPHE, HiH is overkill and may bring more problems than it solves. I would seriously reconsider HiH.

EuDeMan summarized it very well in that thread about HiH:
"you need a little heat at the tank, a little more to the lines, a little more before the IP, and even more before the injectors"


Other than that, sounds like you are off to a great start. What are you using for switching?
Looped return or return to tank?

Also, if you are using an electric lift pump for veggie, we found that we weren't able to get sufficient fuel pressure until we went to a Holley Red.

Should the heat exchanger in the vegie tank be raised off the bottem of the tank?

How is everyone, good I hope, I set up a myspace with my partner and here's the myspace link http://www.myspace.com/vegiecar, We will be posting video over utube and on the myspace and also posting pics on some of our operations.

quote:

Originally posted by Oostburg High School:
Should the heat exchanger in the vegie tank be raised off the bottem of the tank?

Yes.

And it is best if the heat is concentrated aroudn the fuel outlet. You do not want to heat up all the VO in the tank. Excessive heating may lead to polymerization and excessive filter clogging. A heated fuel pickup is the best option.

Hey Everyone. We are now done repluming the system and are starting to install our components. We found a good spot to place our HE but is it nessary to insulate it? Thanks

By the way we have a 26 plate heat exchanger.

You do not have to however it is a good idea in a cold climate. Make sure you have foam or something behind the HE so it does not vibrate metal to metal on the mounting site. I think Dana said he gained 2 plates of heat by adding insulation...
O

I insulated my heat exchanger. I will try to post a picture. I used a thin foam insulation that came in a roll about 6" wide. It has a foil backing. I then wrapped it in duct tape for extra protection.

Peter

hydraforce.JPG (1,522 Kb, 34 downloads)

quote:

What are you using for switching?
Looped return or return to tank?

We are using return to tank. So fare its working fine.

Hi my name is Matt, I have a question about what type of hose to use inside the veggie tank to connect the aluminum heat exchanger to the brass nipples? right now we have clear 5/8 vinal hose, but we don't know if it will withstand the heat.

quote:

Originally posted by Oostburg High School: ... a question about what type of hose to use inside the veggie tank to connect the aluminum heat exchanger to ...

Vinyl not good enough for sure. Its early AM and Im at a loss for words of the better stuff. Someone will pipe in.

LOL, So why the heck am I responding then??? Im a bit conscreded with the way this in the tank exchanger is sounding. Your in tank exchanger should NOT have any hose etc. inside the tank. Doing so is asking for leaks of coolant into fuel. You should really revisit your exchanger in the tank plans. Its ports should protrude THRU the tank wall and all hoses attach outside of the tank.

quote:

Originally posted by jeepin, moggin Jessup (coachgeo):
Im a bit conscreded with the way this in the tank exchanger is sounding. Your in tank exchanger should NOT have any hose etc. inside the tank. Doing so is asking for leaks of coolant into fuel. You should really revisit your exchanger in the tank plans. Its ports should protrude THRU the tank wall and all hoses attach outside of the tank.

+1

Way too risky... back to the drawing board for sure.

quote:

Originally posted by jeepin, moggin Jessup (coachgeo):
Im a bit conscreded with the way this in the tank exchanger is sounding. Your in tank exchanger should NOT have any hose etc. inside the tank. Doing so is asking for leaks of coolant into fuel. You should really revisit your exchanger in the tank plans. Its ports should protrude THRU the tank wall and all hoses attach outside of the tank.

Thanks we will look back at out plans and let you know what were doing, thanks a lot, also we have pics on our myspace of the car, and I will be trying to post pics on here heres the url http://www.myspace.com/vegiecar so check it out

Um..I looked at the myspace pics and applaud your efforts so far. But...it appears from the myspace presentation that you are planning to use the stock tank for VO fuel and place a diesel tank inside the passenger compartment of the car.

If so this is a serious problem that may need to be addressed before you proceed further with that particular part of the project.
Placing a VO fuel tank inside the pasenger compartment is technically illegal and marginally unsafe. Placing a diesel fuel tank inside the passenger compartment is clearly unsafe and illegal.

quote:

Placing a VO fuel tank inside the pasenger compartment is technically illegal and marginally unsafe. Placing a diesel fuel tank inside the passenger compartment is clearly unsafe and illegal.

Yes and so is running an illegal fuel like veggie oil...

Is this really that big of a deal.... lots of folks converting benz wagons to put a second tank where the spare tire lives... Fuel cells in race cars are often in the same space as the driver... And this is diesel were talking about not gasoline... My personal preference would be to locate a tank under the hood (less work to hook up the hoses and the engine heat will keep the fuel warm..) I'd put it in the spot where the windshield washer tank is.... Then relocate the washer... A BMW tank mounts onto the fenderwell really nice.... I think 4-5 gallons would be easy... get the folks in metal shop to make you a custom one... BTW looks like a nice job to me so far... Good luck with the project...