quote:

Originally posted by Eurocab:
Tubular,

I think it would be best to remove the paint/protective coating from the outside of the black pipe before running BD through the column.

My BD came out very dark when I ran it through. I am assuming it is from the pipe.

Hey guys the discoloration of your BD in the first couple bed volumns Is normal, It's coming off the resin,Purolite and our Macro-BioPure Both do it,,

Chads,

Thanks for chiming in. I thought that my first experience with the almost black color was due to the carbon beads that were initially in the filter. I just filtered the BD through denim until the color was gone.

This time I assumed the color came from the pipe. I guess I will run the BD back through the columns until it gets back to normal.

--You did a great job with the extra filtering to get that color out we had just let it settle a few days poured off the top then just filtered the small bit of fines out.

Euro
How do you like the way your fuel "shimmers" now?
with using resin?

My fuel came out dark too the 1st 2 or 3 batches in ran thru it and I use the braided vinyl pipe.
My guess,,dust from the amberlite. But since then it has cleared up.

Hi,just wanted to ask if anyone is using the Freedom Fueler drywash system (Amberlite Resin)? There system utilizes a typical 1" clearwater pump with downflow but instead of single pass it is designed for multipass through the ion exchange. Is anyone using a high flow pump with this stuff setup for multipass? I process about 55 gal at a time, using NaOH, 20% methanol, my oil titrates between 1.5 - 2.5. I have good reactions etc. and I heat and filter to 5 micron prior to drywashing but I haven't gotten longevity from the resin, I beleive it is now spent with probably only seeing 300-400 gal of actual washed fuel, however, it has passed through many times that amount as I drywash for about an hour or 13 passes per batch? I would appreciate any advice or feedback anyone has.

Thanks,
Greg

strange. I have only put about 15 gal or so through my resin so far and the bio if darker, is only a little tiny bit darker. Its def not black like motor oil. I have 7 pounds of resin per keg and am running at just a hair over 1 gal per hour.

wonder why my bio is not coming out dark?

quote:

Originally posted by Tubular031:
wonder why my bio is not coming out dark?

Did you Let the resin soak over nite or 12hrs for pretreatment?
-If not, Then thats why.
When you do the Pretreatment soak you'll notice it more.

I did not intend to but I did.

I filled the kegs up with the resin and then opened the valve and let them fill with Bio. that night I only let about 1 L out to see what it would look like. then let the kegs sit till the next day (maybe 16 or 18 hours) when I let 5 gal out. then another day passed and I let about 10 gal out. if the bio is darker, its not by much at all. Now the resin has been sitting in bio for about a week and I am ready to start flowing through it and using the output. I poured the 15 gal back into the hopper to pass it through again.

the Bio I ran through it was clean water washed and dried Bio I was going to burn, but decided to use it in the kegs to "prime" the system. Maybe that is why? the resin probably had nothing to adsorb since the bio was clean?

I am going to run some bio through it this weekend that has been setteling for about 3 weeks (drawn from the stand pipe) I sure like this dry wash stuff over water mess washing!!

All Aboard,

If you are running the biodiesel through to quickly then it is like the biodiesel doesn't have the necessary contact time with the resin even given multiple passes because the beads are beginning to be exhausted and so they are not as effective as when you first started passing biodiesel through the column.

This is why the recommended flow rates are in place - one strategy is to run biodiesel as fast as you can and still get good test results and then as the columns exchange sites begin to deplete then slow and then slow some more until you can't flow any slower or you are just fed up with going so slow...

I don't recommend this strategy because the resin bed also has the ability to trap even more soap in the glycerin if the bed remains undisturbed and flowing at the proper flow rates...

GCG

right now I am flowing about 1.5 gal an hour through my 2 kegs (7 pounds per keg). I sent about 25 gal through the kegs and then closed the input valve and let it sit for a few days. both kegs are full of bio and its just sitting there. Is this bad? since that 10 ish gal is sitting there with the beeds for a week, does that just mean that the Bio will be extra clean? or is this bad for the beeds?

Just a note:

A recent customer of ours couldn't believe how inexpensive our columns are after we broke it down for him.

He decided to buy one (regardless of being capable of making one himself) and after receiving it, he highly recommended we make a post on the forum sharing the same break down of the cost involved for everyone to see - so here it is:

1) Column comes with 20 lbs of resin .......$160
2) All steel cone bottom ................... $25
3) 2 - malleable metal 1/2 couplings......... $3
4) 1/4" steel column top lid (w/7 cutholes)..$30
5) Silicon Rubber (bio compatible) gasket....$22
6) 2 - Flange rings .........................$10
7) Resin support grid wafer .................$37
8) 48" Steel Column Body (tube)..............$50
9) Stand Steel ..............................$20
10) Bolt,nuts, washer hardware................$3
Subtotal for materials $360

Now additionally there is at least 1.5 hours of welding time.
At an average cost of $60/hr this is another $90
New total cost $450.00
And then we powder coat the column (not paint it since Biodiesel
will eat up nearly any paint job) $50 min.
New total cost $500.00

All this doesn't include any shipping cost incurred for several
of these items you'll need to order from McMaster Carr or the like.

It also doesn't include your time and fuel cost involved to go get parts and equipment as well as other needed assembly labor - grinding metal, cutting out gaskets, etc...

And finally, when you receive the column it comes with a comprehensive users manual to ensure the smooth operation over the life of the column which benefits from all our past trials and errors. We believe this is probably the most valuable item of all...

We originally offered the columns at $489.00 but due to increases in resin cost the price went to $549.00.

What do you all think?

If not gravity feed...then what? I will be processing 40 gallons per batch with a lead/lag configuration suggested here - at 1 GPH. I had planned upon making it all gravity fed but I have an 8' ceiling height restriction so cannot get the BD very high - so there won't be very much head pressure to push it through the towers.
Is anyone actually using a pump to push the BD through the towers? If so, what kind of pump? It would have to be rated for very long duty cycles, higher pressures and low volume no?

Wow have not been here in a LONG time...

8 feet is like a mile! see my pic below.

The fence in the back is a 6foot fence and the top of the barrel is about 5 feet up. I wanted higher but did not have the wood at the time. with no valves I flow at about 1.5 gal an hour using only gravity.

Tubular, after the lead and lag are you flowing into the 55 gal drum next to the stand?

The 55 gal drum to the right of the stand is really a place holder for another settling tank... i flow through the kegs into the clear 30 gal drum with the blue rag on top of it. Usually its sitting in that hole to the left of the stand. Not sure why its out of place in this pic... I use 30 gal drums because I can move them MUCH easier then a full 55 gal drum. My truck is about 400 feet from here and its a long haul to drag the raw oil back there and then drag the bio out to the truck!

Perfect!
Thank you.
I guess it doesn't require much head pressure to make this work - a very good thing. I have the exact same barrels and kegs ready to go.
Are you regulating the flow at all or is it slow enough due to the low pressure that it flows properly?

- Chris

If i drain into a water bottle on the ground my flow is about 2 to 2.5 gal an hour. with my hose dipping below the top of the keg then up to the 30 gal barrel I end up with about 1 gal an hour to 1.5 gal an hour. my kegs have 8 pounds in each.

Sounds good!
Thanks,
- Chris

Tubular,

You guys in the south have it soooooooo made!

Things dropped down to 22 deg. F with a windshield of 14 deg. and my 100% bio TDI wouldn't start --- UGH!!! But I've been wanting to know the limit of our standard mixed feedstock biodiesel purified using ion exchange resin - so now I know (below 25 deg. for a prolonged period of time).

Besides that - being able to process outside year round has to be fantastic!!!

Jealously,

GCG

quote:

Originally posted by GCG:
Tubular,

You guys in the south have it soooooooo made!

Things dropped down to 22 deg. F with a windshield of 14 deg. and my 100% bio TDI wouldn't start --- UGH!!! But I've been wanting to know the limit of our standard mixed feedstock biodiesel purified using ion exchange resin - so now I know (below 25 deg. for a prolonged period of time).

Besides that - being able to process outside year round has to be fantastic!!!

Jealously,

GCG

There is a whole section devoted to cold weather issues....I should probably review it. One thing I have not yet seen but may try is placing one of those household pipe pipe freeze preventing wires alone my fuel lines - both in the car and for the tank-to-tank lines. They are not "hot" and draw little current. Just enough to keep the fuel above freezing.