It is never too early to contemplate how one is to approach the coming cold weather (for many of us) and how, if at all, we can use B100.

Last year I installed my auxilliary heated fuel system based upon the basic SVO design's use of two tanks and coolant heat. The results have shown a total success, bringing the cost of running all winter donw to a fraction of what it was the year before when I was blending only.

Some are not too fond of The Pollack valves, but this should not stop you as people like Frybrid and PlantDrive have excellent 3 port valves. Plantdrive even has a summary on how o getthe most out of them in terms of purging often, although the issue of cross contamination isn't a real issue when using Biodiesel as opposed to SVO.

Anyway, there you have it. Plan ahead and you won't be caught wanting.

Okay now I see that indeed a lot of work and parts are needed to run b100 in the Winter.
Plus your processor is setup in a Winterised building.

Boss,

Don't give up on B100 in the winter yet ... check out this website to eliminate your fuel cold storage problems:

http://www.thermalstabilitysys...com/Green_Heater.htm

Coldbio

Originally I had installed the Greasecar system w/15gal tank & Autopilot (http://www.greasecar.com/kit_selected.cfm?selectA=+&selectB=+&selectC=39&AddToCart=Find+Kit+%BB)

Then I moved closer to my office (5 miles) and never got to temp to get to grease. So got bit by Biodiesel bug and haven't looked back since.

With the kit and a flat plate heat exchanger (FPHE) running just WVO previously, I now intend to switch over to B100 in the Greasecar tank and B70 or so in the main tank (I live in Detroit and we get to 0F in January). Questions...

1) is it OK to run B100 thru the PEX Hose in Hose coolant line (HIH) from the trunk tank to the IP(I would think so but just wanted to check to see if B100 was going to turn that PEX into a gummy mess).

2) Is it a problem to run B100 thru the HIH line and thru the FPHE. In the winter it'll get to 150F+ by the time it hits the IP.

Thanks!

I think the IP heat exchanger at 150F is overkill, unless you are using B100 made from high gel point oils or fats. The whole idea is not so much to heat up the fuel to make it hot as it is already mimicking pump stuff pretty efficiently but to create a climate in which it will flow easily, a type of Spring/Summer/Fall thing by-passing winter. For most cases getting the fuel to 5C will be plenty except where the high gel point oils are used then it will require more heat.

Between running B100 and SVO there is a world of diffrence even if the equipment is close to the same. B100 only requires sufficient heat to remain flowing, viscosity not being an issue once that is accomplished, whereas SVO absolutel requires high temps to not only stay flowing but also to reduce viscosity to that close to pump fuel.

My system uses Hose on Hose with the return to the tank rather than looped. Returning to the tank helps heat up the tank's content quicker, and the heat from the coolant hoses more than does the job keeping the biodiesel clear and flowing after it has left the heated tank.

HTH

When I first started experimenting with VO fuel blends I installed one of these with the remote probe attached to the #1 injector line where it enters the injector body and covered with foam insulation.


I can monitor fuel temperature under a variety of temperature and load conditions. This 3.4L Toyota turbo engine gets best MPG and tests cleanest for emissions when running at 2400RPM - 100kph highway speed in temperatures 30°C and above, with the fuel temperature entering the injector in the 70°C-80°C range. It also starts cleanest when the fuel temperature is >20°C.

I added a FPHE to heat the fuel between the fuel feed pump and the fuel filter where the fuel system runs at about 30PSI. A ball valve on the coolant feed provides seasonal adjustment to give 'summer' fuel temperatures during the winter cold. I also added 115v plug in pre-heat for the engine coolant and heaters over the injectors and injector lines. At the coldest temperatures I can have the engine to 'summer morning' temperature for clean start-up with a timer that starts the pre-heat hours before as required:[ below 40°F 1 hr for every 10°F temperature drop].

John; Sounds like a super system. I have a thermometer like that one installed on both my cars, but I put the probe on the prefilter. Takes away a lot of the guesswork.

Thanks for the feedback. My thought was if you take the fact that the car is set to run WVO (not BD) in the Greasecar setup where getting oil >150F is critical, is it OK to run BD in the same set-up in place of the WVO? Is it bad to have your fuel hitting the injectors at 150F+ or is it a push since if it was WVO it would be anyway? I guess, better stated, does reacted WVO (biodiesel) in a system designed for WVO have a different chemical property than WVO that makes heating it to 150F+ at the injector...a bad thing? Probably overthinking it but just wanted to see if anyone had any input.

Thanks again for the assist.