I have been reading alot of posts on here talking about processor design, but wouldn't it be good to make the biodiesel in your processor, drain the biproduct, mist wash the bio (in the same tank) then dry in the same thank. when the bio final leaves the (one and only) tank the only thing that comes out is clean dry bio. the entire processor is clean and dry and ready for the next batch.

If you use two or three tanks to do this as you drain the glycerin from the processor would there not be residual glycerin on the walls of the piping and tank. As the biodiesel was draining to the next tank (wash tank) it would pick this up ...right?

if you do it all in one tank it is like doing a mind eraser shot at the bar....each layer chases the last. (pm me if you want to know what a mind eraser shot is...or better yet go to the bar and order on.)

i just picked up 4 drums so i am not trying to be cheap or lazy.....it just make sence to me....that being said i am a ubber newbbie to bio.

school me if i am wrong.

thanks

In my experiance, using two or three tanks cuts down on problems caused by residual glycern. It just does not drain fully. Also if you want quanity, you can't get started on the next batch till your first one is done. People do it but I get the impression being cramped for space is the main reason.

i just figured washing in your processor would wash all the residue glycerin, then drying in the processor would get rid of the water.

i have been wrong before.

thanks for the reply.

meloyelo

-I agree with the 'more than one tank crowd', I have three. I did not like the idea of puting water into the processor for the five % pre wash! to me , the processor must be a dry space. also, you are tied up in the processor unil the batch is totally finished. with the three tank system I have three batches in various stages of completion at one time. Tom

quote:

as you drain the glycerin from the processor would there not be residual glycerin on the walls of the piping and tank.

Yes, some glyc stays behind. It seems to cause exactly 0 problems.

I have been making bio in 1 55 gal. drum, because of space and that's what works for me.

I do everything in one single 245 L un-pressurized tank (reactor) including washing 3 times, stirring is pretty fierce but I don't have too many emulsion because I use very hot water (1/3 water for 2/3 BD) The reactor is always clean for the next batch. Conical bottom is a must. I am thinking of making a 1800 L reactor! I would make 1200 L batches in it, keeping extra room for the water wash. (Glycerin residue should not worry you, only water is the N°1 ennemy).

Multiple tanks reduces the risk of residual water and/or glycerin ending up in your fuel. No, it's not impossible to do it all in one tank. If I was driving an old Mercedes that would tolerate some off spec fuel, and I was cramped for space, I might just do it.

But I like to stack the deck in my favor. I use a 4 tank system.

1. Screen/heat/dry
2. Process
3. Wash
4. Dry/filter/pump to vehicle

And if I'm in a hurry, I can make a bunch of fuel fast because I can process, wash and dry all at the same time. This also reduces my risk of having a boom event since I don't need to have an energized heating element in the presence of methanol in the processor itself. That has some value as well.

So, how do you feel about risk management and fuel quality? Are you fanatically careful and do every quality control test you can think of, every time, with redundant safety hardware to prevent boom events from inadvertently draining the processor while the element is still on?

Finest regards,

troy

When i built my setup I went with a 3 tank design, thinking i was clever... though quickly realized MANY others have done it before me. My reasoning was 2 fold..

1st- I wanted minimal hands on time... so I can spend an hour in the garage and have 3 batches moved to the next stage, instead of spending 20-30 mins each time for one batch. Basically the idea of quantity without an overly large reactor. Plus it allows for more oil in "storage" in the processing phase so i have a more continuous supply of clean fresh bio.

2nd- it allows checking at each stage more easily and allows for multiple stlye reactors which can be designed to work "best" for whatever stage you're at in the process.

I liek it so far and haven't had any odd problems yet.

If you can get it all to work in one tank then have at it. The dowside is as mentioned, you cannot start another batch until the other one is fully completed, but if that's not a problem ... Water heaters are notorious for not draining completely, whether glycerine or water unless the design is one of a "Turnover" which can be made to drain fairly completely.

My system uses multiple tanks; Preheat so no heat is ever needed in the reactor itself - two reactors for when I need extra volume but want to cut down processing time - one large settling tank equipped with a standpipe where everything goes the instant it is done with reacting - a biodiesel demething tank to get the residual methanol out of the fuel - a lead/lag resin set up followed by a final filtration through a CAT 2 micron can.

Everything works like an assembly line with the potential of doing several phases simultaneously, this is in conjunction with a glycerine methanol recovery unit that is also set up on an independant circuit as are all my tanks/pumps that require heat or power. I have several engines to feed so I need that kind of versatility and production method, you may not have the same time requirements, so it depends on what you have and what you want to do with it, how much time you can spend on it vs the volume you have top produce to stay afloat.

HTH

I used to process in multiple tanks. Now, the processor is just one, think fuelmiester but in metal.

My processor is 160 gallon steel tank, with a cone bottom. The cone bottom is the key. All the stuff we don't want falls down and is drained out first. The glycerin is on bottom, and the water settles as well.

I can see that a standpipe tank would cause problems. But the cone bottom on mine has been working great for over 3 years.

My son next to the processor:


The red tank is the Methanol tank. Everything else happens in the big tank, process, wash, dry.

A bad photo of the cone bottom and pump intake:

How many tanks does the bio-pro series have? They seem to work for a lot of people.
Dom