This is the processor for me. After many months of research this is it. Thanks GL for your great work and tgomes for showing me where to find it. Can't wait to get started. I already have an old tank I can use. It is hard to believe that GL does not have to filter his BD. What a great system.

quote:

Originally posted by Jim D:
I posted that because of the warning to isolate the clear tubing from the hot oil. The static mixers are mostly translucent. They are clear enough that you easily see what is going on in the tube. They just are not as clear as glass. They can also withstand 250 deg F. For those two reasons they would be a good replacement for the function of the sight tube.

In addition they have mixing elements that split, twist, recombine the fluid and then repeat 32 times or so in the 2 foot length. It does a very good job of mixing the oil and methoxide.

I have attached a photo from TAH's website. The ones I sell are larger than the ones pictured. Mine also have 3/4 inch brass MNPT connectors on each end. But it gives you an idea what is going on.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Static_mixer

http://biodiesel.infopop.cc/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/41960555...911089422#7911089422

If you are using one of the TAH Static Mixers that I sell DON'T RUN H2SO4 THROUGH IT!

Also, they are rated for 250F, but I wouldn't go above 170F or so just to be safe.

-Jim

I wonder if the condenser could be designed to be air-cooled with compressed air and completely eliminate water from the process? If the jacket itself had a venturi design, maybe? I am not a fluid flow expert, but doesn't rapid pressure drop result in rapid temp drop? Or maybe someway of cooling a closed loop coolant. I just want to minimise wasted water. Any ideas?

Seems to me you would be using a great deal more energy using compressed air. You don't have to waste any water it you have a holding tank of water and pump it through the condensor and then it goes back into the tank. Then you are just recycling it.

There are a couple of guys out there that are using a radiator from a Geo Metro as their condenser. They use the 12Vdc fan hooked up to a battery for cooling.

-Jim

What kind of temperatures can you reach (inlet and outlet of the radiator)

Don't know, it was not me.

-Jim

I've been out of the loop too long

this processor has blown my mind!

I thought the appleseed was the best thing since sliced bread.. now this thing comes and blows it out of the water

I am looking for Used2ski. He lives very close to me and I am getting into this biodiesel thing. He made a post a long time ago about looking for other people in his area to colaborate with. I left him a response but his last post was 28 may 07 so I think he doesn't check the board anymore. If you have his email can you send him one and let him know I am asking about him?
Thanks,
Brian

Anyone else having problems opening GrahamLaming's web site?

Hi Farmerboy777

Seems to have been OK, I get an alarm if the site goes down.

Let's check the address, should be http://www.graham-laming.com

Let me know if still bad, and we'll try some other things....

All the best

Graham

Hi Graham,

No problems this side of the pond.

Jim.

Is 5% pre-wash a must with naoh?

Using KOH here but also keen on skipping 5% prewash.
It appears the GL Push-pull processor dosn,t do a bd pre-wash, so is there any reason why it's needed with the eco-system?

I plan to try the (excellent)idea of using the drained glycerine inc unused methoxide as a WVO pretreatment. using glycerol to improve my WVO
This dosn't work with glycerine including prewash water.

quote:

This dosn't work with glycerine including prewash water.

It works...but it's riskier. Glycerin will only hold just so much water before it passes it off to the WVO, and the 5% prewash is about 85-90% of the glycerin water capacity (not a tested number, just a rough experience number). So if your WVO is more than just a tiny bit wet or is just a little bit too high a titration and THAT created water is enough to push it over "the edge"; you'll have problems like I did last weekend...made a big mess that I eventually just transfered back to the settling tote and started over from the other tote with different oil.

quote:

the 5% prewash is about 85-90% of the glycerin water capacity (not a tested number, just a rough experience number)

A useful figure, thanks Ryan.

It would maybe be even more useful posted in the thread I quoted from: uses for glycerin by-product

Hello,

I am still having an issue with my venturi.

If the venturi suction inlet is open to air, it sucks for a few seconds then stops. If I cover the end of the tube with my finger, suction will return. Then, sometimes the suction will not return unless I turn the pump off then back on again.

I have a batch of some really wet oil I am trying to dry using the processor. I can heat the oil to 200F and get about a quart of water out the bottom of the plumber's delight. Then the drips almost stop.
I stop the pump and water bath. let settle and drain the 5% off the bottom. When I hot pan test the oil in the processor, I still get lots and lots of bubbles!

I posted pictures in this thread: Help with plumbers delight and vapor draw

I really had to gate down the valve going to the condenser to keep the venturi in suction. I have returned the batch of oil to my settling barrel it was still around 140F when doing so.

I purchased all copper tubing and brass valves and will replace the entire setup with 1/4" copper starting at the bottom of the plumber's delight.

I always got good results before. How much water can I expect to be able to remove with the GL1?? Like, shouldn't the oil pass the hot pan test after being dried in the GL1?? I always considered the oil to be very dry. Maybe I was wrong??

Hi Carl

Is your venturi horizontal, right at the top of the pipework? Can't quite make it out from the pics.

If so, its outlet pipe needs to be full of oil for the venturi to work. I have a foot of pipe after the venturi to help with this. Make sure that outlet pipe is not running downhill. If anything, slant it slightly up hill.

The momentum of oil leaving the venturi acts to drag the air/vapor thru. If the run is too short, that momentum is broken as the liquid leaves the pipe and suction will be lousy.

Does this happen with cool oil too?

all the best,

Graham

quote:

Originally posted by GrahamLaming:
Hi Carl

Is your venturi horizontal, right at the top of the pipework? Can't quite make it out from the pics...

...Does this happen with cool oil too?

all the best,

Graham

Graham,

Take a look at the new pictures I posted on the "help with plumber's delight" thread.

Yes it is horizontal. I don't think there is quite a foot past the venturi tube.

Yes the issue happens with both cold and hot oil.

How dry should I expect the oil to be? should it pass the Hot pan test? or am I expecting too much from the plumber's delight?

Thank you all for this wealth of information. I still have two big questions if I could please get some help:
1. What angel should I drill for the venturi? It doesn't seem like there is a definitive answer on this.

2. If you do the 5% prewash and then recollect methanol from your glycerine, how do you use the methanol? It will have water in it, won't it?

Thank you!
Joseph