Hello,
Ive been moving along in the legwork of getting ready to homebrew BD.

Ive done the Dr. Pepper thing and I read this forum every night.

I have good sources of WVO stocking up in the yard. (55gal blue poly drums)

I have a gas water heater that I stripped out to basicaly a tank with bungs.
Where the 4" pipe that went thrugh the tank was, Ive put a 4.5" semi-sphere steel bowl on the round top.
I flipped it over and welded 4 angleiron legs 14" from floor to tank contact. so its like 7" to the bottom of the bowl. The bowl has been holesawed 1.125" for a new bung.

Y'all with me, here? A picture would say it all, I know. I'll get one.

The (now) top is cut off where the rust had reached- losing the bung that was the lowest. So, right now its a just a big bucket with a low drain level. on legs.

The data sticker said it was 50 gal.WH. Assume its more volume with the 4" pipe cut out, now.

My brew plans are for 34 gallon batches. And I need more info on what percentage to use in my 1996 K2500 6.5TD Cheyene, wich holds 34-+ gallons.

I thought of finding a twin WH, and butt them together on the open ends, but it would be like 9 feet tall. Its like 5' tall now.

Im just piecing together what I had on hand.

Now I'm considering using this for a settling/ dewatering station. It has a smaller footprint than a drum and could incorperate heat and circulation.
I like some of the in-line 3 vessel units I've seen here. But I dont want a huge brewery.
I got a lot to learn still, but the oil is piling up. I know it takes time to get the WVO ready to brew.
Im thinking of using this tank to start prepping the oil and fill the carboys back with dewatered filtered WVO.
Not sure when I can actually have a processor up and running. It will be this summer for sure.

Is my time management of this oil stock a good idea or should I just skim the top oil when Im ready? Will it keep in the carboys ok?
I need to go let a guy in my shop tonight. Ill shoot some pics.

Im hoping to see someone chime in and tell me I can use this tank for more than a settling/dewatering tank. Processor, maybe? and use steel drums for settling/washing.

I come across all kinds of steel vessels at work, so Im not sure what the processor will be made of, but it too will be bottom/low draing. All of this including my batch size plans are suject to change as I wing it together.

I'll be back tonight with pics and more questions and thoughts.
Thanks in advance, there are some great guys here sharing their wisdom.
Brian

Arent I suposed to link the pics to here?
http://biodieselpictures.com/viewtopic.php?t=562

Its kinda dark but you can see everything I did.
It only took a little while to do.
Everything was free or scrap.

So I have this container.

I have a friend who does ornimental work and can order actual semi-spheres with a weep hole in the center. that one is some part of some thing long ago- same gauge as the tank- never used.

Im trying to do this on the cheap, but I get this old stuff all the time, so Im reading and reading here, and taking ideas from the most common successful setups you folks are sharing.

And I apreciate that. I dont know anyone personaly/ locally that does this.

This is where I'm at. Mentor away and I wont disapoint you.
I can give this a few(10?) hours a week.
Thanks, Brian

G'day Brian;
At the stage you are at you might want to have a close look at Graham's Eco System processor for incorporation into your design.
It seems you have the necessary fabrication skills to pull it off, and the design would serve you well.

Thanks Legal Eagle,
Just who I was hoping would jump in!

Ive looked at the eco-system and I like it, Its compact and efficient---and appearently proven internationaly.

Id like to build the whole system on a small trailer that I can tow outside my home garage with my John Deere lawn tractor. I have 4 extra tractor tires. Takes a regular ball hitch. The rubber tires may take a beating from contact, though. But they are cheap. My garage is attached, so I dont want to process in there, nor the weldshop.

I have a bunch of home insulation fiberglass, can I wrap the tank with this, or do I need something special?

One more Q; In the second picture, you'll see a large aluminum bowl... Ive heard aluminim is a no-no in processing, Can I use this bowl as a large volume strainer funnel for getting this new WVO cleaned and somewhat filtered?
Will aluminum hurt anything? I cut a disc of expanded metal (mesh) that can support window type screen, below that, a finer fabric to filter even more.
The bowl has a 3 legged pedistal, so, it could hold a full carboy or 35lb jug, and let it strain as long as it takes....
Aluminum for initial straining? yes or no.
Thanks again.
Brian

I did another forum search and see that aluminum is bad with Methoxide.
I should be just fine to use this funnel for straining particles way before any chemical is introduced.
So much to remember.

Brian

What part of southern Indiana? I'm in Louisville and go over to Indiana a couple times a week...
-Scott

Hi, Scott
I been following your build. Top Notch. Very thorough. Good parts and material.
Im in Evansville.

quote:

I have a bunch of home insulation fiberglass, can I wrap the tank with this, or do I need something special?

That will work fine.

As you have seen aluminium will react with methanol, so you need to avoid that, but you can use it for straining with no propblems.

HTH

Dang...further than I was hoping, so not easily able to jump by and take a look at your stuff. It looks good in the pics, though.

Thanks for the compliment. I still need to get a settling tank to put a centrifuge on, and a final storage tote for my finished product.

Is that stainless steel bowl sitting next to the column in your second picture the half sphere you were talking about that your friend can get? If so, can you find out the exact diameter on it? If they are the right size, I may look at that for my stuff.

Thanks,
-Scott

Thats just an aluminum bowl im making a big funnel of.
Im about to do some moving, so the build will be slow for now.
just more reading for a couple weeks.
Brian

Graham or Legal Eagle, anyone...
Im really studying
Graham's Eco System processor
As his diagram shows, I can easily weld a flat top on this vessel.
It seems that only one hole for methanol recovery is used. Correct?
Is there anything else that you can recomend before I seal it beyond access? The tank is clean.
TIA, Brian

Brian,

A domed or coned top will work better if you will be distilling methanol in the same vessel. I use my processor to make fuel and distill methanol from the glycerin as well.

http://www.biodieselpictures.com/viewtopic.php?t=444

I have added a test port above the pump and a steel venturi from jamesrl (first class stuff) since these pictures were taken. The test port lets me monitor the batch progress and the steel venturi allows for much higher temps during distillation from methanol.

Tony

Tgomes, thanks for tip.
I'll hold out for a matching diameter tank and have that airtank shape. I think I want more volume. couldnt hurt.

Nice build you have. Clean and organized.

Now, any venting at all is just always open at the methenol recovery way up top, right?

Im sure the sight tube can be valved and isolated while it (sight tube), is open at the top- for returning samples to the brew.

I think mine will resemble yours quite a bit.

Thanks again for chiming in. This a huge network, no telling when I'da found your pics.

Brian

Weldshop,
I think for GL's eco processor (push pull) you will want two ports on the top (possibly more, I have four).

The two ports are for vapor release...they open into a slanted collection area. The first port just goes directly into it and lets gas in, the other port (lower in the collection area, allowing fluids to 'drain' back through this one) has a pipe going down into the reactor significantly below the oil level line. I put a third port on mine to allow for direct injection of acid, and a forth 'bulkhead' fitting to allow for access if I ever needed to get down in there...it's only a 3 or 4 inch hole, but enough to stick a broom handle down in there and scrape around if necessary.
-Scott

ok, the top will be the same as the bottom, as far as ports-3-4.

I wont be putting flat sheet on top.
GL's website has photo examples, and they seem to all have one exit on top/high/center.

There is time, I'll spend the next couple weeks moving my shop, looking around for more WHs, and studying. Who knows, maybe I'll come across a whole better propane or compressor tank.

I got like 3 hours into this one, if I do switch gears, this one will still be good for settling/drying.

Thanks, Scott. I check out your slideshow every so often. Have you sourced your chemicals yet?
I havent even looked around here, shouldnt be a problem, tho.
When I do we can compare prices and see what we can do.

Brian

Brian,

Are you building the original GL or the push/pull? On mine the the vent is tee'd off of the line that runs from the venturi inlet to the bottom of the condenser. This is for the original GL layout.

Tony

Tony,
Ummmm, Yes, the original GL EcoSystem.

I'd like to keep it as simple and functional as possible.

Im not sure how much methanol it will recover, but any is better than none.

I see what youre saying in your thread about the 'T'. On top of the powerbox going outdoors.

Can you tell me about the gauge and valve on the dome top? Looks like 3 temp gauges in all including digital. Are they all necessary?

Brian

Actually the gage on top is a compound gage to measure pressure or vacuum in the tank. I use vacuum to fill the processor. From a 150l batch I get about 5 l of methanol from the BD. When i have 50 gallons of glycerin it goes back into the processor and I get about 11 gallons of methanol back. With my current condenser setup it averages 97% as measured with a hydrometer.

Tony

So.
I got a call today from a Church rescue mission in town who was refered by my best oil source.
They want me to pick up their oil. Ok, no problem, that gets me to 171.6 -+ gallons per month in 3 places.

Heres my new obsticle; The processor is still on the drawing board, all I have so far is this modified WH vessel, http://biodieselpictures.com/viewtopic.php?t=562,
I do have a sears .5 hp water pump. 115V.
Im getting a 275g tote soon, maybe 2 of them.
I have 55 gallon poly drums (blue) holding my strained WVO.

I'm thinking that I'd like to dewater and filter the WVO before I put it into the the tote. And I dont want 20 barrels sitting in the yard.
So. am I wise to go ahead and use this WH tank to prep the oil for pre-production storage? The tote will be sheltered from weather.

I think my processor will need to be scaled up to 100-+ gallon batches and
process twice a month.
This will take me the rest of summer to be ready, like October/November,,maybe. Unless I come across the equipment thats in my head sooner.

If the experts agree that this would be productive for my feedstock,
I will execute the task right away, and start getting my feet wet, so to speak.
TIA, Brian

I added some new pictures to my foto stash.
I'm open to any sugestions and advice. Especially about the lid/top.

http://www.biodieselpictures.com/viewtopic.php?p=1163#1163

I got 50lbs of 99% NaOH. I just need to pick up some methanol.
In four months of collecting oil, I have 200 gallons of good oil titrating .9 to 1.1 NaOH.
80 gallons has been dewatered and filtered to 5 microns with this vessel.

I'm on here, reading everynight, so let me know if you guys have any ideas. TIA

BTW... I'm insulating my yard barn out back to work in---not the garage.

Brian