In cold weather I'll use a flat pad home-brew heater under the tank overnight to keep the fuel warm.
Some pics of the installation so far:-
the Kaori "26-plate" brazed plate heat exchanger installed behind the left front headlight. The headlight cover is still removeable OK, but there is a trick required to install the blinker! I will have to move the self-levelling oil reservoir over about 1cm as it is making contact with one of the brass connectors. The mounting bracket was made from galvanised strapping. It is insulated by some 2mm thick rubber to minimise heat transfer to the body. This 26 plate stainless steel HE is copper-brazed in a vacuum and uses a contra-flow system to transfer heat. They are 10x more efficient than tube-type exchangers. It should have plenty of grunt to heat the WVO to almost the same temp as the coolant. Mounted upright like this achieves maximum efficiency.
The Delphi CAV filter mounted on the shock absorber tower next to the standard filter using heavy gauge galvanised brackets. The vibration of the OM617 engine hardly moves the CAV. It will filter the WVO and has a glass inspection bowl. In this position there is easy access to the drain underneath the glass bowl. The standard OEM filter will continue to handle the diesel fuel. The filter mounting arrangement gives me some flexibility as to the final position of the filter when plumbed.
This shot shows the installed CAV filter, the 6-port Pollak valve on the wheel arch, and the heat exchanger ready to accept the plumbing. I have yet to wire the Pollak valve to the fuel changeover switch on the dash.
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8 comments:
i haven't read thru this completely. looks like good documentation. i documented the conversion i did a couple of years ago at
http://veggibenz.googlepages.com/
my concept is to have 2 fuel pumps and turn on the one you want. eliminates any valves. i also had trouble sucking air with the benz pump.
pat
Hi Pat. Excellent work, and I like your concept and engineering. Well done!
We are lucky here in Australia that we don't need all the extra paraphernalia like tank heaters, hose in hose water heaters and injector line heaters as temps don't get cold enough here to stop veg oil flowing. Consquently our Aussie systems can be a lot simpler :)
I imagine that not using a valve to switch fuels though would make changeovers a bit long-winded? You mentioned 15 minutes, so that is indeed quite a while. With a 6 port valve system such as employed here, once the engine is hot, there is 100% oil in the injector lines within 20 seconds. There is usually enough heat at the HE within 2 minutes of startup to let me switch over.
Are you not using the stock Bosch lift pump ata all?
i live in malta europe and i am looking to purchase an efficient heat exchanger.....need help to seller willing to send it to europe
thanks
jp
Hi JP, There are a few sellers on eBay Australia that sell 20/30 flat plate heat exchangers. These are very efficient units. The 20 plate is plenty big enough but a 30 plate is OK too if you have the space.
The seller "Tonywestoz" sells worldwide. I know him so you can buy from him with confidence.
Search www.ebay.com.au
Cheers
Bruce
my only problem is that when i heat the w.v.o through the heat exchanger. does the heated oil damage the pump or the injectors. i think that the water coolant reaches maybe 90 degrees and that of the oil would be approximately 80-85 degrees. does this make damage.
thanks
ganni025@yahoo.com
The reason why you heat the oil is to lower the viscosity to approximately that of diesel oil so that your injection pump can handle it better. The engine heat will take care of the heating in the injectors :)
Heating the oil to a low temperature like 90-100 degC will not do any damage at all to your injection pump (IP) or injectors, although the injector temperature will be much higher than your coolant.
However, you must make sure that you purge the veg oil from your IP and injectors before you shut down for any length of time. This will not only ensure that you will have easy starting, but will eliminate the possibility that the veg oil polymerises in the injectors and the IP. If veg oil polymerises in these components, damage can result. You can easily install a buzzer to warn you if you shut down on veg oil. Some people install a turbo-timer to shut down to ensure the system is purged, but I think that this is a waste of fuel and environmentally unfriendly.
Bruce hi.
Can I get some info on your 1993merc 300d and your blending. How long have you been blending this car and do you blend 50/50 in winter?? Why have you not converted to 2 tank system.
Thanks Neil.
nww19690@bigpond.com
Lake macquarie.
Hi Neil, I will be posting a bit of a story on the amazing W124 300D soon, and it's incredible abilities on Veg oil. In the meantime, email me with your phone no. and I'll give you a call!
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