I am interested in your bio system. I looked at your gallery but I’m not sure what I am looking at. Can you point me to a website that explains the benefits of your type of system and how to build one? I am familiar with the apple seed processor but I would like to know all of the options before I decide to build my first processor. BTW, with your system, are methanol fumes a problem? And do you loose the ability to recover your methanol? Please excuse my ignorance but I am trying to educate myself.

 

I am also interested in plans for an open style processor. There is alot of information out there on appleseed processors, but not finding anything on the open processor. thanks

 

I'd love to send you to a site that explains the "open" style processor...........But there aren't any! 99.9 percent of the people making bio are using the "appleseed" design. I developed the "open" style after building an appleseed. I was not happy with the design, and thought "there has to be a better way!"

The appleseed design was basically a design for people with no welding or fabrication skills, but has flaws that I wasn't willing to live with. Please don't get me wrong, I'm not "bad-mouthing" the appleseed, It does work [most of the time] and it is easy to build.

The problems with the design..........1. It depends on pump mixing, which has been proven to increase mixing time, and does not do as good a job as mechanical mixing. 2. You cannot "see" the reaction, and if you have an incomplete reaction you won't know about it for hours........3. If you use NaOH you better drain the tank before the temp goes to low, or you can't get the glycerol out because it has turned into a solid! 4. If you live in a cold climate you have to pre-heat the WVO enough to pour into the 3/4" hole to get it into the tank. 5. You are pretty well limited to 1 batch per day because of the mixing time, and the settling time.


With the "open" style, I put the oil into a open top heating tank [so I can use even semi-solid WVO] that holds 500 gallons. Once the oil is up to temp I pass it over a punch plate screen, and the cleaned oil goes directly into a 70 gallon mix tank by gravity. The "krispies" slid off the end of the punch plate and into a 5 gallon bucket for disposal.
The mix tank has a 1/4hp electric motor mounted on top with a shaft and impeller [made from an old 302 ford water pump impeller!]. The mix tank has a hinged lid that you can open so you can see the reaction inside, and a pump connected to a hole in the bottom.

This setup allows me to process a 50 gallon batch every 30 min!
I put 50 gallons of oil into the mix tank at a time, then add the 5 gallons of methoxide through a port in the side of the tank. I then lift the lid and watch the reaction for a couple of minutes. If I don't see the reaction occur within a minute or two I know that there is probably some suspended water in it and I'll add extra lye [ a half pound at a time] until I see the reaction occur. Once I've seen the reaction occur I set the timer for 30 min. After 30 min I pump the mixture into my settling tank, and start another batch. I let the whole batch settle for 12 hours, then drain the glycerol off the bottom of the settling tank, and then clean the batch with Magnesol.
I use a fan to pull air through the lid, and blow any fumes outside. I recover all the methanol from the glycerol AND the biodiesel.

I make about 500 gallons/week, and it only takes me about one day!


FABMANDELUX.

 

After having the the open style processor and the oil, what is the average cost of your materials per 500 gallon batch. Also do you have detailed plans on how to build your open processor?

 

Fabaman is currently taking care of a sick freind. He is making plans but the freind is first. Their is another thread that explains more. Sorry for the to the point response but my son is tugging at my leg.

 

Thanks for the information, I will gladly wait, friends and family come FIRST and absolutly nothing before them. I will pray for your sick friend Fabman.

 

Hey guys there are a set of plans of Fabs already posted look for post by cookie88 he did the post for Fab. The plan is for a 500 gallon unit but u can scale it down thats what I did to make my processor, its a 50 gallon cone bottom rig works great. Have done 5 batches so far. So much bio to make so little time Jeep1947

 

I searched, but I could not find it. Can anyone post a link to it?

 

Cam look for threads posted by cookie88 it was posted in September. I dont know how to past the link here i just searched threads good luck Jeep1947

 

https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/5...schematic.html

 

Fabman. I tried to down load your plans and it said there was an error in the program. Is it my system? I thought I would start building the basic open processor and then build your updates later when you have time to send them. Sorry, I'm "chomping at the bit" to get started. Tom

 

I just tried it and it works............You should build your mixing tank first, the height to the top of it will dictate how high the heating-cleaning tank should be.

If you look in my gallery you'll see my first 30 gallon mix tank. I've since replaced it with a 75 gallon mix tank with a bottom outlet feeding to a 1 1/2 hp pump.

In the first 30 gallon mix tank [barrel] I had a drop in mixer, and had to pump the mix out the top. Now I pour 50 gallons of hot, cleaned oil into the 75 gallon mixer, Mechanical mix for 30 min, then pump the "hot-mix" into the primary settling tank.

For the small setup that you want a 30 gallon mix tank will work just fine. By putting a pump at the bottom of the tank it allows you to put a larger tank OUTSIDE the shop, and make several batches at a time.

A great place to get pumps............FREE hot tubs! I've hauled off 8 free hot tubs this year. I keep the pumps, filters, valves, and electrics, and junk the rest.

I hope to spend more time in the shop this week and will try and post at least some of the plans. Earl is stable for now and doesn't need much help yet. Part of the problem is not only is he a partner in my consulting business, I also manage his 1,000 acre ranch. With him not "healthy", more of the day to day falls on me, which means less time for bio research.

 

Tom...I had the same issue. I resolved by saving the file to my C drive and then opening it from there.

These initial plans are confusing as He!! for a beginner like me. Well, here's hoping to learn more soon!

Hope that helps!
-Dan

 

Ive been to Fabs house a few times and here is the best way to imagine the smaller mixing tank,

a 55 gallon barrel on its side. Heating element in the lowest point possible. The top side cut open like a homemade smoker grill. A mechanical mixer like a paint mixer with a long rod mounted to mix at an angle. All other things are just a matter of placement. You all know what a strainer looks like, well his gook seperator is just a slide with alot of hole punched into it and the cleaner of the oil goes to the bottom and the gook slides down to the compost pile.

 

OK, your description of the "gook separator" - that's what is labeled Rotary Cleaner in the diagram, right? I understand the flow of the diagram that all makes sense in terms of what flows where. But I still have a few questions - well, a lot of questions actually.....

What is a hydrocyclone, how is it constructed, and what does it do?
How is the soap filter constructed?
Are the magnesol mixer and methoxide mixer both designed and constructed the same way as the "smaller mixing tank" you describe above?
Which tanks in the diagram are open vs. which ones are closed?
What are the different tanks made of (plastic, steel, some of each)?
How is a magnesol filter made?
What the heck is magnesol anyway?

I'm very interested in this and would like to start making my own bio, but at this point the amount I know about it is FAR outweighed by what I don't know. I'm just learning now, but I think I'll be waiting until Fabman can publish a detailed description of the system and a "suggested" list of parts and pieces before I try to put one together....