heating WMO
 

need some info guys. With WVO get'n tougher to find, i need to find another alternative. So, WMO sounds like a plan. Using my filtering system at home for WMO, is it SAFE to heat up the oil..(not washed down with rug or d2) to a certain amount..160*-180*, for CF-ing purposes, using a water heater element or will i need the band-strap heater?

You can use the water heater. I like to heat before I blend for two reasons. The first is the fire issue and the second is that rug will evaporate at higher temps.

I haven't tried heating WMO in a reactor, but those typically have overpressure relief valves (something like 15 psi), so even if the pressure rises it shouldn't rupture the reactor, just potentially spray oil everywhere. I'd just make sure your motors are explosion-proof because of potential fumes.

I can tell you that I heated 45+ gallons of WMO in a 50-gallon drum with a band heater (300 watts, I think) many times, with no incidents. That was part of a PA Biodiesel centrifuge setup.

thanks for the help/info guys...really appreciate it.

My set-up for heating is this...55gal drum, with cone welded to bottom. The water heater element is plumbed into the bottom of the cone, thus, submerged in straight oil. PAcf mounted inside the drum, with drum lid having numerous holes to relieve moisture / heat build-up.

That was my concern, was the element being submerged in the oil. With oil being "flushed" with gas/d2, it seemed to me that then, the oil being heated with element within, was a bad idea. Think, im NOT gunna "splash" gas to oil, for cleaning purposes. Will however, introduce gas/d2 AFTER the oils' done cf-ing and ready for the truck

I've seen those videos from Parkland with the oil vapors, combusting and running (flames) on their own. I dont think my oil needs to be that hot..(140-160*), for that to take effect?

I'm running a PA motor/pump to move my oil through the CF, and a H.F. pump to push the oil through the filters...

I wasn't so much concerned about oil vapors igniting; the flash point of motor oil is typically around 400 degrees fahrenheit.

I was thinking more of any gasoline or other fumes that might evaporate from heating the oil.

When I would heat the oil for centrifuging, I'd wait until after it was centrifuged (and cool) to add a thinning agent (kero, gasoline, diesel, JP-4, etc).