ECN Electrical Forum
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There's a slight difference between kerosene [petrole] and 6 cst heating oil [fouil or mazout] here. For the burner, the problem is kero's poor lube qualities in the pump, so long-term it's not good but it will work. For a car, same problem. I have a full 1500 liter tank of diesel for the burner, but it's not road-duty paid stuff and it's dyed red. Big, big, fines if you get caught with 'red' in your car, strike or not and the 'bloaters' [gendarmes] can detect 1 part in 50,000! I have a nearly full tank of gazoil in the car and an emergency supply stashed in the tractor, so no immediate problem. I'm using my new electric bike to go to the farm for eggs and milk. 15mph - Zooooooom!!
As to bacteria, yes they can be a problem [or a boon, as in the Gulf off Louisiana], choking the filters. But they can't grow if there is no water in the fuel, so I try to take care to make sure its 'dry'.

Kerosene is a lot more expensive here than diesel or home heating oil.

An electric bike, eh?
I'd like to see that!

Alan,

How do you remove the water from the VO? Does the centifuge perform that task?

that's neat!

~S~

Short answer Larry, is yes, in theory! I've learned a lot in the last few months running this burner for real, especially since it's been absolutely freezing and snow-bound here since early November last despite the Gulf Stream. We have now burned about 600 litres [US $700 worth] of fuel at 50% VO. This success has prompted the Accounts Dept [aka Her Indoors ] to release more funds for the next phase of fun!

My routine is to use natural gravity settlement, for two or three weeks minimum, in 20 litre plastic jugs kept outside. These are then wiped clean & kept on the warm floor of the ute room for a week to warm the oil so it pours nicely. The crud and water are mostly then at the bottom. The jugs are decanted carefully into the separator pan, trying not to introduce any crud, water or crystals of fat. Spun oil is 'dry', as most water separates from the oil and is then pumped through a 20 micron cotton wound filter directly into the heated oil vat. This removes floating debris that a separator won't remove. 20 microns is about 0.0008" [8 tenths of a thou' inch] which is plenty ok for a pressure jet nozzle, but as belt 'n braces, I have a 10 micron paper element filter fitted just after the VO and diesel are mixed.
All this work is my weekly chore and takes about an hour or two to refil my oil tank. Mostly, I'm just watching the pumps run, swilling coffee and smoking some baccy while H.I. listens to The Archers on the BBC Steam Wireless!

Water is not a serious problem in small amounts. Actually, a 30% water/oil emulsion will burn nicely! In a burner, it improves combustion and reduces pollutants, provided it's emulsified.

In fact, This Years Project is to switch to an emulsion of oil and water as fuel instead of a diesel/vo mix. I'm thinking of switching to Used Engine oil, as it will be far easier to filter than VO and can be stored 'cold'. A 30% water emulsion will have a viscosity less than diesel oil at ambient t, so preheating may be not needed. My garagiste is keen- he's got a couple of thousand litres in stock which costs him $$$$ to have removed. All the fuel is then free, except for a few teaspoonfuls for ignition and flushing. To this end, I just imported a new German Hansa Blaubrenner burner from Hamburg, which is similar to my 'homebrew', but it's not only beautifully built and more controllable, it runs at 360 psi [!]- & it also has a CE mark so my fire insurance will be valid ! I also now have a new exhaust-gas analyser, so I can set up burners accurately. It's an earner too!

More anon hopefully in the summer after some experiments if that's ok with the forum? I know this is not strictly core electrical.

2 fr-r-r-r-rostbitten thumbs up Al

this 'ol sparky's freezing his tookers off , and loves to come home to a hot story

I burn wood btw

.....but as efficently as i can

~S~

Old post but it seems it's the same everywhere,State of California was stopping all diesel fueled trucks & pickups at roadblocks to check for off road fuel & have heard it's a $10,000 fine if you have the misfortune of getting caught w/ red dyed fuel in your tank.

Please keep posting on the progress as it has been quite informative & enjoy reading it.

Alan,
Thanks for sharing this project with us. As you solve problems and move to the next phase it becomes a continuing story that may enable someone else to install a similar heat source for their home or business. It is interesting to see each step that you take.

You mentioned a concern about fire insurance. I have dealt with that by installing my remote controlled pellet burner outside in an insulated shed with non flammable siding and a metal roof. I pump hot water through insulated piping underground to a coil that sits in my interior air handler which is also connected to a heat pump. If the pellet stove fails the heat pump takes over. Different installation but similar concern about insurance.