ABOUT BIO DIESEL - What exactly is it?

Further reading about Bio-Diesel

Cautions of Using Biodiesel in Your Vehicle

Bio Diesel / Bio Blend is the name given to a ‘Clean Burning, Alternative Fuel’ manufactured from ‘100% Renewable; Commercial / Domestic sources.

• B100 Bio Diesel contains ‘No Fossil or Petroleum’ products.

• B100 Bio Diesel can be used safely in any Compression Diesel Engine without modification.

• B100 Bio Diesel is the ‘Cleanest’ & most ‘Efficient’

• kinetic energy used to power the Diesel Engine.

• B100 Bio Diesel offers ‘Greater Torque:

• B100 Bio Diesel offers ‘Greater Fuel Consumption:

• B100 Bio Diesel is both ‘non - Toxic’ & ‘ Biodegradable: degrading by 91% within 21 days

• B100 Bio Diesel is less toxic than Sodium Chloride (Table Salt)

• B100 Bio Diesel has a Skin Irritation Point less than Soap

• B100 Bio Diesel may be used 100%, or Blended with Fossil Fuels. This removes any worries for Long Distance Travelling.

• B100 Bio Diesel contains ‘No Sulphur or Aromatics: Test results show, by using B100 Bio Diesel, both ‘Sulphur Oxides & Sulphates’ are essentially eliminated compared to Fossil Fuels.

• Field Fuels Ltd supply Biodiesel made from WVO

• .Field Fuels Ltd can also supply B100 Bio Diesel from ‘Renewable Virgin Oil.

• The name given to the Manufacturing Process of Bio Diesel is; - transesterification. This process is a reaction between Oil & Alcohol therefore removing all impurities such as Glycerine, Water etc…

• The Production of B100 Bio Diesel is strictly governed by British Law, which has to comply with Strict Industry Specification meeting the European Standard EN 14214, This standard has been set and can only be achieved by using virgin rapeseed oil, although there are many manufactuerers that make good quality Bio Diesel from WVO and renewable sources.

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FURTHER REDING ABOUT BIO DIESEL

The sheer complexity of this subject means we could go on for days with history, information on different bio fuels and how to best introduce them to your vehicle, but we have simplified it as much as we can to give you the basics detailed below, we hope you find these useful

Bio-fuel variations for Diesel engined vehicles are as follows;
1. B5, B10 (Blends of Bio-Diesel with Petroleum Diesel)
2. B20, B30, B50 (Blends of Bio-Diesel with Petroleum Diesel)
3. B100 (100% Bio-Diesel)
4. SVO (Straight Vegetable Oil)
5. (Purified) WVO (Waste Vegetable Oil)
6. SVO or (Purified) WVO blended with Diesel
7. SVO or (Purified) WVO blended with Kerosene, Petrol, or Special Additives

The above options can generally be used on the following;
1. Diesel engined Vehicles of all years
2. Diesel engined vehicles from 2004 onwards
3. Diesel engined vehicles from 1990-2004
4. Diesel engined vehicles of all years
5. Diesel engined vehicles of all years
6. Diesel engined vehicles of all years
7. Diesel engined vehicles of all years

Marques that have confirmed their engines will work with Bio Diesel B100;
VW, Audi, Seat, Skoda, all cars built from 1996-2004 have been approved for use with B100 from RME (Rapeseed Methyl Esters), Meeting EN14214

General modifications required for vehicles to run on these fuels;

B5 & B10
None

B20, B30, B50
None essential, Although non metal fuel lines may rot and require replacement with Teflon hose, along with the fuel filter which may block with the hose debris and tar / gum which has built up in hoses previously used with Petroleum Diesel

B100
None essential, Although non metal fuel lines are likely to require replacement with PVC hose, along with the fuel filter which may block with the hose debris and tar / gum which has built up in hoses previously used with Petroleum Diesel. It is worth noting that oxygen / gas sensors on post 2004 cars may be damaged or destroyed by any methanol or other contaminants present in non EN14214 fuels

100% SVO or (Purified) WVO
Non metal fuel lines are likely to require replacement with PVC hose, along with the fuel filter which may block with the hose debris and tar / gum which has built up in hoses previously used with Petroleum Diesel. Fuel will also require heating to 70 Celcius prior to introduction to the engine, failure to do so may result in failure of the injectors, fouling of the engine and contaminating of lubricating oils. Your fuel system should be designed so that it can be flushed with Petroleum Diesel prior to shutting the engine down to avoid solidification of oil in the pipes during cold weather

Blends of SVO or (Purified) WVO with Diesel (Not less than 50% Diesel)
None essential, Although non metal fuel lines are likely to require replacement with Teflon hose, along with the fuel filter which may block with the hose debris and tar / gum which has built up in hoses previously used with Petroleum Diesel

Blends of SVO or (Purified) WVO with Kerosene, Petrol, or Special Additives following tried & tested recipes
None essential, Although non metal fuel lines are likely to require replacement with Teflon hose , along with the fuel filter which may block with the hose debris and tar / gum which has built up in hoses previously used with Petroleum Diesel

What does Field Fuels Ltd recommend?

To start with, running any vehicle on non-petroleum fuels is entirely your choice and is at your own risk, it is a gamble which, if it works out may save you at least 50% on your fuel costs by using SVO, or at most 100% if you can obtain WVO free of charge. You may feel it is therefore a gamble worth taking. The potential saving for someone who drives a 30mpg car and does 15000 miles per year using WVO could be around £2360.00, and legally you can use 2500 litres without paying duty, this would cover approximately 16500 miles in the same car and would save you around £2625.00 (Based on pump price of £1.05 per litre)

Rapeseed, and Soybean oil will not solidify at temperatures above -3.9c and, given the UK's mild climate, can therefore be used in your main fuel tank. As with all Vegetable Oils, higher viscosity means that the best results are obtained if the oil is heated to 70 Celcius prior to introduction to the engine, then the engine flushed automatically with Diesel prior to overnight shutdown. To heat your fuel we would recommend using a heat-exchanger which diverts hot coolant from your engine, through the exchanger, heating the SVO to approximately the correct temperature before returning to the radiator, using your cars temperature gauge you can then activate the SVO line when the coolant has reached its normal operating temperature. You may also find that installing a 12vDC continuous duty, low-flow, high-pressure pump in your fuel line will help the cold oil down the line before it reaches the heat exchanger.

WVO is a less simple fuel to use and is best used in a second tank protected from the elements, however, it is potentially free to obtain. Firstly WVO needs to be purified. You could use a 200 micron washable strainer to rough filter the fuel, followed by 50, 25, and 1 micron particulate filters, then a water-block filter to absorb free water, OR, you could use a centrifuge-type purification device in conjunction with a high pressure pump, this will remove up to 99% of all contaminants without the need of filters, but is more costly. Both of these methods would be performed in the workshop to produce fuel for storage, rather than on the vehicle itself, although if you are travelling and wish to source fuel en-route then all of this equipment could easily be mounted in the boot, or load area of any vehicle. As with all Vegetable Oils, its higher viscosity means that the best results are obtained if the fuel is heated to 70 Celcius prior to introduction to the engine. We would recommend using a heat-exchanger which diverts hot coolant from your engine, through the exchanger, heating the SVO before returning to the radiator. You may also find that installing a 12vDC continuous duty, low-flow, high-pressure pump in your fuel line will help the cold oil down the line before it reaches the heat exchanger.

For pre-injection fuel heating, be careful of electronic heating devices which fit in fuel-lines, these will not heat the fuel immediately at the injector inlet and therefore a quantity of cold SVO will be introduced, failing to atomise correctly for combustion, placing strain on your injectors, hoses, seals, and pumps and potentially damaging your engine. Any electrical device could fail without warning or notification so it is best to use mechanical means such as the coolant heat exchanger wherever it is practical.

Other Useful Information

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Cautions of Using Biodiesel in Your Vehicle

• Paint - Over time, biodiesel may dissolve the paint on your vehicle. Wipe off immediately or wash with a little soap and water to prevent this from happening.
• Rubber Hoses and Seals - Most pre-1994 vehicles (USA) and some later model cars (all Mercedes) have non-biodiesel compatible fuel lines. Biodiesel will gradually degrade these fuel lines, which will become malleable, weepy or spongy before they completely melt. Check under your bonnet periodically and replace any degraded fuel lines and seals with a biodiesel resistant synthetic
• Fuel Filter Clogging - Biodiesel is a great solvent, which will clean out your entire fuel system. Your vehicle may have a lot of sludge in your fuel tank/system built up over the years from running diesel fuel. Biodiesel will dissolve the diesel residue; if there's enough, it may clog your fuel filter. The symptom of fuel filter clogging is a power loss; you put your foot on the accelerator pedal, and the vehicle responds very slowly or will only go up to 30 m.p.h. Keep an extra fuel filter in your vehicle, learn how to change it, and be prepared.
• Cold Weather - Biodiesel gels/crystallizes. As the fuel gels it becomes thicker, clogs your fuel filter, and can cause power loss problems. Fuel stored in containers will form white deposits at the bottom. If it gets cold enough your whole tank or container will just be white frozen biodiesel. If biodiesel freezes in your fuel lines and injection pump your car will not start. This won't cause damage; you just need to warm up your vehicle (usually means getting it towed somewhere).

Prevention:

• Blend in some petroleum diesel to lower the gel point. The exact percentage needed to prevent gelling will vary depending on they type of vehicle, the feedstock of the fuel, and weather conditions. In very low temperatures 50% diesel should be enough to get you through a cold spell or just run diesel to be safe.
• Store extra fuel containers in a warm location.
• Heat or insulate outdoor storage tanks.
• Some cars come equipped with engine block heaters that can be plugged in overnight to help the car start on cold mornings. If you don’t have an engine block heater you can put an incandescent work light under the hood at night to keep the engine compartment warm.
• Park indoor if indoor parking is available, if not, park where sun will hit your car early in the morning.
• Add heating elements and insulation to the fuel system to prevent gelling.

Solutions:

• When fuel gels it needs to be brought well above the gel point temperature to return to a stable liquid state.
• The passenger compartment of a car parked in the sun can get warm enough to melt any gel in your plastic containers.
• Put a container or a jar full of biodiesel outside and look at it in the morning to get an idea of what’s going on in your fuel tank. If there’s a white layer on the bottom, you can expect problems.
• Change your fuel filter if you are experiencing power loss. Filing up with diesel can help if your fuel filter is clogged and a replacement is not handy. Diesel is thinner than biodiesel and will get through a partially clogged filter better than biodiesel.
• Park your car in the sun and wait till the afternoon when it's warmed up until driving.
• Aim a blow dryer at the fuel filter and fuel lines.
• Pour hot water over the filters and fuel lines. Do this carefully, avoiding electrical components.

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