Last weekend I got my latest batch of homebrew ready and I made some modifications to the reactor. I added a intake valve, so that I can easily use the pump as a transfer pump from the washtank to the drying tank and from the drying tank to the storage tank (on the right). I also moved the the temperature gauge up a bit; in front of the intake for he methoxide, so that I get better temperature readings while I am adding the methoxide to the process.

The additional intake valve was called for because the oil intake is gravity fed from the oil storage and the intake is at the lowest point, so I cannot easily unhook it to use that intake for transfer. So instead, I leave it alone and plug another hose into the new one and conveniently pump from one tank to the other. I can also use it to completely drain the entire plumbing, which is useful.

One of my fellow biodieselers started calling this setup the “apple turnover” design, when I described it. That is because it is an appleseed reactor with the water heater installed upside down to facilitate better, more complete draining of the reactor.

Click on the image for a closer look at the plumbing.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, October 17th, 2006 at 9:30 pm and is filed under Biodiesel. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.