Q: What is VO fuel?
VO fuel, or VegOil, is a fuel consisting of new or recycled plant
oils, used without any chemical modification. VegOil is sometimes
confused with biodiesel, which is plant oil that has been chemically
altered to more closely match petrodiesel's physical properties.
Q: What is required to run VO fuel?
VO fuel will only work in a diesel engine, and the fuel system
should be modified to heat the VO so that it will be thin enough
to flow and combust cleanly.
Q: Does the performance of your
car change when using VegOil?
A properly modified engine will have similar performance and fuel
economy on VO fuel compared to ordinary diesel.
Q: How much does it cost to modify
a vehicle?
It can vary from a few hundred to a few thousand dollars, depending
on the vehicle, how professional and complex of a conversion you
want, and how much of the work you do yourself. Before you let
a mechanic modify your diesel, find out how many vehicles s/he
has modified and get references from previous clients.
Q: Where can I get a VegOil fuel
powered car?
Since no automaker currently sells vehicles with VO fuel modifications,
they are only available as "used cars." And since all
conversions are not created equal, the warning "buyer beware"
applies when purchasing an already modified vehicle. Improper
modification will cause vehicle damage that may not be immediately
noticeable.
Q: Where do you get VegOil?
Most VegOil fuel in North America is currently recycled ("waste")
vegetable oil and is obtained from restaurants by contracting
for its disposal with the restaurant. Then it is filtered and
dewatered for use as fuel. New VO may also be used.
Q: Is VO fuel cheaper than diesel
fuel?
Currently in the U.S., used or "waste" vegetable oil
costs as little as 1/4 as much as diesel fuel (including taxes)
and bulk unused VO costs about the same as diesel fuel (excluding
taxes). This may not be true for other areas of the world.
Q: Is driving a VegOil car legal?
A: VegOil is currently not EPA-certified as fuel and is thus not
approved for sale or commercial use on public roads. Users of
VO fuel are responsible for paying all applicable federal and
state fuel taxes. Additional laws and permits regarding collection,
transport, and storage of used VO vary among states and municipalities.
Q: Does VO fuel produce less pollution
than diesel fuel?
VegOil is in the very early stages of emissions testing. No public
emissions testing has been performed on the VegOil conversion
technology developed in the past few years. Privately sponsored
emissions testing so far has established that VO is significantly
more carbon-neutral than biodiesel and produces less particulate
emissions than petrodiesel. More testing must be done to establish
if other VO pollutant emissions are significantly lower than petrodiesel
or biodiesel.
Q: Can I buy VO fuel at gas stations?
Until EPA certification is achieved or legislative exemptions
are provided, VO fuel will probably not be available at existing
fuel stations.
Q: Is VegOil fuel for everyone?
Probably not. Currently, VegOil conversions won't give you the
same convenience as regular diesel, although some systems come
close. The technology has advanced considerably in the past 10
years, but VegOil should still be considered an experimental fuel.
Q: Is there enough VO fuel available
to take the place of petroleum fuel?
Not currently (4.5 billion gallons of WVO/year in the US). Realistically
not enough oilseed crops can be grown to achieve this, but research
begun by the US DOE in the 80's and carried on by private industry
strongly indicates that more than enough VO fuel can be produced
with non-terrestrial plants (algae) to easily replace all petroleum
fuels currently used in North America.
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Glossary
of Terms
Biodiesel
- a fuel for most diesel internal combustion and
turbine engines, consisting of methyl or ethyl esters made from
fresh or waste vegetable oils (triglycerides). Biodiesel closely
matches the viscosity of diesel fuel refined from petroleum.
Bubble wash - a
method of decontaminating WVO (or biodiesel) through air agitation
with water. Added water naturally sinks to the bottom, then air
is injected into the water using an aquarium pump and air stone.
The bubbles to rise through the water and the oil above it, carrying
a small amount of water up through the oil on the outer surface
of each bubble. This thin layer of water latches onto impurities
it contacts in the oil and carries them upward with the bubble.
When the bubble reaches the surface and breaks, the water around
the bubble forms a small droplet that slowly drops back down
through the oil with the contaminants, grabbing more contaminants
on the way down. The contaminated "puddle" of water
is then drained from the oil.
Canola (possibly
from CANadian Oil Low Acid) - a trademarked hybrid of rape (a
species of mustard) initially bred in Canada. Rapeseed oil was
extracted in the 19th century as a lubricant for steam engines.
The plant that produced this bitter oil was later bred for lower
acidity, yielding the palatable oil we know as canola. Canola
has an iodine number of 94-102.
Cavitation - a
destructive process that occurs when water is present in fuel
used in diesel engines. This water is "flashed" into
microscopic bubbles of steam that then collapse, creating microscopic
pits in any adjacent metal surface. The cumulative effect is referred
to as an "etched" or "corroded" surface, and
can eventually widen the very small clearances needed for correct
operation of fuel system
components.
Cloud point - the
temperature at which small solid crystals are first visually observed
as the fuel is cooled. This is the most conservative measurement
of cold flow properties, as most fuel can be used without problems
below the cloud point but above the cold filter plug point.
Cold Filter Plug Point (CFPP)
- the temperature at which fuel crystals aggregate
enough to cause a filter to plug. The CFPP is less conservative
than the cloud point, and is considered by some to be a better
indication of low temperature operability.
Coconut oil - oil
extracted from coconut "meat." Coconut oil has an iodine
number of 8-10.
Corn oil - oil
extracted from corn seed. Corn oil has an Iodine number of 111-130.
Cottonseed oil -
oil extracted from cottonseed. Cottonseed oil has
an iodine number of 108-110.
Emulsion - a
dispersion of one liquid into another that neither dissolves nor
readily separates. Emulsions can be formed either by mechanical
agitation or by chemical processes. Unstable emulsions will separate
over time or with added heat; stable emulsions will not.
Hose On Hose (HOH)
- bundled lines of hot coolant and VO/PO, for heating
the oil slightly as it travels from the tank to the engine. Often
the entire bundle is sheathed in insulation to conserve heat.
HOH lines are used to liquefy any VO that solidifies in the line
while the engine is shut down.
Hose In Hose (HIH)
- a VO/PO line completely encased in a larger hot
coolant line. Also known as Tube In Tube (TINT). HIH lines usually
heat fuel more than HOH. They are often also sheathed in insulation
to conserve heat.
Hydrogenated oil
- VO that has been chemically processed to "thicken"
it, to extend its shelf life. Hydrogenated oil varies from slightly
thicker to solid (lard-like) at room temperature, depending on
the level of hydrogenation. Partially hydrogenated oil is often
referred to as "shortening."
Hygroscopic - a
term to describe water that has been absorbed in equilibrium (usually
from the air).
Iodine number -
the degree of saturation of oil or fat, as determined
by the amount of iodine required to react with the fatty acids
it contains. Fats/oils with the highest iodine numbers are "drying
oils," undesirable for use as fuel. The higher the iodine
number, the less desirable an oil/fat is for use as fuel. In practice,
VO/PO/WVO with an iodine number of less than 150 is considered
suitable as fuel.
Lard - rendered
pork fat. Lard has an iodine number of 46-70.
Looped return -
a fuel return line that is routed back to the fuel
line that "feeds" the IP, instead of returning the fuel
to the tank it originated from. Usually this refers to a VO return
line that is "teed" back into the VO filter.
Micron - one
millionth of a meter, which is about 1/25,000th of an inch.
Mist wash - a
method of decontaminating WVO where very fine droplets of water
are "misted" onto the surface of oil. These very small
droplets of water are heavier than the oil and so fall slowly
to the bottom, where they form a "puddle" of water.
As they fall through the oil, contaminants in the oil attach to
the droplets and are carried along with them. The water is then
drained from the oil.
Palm oil - oil
extracted from palm seed/kernels. Palm oil has an iodine number
of 51-57.
Partially hydrogenated
- see Hydrogenated oil
Peanut oil - oil
extracted from peanuts. Peanut oil has an iodine number of 83-100.
Petrodiesel - a
nickname for ordinary diesel fuel derived from petroleum.
Pour point - the
temperature at which the fuel contains so many agglomerated crystals
that it is essentially a gel and will no longer flow.
Rape (a.k.a.
rapeseed, cole seed) - any of a number of crops in the mustard
family grown for oil from the seeds. Canola is a member of this
family. Another early term for this oil is Colza. Makes good biodiesel.
Rapeseed oil has an iodine number of 94-102.
Shortening - See
Hydrogenated oil.
Soy Oil - oil
extracted from soybeans. Soybean oil has an iodine number of 137-143.
Suspension - a
dispersion of a solid in a gas, liquid, or solid or a liquid or
gas in a liquid.
Sunflower oil -
oil extracted from sunflower seeds. Sunflower seeds
have an iodine number of 119-135.
Tallow - rendered
beef or mutton fat. The tallow derived from beef is called stearin.
Industrially, tallow is not strictly defined as beef or mutton
fat, but as any animal fat that conforms to certain technical
criteria. Tallow has an iodine number of 34-46.
Viscosity - the
"thickness" or "thinness" of a fluid, resulting
in a resistance to flow. For example, water has a relatively low
viscosity compared to VO. Mirriam-Webster defines viscosity as
"the ratio of the tangential frictional force per unit area
to the velocity gradient perpendicular to the direction of flow
of a liquid."
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