pumps

[HaysOil]

Well I have finished my system and gave it a test yesterday and found that I have a problem, Which is no suprise! The shallow well pumps that I was depending on have failed to pump the motor oil under any kind of pressure. They pump a small trickle but will not pump any pressure. I use this type of pump to pump cooking oil with success but not the motor oil . The only thing I can think of is the viscousity of the oil.I guess I will have to get a gear pump or some type of positive displacement pump. Do you think this is the right conclusion? Wondering what kind of pump you all are using to move your oil? (back to e-bay)

[Oilguy]

Well I have finished my system and gave it a test yesterday and found that I have a problem, Which is no suprise! The shallow well pumps that I was depending on have failed to pump the motor oil under any kind of pressure. They pump a small trickle but will not pump any pressure. I use this type of pump to pump cooking oil with success but not the motor oil . The only thing I can think of is the viscousity of the oil.I guess I will have to get a gear pump or some type of positive displacement pump. Do you think this is the right conclusion? Wondering what kind of pump you all are using to move your oil? (back to e-bay)

I was afraid you were going to get that result... Never know til you try.... I have had good results with flojet pumps... I use the #4300-504 It is a 45 psi (adjustable) 5 GPM on demand pump that is designed for petroleum and runs on 12VDC. It will not pump Gasoline ( for very long) but it does good for oil and diesel. The last one I bought was $100... Infact I still have one that is new in the box if you need one... It is a back up and I have gone to pneumatics and don't really need the electric any more (until its gone of course)
I will sell it for $100 + shipping... which is what I have into it. It has Viton seals which last forever... just make sure you don't have any dirt or grass in the oil... that is the biggest thing that will cause you to open the diaphram end to clean it out... It is easy to do but messy. It also has quick connect ends that make it a snap to remove and replace if neccessary.
If you are interested... Email me at james@freedomoilservice.com
I will check the warehouse now that I think of it... I might have another one if anyone else is interest... Let me know and I will go hunt for them.
Oilguy

[HaysOil]

Thanks oilguy but I want to go with a 110 gear pump so I know it will pump anything, and they are dirt cheap .Thats why its taking me so long to get this done most of my building and processor has come from scrape that I have found .While I'm on line can I ask what do you think needs to be added to the final product to run safely ?

[deaddozer]

If you need high pressure but very modest flow pumps, consider automotive pumps. In some of the biodiesel forums people have built rigs for pumping semisolid WVO -- even WVO containing solids with high melting points. They have used small electric motors , hydraulic oil pumps/crankcase oil pumps/ engine coolant pumps, two pulleys (different sizes) and a few odds and ends to make powerful pumpers. BBC water pump has been recommended by several builders.
Junkyard parts can be cheap if you go to the right place.

[Oilguy]

Thanks oilguy but I want to go with a 110 gear pump so I know it will pump anything, and they are dirt cheap .Thats why its taking me so long to get this done most of my building and processor has come from scrape that I have found .While I'm on line can I ask what do you think needs to be added to the final product to run safely ?
I an just going to run my regular fuel treatment additive... Schaeffer Specialized Lubricants brand.

OG

[Oilguy]

If you need high pressure but very modest flow pumps, consider automotive pumps. In some of the biodiesel forums people have built rigs for pumping semisolid WVO -- even WVO containing solids with high melting points. They have used small electric motors , hydraulic oil pumps/crankcase oil pumps/ engine coolant pumps, two pulleys (different sizes) and a few odds and ends to make powerful pumpers. BBC water pump has been recommended by several builders.
Junkyard parts can be cheap if you go to the right place.

Welcome to the discussion Dozer! I have a few oil pumps that I have saved from my last project (engine R&R on my Cherokee) Those are pretty strong pumps. My concern was back pressure and maintaining a certain pressure without a bypass valve. It could be done but I had a few of these 12VDC pumps around with demand switches that simplified things.
Again... Welcome to the group...
Are you going to be building a processor or were you just browsing?

OG

[deaddozer]

Thanks for the warm welcome.

I'm figuring out how to move from place to place, just feeling around.
Hoping to find gallery soon.

When this job wraps up (and moves to Toronto or Bangalore India), I'll be headed back to my farm to build a bunch of neat equipment.
First thing will be a modest sized biodiesel plant (maybe 3000 gallons/year; 40 gallons/batch).
Second thing will be a modest sized reflux distillation column for extracting methanol and ethanol. The methanol and ethanol will be used in my biodiesel plant.
Following project involves pyrolysis of hardwood (imagine baking wood chips in an oven and piping all the fumes to a distillation column). I'm going to convert an ochard full of old pecan trees into methanol, acetic acid, and other 'nasty stuff'.
I've also had the idea of experimenting with used motor oil (UMO).
I don't know the engineering side well enough to try to design a fractional distillation column (or a vacuum distillation column either) for hydrocarbon processing.
I find the idea intriging but I'll think about it a long time before attempting more than a lab scale distillation apparatus.'.

Guys, you've probably already heard this but you need to consider viscosity of your refined product if you're using it as fuel for a diesel engine. Your injector pump may be very sensitive to thick fluids as well as suspended metals in various 'distillates'/refined products.
A trick we use in the biodiesel world is heating the fuel before it enters your truck's fuel filter and maybe insulating the piping to retain the heat.
Hotter oil is thinner and has lower viscosity. People who burn WVO in their trucks/cars know all about heating their fuel before piping it to their injector pump.

[HaysOil]

Thanks deaddozer I have been running wvo in my old 6.9 for three years with a heated fuel system and in my powerstroke for one year they work really well .I'm held up for a short time untill I get my new gear pumps .I have pumped solid wvo in the dead of winter with trash pumps and semi solid with water pumps But the water pumps won't pump wmo worth a darn. The weather here is really cold and I'm on hold for that also. I also would like to make a reflux still but I can only work on one project at a time .That keeps me awake at night thinking enough ! Can you tell me what a BBC pump is?

[ShaferLabs]

I have used power steering pumps for this type of thing before. They work great and some are fairly easy to adjust the relief valve on too. I have one powering an oil centrifuge cleaning WVO before it is burned in a 127KW genset I built for a sawmill.

[Oilguy]

I have used power steering pumps for this type of thing before. They work great and some are fairly easy to adjust the relief valve on too. I have one powering an oil centrifuge cleaning WVO before it is burned in a 127KW genset I built for a sawmill.

I would love to see the specs on that too.... 127KW? >> that must be powered by a 7.3 IDI that you were talking about....

How much pressure can you get from a power steering pump? How do you adjust the pressure relief valve? How much heat can they take and what RPM do they require to work correctly?

[ShaferLabs]

The centrifuge is made by Diesel Craft. 1 GPM at 100 PSI. They're about $185 new.

I have a ford PS pump running it. You cannot get to it to adjust the pressure, so I put a brass bypass regulator on it from tractor supply that was made for a sprayer. I think they are close to $30. A normal PS pump has it's relief set somewhere around 800 PSI. RPM depends on how much you want to pump. Down to 200 still runs smooth.

That genset is powered by a turbo-intercooled Detroit 371.