Heat &amp;amp; Biodiesel

!: Heat & Biodiesel

Heat is needed during the biodiesel conversion process for the following reasons:

1. Preheating your oil.
2. Heating your biodiesel during the settling process.
3. Drying water out of water-washed biodiesel.
4. Recovering methanol from biodiesel.

The three main types of heating systems offered today are:

-Oil Preheating Systems.
-In-Line Heating Systems.
-In-Tank Heating Systems

Oil preheating systems are a safe traditional method of pre-heating the oil prior to processing. The system conists of a steel drum with at least one thermostat controlled barrel heater and insulation. This is a very safe method because there are no heating elements in contact with the liquid. The standard Freedom Fueler comes with this type of heating system.

In-Line Heating Systems

Better For:

- Pre-heating your oil.
- Drying water-washed biodiesel

Drawbacks:

- Requires a pump to operate.
- Cannot heat throughout entire process.
- Elements must be replaced periodically.

In-line heating systems are better than a pre-heating system but they have one common flaw, they all require a pump to circulate the oil through the heater in order for the heater to work. They are mainly intended to pre-heat the oil and dry the water out of biodiesel that has been water-washed. With an in-line heater using submerged elements, the user must remember to start the flow of liquid before turning the heater on.Note: All heaters have what is called a Watt Density. Watt density is the number of watts the heater puts out divided by the surface area of the heaters element. The supplier of heating systems recommends no higher than 30 watts per square inch in the biodiesel process. All of the heaters have a watt density of 28 watts per square inch.

In-Tank Heating Systems

Best For:

- Preheating your oil.
- Heating biodiesel during settling.
- Drying water out of water-washed biodiesel.
- Removing methanol from dry-washed biodiesel.

An In-Tank Heating System is the ultimate in biodiesel heating systems, with the ability to maintain the batch temperature even if the temperature in your shop drops overnight.