WiDE - Water in Diesel Emulsion

Latest pics

It has been cool here (-17C) so I stuck the sample out to see what would happen. The bottom stuff froze. So did the middle stuff which had reformed. Pics are from Nov. 03



These next ones where taken today, two weeks later. It has been sitting inside for two weeks now. It has separated again, but now the top is cloudy. Maybe it is absorbing some water?



I also noticed what appears to be something growing in it ...



The 10% and 20% samples I had sitting out looked the same, I am happy to report.

Something growing??? Algae???

Too much free "water"

Ok, I think I figured out what I did to get the last results. The 1250 litre tote that I got must have had a bunch of free "water" in the bottom. When I pumped out the "stuff" to make the last batch with it must have sucked up all the "water" at the bottom of the tote.

The white mayonnaise looking stuff must have been a mix of bio-diesel and water. It did eventually separate out in my sample jar, but after all this time, the barrel in the garage still had about 50 litres that had still not separated.

The good news is I managed to salvage the diesel/bio mixture off the top, and used it to make the next barrel of WiDE fuel. The sample looks like the first 20% bio batch that I mixed up.

I suctioned up another two barrels out of the tote, which is now empty, and will make another 2 barrels of 20% bio-WiDE mix.

This time I checked very carefully to see that there was no free water in the stuff out of the tote. There was none. I must have gotten all of water in the last batch. I checked last time too, but I sampled from the top of the barrel. This time I sampled from the bottom of the barrel.

I know in the Calgary area your temps have been really cold lately,(ordered some all natural anti cholesterol "heart drops" from a place there) are you still using this fuel??

Brad, I actually ran out of the WiDE fuel that I made up. I actually had to pay for #2 diesel. That is why I decided to make some more.

Biodiesel cleaner

As I mentioned in previous posts, biodiesel is a great cleaner. After puttering around in the garage making more WiDE fuel, I decided to clean up the remnants of the bad batch that I did. So I grabbed a sample of the milky spooj and put it in a jar to settle. I also took another sample and mixed it with 50% biodiesel. Here are the results after less than 24 hrs:



I also have a 20 litre pail of crap that is a mix of transmission fluid, water, biodiesel. It was what came out of my barrels after I cleaned them using biodiesel. They originally had trans fluid with a little bit of water in them. This crap sat for a couple of years and had kind of separated out. First, I put it outside and let it sit for a day outside at -20C. Then I poured off the top stuff that wasn't frozen (about half a pail). I took a sample of that, and added about 50% biodiesel. Less than 24 hrs later:







When I get my WMO processor going, I am definitely going to cut it with biodiesel. Crap just settles out faster.

Well looks like you're making "progress" one way or another.

Good job man.

Update WiDE in a PSD

Well, I did manage to make another 3 barrels of 20% Bio and 80% WiDE back in January. We took the antique to the folks farm last weekend and it ran OK. It fired right up and ran good on the highway, although it almost seemed like the timing was too far advanced. But, when I let up on the fuel pedal it wanted to die almost like it was too retarded. I'll have to check the timing. I'm pretty sure I set it back up to 9.5 degrees BTDC tho. On Saturday we were going for a visit, but the truck would not start. -5 degrees C outside. I had to fill the front tank from the tidy tank, and when I started the pump it really groaned. The stuff in the filter bowl looked like a slushy. It did not start. It didn't even pop once. The next day I plugged in the block heater for 3 hours and it fired right away.

I relatively happy with the way its been burning in the IDI and decide to take it to the next level: running it in a PSD.

We took the '97 LB out to Longview to get some beef jerky. It ran like a top. Really quiet on the highway. It seems harder to start when warm, but that could be because of the higher cetane rating due to the bio in it. It could also be that my charging system is not working properly. I had trouble starting it this morning after 2 weeks of sitting. It was only 6 degrees C out and after almost getting it to start, the batteries just pooped out. I had to boost it. The voltage gauge reads low at idle, but ok at highway speed...if I tap the dash. I don't trust the voltage gauge.

The trip took over 2 hours and the truck used about 3/8 of the front tank.

Just thought of something I haven't asked about is mileage??
It'll be interesting to see how the PSD likes this..

Long trip mileage report

The mileage results are now in. We made a trip out their farm this weekend. It is 365 km one way. That's about 227 mi. Normally, in the antique I am happy when I only use 7/8 of a tank. In the '97 PSD it takes about 3/4 tank using #2 diesel. Well, this time it used about 5/8 of the front tank to the farm. A little bit less than that on the way back. On the way there we had a stiff cross breeze of about 20 - 30 km/hr. On the way back it was mixed. More like all mixed up. Every time I looked at a flag or windsock it was different. I know 5/8 of a tank is not a very good measure, so when I filled it I used a 25 litre plastic jerry can to fill it. The front tank is rated at 76 liters, 5/8 is 47.5 liters. I'm using my own fuel so I don't have it metered down to 3 decimal places! Anyway, it took 50 liters filled to the brim. 5/8 or 47.5 L is a pretty good sanity check.

Calcs:
365km / 50 liters = 7.3 km/l = 17.17 mpg

Not stellar, but I'm ok with it.

Notes:
1997 7.3L PSD
Newer A/C Injectors
Stock HPOP
Rear end ratio is 3.55
Tire size is 235/85R16
E4OD Transmission
4x4 but used in 2WD mode
Speed kept to 110 km/h about 68 mph
Stock tuning
Used cruise control
It took the hills in OD no problem.
I swear the engine is running the best it ever has, while I've had it.

Running down the highway, the engine is really quiet. If I strain to hear it through the wind noise, it sounds like a chorus of frogs.
It's not all rainbows a unicorns tho. The truck didn't want to start at the second *** stop. The first stop was at the Burger Baron, where we stopped for a mushroom burger. It had longer to cool down I guess. I don't recall it being hard to start then.

The second stop was quick because the woman just had to make a pit stop. But the engine sounded like it wanted to run backwards trying to start. I think maybe the 20% biodiesel in it raises the cetane rating too high. The engine is cranking a lot slower than I would like. I may have battery cable problems or a weak starter. With the higher cetane fuel and slow cranking I think it is firing off too soon.

After hooking up the 8D battery with the battery jumper cables I just happened to be carrying, it spun faster and fired right up.
You have to be prepared if you are doing R&D. No biggie this time, but a reminder how bad it could be...

Before I got to the farm I switch to the rear tank with #2 in it. Leaving, it was dead cold 11C. I glowed the plugs for 10 sec and it did not even pop. After glowing again for 10 sec it popped but it was cranking very slowly. It did catch, to my pleasant surprise.

I did not shut it off on the way home.

That is the long trip report. Thanks for reading.

Nice,
You should add one other bit of info, your cost per mile, compare your fuel mix versus regular diesel fuel at your price...
Your very right about being ready when a person is doing R&D...