heating your oil?

[gearhead]

The biggest problem I have when running used engine oil is finding an effective solution to all the water in it.My direct drive centrifuge can pull some of it but it only has about a quart of capacity.all that water takes up alot of space inside the bowl so the oil isnt getting as clean as it should.So I thought about preheating the oil to boil the water out.So I bought a 21.5 quart "canner" pot, and a 1000W electric burner.The canner pot came with a lid which I modified to fit a 5/16 hose to vent the steam out.To test this setup I mixed 15 cups of used engine oil and 1 cup of water.Poured the emulsified mix(which was still black BTW) into the canner pot,put the lid on and turned the burner to max temp.Almost immediately I started hearing cracking and popping sounds so thats good.But its been over an hour and it still hasnt evaporated all the water.Although it would seem that my 5/16" vent hose isn't nearly enough because if I carefully open the lid ALOT of steam escapes.So I need to modify the lid again and put a large hose to vent the steam out.the inside walls and lid of the canner pot are covered in milkshake...

so I am kinda wondering what you all use to heat your oil to remove water before filtering/centrifuging?

 

[wmoguy]

A 1500w band heater removes alot of water. now days i just run my wmo thru a pair of water seperators during the refining process.

 

[gearhead]

EDIT: stopped the test after 2 hours and it was still boiling.I'm going to repeat the test after I modify the lid to fit a 1" hose because there was a ton of steam that came out when ever I opened the lid,so that might have been effecting it.

I dunno I could always try a small camp stove or something.

 

[h2odrx]

you may want to add a fan for like suction or vacuum?

 

[wmoguy]

EDIT: stopped the test after 2 hours and it was still boiling.I'm going to repeat the test after I modify the lid to fit a 1" hose because there was a ton of steam that came out when ever I opened the lid,so that might have been effecting it.

I dunno I could always try a small camp stove or something.

Eh open flame around your fuel would freak me out. If you're mixing in RUG during this process I think that would be a huge safety concern. Why not just remove the lid to your vessel and let the steam flow out freely?

 

[gearhead]

I don't mix anything with my oil,just gets cleaned and poured into the truck.As far as leaving the top off the oil looses a lot of heat when its exposed to the air.I tried a test just with water before I tried the oil and the heater couldnt even bring 6 cups of water to boil after an hour with the top off.with the oil with the top on it was rolling by an hour...

 

[flareside_thun]

Why not let the water separate in the holding barrel and drain it off the bottom?

 

[gearhead]

I dont have a drain on the bottom but I set the draw tube about 8" from the bottom from my holding tank -55 gallon drum.

 

[dagreendeville]

I do exactly what flareside said he knows because I make his fuel too lol I use a 55 gallon steel drum with legs welded to it and Its painted black I let the sun heat it and it seperates water pretty nicely also I have a drain on the bottom but I never put my hose on the bottom to pull fuel out

 

[Ironman03R]

I have a bucket heater from Tractor supply that will boil 5 gal bucket of water pretty quick. I drain off most of the water before heating it then just let it sit there and boil for a couple hours. Ususlly theres a little that wont boil out so I dont use whats in the bottom of the bucket.

 

[leswhitt]

I've had great luck with mixing 20% RUG into my oil, letting it set for 48 hours, and then draining the water off the bottom. After all the water is gone, I then drain about 5 gallons into a clear cubie and set it aside. Then I'll start pulling my oil from the top of my barrel and that's what goes through my filters. After another 48 hours, I'll see if there's been any separation in the cubie and pour out the good oil and toss the rest. This method has kept me water free for nearly 800 gallons so far.

 

[Blind Driver2]

I settle my oil in a IBC tote. I didn't think they would do a good job, but I got a bunch of water of them. One is ready to be 'fuged, then other is still settling. I had more than 35 gallons of water and sludge. I need to get a clear line as a pick up tube so this doesn't happen again.

I have 2 cone bottoms that I bought several years ago that simply welds to the bottom of a 55 gallon drum. I'm going to try my current set up before making changes. My WVO Design 'fuge is almost ready. I just have to source the 14/3 w/ ground wiring. The local hardware stores don't have it in a flexible line