Looking at Centrifuges

[eatont9999]

Hello all,

I am thinking seriously about getting into filtering and running WMO/*** to help cut down on the cost of fuel. I want to get a good centrifuge and start this project off on the right foot. The initial investment is pretty steep but in the long run, it will save me money. I am reluctant to use filters because I have heard they don't filter as well and are a PITA. I live in an apartment right now, so the mess must be kept to a bare minimum. I'll probably be using a lot of 5 gallon buckets as I don't have room for anything much bigger.

Here are the centrifuges I have been looking at. I am leaning more toward the bowl style over the high pressure style because I don't like the idea of recirculating cleaned oil into dirty oil multiple times. Please provide any experience or tips to help me decide on which model to go with.

http://www.wvodesigns.com/wvo-centrifuges/raw-power-centrifuge.html
http://www.simplecentrifuge.com/ordering.html
http://www.wolverinetechnologiesllc.com/centrifuge.html
http://bestcentrifuge.com/centrifuges
http://pabiodieselsupply.com/shop/oil-centrifuge-motor-package-c-94.html

 

[Brad S.]

eatont9999,
Not trying to sway your choice but I have a PAbiodiesel the 55 gph model.
I haven't used it a lot because I got it late summer. Cost was kind of the main reason, I didn't want to put a bunch of money in something, burning wmo, that wouldn't turn out.
Some of the other guys that have CF's have had really good luck with 'em, and the wmo that they get works well.
If you haven't done so go back and look at some of the other posts in this section there is a lot of info.
Good to see another person getting into wmo.

 

[gearhead]

I run a bowl and motor from simplecentrifuge.Works great.I have a 5 gallon bucket with a ball check valve in the side of it.The bucket is mounted higher than the centrifige.When the valve is open it uses gravity to feed into the centrifuge.Then the outlet port goes to a clean container.The longer the oil is in the centrifuge the cleaner it will be.I usually run a 5 gallon batch two times though the centrifuge.The first pass is full bore just to remove alot of water from the oil.Then I stop the centrifuge and let it drain out through the waste port.After thats all done I turn the centrifuge back on,dump the "cleaned" oil back into the 5 gallon bucket and adjust the valve so oil flows at about 1-2 gallons per hour into the centrifuge .After that the oil gets dumped into the tank..

I like my setup because I can get it started and go do other things while the oil runs through,rather than babysitting a setup with high pressure lines...

 

[eatont9999]

I run a bowl and motor from simplecentrifuge.Works great.I have a 5 gallon bucket with a ball check valve in the side of it.The bucket is mounted higher than the centrifige.When the valve is open it uses gravity to feed into the centrifuge.Then the outlet port goes to a clean container.The longer the oil is in the centrifuge the cleaner it will be.I usually run a 5 gallon batch two times though the centrifuge.The first pass is full bore just to remove alot of water from the oil.Then I stop the centrifuge and let it drain out through the waste port.After thats all done I turn the centrifuge back on,dump the "cleaned" oil back into the 5 gallon bucket and adjust the valve so oil flows at about 1-2 gallons per hour into the centrifuge .After that the oil gets dumped into the tank..

I like my setup because I can get it started and go do other things while the oil runs through,rather than babysitting a setup with high pressure lines...

That's why I have been leaning toward the bowl type centrifuges. They are easier to setup and run.

I asked PA Biodiesel what kind of G-forces their centrifuge puts out but the response I got didn't answer my question. All the bowl type manufacturers I have seen list the Gs clearly on their site. The more Gs, the cleaner the oil gets. The bigger the bowl, the more Gs.

 

[gearhead]

mine is 1200 Gs,but because I run it through slowly I get about 1/8-1/4" of sludge on the sides of the bowl just from 5 gallons.

 

[eatont9999]

How good are these centrifuges at removing water from oil? Lets say I had some unused Rotella that was contaminated by rain water and now it is a milky color. Would running it through a centrifuge get the water out so the oil could be used as fuel?

 

[mtran]

Yes,but if it isn`t black there is LOT of water,heat and setle then.
To much water will stop CF.

 

[eatont9999]

Yes,but if it isn`t black there is LOT of water,heat and setle then.
To much water will stop CF.

The particular oil I am referring to is new, unused Rotella oil so it won't be black at all. I don't know how much water got in there and it won't be used as crank case oil because of that. Would it help the water settle if I added some #2 or RUG? This bucket was in the back of my truck all summer but the last month it has been sitting on the porch. It still looked milky when I opened it to check.

 

[wmoguy]

if your stock is filled w/ water the CF will take some out, but too high of a qty will leave you with water and oil fuel. Few options that have worked for me include:

1. heat the stock. 180 degrees+ for 24 hrs or more works well for me. Be prepared to steam up your garage or wherever your equipment is

2. run it thru a water seperator a few times, then thru your CF

3. (for lots of water) Let the stock settle for a few days, the oil and water will seperate. Remove as much water as possible, then try step #1 then step #2.

Oh, and I didn't understand fully if this new Rotella is a limited time item for you, but if WMO cocktails are long term plans for you and you have lots of this watery rotella oil, I don't think you need a CF. If it weren't for the water, I'd throw that new rotella right in my fuel tank and not lose any sleep over it.

As to the other comments about the PA Fuge vs. the Simplecentrifuge, etc... That SimpleFuge is super nice, and I bet it works great. however, 1-2 gallons an hour is a major buzz kill for anyone that makes this fuel and uses alot of it

 

[Matrix37495]

I'm liking my PABioDiesel 55gph 'fuge. The minimum i run it through its 8 passes.

As far as babysitting a high pressure system, it you set it up right and add a pressure releif you dont have to watch it. After setting mine up the pressure never moves after about the first 15 minutes. I don't have a bypass releif so i glance at the pressure when i walk by, but it's never had a problem.

 

[wmoguy]

I'm liking my PABioDiesel 55gph 'fuge. The minimum i run it through its 8 passes.

As far as babysitting a high pressure system, it you set it up right and add a pressure releif you dont have to watch it. After setting mine up the pressure never moves after about the first 15 minutes. I don't have a bypass releif so i glance at the pressure when i walk by, but it's never had a problem.

yea I have the pressure relief valve on mine. I don't babysit it. I generally don't make it a habit of running it when I wont be around the house, however it runs unattended for hours on end.
That simplefuge is nice no doubt, and filters really well based on their videos. It just doesn't seem attainable for me. I make 50-55 gallons of fuel at a time, the idea of gravity feeding small qty's at a time and only cleaning 1-2 gallons an hour sounds painful. In 7-8 hrs start to finish I've got 55 gallons of super clean fuel, that came from the nastiest stock you'll ever see

 

[eatont9999]

I wish I had a supply of clean Rotella. This is just half a bucket I stupidly left out and rain water got in it. I have a few more buckets of used oil from the truck and my car, which I will probably start with first. I still need to find out what local shops do with their used oil before making the big purchase.

The simple centrifuge claims 30 GPH. I think gearhead was just referring to what he does as his preference. The one thing I don't like about the simple centrifuge new bowl design is that there are no cleaning ports on it. By design, I don't even see how that would be possible. The last thing I need is to spill a gallon of UMO on the porch. I live in an apartment, so mess is a concern if I want to see my deposit come back.

Thanks for the help. I'll keep posting questions and ideas as I wait for my tax returns to come in so I have the funds for a fuge.

 

[subway]

I can't speak from experience yet but I bought the one from pa biodiesel, I just haven't had time to set it up. The other fuges might clean better I don't know but they sure cost $$$$$ more.

 

[wmoguy]

I wish I had a supply of clean Rotella. This is just half a bucket I stupidly left out and rain water got in it. I have a few more buckets of used oil from the truck and my car, which I will probably start with first. I still need to find out what local shops do with their used oil before making the big purchase.

The simple centrifuge claims 30 GPH. I think gearhead was just referring to what he does as his preference. The one thing I don't like about the simple centrifuge new bowl design is that there are no cleaning ports on it. By design, I don't even see how that would be possible. The last thing I need is to spill a gallon of UMO on the porch. I live in an apartment, so mess is a concern if I want to see my deposit come back.

Thanks for the help. I'll keep posting questions and ideas as I wait for my tax returns to come in so I have the funds for a fuge.

I can't speak to your neck of the woods and availability of getting WMO. My experience here is it's a piece of cake. I've authored a few suggestions on here on ways to accumulate WMO and they've worked for others in there respected localities.
Here's food for thought, as I think making WMO cocktails outside at your apartment is asking for trouble. Find someone you can buddy up with that has a small shop or warehouse. If they have an older diesel pickup offer to swap out "shop rent' (for that whole 10 sq ft of space your CF setup will take) for some free fuel. As for electricity useage, I probably use mine a total of 20-30 hrs a month and I can't tell any increases in my electrical bill. My hot tub on the other hand is a whole different story....

 

[gearhead]

the longer the oil is in the fuge the cleaner it gets.I run it slow so I don't have problems.by the time its done the oil is still black but it flows exactly like new oil so that tells me its removing sludge,and carbon from the oil.I don't heat my oil either while it runs through the centrifuge.I'm sure if I heated it I could run a faster feed rate.

if I get 1/8" of sludge on the bowl after 5 gallons compared to the paper thin layer you get from filtering 55 gallons which oil is cleaner?which would you rather run?seems like for the most part your just de-watering and not really cleaning the oil-no wonder you guys have to replace the 20 micron filters on your trucks every once in a while.In three years of driving on the oil I havn't touched the filters once.