How to turn plastic waste into diesel fuel cheaply

[Heartburn]

Hello Jetijs ;
Nice to hear from you after a long time .
V-GROOVE is the best & safest thing. In my new continuous system all the reactor flanges are with V-groove. No compromise on this .
Thanks to jetijs.

The washer idea won't work , I have experimented that even if the v-groove is not perfectly made, it starts leaking specially above 300 celsius .


I would suggest not to compromise on the V-groove otherwise leakages will easily catch fire .
PLEASE DON'T RISK A FIRE

A copper gasket should work fine as long as it is not over torqued. As the heat rises and the copper softens, the joint will move and if over torqued gaps will appear. The same phenomenon happens to gasket on an engine. That why when you rebuild an engine it is crucial to properly torque everything.

BTW, I intend to leak test my rig in 2 steps.

First with water at triple the operating pressure. This will show major weaknesses in welds and joints without the danger of explosion as water does not compress.

Second with steam at double operating pressure. This will show leaks due to thermal expansion of the joints without the risk of catastrophic failure of the materials.

Now do you guys think the a system proven rouged at pressures will also be leak proof ?

I think I will also test the system under reasonably high vacuum to make sure it is safe.

[Heartburn]

Simple temp probe

I got a look at your pictures. Im all for keeping things simple but there a couple of things you should add to your outfit. Without temperature measurement its impossible to control the process. I have included a link to a suitable probe on ebay. These come with a threaded insert that can be welded into a 10mm hole in your retort. You can buy a cheap digital thermometer from China for about 6 euro to go with them. You will need 2 one for the retort and one for the top of the vertical pipe which is acting as a reflux column.
Your reflux column would work better if it was larger diameter and packed with stainless steel potscrubs to increase the internal surface area. The horizontal pipe should slope downwards to the condenser to prevent fully cracked condensate flowing back into the retort. Ill sketch a possible layout and post it later.
EGT EXHAUST GAS TEMPERATURE SENSOR PROBE,UNIVERSAL FIT, K-Type Thermocouple, for | eBay

I intend to start with simple analog thermometers, candy thermometers to be exact. I will braze a piece steel brake line that the thermometer fits snug but can slide in and out from into to a fitting and braze the end of it. Then I can have multiple temperature probing points with a minimum of 2 thermometers. The precision should be good enough for our needs

[operatorX225]

Unless im wrong diesels boiling range is between 250-300C so I would want my reflux chamber to be just a bit hotter than the boiling point of diesel to keep the diesel from condensing and falling back into the retort correct?

Here is the sketch.


On older vehicles, pre 2002, especially those with indirect injection, you can have up to 20% kerosene in your diesel. In newer common rail type diesel engines you can have none at all.

[imakebiodiesel]

I deliberately showed a range of temperatures for the top of the reflux column because you must match the temp to the type of fuel you want. At 220 I get kerosene, at 290 I get winter diesel at 330 I get summer diesel.
These figures will vary according to the actual shape and design of the reflux column and whether you use a catalyst or not, so I dont want to give the impression that these temps are absolute.
The only way to know the correct reflux temp is to build a reactor, test it for safety, and then experiment with different temp settings until you find a method that works. As I said before you need accurate temperature measurement in the top of the retort and the top of the reflux column otherwise you wont be able to repeat a successful result.
It doesnt matter whether the thermometer is digital or analog provided it can cope with temperatures of up to 450C

[Heartburn]

Hey guys, I've finally got threw the thread and I got allot of answers. I've also found some common issue that have very few and or weak solutions. I'm just starting this so I'm not in position to test all my idea's and most of them I have to do for myself and then post the results. but some of you are in the testing phase and there some things that could be done by anyone. I wonder if anyone would be interested in trying some of my idea's out. In particular to solve the issue of HCL in the system

[Beyond Biodiesel]

Good to know Heartburn, that you have made it through this lengthy thread, and you are ready to experiment. The things to know about HCL are:

1) If you are not cracking chlorinated hydrocarbons, then you should have no HCL emissions.

2) A bubbler is very effective at capturing HCL emissions.

So, work on your bubbler, and avoid all halogenated hydrocarbons, and you will be more likely to live long and prosper.

[EdCarron]

Hello from Ottawa Ontario Canada

Hello all, I have read all posts and am like a kid in a candy store, I had planned to start to construct my unit two weeks ago but other projects have jammed me up also we now have 1.5 feet of snow I was wondering if there are any members in the Ottawa area? I mainly want to crack hdpe fuel tanks from passenger vehicles, also just a thought has anyone tried a spiral tube radiant heat system to heat their retort? I have access to chimney liners and may try it, anyway just wanted to say hello and keep up the great work, I will post Pics and progress as soon as I start to operate

[Heartburn]

Sharing only results or ideas too ?

Good to know Heartburn, that you have made it through this lengthy thread, and you are ready to experiment. The things to know about HCL are:

1) If you are not cracking chlorinated hydrocarbons, then you should have no HCL emissions.

2) A bubbler is very effective at capturing HCL emissions.

So, work on your bubbler, and avoid all halogenated hydrocarbons, and you will be more likely to live long and prosper.

I know a fair bit about HCL from other projects. I read that some have had issues with HCL in their experiments that's why I'm offering some idea's to take advantage of the HCL in their process if they want. The only thing is I would need to know a little more about at what point does the HCL appear in the process.

I'm in Canada and buried in 3 feet of snow already and the lack of space on my property makes it so I can't do runs till spring. My retort and reflux are built I want to build condensers this winter and assemble and test ASAP in the spring.

I also have other ideas that I can't experiment my self till spring but I offer to post them if someone is experimenting at the moment and want to try them.

[Heartburn]

Hello all, I have read all posts and am like a kid in a candy store, I had planned to start to construct my unit two weeks ago but other projects have jammed me up also we now have 1.5 feet of snow I was wondering if there are any members in the Ottawa area? I mainly want to crack hdpe fuel tanks from passenger vehicles, also just a thought has anyone tried a spiral tube radiant heat system to heat their retort? I have access to chimney liners and may try it, anyway just wanted to say hello and keep up the great work, I will post Pics and progress as soon as I start to operate

My Outaouais friend. I'm about 1 hours drive from you. You peeked my curiosity with the spiral radiant heat tube. Can you elaborate ?

[Beyond Biodiesel]

I know a fair bit about HCL from other projects. I read that some have had issues with HCL in their experiments that's why I'm offering some idea's to take advantage of the HCL in their process if they want. The only thing is I would need to know a little more about at what point does the HCL appear in the process.

Having a dialog on more ways to control and mitigate HCL production is always a good idea on a pyrolysis forum.

I believe the first and best way to reducing HCL production in pyrolysis is to avoid all chlorinated hydrocarbons, then HCL production will be zero.

However, I am presently working on distilling WMO, and I came across 2 5-gallon cans of thin WMO that turned out to be dirty brakleen, which is a common solvent used in auto garages in the USA. Brakleen is TCE, which is a chlorinated hydrocarbon.

While distilling that batch of dirty solvent I observed minor amounts of HCL until the reflux temperature got to 550F-600F (290c-315c), then the volume of HCL that erupted from the exhaust of my pyrolysis unit almost killed me. I did not have a bubbler at the time, but after I installed one it took care of the HCL very well.

I'm in Canada and buried in 3 feet of snow already and the lack of space on my property makes it so I can't do runs till spring. My retort and reflux are built I want to build condensers this winter and assemble and test ASAP in the spring.

I also have other ideas that I can't experiment my self till spring but I offer to post them if someone is experimenting at the moment and want to try them.

Well, I am not buried in snow here in Sedona at 4500 feet (1300M) of elevation, but it has gotten too cold to work outside on my project most days, so I am working on a cart to transport it inside to work on, and outside to run. Here is a photo of it.

[EdCarron]

I was thinking of using a gun burner and feed it to a chimney liner wrapped around the retort on a upward spiral, tight wraps, no space between them. You could crush down the end of the liner to act like a flew on a wood stove, if you leave 1-2 feet of the liner away from the retort it shouldnt cause any damage the the gun burner if it has to cycle as opposed to running continuously, any way I'm in the great bustling metropolis of Arnprior, I operate a salvage and autoparts yard so I have acces to many wonderful items for this project. I'm using Jetijs design until I'm comfortable with my results and for ease of design changes, I have 3 plastic injection moulding machines that have the heated screw to feed the shot chamber and will experiment with a continuous feed unit in the late summer.

[Heartburn]

Beyond Biodiesel,

Hydrogen chloride is very dangerous and since it very soluble in water having a bubbler is the simplest way to manage the hydrogen chloride gasses. The aqueous solution of hydrogen chloride is hydrochloric acid and can also be dangerous so to keep it simple having a continuous fresh water source in the bubble keep the concentrations low enough not to be dangerous.

It is possible to use the the HCL to compliment the process, but it increases the complexity the risk of explosion and management of other by products at varying degrees depending where in the process one uses the HCL.

If your using electricity to power your retort, then there's not much use of the complexity of using HCL in the process.

[Beyond Biodiesel]

Beyond Biodiesel,
Hydrogen chloride is very dangerous and since it very soluble in water having a bubbler is the simplest way to manage the hydrogen chloride gasses. The aqueous solution of hydrogen chloride is hydrochloric acid and can also be dangerous so to keep it simple having a continuous fresh water source in the bubble keep the concentrations low enough not to be dangerous.

Yes, I found out first hand how dangerous/toxic HCL gas is, and how effective a bubbler is at handling it. I just direct the water from my water jacketed condensers to the bubbler so that it has a steady flow of water, the water flowing out of the bubbler goes right to the sewer. i figure it cannot be any different than the chlorinated water that the municipality feeds us.

It is possible to use the the HCL to compliment the process, but it increases the complexity the risk of explosion and management of other by products at varying degrees depending where in the process one uses the HCL.

If your using electricity to power your retort, then there's not much use of the complexity of using HCL in the process.

It might be worth looking at recycling the HCL to compliment the process, but I am also all for keeping my system simple and reducing its toxicity and corrosives.

[Beyond Biodiesel]

This is a question about PID Temperature Controllers and SSRs.

Last summer I bout a Mypin TA series Temperature Indicator/Controller, which did not come with an SSR.

I ordered an Opto22 SSR and found the two would not talk to each other.

I ended up ordering 3 RKC PID controllers with Fotek SSRs and thermocouples as a kit from eBay. They have worked great since.


However, they are limited to 400c and I want to go to 425c.

I have tried the Mypin TA series Temperature Indicator/Controller on the Fotek SSRs and found they wont talk either. So, does anyone know what SSR will work on a Mypin TA series Temperature Indicator/Controller?

[imakebiodiesel]

I use the rkc controller and the fotek ssr on the heater band that heats my catalyst column. They work really well but they are not suitable for above 400C The controller I use on my retort is a NEW2006POWER model N2006P-612 with a fotek ssr and it is good for 800C.

I dont know the Mypin controller but is it possible that it has an AC signal output? I see that all of your ssrs are DC signal inputs.