How to turn plastic waste into diesel fuel cheaply

[Excalibur]

Originally Posted by Beyond Biodiesel:
Copper or aluminum radiators as condensers of the vapor stream should work fine, you would only want to make sure that the radiator never sees temperatures above 100c

.

WAY? i need diesel???

Copper or brass automotive radiators would have the joints sweated with solder which has a likely melting point of about 180 - 200*C. Should a radiator exceed the melt point during operation, it could collapse venting highly explosive volatile gasses. Immediate containment would be difficult.
For a diesel condenser, you need something better!

[skumarroyal]

hi Jetijs..
thanks for your post and for a beautiful work.
I want to know about the detail of this project with the help of all pictures and total profit of the this plant after the output product. we have 7 cent per kW of energy cost.

[skumarroyal]

can you send me the pictures of this work at my address
Email id: skumarroyal@gmail.com

[Excalibur]

I've taken another good step forward with the recently completed run, cracking WMO. Each time I run the Orion retort, I learn new things about it.
She is slowly revealing her secrets!!

The total yield was 185L diesel & 5L petrol. This time I chose to trap the petrol in an uncooled condenser at ambient temperature of about 30*C which worked out quite well as the gases available for the turk burner head gave its' best result ever. At one stage, it burned continuous for over two hours just on gases alone. Just as satisfying was the flue stack emission which was clear as one could wish for, on either fuel. The turk IP benefitted from having the fuel thinned down so it vaporized much easier, making ignition more immediate. Also I discovered the IP idle screw was not where I thought so resetting a new minimum helped outright controllability.

It was some surprise to find that the diesel could come at a rate of a liter a minute! Please realize that this is at its' maximum and isn't sustainable as fresh feedstock dips the temperature, reducing evaporation activity.

For the first time I monitored ingoing heat. It was over 800*C at times. No wonder the 3" inlet pipe was bright red hot. I rue not making this bigger diameter and wall thickness.

I now have no fewer than 8 temperature monitoring LCD devices on various parts of my plant. I regard these as essential and I plan more. Knowledge is power as the saying goes, and knowing what's happening in any part of a distillation unit is key to proper control. Highly recommended!

I made a new video viewable on my DIYDiesel blog. I hope it helps.
Keep safe!

[dippy909]

Excalibur
Do you have a Video showing your complete set up including condensor's, this one shows the Retort and reflux mostly .

I am designing a New unit for 100kg Capaicty tuned mostly for Diesal.
A couple of questions.
1. Is it advisable to have the Reflux/Retort Pipe as wide as possible? There have been many comments to have the Reflux very close to the retort, Why not make the reflux an extension of the Retort welded directly with a smaller diameter?
2. In the Reflux, iron Wool has been recomended to increase surface area, is this better than having a series of Baffles?
3. Im proposing to install a Cyclone between the Reflux and First Condensor.
Would a Cyclone also end up acting as a Condensor or should it be much smaller in size in comparison to a Condensor ?
4.Last do you know if a Magnetic Seperator in line would be beneficial to collect Carbon particles and clean the fuel (This iis for my next development)
Thankyou

Dippy

[AAS]

reactor

all the electrical energy supplied = heat energy absorbed by the plastic
Just a typo sorry, water is around 4500 J kg-1 oC-1

Hi Guys.

So I did the first run. Still have some electrical problems causing some of my banks to trip in the electricity box, caused me to run for about 24Hours, but eventually got the run done and was left with only fine ash in bottom of reactor.

Basically got about 400L of a lovely yellow product. No waxy product.
However specific density of the combined final product is 1.05.

I tried to blend it with 50% commercial diesel, however the phases separate, due to the large variation in density of the two products.

Seems like the thermal de-polymerization was insufficient. Any suggestions, perhaps increase the length of my reflux? The is no insulation at present on the reflux.

Kind Regards
AJ

[Excalibur]

Excalibur
Do you have a Video showing your complete set up including condensor's, this one shows the Retort and reflux mostly .
I am designing a New unit for 100kg Capaicty tuned mostly for Diesal.
A couple of questions.
1. Is it advisable to have the Reflux/Retort Pipe as wide as possible? There have been many comments to have the Reflux very close to the retort, Why not make the reflux an extension of the Retort welded directly with a smaller diameter?
2. In the Reflux, iron Wool has been recomended to increase surface area, is this better than having a series of Baffles?
3. Im proposing to install a Cyclone between the Reflux and First Condensor.
Would a Cyclone also end up acting as a Condensor or should it be much smaller in size in comparison to a Condensor ?
4.Last do you know if a Magnetic Seperator in line would be beneficial to collect Carbon particles and clean the fuel (This iis for my next development)

At present there are three Youtube videos that show the newest prototype.
More videos may be made soon. Photos of the parts can be seen amongst the 14 attached pages of my DIYDiesel blog. Please realize that the set up is under constant change and review in the search for improved performance. For example, the recent run included 2 additional condenser vessels for capturing gasoline fraction.
1. It will work. Altering the size, distance away and connecting aperture are means to tuning the reflux performance.
2. Both will work. Make it removable for tuning purposes. Currently I have one baffle plus steel wool but I now have too much refluxing, so I think I'll remove the wool only and retry. After that I'll try adjusting the aperture size between the vessels. Also baffles/steel wool could possibly help arrest boil-over.
3. I haven't seen the use of a cyclone for our application so difficult to know for sure. I do wonder if the gas speed would be fast enough to have real benefit. It would act as another condenser in my opinion.
4.Interesting article on magnetism

[Excalibur]

Hi Guys.
Basically got about 400L of a lovely yellow product. No waxy product.
However specific density of the combined final product is 1.05.

I tried to blend it with 50% commercial diesel, however the phases separate, due to the large variation in density of the two products.

Seems like the thermal de-polymerization was insufficient. Any suggestions, perhaps increase the length of my reflux? The is no insulation at present on the reflux.

Congrats on getting first run completed. Sorry it hasn't worked as expected.
Wow 1.05, that's heavy! What was the feedstock?
My first thought is to increase the effectiveness of the reflux. You'll be wanting to run the reflux cooler, so increasing length, size or additional cooling might be the go. What was the temperature of the reflux throughout the run?
The relationship between retort and reflux is a fine balance. The reflux needs to deal with all the heat of the vapor stream and it's "relentless". Too much or too little reflux temperature will put the product outside the range you are looking for.

[jonathan]

pyrolysis

thanks excalibur for sharing videos and information on your blog thanks for everyone for sharing photos l wish to share my system how it works but l am still having trouble with oil burner but now l am trying home made siphon nozzle keep it up

[Beyond Biodiesel]

I've taken another good step forward with the recently completed run, cracking WMO. Each time I run the Orion retort, I learn new things about it.
She is slowly revealing her secrets!!...

I made a new video viewable on my DIYDiesel blog. I hope it helps.
Keep safe!

Congratulations, Excalibur, on your progress. Note to those wishing to see Excalibur's work, I have installed a link to it above.

I am designing a New unit for 100kg Capaicty tuned mostly for Diesal.
A couple of questions.
1. Is it advisable to have the Reflux/Retort Pipe as wide as possible? There have been many comments to have the Reflux very close to the retort, Why not make the reflux an extension of the Retort welded directly with a smaller diameter?

Yes, that is what most of us are doing. It is advisable to have the Reflux/Retort Pipe as wide as possible, and as close as possible to the retort, and have it insulated, and even heated to control its temperature.

2. In the Reflux, iron Wool has been recomended to increase surface area, is this better than having a series of Baffles?

I have both baffles and packing in my Reflux and condenser traps. I find creating as many opportunities to condense the vapor stream the better.

3. Im proposing to install a Cyclone between the Reflux and First Condensor.
Would a Cyclone also end up acting as a Condensor or should it be much smaller in size in comparison to a Condensor ?

I think a cyclone is a good idea for trapping condensate. The cyclone will definitely function as a condenser, so you will want to accommodate condensate there.

4.Last do you know if a Magnetic Seperator in line would be beneficial to collect Carbon particles and clean the fuel (This iis for my next development)
Thankyou

Dippy

To get carbon magnetic requires some pretty exotic manipulation, so under normal conditions, a magnet will not help in pyrolysis, but it could be used in a DIY fuel filter.

Hi Guys. So I did the first run. Still have some electrical problems causing some of my banks to trip in the electricity box, caused me to run for about 24Hours, but eventually got the run done and was left with only fine ash in bottom of reactor.

Basically got about 400L of a lovely yellow product. No waxy product.
However specific density of the combined final product is 1.05.

A specific gravity of 1.05 makes it not a normal hydrocarbon, or petroleum distillate, so you were probably cracking a halogenated hydrocarbon, which means your exhaust will have been very toxic. For safety reasons, if you are going to be cracking unsorted plastic trash, then it is best to float it through a trough, so that you can easily separate the halogenated hydrocarbon from the non-halogenated, then your distillate will be useable.

I tried to blend it with 50% commercial diesel, however the phases separate, due to the large variation in density of the two products.

This is not surprising, because halogenated hydrocarbons do not readily dissolve into petroleum distillates, so this is another good reason to avoid cracking halogenated hydrocarbons.

Seems like the thermal de-polymerization was insufficient. Any suggestions, perhaps increase the length of my reflux? The is no insulation at present on the reflux.

Kind Regards
AJ

Well, if you do not insulate and heat your reflux, then your unit is likely to reflux indefinitely.

[faraway]

Hi excalibur . about your turk burner, i'm interested in your idea, i want ask you some Q. Plz..

1-how you could control temp? did u use speed controller for motor?
2-could i make the burner work automatic ignition? using spark plug?
3- could u give us pic for inside turk head ?

[Excalibur]

faraway, jonathan

In early attempts I found the burner particularly troublesome. The main problems were smoke, flame-outs and responsiveness. The recent run was much better. The hope is my struggle and effort helps others.

The burner uses 2 separate fuel systems. The IP with 4 injector nozzles is mainly for heating from cold. I use paper and sticks for initial lighting. The gas vapor from the retort takes over once gas becomes available plus the turk burner temperature is high. The body and pipework can glow red hot which keeps the fuel ignited.
The IP uses thin fuel approx. the weight of kerosene ~ diesel. I use a combination of oil, petrol, kero, diesel etc to make a thin mix that will vaporize instantly its' injected. (I use fuel made in the retort, I buy none.)
The forced draught fan has a butterfly control but most, perhaps all of the last run it was wide open.
Note the turk is double skinned so incoming air is forced to circle between the 2 skins several times before entering the central chamber. It keeps tumbling and tumbling which provides a good air/fuel mixture.

The gas jet is about 6mm. The feed has a ball valve for control of flow. There are several flame traps made from gauze and/or swarf, plus a bubbler.
Exhaust is 3inch. Inlet 3inch though I wonder if I should have made it 4inch and heavier wall thickness. Burner temperature has recorded over 800*C at times.

Two videos of testing before installing. I used a few sheets of newspaper.
Look down the exhaust,,, see the swirling flame!
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B-o...it?usp=sharing
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B-o...it?usp=sharing

Also I updated the blog page covering the burner

1/. No speed control but the IP has a throttle so very good control of fuel.
2/. I tried spark plugs but without success. Maybe I'll revisit the idea sometime.
3/. No internal pics. I regret not photo'ing it though I meant too. By the time I remembered it was already welded.

[AAS]

A specific gravity of 1.05 makes it not a normal hydrocarbon, or petroleum distillate, so you were probably cracking a halogenated hydrocarbon, which means your exhaust will have been very toxic. For safety reasons, if you are going to be cracking unsorted plastic trash, then it is best to float it through a trough, so that you can easily separate the halogenated hydrocarbon from the non-halogenated, then your distillate will be useable.


We make sure 85% of the shredded plastic floats, my probe only goes about 10cm into the lid, this temp regulates the furnace, initially got nice density's of about 0.75, then later got nice diesel of about density of 0.84. As the reactor got hotter the final 200Litres of the product caused the density to increase of the total product. (remember the reactor is 900L and at least a meter in length)

I suspect, I just went to hot, as the liquid gets less in the reactor, the tested vapor temp and actual liquid temp must have differed greatly. Will try and reduce my set temp max of 400 degrees to 300degrees to start and see if the density does not come down.

AJ

[jonathan]

burner

thanks excalibur l dont have to much space so l and my friend make an air compresor from fridge compresor and its so silence we are working on siphon nozzle .. l hope it works well

[Excalibur]

A specific gravity of 1.05 makes it not a normal hydrocarbon, or petroleum distillate, so you were probably cracking a halogenated hydrocarbon, which means your exhaust will have been very toxic. For safety reasons, if you are going to be cracking unsorted plastic trash, then it is best to float it through a trough, so that you can easily separate the halogenated hydrocarbon from the non-halogenated, then your distillate will be useable.
We make sure 85% of the shredded plastic floats, my probe only goes about 10cm into the lid, this temp regulates the furnace, initially got nice density's of about 0.75, then later got nice diesel of about density of 0.84. As the reactor got hotter the final 200Litres of the product caused the density to increase of the total product. (remember the reactor is 900L and at least a meter in length)
I suspect, I just went to hot, as the liquid gets less in the reactor, the tested vapor temp and actual liquid temp must have differed greatly. Will try and reduce my set temp max of 400 degrees to 300degrees to start and see if the density does not come down.

My probe is also in the top and even shorter. I've often thought it might be more ideal if the probe was in the liquid but it works. It does rely on the vapor for the transmission of heat. Low retort level affects how much heat the sensor reads.
Starting out, the fuel comes light so what you initially got is exactly what I'd expect. Viewing it dripping in the sight glass, it starts out as clear as water. Later it turns amber gold.
Thinking more about 1.05 density, that makes it heavier than even water. Is there any separation or settling in the product?
I suggest start out by eliminating possible causes. Firstly use only known correct plastic or even better, troubleshoot with a run only using WMO.
Good idea to reduce temperature and observe. In the final analysis, optimum temperature is a balance between the 2 extremes of
1/. Boil-over from too high.
2/. Low activity from too low.

Also start recording reflux temps. This will enable tweaking of product SG.

Wishing you good luck from afar. Hope you nail this problem quickly and get on with making some damn diesel!
HTH

thanks excalibur l dont have to much space so l and my friend make an air compresor from fridge compresor and its so silence we are working on siphon nozzle .. l hope it works well

Great. I once experimented with the Babbington burner concept. Also another time an old spraygun I modified to spray fuel directly into a burner chamber.
These ideas worked good for making heat but used lots of air, so volume usage is something to consider. Hey, how about a photo?