Blog/Articles

Monday of Memorial Day.

I found myself on a 50' sport fishing boat, anchored, drinking beer and taking in the sun and the passing bikinis. Who would have expected that also on the boat was a senior Cummins Engineer that specialized in fuel system development. We talked, and drank more beer. This is what I gathered from the conversion in respect to WVO as an alternative fuel in diesel engines.

1. Clean it - Literally the first thing he said was that it needed to be clean of solid contaminants. Obviously the fuel needs to pass through the injectors, but he also pointed out that the fuel is also the lubrication for parts of the fuel delivery system. Abrasive contaminants in the oil will cause scoring in the injector and IP parts leading to a costly repair. Also, generally speaking, newer engines have much smaller injector sizes require

I bought a Frybrid 04-07 Dodge Truck conversion and I don't even know anyone with a Dodge truck!

My "Master Plan" is do a series of conversion reviews from the leading conversion builders. When I was getting into WVO it was endlessly frustrating trying to compare the various kits on the market. I intend to change that and, since I don't have any affiliation with any of the manufactures, I don't have any problem saying what I honestly think. Such as " $50 and a trip to the hardware store will get you as far as this kit". Possibly I am pessimistic, but I do think that there are a few out there that are taking advantage of the non technical public. That said, I am starting with one that I feel confident to be one of the best.

Now, here is the opportunity, I can review the kit and parts on my bench and that will provide some value. However, we really need to install it.

I don’t purchase fuel very often any more but even I have noticed that the cost of a gallon has fallen significantly in recent weeks from the craziness of the summer.  I have long since abandoned the idea that the general public looks at the world the same way that I do and I wonder the impact of this on the biofuel industry.

I know that people are generally lazy in nature and by and large financially motivated.  Clearly this drop in fuel price is going to allow people that were once very motivated to seek alternative energy sources quietly put it back on the shelf for another day.   I know that we will lose some people but is that really a bad thing?  I heard stories of bidding wars for WVO collection in Florida that topped $2.50/gallon.  I read many forum post advising isolation and secrecy rather than open community involvement. 

Here is an interesting tidbit of a WVO observation.  Mid summer, I put a sample of oil that I ran through the centrifuge next to a sample of oil that I had not.  Both samples where “clear” but you could see particles in the pre centrifuged sample and it had a darker look.  Both of these sample came from the same source restaurant.  Average temperature was mid to high 80s.

The interesting part is when I looked at the samples recently.  Now November, the average temperature is high 50s or so and you can see that both samples have started to solidify but the un-centrifuged oil has solidified much more.  I am interested to hear some theories out there but my thought is it a “snow flake” effect where the solidification or crystals start with a piece of contamination.  Either way, it would appear

If you have been here before, you will notice the new look...I hope you like it. More importantly though, is the "Learn" section. I have been kicking around the idea but I feel that it is a big part of where this site was meant to be.

Initially, I was targeting a portion of the WVO community that had the basics down and wanted to get down and dirty with the details. What, where and how much? Were the questions I set out to answer. This is coming along fine but I realize that it is still difficult to get what I consider good information.

So, I will be researching, collecting and posting all the information that can be found online into a clear and definitive resource...(no pressure eh?) I will be including technical papers, videos and personal experiences. I know it is a wild world out there and the information is all over the place so I am not sure what it is going to look like and how I am going

Everyone wants to know how we are doing with the Raw Power Oil Centrifuge release. Check out my release information on the forum here: