Kevin’s WMO System

Posted on 02/26/14 3 Comments

I’ve been processing WMO since day one. I’ve never processed anything else (WVO was just too hard to find and all the sources were already spoken for). My setup includes some safety devices for processing. I’ve been processing WMO for 3 years with my primary mix being 70/30 (70% WMO and 30% D2). I run it in all my vehicles (all of which are diesel including my bobcat) year round here in mid Florida. I have 2 VW Jetta TDI’s (2000 and 2001), a 1996 Mercedes E300D, 1999 F250 Superduty Crew Cab 4×4 (customized setup with a 1990 7.3 IDI motor with Banks Turbo), and a 2000 Excursion with a Powerstroke 7.3 (my wife’s “bus”). My 1999 F250 Superduty Crew with the IDI setup can run straight WMO after I process it through WVO Designs Centrifuge but I run the 70/30 mix for convenience. My Jetta’s can run WMO at 98.5% and 1.5% Pure Gum Turpentine (to boost the cetane for starting and burning) but I stick with my 70/30 mix to keep it uniform. The Mercedes and The Excursion both prefer the 70/30 mix and get the best performance and economy at that ratio.

I process 264 gallons at a time (the contents of an IBC tote). It starts by pumping it into my upper tank and letting it settle for 2 weeks (sometimes 3 depending on the quality of the WMO). I usually pump about 725 liters (191.4 gallons of WMO) into the upper tank. After settling I have a loop with a built in “T” with a ball valve (before it goes into an electrically controlled shutoff valve) that allows me to drain off any water or emulsified oil. I will usually do 2 days of bleed off before I start running it in the centrifuge. Once the bleed off process is done I then purge the hoses of air in the centrifuge without turning the heat or the centrifuge controller on (I turn on the switch that controls the electric valve going into the heater). I put this electric valve in place in the event of power failure so the oil would not continue to run. I have also installed a magnetic relay switch that will prevent the entire process from running (restarting) in case of power failure (major safety precaution). I then start processing the WMO at a rate of 3.5 to 4 gallons per hour. The centrifuge is spun up to 6000 rpm’s, the heater is switched on and it begins. I set the heater at maximum (80 degrees centigrade) for the purpose of thinning and boiling the water out of the WMO. This process can take up to 2 days to finish (depending on the weight of the WMO). I process my WMO twice (2 times) to make sure it’s clean and as dry from water as I can get it. I use the waste line of the centrifuge to push the steam (yes, I get steam boiling the water off) where I have a pipe extended outside with a PVC “T” allowing the vapor to exhaust, but the “T” prevents any oil from exiting outside. I have a common A/C drip loop to hold the exhausted oil in place and prevent the steam from exhausting inside my building. This also serves as the collection of waste oil when the centrifuge stops. When oil it being processed it drips from the outside band of the centrifuge and into a pipe that carries it to a filter housing (with no filter installed) with a pipe extended down inside. This is a safety precaution to make sure no water or emulsified oil ever makes it to the processed tank. The water or heavier emulsified oil will sink to the bottom and hold there until it is bled off.

Upon completion of the centrifuge processing, the oil is pumped into a rear tank where it will be mixed with diesel. I pump the diesel into the back tank and use a drill with an extended 5 gallon paint mixer (like bought at lowes or home depot). I have this drill mounted via custom bent aluminum to hold the drill in place (at about a 30 degree angle). I have an automatic timer that I can switch on manually and I use that when I do the initial mix. The timer is set to mix every 7 days for 1 hour ( to make definitely sure the suspension does not separate).

I have a 1970’s gas pump I converted (only using the metering pats inside) and I pump my mix from the building underground via the WVO pump (by turning a series of valves on and off) and the gas pump switch is wired to plug inside the building where when you turn the pump handle down it turns the WVO pump on inside the building pushing my mix through a waterblock 10 micron filter out to the gas pump. I did this to make it easier on myself so I didn’t have to keep filling up all the vehicles myself. I pump my wife’s vehicles full of fuel, but my kids do their own. ( I know lazy me….lol).

SANY0007 SANY0006 SANY0005 SANY0001 SANY0003 SANY0002

3 Comments

  1. James says:
    Friday, March 7, 2014 at 1:11am

    Hi.
    I enjoyed reading about your setup. I am just getting into it and have only run small batches in my tractor. If you don’t mind, I would like to pick your brain a bit about your set up. Please email me at
    jamesarodrigues@hotmail.com

    Thanks

    Reply

  2. esteban says:
    Tuesday, December 8, 2015 at 8:33am

    fine sir. What is D2

    Reply

    • Andy says:
      Monday, January 2, 2017 at 3:27pm

      #2 diesel

      Reply

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