Continuous Flow Biodiesel Reactor F07-59CFBIODSL Saluki Engineering Company Engineers: Brett Seagle, Project Manager, ME Edward Kramer, ME Jeff Rohrich, ME Shawn Robertson, ME Kohki Ishii, ME Cole Sheldon, ME Faculty Technical Adviser: Dr. Kanchan Mondal

Outline Executive Summary (Brett) Discussion Safety and Handling of Chemicals (Brett) Chemical Management (Ed) Input Tanks (Jeff) Piping, Valves, & Fittings (Shawn) Pumps (Kohki) Mixing Tank (Brett) Settling Tanks (Cole) Plan to Complete Project (Jeff) Tasks to be Performed Designation of Principle Responsibilities Projected Timeline Resources Needed (Shawn) Summary (Cole)

Executive Summary Continuous Flow Biodiesel Reactor All other biodiesel production systems have been batch style Better Suited for industrial applications Deliverables Working Prototype Complete set of instructions Plan to scale up design Team Responsibilities Brett Seagle - Project Manager, Mixing Tank Edward Kramer - Chemical Management Jeff Rohrich - Input Tanks Shawn Robertson - Piping, Valves, & Fittings Kohki Ishii - Pumps Cole Sheldon - Settling Tank Total Estimated Cost: $482

Safety and Handling of Chemicals Concerns When Working With Methanol Health Problems Type of alcohol (methyl alcohol CH4O) Inhaling fumes (toxic fumes) May cause blindness or even death Highly flammable Flame is clear Low flash point (12 °C) Higher vapor concentration at room temp Concerns When Working With Sodium Hydroxide Lye or caustic soda (NaOH) Prevent skin contact and inhalation Strong base (causes harmful burns) Slightly unstable (collects moisture from air)

Chemical Management 3 Major chemicals in reaction Methanol Sodium Hydroxide Vegetable Oil Oil composition Reaction model Reaction coefficients

Chemical Management Titration List of deliverables Activities already accomplished

Input Tanks Material Selection for Input Tanks High Density Polyethylene Carboy (4 Liters) Closed container Transparent Resistant to chemical properties of methanol Inexpensive Mixing Of Chemicals Methoxide will be added to tank Safety equipment (gloves, goggles, fume hood) Methoxide will be at room temperature

Piping, Valves, and Fittings Flexible polypropylene ¼” diameter Flexible polypropylene 1” diameter Fittings Threaded fittings with barb ends to connect piping to valves and tanks Rigid polypropylene or CPVC T-fitting to connect circulation tube to settling tanks (courtesy of usplastics.com) (courtesy of usplastics.com) 8

Piping, Valves, and Fittings 2 Needle valves made of CPVC Needle valves can be adjusted to achieve the very small flowrates required Used to meter vegetable oil input and crude biodiesel output 1 Three way valve CPVC Directs flow between two settling tanks (courtesy of usplastics.com) (courtesy of usplastics.com) 9

Pumps Type – Peristaltic No contact between corrosive fluid and moving parts of the pump Uses compression to move fluid Adjustable flow rate by speed of rotor and size of tubing Two pumps One for mixing/circulation One for methoxide input Relatively inexpensive Cost between $80-$100 each Calibration Low flow rate for methoxide input Large flow rate for mixing/circulation Schematic Model Rotor Tube

Mixing Tank Objective Heating the Solution Bringing the Solution to Steady State Electrical Tape on Column and Tank if necessary Optimal reacting temperature of 50 °C Quickly heating the solution reduces reaction time Baffles create turbulence through static mixing Mixing blade not suited for our design The Tank The size of a 20-lb propane tank Column has to be removable Packing material on a perforated shelf inside the tank Packing material increases agitation ½˝ High Density Polyethylene Balls

Settling Tank Objectives Stratify biodiesel from glycerin Separate biodiesel from glycerin Flush glycerin once capacity is reached Input Mixture will contain biodiesel, glycerin with dissolved methoxide, and some unreacted vegetable oil. Biodiesel has a lower density than glycerin and will rise to the top Over a span of 24 hours, biodiesel will overflow off the top as the glycerin level rises. Once full, a valve will be switched to direct the input flow to fill the other tank so that the glycerin can be flushed.

Tasks to be Performed* Make large batch of Methoxide Fabricate Mixing Tank Cut propane tank, fabricate packing shelf, & attach fabricated baffles Fabricate Settling Tanks Cut tubes and install fittings & valves Test input tank flow rates Build stand for pumps and tanks Calibrate Pumps Test quality of biodiesel * tasks to be completed in first 4 weeks

Designation of Principle Responsibilities Chemical Management -Edward, ME Input Tank -Jeff, ME Piping, Valves, and Fittings -Shawn, ME Peristaltic Pumps -Kohki, ME Mixing Tank -Brett, ME Settling Tank -Cole, ME

Projected Timeline

Resources Needed Chemicals $100 Input Tanks $12 Mixing Tank $30 Settling Tanks $70 Piping, Valves, & Fittings $70 Pumps $200 Total $482 Access to Machine Shop Labor

Summary Continuous Flow Biodiesel Reactor Consists of Chemical Management Input Tanks Piping, Valves, & Fittings Mixing Tank Settling Tanks Plan to Complete Project Tasks to be Performed Designation of Principle Responsibilities Proposed Timeline Resources Needed $ 482 for supplies Access to Machine Shop