How to turn plastic waste into diesel fuel cheaply

[Excalibur]

I do see your points about using glassware I was just saying some of these guys come on here wanting to replicate some decent 100+gallon sized reactors and have not a clue how the process works. Glassware is a PITA ive broken a few reflux bulbs it seems just by looking at them. I guess it all boils down to actually visually seeing whats happening throughout the entire process. At the time I got a good deal on the kit im using from a chemist friend who just had the stuff laying around so it fit perfect into my needs. I have a fundamental understanding of whats going on and have learned quite a few things. A few more runs and ill be able to build a true reactor!

I don't suppose you could video the process? I'd love to see it.
It would be most helpful. Thanks.

[operatorX225]

next time I set up ill see if I can do that for you! at the very least I can take some photos

[Excalibur]

Great thanks.
I'm really hoping you can manage a video on this. A picture may be a thousand words but a video is more like a million words.
See what you can do. Thanks.

[Heartburn]

Hey guys, I haven't seen in the tread the temperature range wax turns into solid. I have a smaller pipe between my retort and reflux and I want to make sure it doesn't clog until I get change the setup...

[PLASTICTRIX]

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So please tell us all, how shall we apply this jamming system to our pyrolysis reactors?

[PLASTICTRIX]

[QUOTE=Heartburn;223093]Hey guys, I haven't seen in the tread the temperature range wax turns into solid. I have a smaller pipe between my retort and reflux and I want to make sure it doesn't clog until I get change the setup...[/QUO

The melting point of standard paraffin wax is between 125degF and 165degF depending on it's hardness.
As far as wax ever clogging the pipe between the retort and reflux would be impossible at the temps required for normal operation.
You may be confusing the idea of wax going through the reflux as possibly condensing in the reflux itself, With the post waxing of fuel or the passing of wax fractions through the reflux, which can be controlled by the reflux temp.
As far as wax physically condensing in the pipe would never happen. Wax does not become apparent in any system until the product cools to almost ambient temp.
As far as the smaller pipe between the retort and reflux. do you mean it is smaller then all of the rest of the piping? If so you would want that pipe to be at least the same size as the rest if not bigger. Bigger pipe is better and safer.

[old kodger]

welcome Old Kodger, Its a long and sometimes repetitive read. The compression lands you mention in your post usually depends on one surface being softer than the other, typically an aluminium head bolted to a harder alloy or steel cylinder block. This allows the softer face to deform under pressure and fill any microscopic gaps. It would require a lot of pressure to make two carbon steel faces to mate in this way. The idea of a copper washer is a perfect example of a soft metal squeezed between two hard surfaces.
Please dont take these comments as dismissing your idea. The concept is sound and if engineered carefully could be used.

Hi Imakebiodiesel,
I do not take issue with your comments, indeed the Triumph tiger cub had a solid copper head gasket,....also no trouble, provided that you annealed it each time it was re-used; but I would point out that a valve is not soft steel, nor is a valve seat yet this mechanism functions very successfully millions of times before failure occurs. Even then rejuvination is only a question of regrinding.
Incidentally, both the head AND the barrel of the BSA's were cast iron.

Regards, Rob.

[Heartburn]

The melting point of standard paraffin wax is between 125degF and 165degF depending on it's hardness.

I though so, the I guess that went people here got some blockage between the retort and the reflux, it must have been from boil over and not wax.

As far as the smaller pipe between the retort and reflux. do you mean it is smaller then all of the rest of the piping? If so you would want that pipe to be at least the same size as the rest if not bigger. Bigger pipe is better and safer.

It's 3/4" and the piping from the reflux to the condensers are 1/2". I know that some here have large pipes between the retort and reflux, up to several inches. If the pipe was clogging from boil over then having and over sized pipe would help. I'll have to keep the temp down and raise it slowly to avoid boil over.

[operatorX225]

In my experimentation with the glassware I have experienced carryover of liquid paraffin into my condenser and have experienced 2 overpressure failures because of this. The problem occurs when you increase heat to fast and boil out your paraffin liquid not giving it enough time to collect in your reflux column and fall back into the reactor. This carries over liquid paraffin to your condensers where potentially as I have experienced will solidify in your condenser tubing and cause blockage. The temperatures required for this to happen are relatively low as stated above by PLASTICTRIX. I see no possible way for wax to solidify at such high temperatures in a reflux column. In my little setup my condenser plugged off and the rising vapor had nowhere to go except to force the rubber stopper off of my boiling flask and erupt in a giant flame! I have since learned to very slowly increase heat!

[PLASTICTRIX]

I though so, the I guess that went people here got some blockage between the retort and the reflux, it must have been from boil over and not wax.



It's 3/4" and the piping from the reflux to the condensers are 1/2". I know that some here have large pipes between the retort and reflux, up to several inches. If the pipe was clogging from boil over then having and over sized pipe would help. I'll have to keep the temp down and raise it slowly to avoid boil over.

Ya, when the hot plastic bubbles or froths up it can cause some serious pressure spikes inside.. it can give the impression of a serious blockage and can be scary. I never was a big fan of pipe style refluxes, I just never had much luck with them as far as spitting up into my 1st condenser and contaminating it. But It could just be my setup..i dunno.
I use a tank reflux. I feel it gives more room for the molten plastic to do its thing if it gets unruly.
If you decide to try a tank reflux i would recommend a tank between 5 and 10 percent of your retort volume. On my 120 gal. i ran a 20 gal. and it was too big. so i switched it with a 10 gal. and it works great.
I cut a 10gal propane tank in half the long way and cut circles of sheet steel the dia. of the tank Id. then welded 1/2 of them into one tank half and 1/2 onto the other tank half so that they alternate in height one approx every 3 inches(which leaves the finish spacing 1 1/2 in. Then I bent the all of the circle halves that hung out of the tank halves, downward at about 30deg.. When you bend them down it opens up a crescent shaped gap on each side, and allows vapor up and condensate back down. Then i welded the tanks back together.
So you end up with a tank with a lot of distance and surface area for the vapors to travel and condense.
Just for example, a 14 inch tank that is 24in tall with 12 alternating baffles inside has 14 feet of vapor travel and probably well over 1500 square in. of surface area. I believe the more surface area in your reflux, the better the control over the finished product.
Just keep in mind that the tank must be well insulated, vertically piped directly over the retort, with a thermocouple on top and mount it close to the reactor at first, then keep adding pipe after each run until you achieve the reflux desired. It is the only way to properly dial one in.

[PLASTICTRIX]

In my experimentation with the glassware I have experienced carryover of liquid paraffin into my condenser and have experienced 2 overpressure failures because of this. The problem occurs when you increase heat to fast and boil out your paraffin liquid not giving it enough time to collect in your reflux column and fall back into the reactor. This carries over liquid paraffin to your condensers where potentially as I have experienced will solidify in your condenser tubing and cause blockage. The temperatures required for this to happen are relatively low as stated above by PLASTICTRIX. I see no possible way for wax to solidify at such high temperatures in a reflux column. In my little setup my condenser plugged off and the rising vapor had nowhere to go except to force the rubber stopper off of my boiling flask and erupt in a giant flame! I have since learned to very slowly increase heat!

I have had a few scary bubbler pipe clog issues in the past, when i was first dialing in the reflux i had a few really waxy batches of PE that chunked up good before blowing loose and she bubbled wildly for a few seconds after..believe me It makes your heart stop for a sec with a 120 galloner
I solved this by filling the bubbler with 120degF water upon starting the reactor, and keeping it as close to 120 as possible. I actually shortened the pipe to my bubbler to tune it to 120F. It seems to keep the wax soft enough to kind of fluff off of the pipe instead of hardening like a rock. Then out of the bubbler i ran a very long pipe downhill into a 20gal. plastic drum that i have laying down covered with rocks in a stream in the shade, to pick up anything else and dry off any remaining water vapor before piping the gas to a burner.

[imakebiodiesel]

A very neat design for a reflux tower plastictrix.
I use a pipe style reflux which works well for me. My pipe is 3" ID and is about 3ft long. It is welded directly on to the lid of my retort. As well as insulation it has a 600w band heater which is controlled by a pid temperature controller. This gives me very good control. The lower two thirds of the column is packed with stainless steel wool to increase the working surface and the top third is filled with my catalyst which is in granular form. At the top is a screw on cap with a temperature probe fitted.
The screw on cap allows me to remove spent catalyst after each batch with a vacuum cleaner and refill quickly and cleanly.
The shape and dimensions are important for a successful reflux design, but just as important is careful setting up and fine tuning

[PLASTICTRIX]

A very neat design for a reflux tower plastictrix.
I use a pipe style reflux which works well for me. My pipe is 3" ID and is about 3ft long. It is welded directly on to the lid of my retort. As well as insulation it has a 600w band heater which is controlled by a pid temperature controller. This gives me very good control. The lower two thirds of the column is packed with stainless steel wool to increase the working surface and the top third is filled with my catalyst which is in granular form. At the top is a screw on cap with a temperature probe fitted.
The screw on cap allows me to remove spent catalyst after each batch with a vacuum cleaner and refill quickly and cleanly.
The shape and dimensions are important for a successful reflux design, but just as important is careful setting up and fine tuning

Just curious, with the pipe reflux you are using. what is the volume of your retort v.s. the volume of your reflux ? I wonder how much the interior surface area plays a role v.s. just the plain volume?

[PLASTICTRIX]

Just curious, with the pipe reflux you are using. what is the volume of your retort v.s. the volume of your reflux ? I wonder how much the interior surface area plays a role v.s. just the plain volume?

On another note. I know someone way back in the thread mentioned/asked about the possibility of running waste asphalt shingles as feed stock..and if anybody had. But they never got an answer.. What is your take on the possibility? It makes sense to me, as they have a lot of petrol in them. I tried looking up the ingredients and got some rather vague answers. It appears that they are composed of a heavy asphalt saturated paper core, with a heavy asphalt coating mixed with chopped fiberglass strands on both sides (reinforcement binder), and then they are sprinkled with various colored ceramic aggregates. The only other thing mentioned is that the second layer of asphalt is mixed with lime for one reason or another. I think i may try a run of them in one of my small test units and see what i get. Waste shingles are very plentiful, free, and have no place in a landfill. I guess the only concern would be that if there could possibly be some dangerous additives in them that could possibly pose a threat upon vaporization.

[Beyond Biodiesel]

Running waste asphalt shingles as feed stock in a pyrolysis unit should work fine, as well as waste wood scraps, paper, cardboard, old tires, maybe even cow dung.