Our method for producing biodiesel utilizes a continuous mixing process that is both simple and
inexpensive to build and operate while providing high yeild and fast reaction times from a multitude
of feedstocks, both virgin and recycled.
Most biodiesel plants consume large amounts of heat during the manufacture of biodiesel.
Most power plants are forced to expend vast amounts of heat in order to produce electricity.
We realized that combining power production with a heat dependent manufacturing process could
result in a clean and sustainable production process that meets the needs of our building,
manufacturing process and even neighboring farmers in the form of cleaner renewable electricity.
The facility under construction will utilize
CHP technology allowing for a >75%
operational efficiency. With the ability to generate all of our electrical and heating needs from the
very fuel we are manufacturing will enable us to eliminate our dependency on fossil fuels entirely.
The shed style slope of the buildings roof will ensure maximum surface area facing
due south for optimum solar exposure.
On the roof, ten columns of photovoltaic solar panels track the sun and put almost 4.5 Megawatt hours back
on the grid each year.
The building design employs a 1800 sqft radiant slab to keep life inside the building as comfortable
as possible while working in either processing room or main office. The slab should consist of about 80,000lb of concrete.
The concrete is insultated from the earth with 1 inch of foam and strengthened with rebar and remesh.
Over a half mile of 1/2" PEX tubing was arranged into 8 loops equal in 2 seperate zones.
Incorporating thermal mass into a building's design will help reduce peak and non-peak heating and cooling demands.
Specific heat describes a material's ability to store heat energy. You can define specific heat as the
amount of energy (in Btu) required to raise the temperature of one pound of a material by one degree
Fahrenheit.
The specific heat of concrete and masonry can generally be assumed to be 0.2 Btu/lb * F.
(ASHRAE Handbook of Fundamentals, 2005)
Since our slab weighs about 80,000lbs,
80,000 lbs * 0.2 Btu/lb * ( 72F - 50F ) / 3414 (btu/kWh) = 103 kWh
We should have about 100 kWh of thermal capacity in the floor.
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Additional insulation will be added to the walls and ceiling. More foam will be installed on the outside edges of
the slab to limit thermal loss.
The loops are thermostatically controlled from the central boiler tower located on the right side of the building.
A traditional boiler transfers thermal mass into water.
A two stage boiler will store thermal mass rejected by the engines cooling system. Some of the stored thermal
energy will be used to charge the radiant slab. However most of the thermal energy plays a fundamental role in
the continous biodiesel processor.
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The smaller 330 gallon tank acts as the primary heat exchanger and has a loop temperature of 190F. This tank
receives freshly reacted raw biodiesel from the continous reactor. The solution is heated and the residual
methanol left over from the reaction is distilled for reuse.
The larger 1000 gallon tank acts as the secondary heat exchanger and has a loop temperature of 185F. This tank
has a vertical configuration and stands 14 ft tall on the stand. Collected oil is stored in this tower and
maintained at high temperature over several hours before use. At 170F the viscosity of oil becomes low enough
that trapped water can easily sink to the bottom. This allows us to drain decantered oil from a stand pipe near
the bottom.
This will act as the primary boiler holding vegetable oil until it reaches a temperature suitable for processing
in the biodiesel reactor.
A vertical tank configuration will ensure adequate water seperation and plenty of height for gravity feeding into
a centrifuge for particulate removal.
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This photo shows all of the loops consolidating, where they will be connected into a manifold.
A computer controlled injection pump will maintain loop tempature in the floor by extracting heat from the larger
boiler.
The floor of the processing area is inset and acts as a very shallow pool for containment of any spills. It also
protects from a catastropic failure that managed to drain the entire contents of reactor. The floor is sloped to
to allow for drainage and product recovery.
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... This page is a work in progress, additional information about our work will be added on a regular basis! |
Updated 03/13/2007
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