Energy

Waste Cooking Oil to Biodiesel Automated Fuel Pump Project
AbbeyGire
NateJeffery
JessicaSchulte
JaredSnow
RossVanDyk
ME450
Winter2007
Section006KazuhiroSaitou
4/17/2007
TABLE OF CONTENTS
ABSTRACT ..................................................................................................................... 1
INTRODUCTION............................................................................................................. 1
INFORMATION SEARCH ............................................................................................... 1
CUSTOMER REQUIREMENTS AND ENGINEERING SPECIFICATIONS..................... 5
CUSTOMER REQUIREMENTS................................................................................................5
ENGINEERING SPECIFICATIONS ..........................................................................................5
DESIGNING A REDUCED SCALE PROTOTYPE .......................................................... 7

CONCEPT GENERATION .............................................................................................. 7
INPUT OF REACTANTS...........................................................................................................8
Gravity Transportation...........................................................................................................9
Pump Transportation.............................................................................................................9
Time Sensor for Grease Input...............................................................................................9
Level Sensor .........................................................................................................................9
Flow Meter Sensor ................................................................................................................9
FILTRATION METHODS ........................................................................................................10
Screen Filter........................................................................................................................10
Cartridge Filter ....................................................................................................................10
Bag Filter.............................................................................................................................10
Strainer................................................................................................................................10
MIXING METHODS ................................................................................................................11
Mixing Unit Inside Tank.......................................................................................................11
Pump Recirculation .............................................................................................................11
SEPARATION METHODS ......................................................................................................11
Gravity.................................................................................................................................11
Centrifuge............................................................................................................................11
CONCEPT EVALUATION ............................................................................................. 11

REACTANT INPUT CONCEPTS ............................................................................................12
Gravity-fed Intermediate Tanks...........................................................................................12
Piston-operated Vacuum Cylinders.....................................................................................12
Oil Pumped to Set Level .....................................................................................................13
Oil Pumped through Flow Meter .........................................................................................13
Selection: Reactant Input ....................................................................................................13
FILTRATION CONCEPTS ......................................................................................................14
Self-cleaning Coarse Screen Filter .....................................................................................14
Removable Coarse Screen Filter ........................................................................................14
Open Coarse Screen Filter .................................................................................................15
Coarse Strainer & Fine Cartridge Filter...............................................................................15
Selection: Filtration..............................................................................................................15
MIXING CONCEPTS ..............................................................................................................15
Motor-powered Shaft with Mixing Vanes.............................................................................15
Motor-powered Planetary Gear System, Dual Shafts with Vanes.......................................16
Belt-driven Paddles .............................................................................................................16
Pump Recirculation .............................................................................................................16
Selection: Mixing .................................................................................................................16
SEPARATION CONCEPTS ....................................................................................................17
Centrifuge with Rotating Valves ..........................................................................................17
Centrifuge with Stationary Valve .........................................................................................17
Selection: Separation ..........................................................................................................18
OVERALL SYSTEM CONCEPTS...........................................................................................18
CONCEPT SELECTION ............................................................................................... 20

AUTOMATION AND CONTROL .............................................................................................20
Digital Input/Output Box ......................................................................................................20
Solenoid Valves ..................................................................................................................20
Check Valves ......................................................................................................................20
Flowmeter ...........................................................................................................................21
FILTRATION, TRANSPORT, MIXING, AND SEPARATION ..................................................21
Strainer and Cartridge Filter................................................................................................21
Grease Transportation Pump..............................................................................................22
Mixing Recirculation Pump..................................................................................................22
Separation Motor.................................................................................................................22
Offset Gear Drive ................................................................................................................22
CONTAINMENT AND PIPING ................................................................................................23
ENGINEERING ANALYSIS........................................................................................... 23
METERING .............................................................................................................................23
MOTOR ANALYSIS ................................................................................................................24
TANK FRAME STRUCTURE..................................................................................................25
Support Bars Stress Analysis..............................................................................................26
Vertical Legs Buckling Analysis ..........................................................................................27
MECHANICAL ANALYSIS OF MAIN TANK ...........................................................................28
Bending Failure Due to Static Fluid Pressure .....................................................................28
Circumferential Stress When Rotating ................................................................................29
CENTER OF MASS AND TIPPING ANALYSIS......................................................................30
FAILURE MODE EFFECTS AND ANALYSIS.........................................................................33
DESIGN FOR MANUFACTURING AND ASSEMBLY ............................................................33
Permit Assembly in Open Spaces.......................................................................................33
Standardize to Reduce Part Variety....................................................................................33
Maximize Part Symmetry ....................................................................................................34
Eliminate Fasteners ............................................................................................................34
Allow Access of Tools .........................................................................................................34
DESIGN FOR THE ENVIRONMENT ......................................................................................34
Optimize Material Use.........................................................................................................34
Optimize Production Techniques ........................................................................................34
Optimize Distribution ...........................................................................................................34
Reduce Impact During Use .................................................................................................34
Optimize End-of-Life Systems.............................................................................................35
FINAL PROTOTYPE DESIGN ...................................................................................... 35

FILTERING .............................................................................................................................36
METERING .............................................................................................................................37
MIXING ...................................................................................................................................38
SEPARATION .........................................................................................................................39
SUPPORT STRUCTURE........................................................................................................39
FULL SCALE TO PROTOTYPE COMPARISON....................................................................40
System Layout ....................................................................................................................40
Automation ..........................................................................................................................40
Prototype Scaling Justification ............................................................................................41
PROTOTYPE MANUFACTURING AND TESTING PLAN ............................................ 43

MANUFACTURING PLAN ......................................................................................................43
Separation Tank..................................................................................................................44
ASSEMBLY.............................................................................................................................45
TESTING PLAN ......................................................................................................................45
PROJECT PLAN ........................................................................................................... 46

TESTING....................................................................................................................... 47
FUTURE IMPROVEMENTS.......................................................................................... 51
STRENGTHS ..........................................................................................................................51
WEAKNESSES .......................................................................................................................51
CONCLUSIONS ............................................................................................................ 53
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ............................................................................................. 54
REFERENCES.............................................................................................................. 55
TEAM MEMBER BIOGRAPHIES .................................................................................. 57
APPENDICES ............................................................................................................... 60
APPENDIX A: QFD DIAGRAM ...............................................................................................60
APPENDIX B: GANTT CHART ...............................................................................................61
APPENDIX C.1: PUGH CHART - METERING .......................................................................62
APPENDIX C.2: PUGH CHART - FILTRATION .....................................................................63
APPENDIX C.3: PUGH CHART - MIXING..............................................................................64
APPENDIX C.4: PUGH CHART - SEPARATION ...................................................................65
APPENDIX D: FMEA DIAGRAM............................................................................................66
APPENDIX E.1: MANUFACTURING PLAN FILTER COUPLING .......................................68
APPENDIX E.2: MANUFACTURING PLAN METHANOL METERING................................68
APPENDIX E.3: MANUFACTURING PLAN NAOH METERING .........................................69
APPENDIX E.4: MANUFACTURING PLAN SUPPORT STRUCTURE ...............................69
APPENDIX F.1 OIL FILTER COUPLING ENGINEERING DRAWING ..................................70
APPENDIX F.2 METHANOL METERING TANK ENGINEERING DRAWING.......................71
APPENDIX F.3: TANK ASSEMBLY ENGINEERING DRAWING ..........................................72
APPENDIX F.4: SUPPORT STRUCTURE ENGINEERING DRAWING................................73
APPENDIX G.1: ASSEMBLY INSTRUCTIONS......................................................................74
APPENDIX G.2: ASSEMBLY SCHEMATIC............................................................................75
ABSTRACT
Biodieselhaspotentialtoreduceourdependenceonpetroleum,butisnotwidelyuseddueto
itshighcost.Traditionally,biodieselcomesfromvirginvegetableoil,butitispossibleto
convertwastecookingoilintobiodiesel.Usingwastecookingoiloffsetstheneedforvirgin
cropsandrecycleswhatwouldbediscarded.Applyingtheresultsofpastseniordesign
projectsonthechemicalreactionandseparationprocess;wewillpackagetheentiresysteminto
anautomated,usableprototype.Ourfocusisonproducingasafe,clean,easytooperate
system,andestimatingitscostofmassproductionanddistribution.
INTRODUCTION
TheU.S.DepartmentofEnergyestimatesthatbiodieselaccountsforapproximately0.07%ofthe
nationstotaldieselconsumption[1];thishamperedcommercialviabilityarisesprimarilyfrom
thefuelshighcostat$23/gallon[2].Factorscontributingmosttothispriceincludefeedstock
andproductioncosts[2].CurrentU.S.biodieselproductionusesprimarilysoybeanoil,a
feedstockabouttwiceasexpensiveasthecleanestgrease,yellowgrease[3].Contaminated
wastegrease,likethatproducedbyrestaurants,isessentiallyfreebutobviouslyrequires
purificationbeforefuelproduction[4].Asystemdesignedspecificallyforthisrestaurantgrease
alleviatestheprimaryfactorinbiodieselcost,feedstockprice[5].Incooperationwithour
sponsorJohnDeere,weareresearchingandconstructingasystemengineeredspecificallyfor
thisrestaurantgreasescenario.
ApotentialcustomerforourproductistheUniversityofMichigangroundscrew,whichcould
usethesystemtofuelsomeorpossiblyalloftheirdieselvehicles.Theuniversityresidencehall
cafeteriaswouldbetheprimarysourceofwastegrease.Usingwastegreasefromtheresidence
hallwouldeliminatethecosttheuniversityfacesfortheremovalofthecookingoil;inaddition
tothesavingsassociatedwithproducingfuelinhousemakesourproductdesirableforboththe
UofMgroundscrewandtheresidencehallcafeterias.Anotherpossibleuseforbiodiesel
producedfromwastegreaseisheatingUniversitybuildings.Thebiodieselcouldbeusedto
heatthebuildingsinwhichthewastegreaseisproduced.PreviousUniversityofMichigan
SeniorDesignprojectresultsonthisprojecthassuppliedusthechemicalreactionrequirements
andproceduresnecessaryforgreasetofuelconversion,sowemayfocusonthesystem
packaging,function,andautomation.Ourbiodieselproductionprototypewillsafelyand
quicklyconvertwastegreasetobiodieselinanenclosedsystemwhilerequiringverylittle
manuallabor.
INFORMATION SEARCH
TheU.S.uses178milliontonsofpetroleumbaseddieselfuelannually,creatingamajorsource
ofgreenhousegases[5].Usingfuelsfromrenewablebiomasssources,suchasbiodiesel,will
reducethereleaseofCO2,particulates,andgreenhousegasesintotheatmosphere[5].Unlike
petroleumfuels,carbondioxideproducedbycombustionofbiodieselwillberecycledby
photosynthesis[7].Biodiesel,chemicallydescribedasafattyacidmethylester(FAME),canbe
producedfromavarietyofanimalorvegetablefats(triglycerides)throughachemicalprocess
knownastransesterification[3].Usingrawvegetableoilsindieselenginescancauseproblems
suchasinjectorcoking,deposits,andpistonringsticking.Transesterification,asshownin
Figure1,isusedtoreduceandsometimeseliminatetheseeffects[6].
Triglycerides
(Waste Cooking Oil,
Animal Fats,
Vegetable Oil)
Biodiesel
(FAME)
Alcohol
(Methanol)
TRANSESTERIFICATION
PROCESS
Glycerin
Base Catalyst
(NaOH, KOH)
NaOH+CH3OH+WasteCookingOilBiodiesel+CrudeGlycerin
Figure 1. Transesterification process inputs and outputs
Thetriglycerideconsistsofthreefattyacidsattachedtoaglycerinmolecule[3].Analcohol
(usuallymethanol),inthepresenceofacatalyst,isthenaddedtoreactwiththefattyacidto
producebiodieselandcrudeglycerin[3].Theresultingbiodieselcanbeusedasfuelindiesel
engineswithlittleornomodification[6].Inaddition,biodieselislessvolatileandsaferto
handlethanpetroleumdieselanditslubricatingpropertiescanreduceenginewear[7].
Semirefinedandrefinedvegetableoilsarethemostcommonfeedstockforbiodieselproduction
[9].IntheUnitedStatessoybeanoilisthepredominantfeedstock,whereasinEuroperapeseed
oiliscommonlyused[9].InBrazil,wherebiodieselproductionhasbeenafocusforover20
years,productionalsoreliesmainlyonsoybeanoil[14].CrudesoybeanoilintheU.S.hasbeen
pricedintherangeof$0.40$0.48fortheoilusedtocreate1literofbiodiesel[9].U.S.pricesfor
petroleumdieselhaverecentlybeenintherangeof$0.21$0.24perliter,abouthalfthepriceof
thebiodieselfeedstock[9].NoordamandWitherfoundthatrawmaterialisoneofthemost
crucialvariablesthataffectthecostofbiodiesel[5];biodieselproducedwithvirginoilscannot
competeeconomicallywithpetroleumbaseddiesel,afactthatcontributestothelackof
productionintheU.S.
Tomakebiodieselaneconomicallyviablealternativefuel,thefeedstockusedforproduction
mustberelativelycheap.Wastecookingoilshavethepotentialtoreducetherawmaterialcost
considerably.Yellowgrease,whichhasafreefattyacidcontentoflessthan15%andisthemost
expensive,rangesinpricefromabout$0.14$0.32perliter[3,5].Therefore,bothyellowand
brown(FFA>15%)greasebothhavethepotentialtoprovideabiodieselfeedstockthatisless
expensivethanthefinishedpetroleumproduct.From1995to2000,theUSDAestimatesthatthe
U.S.producedanaverageof2.6billionpoundsofyellowgreaseperyear[3].350million
gallonsofbiodieselcouldbeproducedperyearfromthisgrease.Inaddition,usingwasteoil
eliminatestheneedfordisposal[7].Theglycerinbyproductcanalsobesoldfor$0.50$1.00
perpound(19992002),increasingtheeconomicviabilityofbiodiesel[3].However,producing
highqualitybiodieselfromusedoilsprovidesanengineeringchallengeinpartbecauseofthe
variabilityinthefeedstockquality.Theresultingbiodieselmustmeettherequirements
establishedinASTMStandardD6751,SpecificationforBiodieselFuel(B100)BlendStockfor
DistillateFuels[3].
Manyresearchershavedevelopedprocessesforconvertingwasteoilsintousablebiodieselfuel.
Thebasicprocessconsistsofareactionbetweenanalcoholandthelongchainfattyacidsinthe
oil.Foraneffectivereaction,theoilmustbeproperlyfilteredtoremoveallcontaminants.In
theworkofZhangetal.,anacidcatalyzedsystemwasusedtopretreatthewasteoil.
Methanolisthemostcommonlyusedalcoholbecauseofitsrelativelylowcost[7].Thereaction
producesfattyacidmethylesters(biodiesel)andaglycerinbyproduct.Theseproductscanthen
beseparatedfromeachotherusingavarietyoftechniques.Zhangetal.usedpumpstoprovide
themixinginthereactionchamberandthenusedawaterwashingcolumntoseparatethe
mixture[7].Figure2belowshowsthegeneralconversionprocessusedbybothprevious
researchteams.Weplantoutilizetheirworkbyusingthesamebasicsetup.
Methanol
Biodiesel
NaOH
Filtration and Metering

System
(all reactants individually )
Mixing System
Separation System
(biodiesel from glycerin)
Glycerin
Waste Oil
Figure 2. General waste cooking oil conversion process
Themainreactionbetweenthetriglycerideandthealcoholarecatalyzedeitherwithanalkalior
anacid[7].Wewillignoretheenzymecatalyzedsolutionsinceitrequiresamuchlonger
reactiontime[7].Freedmanetal.foundthatusinganalkalicatalystwaslessdamagingto
processequipmentthantheacidcatalyst[7].TheME450groupfromWinter2005designedan
alkalicatalyzedprocessusingsodiumhydroxide,whichhasbeenusedextensivelyinresearch
onthetransesterificationofwasteoilinthepast[5].Oneofthelimitationsofthealkalisystem
isitssensitivitytowaterandthefreefattyacidcontentofthewasteoil[7].Accordingto
Jerominetal.,theoilmusthavelessthan0.5wt.%freefattyacidcontenttobeaviable
commercialsolution[7].Inmostwastecookingoil,theleveloffreefattyacidsisabove2wt.%
[7].IntheworkofZhangetal.theypretreatedthewasteoiltoobtainanacceptableacidlevel
[7],buttheME450Fall2006groupdidnotaddressthisconcern.Wealsowillnotaddressthis
concernbecausewearefocusingontheautomationandsafetyoftheprocess.Werealizethat
futureworkwillbeneededtooptimizethequalityofthebiodieselproduct.
Inourprocessreaction,wewillcontinueusingthechemicalformulationdevelopedbythe
originalME450Winter2005team.TheresultsofFelizardoetal.suggestthatamethanol/oil
ratioof4.8andacatalyst/oilweightratioof0.6%givethehighestyieldofmethylesters[8].The
proportionusedbyME450Fall2006wasquiteclosetothesevalues.Theyusedamethanol/oil
ratioof5andacatalyst/oilweightratioof0.4%[10].
Thereareanumberofsystemscurrentlyonthemarketforconvertingwastecookingoilto
biodiesel.Wewillnowdiscussthreeofthecompetitivesystems.
TheFreedomFueler,showntotheleft,costs
approximately$2,200andproduces40gallon
batchesin24hours.Itisavailablewitheither
hoseorsteelplumbing.Theusermustbepresent
atdifferenttimesduringtheprocess,asallvalves
andpumpsmustbemanuallyactuated;however,
theyclaimthata40gallonbatchwillonlyrequire
30totalminutesofmanuallabor.Ithascone
shapedcontainerstoensurecompletefluid
transfers.Italsofeaturesanexplosionproof
methanolpump.Therearemanyavailableadd
onsforthesystemrangingfromanoilbarrelheatertoafuelingnozzle.
TheFuelMeisterIIhasmanyofthesamefeaturesastheFreedomFueler.
However,itproducesthesamebatchsizeinhalfthetime(12hours).This
unitisquitecompact,havingafootprintofonly6.25ft2.TheFuelMeister
costs$3,000forthedomestic110voltversion.Thedesignconsistsofasingle
tankinwhichthereactionprocessesoccur.Itsrelativelysimpledesignonly
usesthreesteelvalves.Thissystemusesapumptomixthereactantsinthe
mainchamberbyrecyclingthefluid.
TheDeepthort100B,designedbyaProfessorinThailand,wasproducedforless
than$2,000.Itiscapableofbatchsizesuptoabout26gallons.Sincepalmoilis
abundantinThailand,thesystemwasdesignedtousethisitasthefeedstock.Itis
capableofperformingothertasksbesidesbasicbiodieselproduction,suchaspre
washingtheoil,dryingtheoil,andrecoveringmethanol.
CUSTOMER REQUIREMENTS AND ENGINEERING SPECIFICATIONS
Wespokewithoursponsorandcustomerstodevelopasetofcustomerrequirementsthatare
weightedaccordingtoimportancetothecustomers[12,13].Weusedthosedesiredattributesto
formulateasetofengineeringspecificationsbywhichtodesignourproduct.UsingaQuality
FunctionDeployment(QFD)diagram,wedeterminedtheengineeringspecificationsthatwere
mostimportanttoachievingthecustomerrequirements.
CUSTOMER REQUIREMENTS Thecustomerrequirementsarecenteredonthreemajorareas:

safetyofoperation,efficiencyofprocess,andautomationofsystem.Themethodofinputting
thereactants,thesystemoperation,andthemethodofdispensingtheproductsmustallbesafe
fortheuser.Thecustomerwouldliketheprototypetobesafeduringapowerloss,whenleft
unused,onadryrun,andabletobeshutdowninanemergency.Thesecustomer
requirementsarerepresentedintheQFDdiagraminAppendixA.Theproductionofbiodiesel
shouldbeasfastaspossible.Theprocessshouldbeautomatedasmuchaspossibletoensure
consistentresults,increasethecleanlinessoftheprocess,andrequireaslittleoperator
involvementaspossible.Specifically,ourdesignwillminimizetheneedformanuallychanging
filtersorcleaningcomponents.
Thecustomergaveustherequirementswithnumericalvaluesassignedtodenotetheir
importance.ThesevaluesrangefromonetotenandareshownintheQFDdiagramin
AppendixA.Weassignedvaluesbasedonthemajorfocusesofthepreviousparagraph.
ENGINEERING SPECIFICATIONS Fromthecustomerrequirements,wedevelopedasetof

engineeringspecifications.Weassessedtherelationshipbetweeneachengineeringspecification
andeachcustomerrequirementandassignedvaluesintherelationshipmatrixintheQFD
diagram.Weusedthevaluesone,three,andnineintherelationshipmatrixtoincreasethe
impactofthestrongerrelationships.Forexample,thetemperatureofthegreasewillgreatly
impactusersafety(9),yetitwillhelpthespeedofthefiltration/reactantinputprocess(3).We
multipliedthecustomerimportanceweightbytherelationshipmatrixvalueandsummedthose
valuesforeachengineeringspecificationtodeterminethetotalpointvalue.Withthesevalues
wedecidedonappropriateengineeringtargetswhichwouldbestsuitthecustomersneeds.
ThesetargetsareshowninTable1below.
Table 1. Engineering Targets
Parameters
PrototypeTargetValue
FullScaleTargetValue
BatchSize
5gal
25gal
BatchTime
4hrs
4hrs
NumberofUncontainedElements 0
0
FiltrationQuality
2550micron
2550micron
FiltrationSpeed
5.5GPM
25GPM
LevelofAutomation
1useraction/batch
1useraction/batch
MixingTime
1hr
1hr
SeparationMotorDecibelLevel
60dB
60dB
3
OverallUnitSize
20ft
35ft3
PowerConsumption
900W
4100W
PumpPower
420W
2000W
NaOH,CH3OHResistance
PVC,steel,stainlesssteel Stainlesssteel
SeparationTime
3hrs
3hrs
StrengthofMixing/Separation
E=200GPa
E=200GPa
wall thickness 1/8
wall thickness 1/8
ContainerMaterial
GreaseTemperature
25C
25C
SystemWeight
200lbs
1000lbs
Wedecidedthata1/5thscalevolumeprototypewouldadequatelydemonstratefunctionalityof
itsfullscale25galcounterpart,andthuschosea5galbatchsize.Our4hrtotalbatchtimeis
verycompetitivewithcurrentdesignsandwasthesmallesttimeachievablebaseduponour
metering,mixing,andseparationtimeestimates.Literaturesearchesgaveappropriatechoices
forgreasefiltration(1025micron)andreactantresistantmaterials(stainlesssteel).Mass,
inertia,andtorquecalculationsyieldedanecessarystrengthvalueforthatsteel,aswellasa
targetsystemweight.Ourprimaryautomationgoalasclosetouserindependentas
possibleinvolvesasingleaction,simplypressingastartbuttontobeginconversion.Upon
researchintotypicalgreasepumps,wedecidedthata350W,5.5GPMmodel(420W
consumption)wouldquicklysupplygreasetothemixingcontainerandalsoconsumesan
acceptableamountofpower.Fromthis,solenoidvalves,theseparationmotor,andLabVIEW
softwarenecessaryforautomation,wearrivedatanappropriatetotalsystempower
consumption.Forusercomfortworkinginthevicinityofthesystem,60dBwasdeemedthe
maximumvolumeallowedtotheseparationmotorandpumps(slightlyquieterthanabusy
intersection).Lastly,greasetemperaturewasregulatedto25C(roomtemperature)inlightof
usersafetyissuesandtheaddedenergyandmonetarycostofabarrelheater.Iftestingshows
thegreaseistooviscousforproperflowratesandfiltering,thisdecisionwillbereconsidered.
Wealsoanalyzedtheinteractionamongtheengineeringspecifications.Inthecorrelation
matrixabovetherelationshipmatrix,weusedasystemofplusesandminusestodenotea
positiveornegativeinteractionamongtheengineeringspecifications.Ifoptimizingone
specificationaidsinoptimizinganother,thosetwohaveapositiverelationshipandviceversa.
Forexample,increasingthelevelofautomationofthesystemwillgreatlyreducethetime
requiredforproducingabatchofbiodiesel(++).However,thisintroducesincreasedweight
andsize().
DESIGNING A REDUCED SCALE PROTOTYPE
Givencostandtimerestrictions,manufacturingafullscalebiodieselsystemisimpossibleand
wehavethusdecidedonthepreviouslymentioned1/5thscaleversion.Wewilladdressthe
targetsinTable1attheconclusionofourfullreportandgiveourfindingsfromprototype
testing.Our1/5thscalesystemislargeenoughsuchthatwecannotneglectthelargemasses,
momentsofinertia,andstressesinherenttoa5galbatchsize,similartoa25galsetupwhich
willrequiresimilarengineering.Theprototypeshouldbelargeenoughthatweseeproblems
whichwouldlikelybeevenworseinalargesystem.Fromthispointforwardinconcept
generation,evaluation,selection,design,andmanufacturing,wewillfocusontheprototype.
Uponconclusionofreducedscaletesting,formalrecommendationscanbemadeforafullscale
system.
CONCEPT GENERATION
TheFunctionalAnalysisSystemTechnique(FAST)Diagram(seeFigure3)breaksupthebasic
andsecondaryfunctionsoftheoverallsystemdesign.TheFASTstartswiththeoverallsystem
andthetaskofconvertingwastecookingoilintobiodieselfuelandthenbreaksoffinto
branchesforeachsubsystem.Thesubsystemsaremethodsofinputofproducts,filtrationof
cookingoil,mixing,separation,andtheoutputofthereactants.Eachofthesesmallercategories
breaksupintothefunctionsthatneedtobeperformedbeforethenextsubsystem.
Measurequantityofeachinput
foronebatch
Meteringunit
Fullycontainsinputsfor
transporttotank
Orderofrelease:Methanolthen
SodiumHydroxide
Pumpgreasefromholdingtank
throughfilters
Filtrationunit
Multiplefilterstoeliminate
largeandsmallparticles
Mixcontentsquicklyand
thuroughly
Mixingunit
ConvertWasteGreaseinto
BiodieselFuel
Fromthemeteringunit,mixin
theproperorder
MethanolandSodium
Hydroxidemixedfirst
Addfilteredwastecookingoilto
mixture
Centrifugesecparatesand
pushesGlycerintotankwall
Separationunit
Gravitythensettlestankintwo
layers
Productdispensingiscleanand
safe
OutputSystem
Assuredependability
Mustproduceveryhighquality
biodiesel
Safetytouseandforoperators
Contentsarefullycontained
throughoutprocess
Automationwillshutoffiferrors
aredetected
Fullyautomatedsystemwith
limitedmanuallabor
Assureconvenience
Easycleaningandmaintenance
Enhanceproduct
Smartsystemtodetectand
reacttoallpossibleerrors
Pleasesenses
FullyEnclosedSystem
Figure 3. FAST diagram

INPUT OF REACTANTSThereactantsareloadedintoinitialholdingtanksbytheoperator.
Oncethesystemisstartedtheprocessbeginsbyusingamethodtotransporttheliquidsfrom
theholdingtanksintothemixingunit.Thecorrectproportionsofeachreactant,methanol,
sodiumhydroxide,andwastecookingoilmustbetransportedintothemixingtank.Designing
acompletelyautomatedsystemrequiresthesystemtohavesensorstodeterminewhenthe
correctamounthasenteredthesystem.Methanolandsodiumhydroxidewillbedispensedinto
themixingunitintheproperordertogeneratethecorrectproducts.Theinputprocesschosen
forthewastegreasewillincorporatethefiltrationunittocleantheoilbeforethewasteoilenters
themixingunit.
Gravity Transportation Fromtheinitialholdingtanksgravitywillbeusedtodrawthe

contentsfromtheholdingtanksandintothemixing/separationtank.Theamountofeach
reactanttransportedfromthetankwillbetheexactamountrequiredtocompletethereaction.
Usinggravityfortransportationisinexpensivebutitalsocreatessomedesignchallenges.The
holdingtanksforallthreeliquids,grease,methanol,andsodiumhydroxidewouldneedtobe
higherthanthemixingtank.Thegreasecomesin50gallonbarrelssothisbarrelwouldneedto
behigherthanthemixingtankinordertousegravityasthefeedingintothesystem.The
amountofrequiredmethanolandsodiumhydroxideisnotaslargesogravityseemstobea
practicalwaytoinputbothliquids .
Pump Transportation Apumpcanbeusedtotransportthereactantsfromtheinitialtanksinto
themixingtank.Oncethedesiredamountofliquidisinsidethetank,thepumpcanbeturned
off.Althoughthisisnotverypracticalforthemethanolandsodiumhydroxidetanksbecauseof
thesmallamountsrequiredperbatch,usingapumpforthewastegreasewouldbevery
beneficial.Thewastegreasebarrel,sittingonthegroundnexttothesystem,employsapump
tocarrythegreaseupandintothemixingtank.Thedifficultywithusingapumpforthewaste
greaseistoachievetheappropriateamountinthemixingchamber.Thewastegreaseusedin
thesystemwouldbeofvariablepropertiesincludingtemperatureandparticlecontent.Foran
automatedsystem,asensorwouldneedtobeusedtoshutthepumpoffafterthecorrect
amountofgreaseismeasuredout.Thesensorsusedinthiscasecouldbeatimesensor,level
sensor,orflowmeter.
Time Sensor for Grease Input Everytimethesystemwastorunasinglebatchthepump
wouldoperateforasetlengthoftimebeforeshuttingoff.Thelengthoftimewouldbebasedon
howlongittakestogetthegreasepumpedthroughafilterandthedesiredamountintothe
mixingchamber.Themainproblemsforusingatimesensoristhatthegreasefrombatchto
batchwillhaveavaryingnumberofparticlestoberemovedwiththefiltrationsystem.The
timerequiredtogettheamountofgreaseintothesystemwouldvaryperbatchbecausevery
cleangreasewouldmovethroughthefiltersquickerthanthedirtiergreasewithlargeparticles.
Theuseofatimesensorwouldnotbeaveryaccuratewayofgettingthecorrectamountof
greaseintothetank.
Level Sensor Alevelsensorisapieceofequipmentthatwouldbelocatedatacertainheight
insidethemixingtank.Thesensorworksbydetectingchangesinthedensityfromitsinitial
state.Inoursystem,thesensorwouldbesurroundedbyairinitiallybutasthetankfilledup
theliquidlevelwouldreachthepointofthelevelsensor.Atthisdetectionofthechangein
densityfromairtoaliquid,thesensorwouldsendasignaltoinformthesystemthatthegrease
hadreachedthedesiredlevelinsidethemixingchamber,andthepumpwouldbeturnedoff.
Thelevelsensormustbelocatedinsidethemixingchamberwhichmustbeconsideredinthe
mixingdesign.
Flow Meter Sensor Aflowmetersensorworksbymeasuringtheamountofflowthrougha

givenpipe.Aflowmetercouldbeusedtodeterminehowmuchliquidhaspassedthrougha
pipe.Theamountofdesiredwastegreasecanbecalculatedtodeterminehowmuchgrease
needstoflowthroughthedesiredtube.Afterthecalculatedamountoffluidhasbeendetected
bytheflowmeterthesystemcanbeprogrammedtostopthepump.
FILTRATION METHODS Thewastecookingoilobtainedfromthecafeteriasisprefilteredto
removetheextralargeparticlesfromthegrease.Abetterfiltrationsystemisrequiredto
producepureproductswithoutparticlesfloatinginside.Thefiltrationsystemwillbe
coordinatedwiththeinputsystemtofilterthewastecookingoilbeforeitreachesthemixing
chamber.Adesignchallengeofcreatingafullyautomatedsystemischallengedbycreatinga
filtrationsystemthatrequireslittletonochangingofthefilter.Thegoalistoensurethatfilter
maintenancedoesnotbecomeanuisance.Thefiltrationunitcouldincludeanautomated
cleaningsystemtoreducetheamountofmanualworkoritcouldbeamanualcleaningsetof
filters.
Screen Filter Ascreenfilterisawirescreenthatisplacedinatubetocollectlargeparticles

locatedinsidethewasteoil.Theparticlesarecollectedastheliquidpassesthroughthepipe
becausetheyarenotsmallenoughtopassthroughtheholesonthescreen.Thisisasimple
filterbutifitbecomesblockedbecausetheparticlesbuildupbecausetheycannotpassthrough
andthentheliquidflowisstoppedthesystemwillnotfunction.Itcouldcauseasafetyhazard
aswellasamaintenanceissuetounclogtheblockedpipe.
Cartridge Filter Theliquidentersthroughaninlettubeandisforcefedthroughthechamber,
whichcollectstheparticles,andthenthefilteredliquidexitsthroughanoutlettube.Cartridge
filtersworkverywellwithastrongforcefeedlikeonegeneratedfromapump.Theyalsocome
inmanydifferentsizesandfiltrationrangesallowingalargevarietytobeusedinthesystem.
Bag Filter Abagfilterismadeofasyntheticmaterialthatallowstheliquidtoenterthroughan
openendandthencontinuethroughthematerialandcanbeusedwithgravityfeed.The
particlesarecaughtinthematerialbecausetheyaretoolargetomakeitbetweenthefibers.Bag
filtersarebeneficialtouseinsuchasystembecauseastheparticlesbuildupthebaggetsfilled
butthesidesarealsomadeofthesyntheticmaterial.Theentirebagwouldhavetofillup
beforethefilterwouldbecomeblockedandliquidcouldnotpassthrough.Thebagfilterscome
indifferentmaterialswhichallowfordifferentsizedparticlestobecaughtinthebags.Itis
unclearhowwellthematerialwouldholdupwhenpairedwithapumpandastrongflow
passingthroughthefilter.
Strainer Astrainerisacombinationofascreenfilterandabagfilter.Thestrainerusesthe
designofabagfilterwheretheparticlesareallowedtobuildupinaportionofthefilterandthe
liquidcanstillpassthroughthesides.Althoughratherthanbeingmadeofmaterialthestrainer
ismadeoutofmetallikethescreenfilter.Themetaliswoventoallowapatternthatonlyliquid
andparticlessmallerthantheholesareallowedtopassthrough.Thestrainergivesthestrength
ofthescreenfilterbutintheshapeofabagfilter.Thisallowsthestrainertobeusedwitha
pumpsystem.
10
MIXING METHODS Theinputsystemdispensesmethanol,sodiumhydroxide,andthewaste

cookingoilinthecorrectproportionsintothemixingunit.Themixingunitmustfirstmixthe
methanolandthesodiumhydroxidetoproducesodiummethoxide.Thenthewasteoilis
addedintothemixingunitandmixedthoroughlytocreateahomogenousmixture.The
methodofmixingtheliquidsmustbereliableandfasttoreducetheamountoftimerequired
forthebatchtobecomplete.Oncethemixtureiscompletetheliquidcanbegintheseparation
process.Thedesignchallengeistocreateamixingunitthatwillbecompatiblewiththe
separationunittooccurinthesametanktoreducethesizeoftheoverallsystem.
Mixing Unit Inside Tank Amotorwithabeltsystemorgearsystemcouldbeusedtodesigna
mixingsysteminsidethetank.Thismixingunitcouldincorporateindividualpaddlesora
centralrotatingshaftwithbladesthatforcemotionofthefluid.Thisunitmustbecompatible
withtheseparationunitchosen.
Pump Recirculation Apumpwouldtakethemixturefromthebottomofthetankandre
circulatetheliquidbackintothemixingchamber.Themotionoftheliquidbeingsuckedfrom
thebottomandbacktothetopandhavingtheliquidfallbackintothemixingtankwould
providepropermixingofthereactants.
SEPARATION METHODSThemixingprocessformsacompletelyhomogenousmixture.This
mixtureisthenseparatedintotwoproducts,glycerinandbiodiesel,whichisafattyacidmethyl
ester(FAME).Oncetheseparationprocessiscompletedthebottomlayerwillbeglycerinand
thetopwillbeFAME.ThebottomwillbedrainedoutintoawastecontainerandtheFAME
willbedrainedintoacontainertobeusedasbiodiesel.
GravitySeparationcanoccurbyallowingthemixturetosetinatankforanextendedperiodof
time.Unfortunately,thisisaverytimeconsumingprocess.Usinggravitydoesnotrequireany
movingpartstoreducepossibleproblemswiththesystemandtheresultingproductscanbe
achievedatlowcost.
CentrifugeApplyingcentrifugalforcestothefluiddecreasestheamountoftimerequiredfor
theseparationprocesstooccur.Agearsystemandmotorisusedtospintheentireseparation
tanktocreatethecentrifugalforcesontheliquid.Theliquidisspunathighspeedsandcreates
twodistinctlayersintheseparationunit.Thecentrifugeseparationunitiscostlybecauseit
requiresamotorandgearstospintheentireseparationtank.Thecentrifugealsoneedstobe
designedsothatitissafeforthelargecontainertobespunathighspeeds.
CONCEPT EVALUATION
Foreachofthemainsubsystems(reactantinput,filtration,mixing,separation)weevaluatedthe
conceptsbasedonourmajordesignobjectives.Manyofthedesignsoutlinedinthissection
werecreatedundertheassumptionthatthemixingandseparationtanksweretwoseparate
11
units.Forourfinaldesignweincorporatedthesetwofunctionsintoonecontainer,which
greatlyinfluencedthedesignandselectionprocess.Thefollowingsectiondescribesour
evaluationofeachconceptandthereasonsbehindourfinalselection.
REACTANT INPUT CONCEPTSThefirstgoalofoursystemistotransferspecificamountsof

thethreereactantstoacommonlocation,wheretheywillbemixed.Ourconceptsforachieving
thisgoalareshownbelow.
Gravity-fed Intermediate Tanks Ourfirstconceptforreactantinput

involvedsuspendingopencontainersofwasteoil,methanol,and
sodiumhydroxideaboveintermediatetanks,whichinturnare
suspendedabovethemixingchamber.Withbothvalvesineachline
closed,theuserwouldfillthereactantcontainersandthenopenthe
uppervalves.Gravitywouldforcethefluidsintotheintermediate
tanks,whichcouldonlyholdtheamountofrespectivereactant
neededforonebatch.Whenthefillingiscomplete,thelowervalves
openandreleasethereactantsintothemixingchamber.If
necessary,thetimingcouldalsobemodifiedtoreleasethemethanol
andsodiumhydroxidetobemixedbeforetheoilenters.Whilethisdesigndoesnotrequirea
pumporanytypeofsensor,thesuspendedoiltankpresentsalargesafetyhazard.The
technicalfeasibilityofsuspendingsuchalargetankwouldalsobequestionable,nottomention
thenearlyimpossibleusertaskoffillingtheinitialcontainer.
Piston-operated Vacuum Cylinders Weconsideredusinga

vacuumasamethodforintroducingthereactantsintothemixing
chamber.Asshowninthedrawing,theconceptconsistsofa
pistoninsideofacylinderconnectedbothtothesourcetank(side
connectionassumedtobeat1atm)foreachreactantandtothe
mixingtank(bottom).Thepistonisconnectedtoarackandpinion
gearsystem,whichispoweredbyanelectricmotor.Atthe
appropriatetime,themotorwillturnthepinion,therebyliftingthe
pistoninsidethecylinder.Asthevolumeofthecylinderincreases
thepressureoftheairwilldecrease,therebycreatingadifferential
pressurebetweenthecylinderandtheatmosphericpressureonthe
sourcetank.Whenthecorrectamountoffluidhasentered,the
valvetothemixingtankwillopenandreleasethecontents.Thisdesigneliminatestheneedfor
pumpsorthesupplytanksplacedabovethemixingtankforagravityfeed.However,this
conceptwouldcreateotherdesignproblems.Thecylinder,aswellasthepiston/cylinder
interface,wouldneedtobeairtighttofunction.Toobtainthenecessarypressuretomovethe
fluids,thisconceptmayrequirealargevolumetricexpansionoftheair,whichwould
necessitatealargevolumecontainer.Althoughweeliminatetheneedforpumps,themotor
necessarytodrivethissystemwouldlikelybemoreexpensivethanapump.
12
Oil Pumped to Set Level Thisconceptusesthegravityfeed

processforthemethanolandsodiumhydroxideassumingthatthe
systemheightisstillreasonablewiththesetanks.Afteropening
thevalvesforthesetanks,theoilwouldthenbepumpedintothe
mixingtankuntilthetotalfluidlevelachievesthecorrectvolume
ofoilmeasuredbywhenitreachesthecorrectheightinthetank.
Alevelsensorwouldprovidethefeedbacktothecontrolunitto
shutdownthepumpandpossiblycloseavalve.Thisdesignallowstheusertosimplyinsert
theoilinputhoseintothebarrelofwasteoilandstarttheprocess.Sincethemethodof
measurementisrelativelysimple,thisconceptwouldallowforaccurateproportionsofreactant
input.Althoughlevelsensorsarefairlycheap,thisdesigndoesintroduceextracost.Inour
latersystemdesigns,weincorporatethemixingandseparationprocessesintoasingletank,so
anyattachedapparatusmustbecompatiblewiththetankrotationfortheseparationprocess.
Withaspinningtank,slevelsensorpresentsmanyengineeringchallenges,suchaswhattodo
withthesignalcableattachedtothesensor.Thecablewillbecomewrappedaroundthetank
andifthetankspinsforseveralminutesat500rotationsperminute,thisintroducesalarge
amountofcabletocontrol.
Oil Pumped through Flow Meter Aflowmeter

locatedintheoillinecanbeusedtodeterminethe
velocityofthefluid.Thevelocityofthefluid
multipliedbythecrosssectionalareaofthepipe
resultsinthevolumeflowrate.Byperforminga
timeintegrationofthevolumeflowrateinour
controlsoftware,wewillshutthepumpoffwhen
onebatchsworthofoilentersthetank.This
solutioneliminatestheneedforanysensorattachmentsonthemixing/separationtankandthe
engineeringchallengesthatpresents.However,flowmetersaremoreexpensivethanlevel
sensorsandwillincreasethecostofthedesign.Thecontrolmethodandsoftwareprogrammay
bemorecomplicatedaswell.
Selection: Reactant Input Forourdesign,themethanolandsodiumhydroxidewillenterfrom

intermediatetanksfedbygravity.Thecookingoilwillbepumpedfromthestoragecontainer
intothemixingtankwithaflowsensorinsidetheoillinetoachievethecorrectvolumefora
singlebatch.AschematicofourbasicreactantdeliverymethodisshowninFigure4,below.
13
Figure 4. Reactant input concept selection (not showing other components)
FILTRATION CONCEPTSThewastecookingoilmostlikelycontainsunknownparticulate
materialsthatmayaffectthequalityofthereactionprocess.Toreducethisrisk,wehave
developedthefollowingfiltrationconceptsdesignedtoprovideahomogeneous,puresupplyof
oil.Workbypreviousgroupshasshownthatfiltrationismosteffectivebyusingacoarsefilter
andafinerfilterinseries.Wewillusethissameapproach.
Self-cleaning Coarse Screen Filter Toreducetheamountofmanual

maintenance,wedevelopedanideaforaselfcleaningcoarsefiltration
unit.Thewastegreaseentersandflowsthroughametalscreen,which
catchesthelargeparticles.Abladesystem,attachedbyashafttoalow
costmotor,barelyscrapesthesurfaceofthescreen.Thebladesare
shapedinawaythatpushestheaccumulatingparticulatematterintoa
wasteoutletline.Thisdesignwouldnotrequiretheusertochangethe
filterbyhand.Theuserwouldonlyperiodicallyemptythewaste
receptacle.Whilethisdoescutdownonusereffort,itinceasesthe
complexityofthedesignandaddsequipmentandmanufacturingcosts.
Removable Coarse Screen FilterAcoarsefilterthatrequiresmanual
cleaningiscomposedoftwocylindersjoinedbyahingeononeside.
Thelipsofeachcylinderarecoveredinrubbertoobtainatightseal.
Theinputlineisaflexiblehosetoallowtheuppercylindertomove
freelyonthehinge.Thescreenissupportedontabsinsidethebottom
cylinderandithasahandleforeasyremoval.Thisdesignwouldallow
forrelativelyeasycleaningandremovalofthescreen,althoughitmay
bemessytoremovethescreenfromthecylinder.
14
Open Coarse Screen Filter Anotherideawasacoarse

screenfilterthatisopentotheatmosphere.Thefluid
entersatankandflowsoutthroughascreeneddrainin
thebottom.Thescreenhaseitherataborahandle
attachedforeasyremovalandcleaning.Thisdesign
wouldviolateourobjectiveofenclosingallsystem
componentsforsafetyandcleanliness.Apictureofthe
conceptfromthetopandalsodirectlyfromthesideare
showntotheright.
Coarse Strainer & Fine Cartridge Filter Wewereconcernedthat

filteringdownstreamofthepumpmaydamageorclogthepump.
However,wewereworriedthatfilteringupstreamofthepumpmay
makeprimingdifficultandpossiblypreventproperflow.To
alleviatebothoftheseconcernswedecidedtoincludeacoarsefilter
upstreamandafinefilterdownstream.Thiswaywellgreatly
reducetheparticulatesthroughthepumpwithoutcreatingtoolarge
aflowrestrictionontheinletofthepump.Wewillincorporatean
automotiveoilfilteroranequivalentcartridgefilterasthefine
particlefilterfollowingthepump.
Selection: Filtration Wewilluseatwostagefiltrationmethodwithacoarsestrainerupstream
ofthepumpandafinercartridgefilterdownstream.Thiswillprotectthepumpfromlarge
debriswithoutcreatinganexcessivelylargeflowrestrictioninthepumpinletline.
MIXING CONCEPTSOncethereactantshaveenteredacommontank,theymustthenbemixed
thoroughlytoensurethebestpossiblereactionefficiency.Ourconceptsformixingare
describedandevaluatedinthefollowingsection.
Motor-powered Shaft with Mixing Vanes Thebasisforour

initialconceptformixingwasinspiredbytheworkoftheFall
2006group.Thedesignconsistsofrotatingshaftpoweredbya
motor.Mixingvanesarerigidlyattachedtothecentralshaftand
physicallymixthereactants.Wehadvariousconceptsonthe
manufacturingoftheshaft/vaneassemblyandthevane
geometry.Themostfeasiblesolutionwediscussedwastomill
slotsintotheshaftandtoinsertstripsofsheetmetaltoserveas
vanes.Wewouldthenjustboltthevanestotheshaftwithtwo
bolts.Onedrawbacktothisdesignisthatsomefluidatthe
bottomofthetankandintheoutlettubewouldnotbemixed.
Wecouldplacetheoutletvalveascloseaspossibletothebottom
ofthetank,buttherewillalwaysbesomeunmixedfluidthat
enterstheseparationtank.
15
Motor-powered Planetary Gear System, Dual Shafts with

Vanes Ournextconceptisverysimilartotheonejust
discussed,butwebelieveitwouldprovidemoreeffective
mixing.Inthisdesign,weattachasungeartothedriveshaft
whichmateswithaplanetgearconnectedtoitsowndrive
shaft.Mixingvanesareattachedtobothshafts.Thedriveshaft
rotatesinplaceandthesecondaryshaftrotatesarounditsaxis
andcirclesaroundthedriveshaft.Thisaddedrotarymotion
wouldlikelyspeedupthemixingprocessbyintroducing
addedturbulenceintothefluid.Alongwiththesame
disadvantagesdiscussedforthesingleshaftdesignabove,this
designalsorequiresanothercutoutinthetopofthecontainer
forthesecondaryshaft.Thismayposeasafetyhazardifthe
mixingprocesssendsreactantsorproductsoutofthecutout.
Belt-driven Paddles Wealsoconsideredadesignwhichrelieson

beltdrivenpaddlesformixing.Theendsofthepaddles,attachedto
beltsheaves,wouldprotrudeoutofthesidesofthetank.Amotor
woulddriveabeltconnectedtotheendsofeithertwoorthree
paddles.Therotationofthepaddleswouldmovethefluid.The
paddlecouldcontainanynumberofholesorslotstohelpintroduce
extraturbulence.Thisdesignwouldrequireverygoodsealswhere
thepaddleendsprotrudefromthecontainer.Itmaybedifficultto
keepthesefourtosixloadbearingsealsfromleaking.
Pump Recirculation Ourgroupdevelopedaconceptformixingwhich

reliesonrecirculatingthereactantfluidsusingapump.Thereactants
willenterthetank,exitoutthebottomofthetank,enterthetubeand
bepumpedbackinthroughthetopofthetank.Theentranceintothe
topofthetankcouldbethroughasprayerorthroughmultipleentry
pointstohelpmixthefluid.Ourgroupanticipatesthatsendingthe
fluidthroughthiscentrifugalpumpwillalsogreatlyaidinthemixing
process.Thisdesignapproachisusedinanumberofthecompetitive
productscurrentlyonthemarket,suchastheFuelMeisterII.
Selection: Mixing Wewilluseapumptorecirculateandmixthefluidinthetankbecausethis

willbesufficientformixingandistheeasiestdesignconcepttopairwiththeseparation
methods.
16
SEPARATION CONCEPTS Thewasteoil,methanol,andsodiumhydroxidereactinthemixing

chamber,formingglycerinandbiodieselasproducts.Theseproductsmustthenbeseparated
fromeachother.Mostcomparablesystemssimplyrelyongravitytoseparatetheproducts,
whichcantakeupto24hours.Timeeffectivenessisoneofourmajordesignconcernssowe
developedthefollowingconceptstodecreasetheseparationtime.
Centrifuge with Rotating Valves MuchoftheworkofthepreviousME450designteamswas

focusedonseparationbyapplyingcentrifugalforcestothefluid.Sincewewishtoutilizethe
applicablepastresearchasmuchaspossible,themajorityofourfocushasbeenonthismethod.
TheprototypefromFall2006usedacentrifugewithtwooutletvalves,oneonthebottomdrain
lineandoneonthesideofthetanktodraintheglycerinthatisforcedtotheouterwallsduring
spinning.Whilethisprovidedadequatefunctionalityformanuallyoperatedvalves,solenoid
valvespresentaproblembecauseoftheirelectricalcables.Ifweallowthevalvestorotatethe
cableswilltangleandtwist.Therefore,ourdesignmustkeepthevalvesstationary.
Centrifuge with Stationary Valve Inordertokeepthevalves

stationarywedecidedthattheseparationtankinletandoutlet
lineswillbeontheaxisofthetank.Wewilldrillholesinthetop
andbottomofthetankandattachbearingstoguidethefluid
transferlines.Bothbearingsandpipeswillbereinforcedby
additionalstructuralsupports.Thisdesignallowsthevalvesto
beplacedonthestationarypipelines.Sincetheoutletpipeison
thecentralaxis,weneedawaytooffsetthemotoraxiswhilestill
providingtorquetothetank.Weconsideredbothagearandbelt
systemforperformthistask.Abeltsystemmayprovideacheap
wayoftransmittingtheenergy,butthehightorquerequiredmay
necessitatemorecostlyVbelts(aswellasappropriatesheaves).
Abeltwouldalsorequireatensioningsystem,whichmayintroduceextramaintenanceeffortin
theeventthatthebeltslipsoffthesheave.Usingagearsystemwillallowustotransmithigh
torquewithoutworryingabouttensioningorslipping.
Water-washing Column AsintheresearchofZhangetal.,we

consideredusingawaterwashingcolumntoseparatethe
FAME
Water
reactionproducts.Waterispipedintothecolumnfromabove
andbiodieselandglycerinfrombelow.Biodieselislessdense
thanbothwaterandglycerinsoitrisestothetopofthe
cylinder.Theglycerinandwaterarethenremovedoutthe
lowerdrain.Thebiodieselthatproducedbythisprocessisnot
completelypure.Zhangetal.foundthatthebiodiesel(FAME)
FAME + Glycerin
containedlessthan6%unconvertedoil,methanol,andwater.
Glycerin + Water
Thisstreammustundergoanexpensiveandcomplicated
purificationprocesstoremovethecontaminants.Thisadded
expenseisnotfeasibleforourprototypeorourrecommendedsystemdesign.
17
Selection: Separation Wewillseparatethebiodieselfromtheglycerinusingcentrifugalforces

andastationaryvalvesystem.Thetankcontainingtheproductswillberotatedbyagear
systemconnectedtoamotor.Thevalvesfortheinputandoutputlineswillbeonthetopand
bottomofthetankandremainstationaryduringrotationtoallowforcableconnections.Figure
5,below,showsamoredetailedsketchofthebearing,gear,andsupportsystem.
Figure 5. Detailed view of main separation tank support and bearing system
OVERALL SYSTEM CONCEPTS Forthemixingunitweoriginallyplannedonusingthe
vane/motorassembly,butsoonrealizedthatusingtwotankswouldnecessitateapump
betweenthemtoreducetheoverallheightoftheunit.Wethenrealizedthatapumpcouldbe
usedforbothtransferringbetweentanksandforrecirculatingflowformixingpurposes.With
thisdesigninmind,wedecidedtosimplycombinethemixingandseparationprocessesintothe
sametank.Thisallowsustoeliminatethecostlymotorrequiredfortheoriginalmixing
solutionandtogreatlyreducethemanufacturingcostsofthesystem.Thetotalsystem
schematicdiagramisshownonthenextpageasFigure6.Allofourfinaldesignchoicesare
supportedbythePughchartsinAppendixC.Theseallowedustoroughlyquantifythe
advantagesanddisadvantagesofeachconceptandselectaccordingly.
18

Figure 6. Waste cooking oil conversion system schematic diagram
19
CONCEPT SELECTION
Ouronetanksystemcanbedividedintothreefunctionalcomponentsubsystems:automation
andcontrol;filtration,transport,mixing,andseparation;andcontainmentandpiping.The
followingsectionswilldiscusstheircharacteristicsandourreasonsforchoosingthem.
AUTOMATION AND CONTROL Theheartofourcontrolschemewouldbeacomputerrunning

LabVIEWinconjunctionwithaUSBboxwhichsendssignalstosolenoidvalves,thetwo
pumps,andtheseparationmotor,aswellasreceivesignalsfromaflowmeterandseveral
shutdownsensors.
Digital Input/Output BoxThisinterfacepossessesmultipledigitalinputsandoutputs,is

capableofinterfacingwithLabVIEW,andservesasthelinkbetweencomputercommandsand
mechanicalfunction.Thisbox,aswellasLabVIEW,willbesuppliedtousbytheUniversityof
Michigansowearenotsureofitsexactspecificationsatthepresenttime.Setupslikethisare
thecommonsolutionfortherelativelysimpleautomationwerequire.
Solenoid ValvesElectricallyactuatedvalveswereseenasthemosteconomical,feasible,and
accuratemethodforcontrollingliquidmovement.Theirsimpledesigneasilyincorporatesthem
intoourautomationplan.Twodiametersofelectricallyactuatedvalveswillbeused,0.25in
and1.00in(seeFigure7,below).Tosavecost,onlyonelargediametervalvewillbeusedinthe
entiresystem,asseeninFigure6.Thoughusingsmallervalveselsewhereinthesystemwill
slowdowntheprocess,weestimatethatourprocesstimestarttofinishwillstillfallbelowthat
ofcompetitiveproducts.
a.
b.
Figure 7. (a) 0.25 and (b) 1.00 solenoid valves

Check ValvesAttwotimesinthesystemprocess,pumpsare
shutoffandfurtherflowfromtheiroutletpipesisnotdesired.
Additionally,theseoutletpipesmustbesectionedofffromother
pipeslaterintheprocesstopreventbatchcontamination.Check
valvessuitedtheseobjectives,aspositivepressuredownstream
ofthevalveduringpumpingensurestheystayopen,butclose
uponpumpshutoff.Specifically,thereistimebetweenthepumpselectricalshutoffandthe
timeitsimpellerstopsspinning;checkvalvespreventthepressurebuildupatypicalactuated
20
valvewouldcause,stayingopenuntilfluidstopsflowing.Wewillutilizetwo1.00PVC
checkvalvesinthesystem(seeFigure6),oneafterthegreasepumpandtheotherfollowingthe
mixingpump.PVCisagoodprototypechoice,asitisacheaperbutlessdurablealternativeto
stainlesssteel,withthesameNaOHresistance.
FlowmeterSummingindividualoutputvalueswithLabVIEW,a
flowmetergivesusanaccuratewayofmeasuringhowmuchgrease
hasbeenpumpedintothemixingtank.Paddlewheelflowmeters
areusefulforviscousfluidswhereextremeaccuracyisnotrequired,
andarelessexpensivethanultrasonicorpositivedisplacement
meters.OurflowmeterwillsnapfitintoaPVCfitting,asseentothe
left.ThismaybesuppliedbytheUniversity,sowearenotsureof
itsexactspecificationsatthepresenttime.
FILTRATION, TRANSPORT, MIXING, AND SEPARATION Filtrationwasdesignedwith

pumpinginmind,assignificantpressuredropsupstreamofcentrifugalpumpshurtstheir
performancesignificantly.Also,combiningmixingandseparationrequiredspace
considerationswiththeelectricmotorworkingincloseproximitytothemixingpump.
Strainer and Cartridge FilterThoughthewastegreaseisprefiltered,wedecidedtousea

coarsestrainertoensurethatnolargeparticlesenterthepump.The400micronstrainer(shown
inFigure8(a),below)has0.75NPTfittings,isdesignedforroomtemperaturegrease,andwill
functionwellwithapumpunlikeconventionalbagfilters.Basedontheviscosityofourgrease,
commonautomobileoilfilterswillworkwellwithourpump,astheyareacartridgestyleand
rangefrom1550micronfiltrationquality.Additionally,ourchoiceofasyntheticmediaoil
filter(Figure8(b))improvesfiltrationandflow.Wewilllikelyremovetheoutershellasshown
inthefigureandfabricateourowninterfacesystembetweenthefilterandpiping.
a.
b.
Figure 8. (a) Pre-pump strainer and (b) Cartridge oil filter
21
Grease Transportation PumpBasedonourtargettimesfortransportationofthecookingoil,

wechosean11GPMpump.Thisflowratefillsthemixingtankinaboutaminutewiththe
correctvolumenecessaryforafivegallonbatch.Thepump(showninFigure9(a)below)iscast
ironandpossessesmountablefeetforpermanentapplicationslikeoursystem.
Mixing Recirculation PumpTheinitialmixingprocessisjustofmethanolandsodium

hydroxidetoproducesodiummethoxide.Thisrequiresthepropermaterialssothatthe
chemicalsdonteatthroughthepumpmaterial.Themixingprocedurealsoneedstorecirculate
theentirefivegallonbatchatleast10times,soahigherGPMthanthegreasetransportation
pumpisdesired.Thestainlesssteelpumpwechoseoperatesat11GPM.
a.
b.
Figure 9. (a) Grease Transport Pump (b) Mixing Recirculation Pump

Separation MotorTosizetheelectricmotorthatwillturnthemixing/separationtank,we
calculatedthenecessarytorquerequirementsforafivegallonbatchsizeandanangularspeed
of500rpm.Thesecalculationsareshownintheengineeringanalysissection.TheBison32
framepermanentmagnet12VDCmotor,showninFigure10(a),willbeusedinourprototype.
Offset Gear DriveRotationofthemixing/separationtankrequiresthatallinletandoutlet

pipingbeonitscentralaxis,butamotordrivingthisaxisdirectlyfromthebottominterferes
withanycoaxialoutlettube.Anoffsetgearsystem,asshowninFigure10(b),solvesthis
problem,allowingthetransferofrotationbetweenfromthemotortotankaxis.Alongwiththe
motorcalculationsintheengineeringanalysissection,arethecalculationsforthenecessary
gearsrequired.Thegearswillbea15/8inchgearanda6inchgear.Thetankgearwill
employataperedrollerbearingaroundtheoutlettube,necessarybecausebothradialand
thrustloadswillactuponit.
a.
b.
Figure 10. (a) separation motor (b) Offset gear drive illustration
22
CONTAINMENT AND PIPING Thematerialsselectedforthecontainmentandpipingcannotbe

reactivewithsodiumhydroxide,methanol,orwastegrease;ideally,allcomponentswouldbe
stainlesssteel.However,costdictatesthatwecompromisewithPVCandsteel.PVCischeap
andnonreactivewithmethanolandsodiumhydroxide;steelisalsononreactivewithsodium
hydroxidebutdoescorrodeincontactwithmethanol.AllofthepipingwillbemadeofPVC
piecesandfromthepumpswewilluseaclearvinylthickwalledhose.Themethanoland
sodiumhydroxidemeteringtankswereconstructedofPVCtubingenclosedbyvalves.Thesize
ofthesetanksiscalculatedintheengineeringanalysisbelow.
ENGINEERING ANALYSIS
METERINGThemeteringsystemmeasuresouttheexactamountofsodiumhydroxideand
methanoltoaddtothebatchtomakeacompletereaction.Thereactantswillbeheldinalarge
containerandusingapipewithvalvesonbothends,thecorrectamountwillbemeasuredinto
thepipetomakeasinglebatch.Ratiosfoundfromthepreviousseniordesignprojects,were
usedtodeterminehowmuchofeachreactantwasneededperbatch.Theresultsareshownin
Table2.
Table 2. Reactant ratios for a single batch

Variables
Total Liquid Volume of tank
Cooking Oil
Methanol
Sodium Hydroxide
Value
5.00
4.08
0.82
0.10
Units
gal
gal
gal
gal
Usingthevolumeofeachreactantnecessarytocompletethereaction,themeteringsystem
containersmadefromdifferentsizesandattachmentsofPVCcouldbedesigned.Thevolume
ofliquidlocatedineachpipeconnectingthevalvesandintheendcapsorfittingsforthetank
werecalculatedfirst.Thensubtractingthisvolumefromthetotalvolumeofthereactant
requiredgivestheamountofliquidthathastobelocatedinthemeteringcontainer.The
volumetobeenclosedinthetankwasdividedbytheareaofthetankusingtheareaofacircle
andthediameterofthepipetobeusedforeachcontainer.Thisleftuswiththelengthofthe
meteringtanknecessarytoenclosethecorrectamountofvolume,asshowninTable3.Finding
thelengthsofeachtubeisnecessaryforpurchasingthecorrectamountofPVCandalsofor
designingthemeteringsystem.SeeAppendixF.2forafulldetaileddrawingofthemethanol
meteringtank.
23
Table 3. Metering container calculations
MethanolMeteringContainer
Variables
SodiumHydroxideMeteringContainer
Value
Units
VolumeofMethanol
Diameterofpipe
Radiusofendcaps
Lengthofinletvalvepipe
Lengthofexitvalvepipe
Diameterof1valvepipe
0.82
4.00
2.00
1.50
1.50
1.00
TotalVolumeofMethanol
188.57
VolumeofFluidinEndcaps(x2)
33.51
VolumeofFluidinValvepipes(x2)
2.36
VolumeofFluidinPipe
LengthofMethanolPipe
Variables
gal
in
in
in
in
in
Units
0.10
2.00
1.00
1.50
1.50
1.00
gal
in
in
in
in
in
23.57
in
in
TotalVolumeofSodiumHydroxide
in
VolumeofFluidinFittings(x2)
1.13
in
in
2.36
in
VolumeofFluidinPipe
LengthofSodiumHydroxidePipe
20.09
6.39
in
in
in
in
152.70
12.15
Value
VolumeofSodiumHydroxide
Diameterofpipe
Lengthoffitting
MOTOR ANALYSIS To determine the correct motor, calculations for speed and torque had to be
performed. The analysis started by finding the average angular acceleration,, calculated from
the target angular speed of 500 RPM. Using geometric properties and material properties the
inertia, I, for both the tank and the liquid inside the tank were found and added to get the total
inertia.
=Itotal
Eq.1
Using Eq. 1, the amount of desired torque, ,wascalculated.AsshowninTable4,thetorque

neededwasaround252ozin.ThemotorselectedfortheoperationistheBison32model.
Usingthespecificationsofthemotorthespeedwasusedtofindthegearratio.Oncethegear
ratiowasfoundtheamountoftorquegeneratedfromthemotorthroughthegearswas
calculatedtoensurethatenoughtorquewouldbeproducedtospinthelargeseparationtank.
Usingthegearratiothesizeofthegearlocatedonthemotorshaftandthegearmountedtothe
bottomofthetankcouldbedetermined.Ofcoursewewillhavetobuystandardsizegears,but
thisanalysiswillatleastgiveusareferencepointsoweknowwhatapproximateratiowedlike
touse.Thespinuptimeofthetankisnottooimportanttoourselection,sincethemotorwill
bespinningforapproximately30minutesintotalandweareonlyconcernedwiththesteady
statespeed.
Table 4. Motor Specifications Required and Motor Selected Properties
MotorCalculations
Characteristics
AngularSpeed(500rpm)
Bison32MotorSelected
Value
Units
52.3599
rad/sec
MotorSpeed
Value
Units
1948
rpm
MotorTorque
93.4
inoz
GearRatio(motorspeed/500rpm)
3.896
GearonTank(setbydesignspecs)
in
GearforMotor
TorqueonTank(motortorque*gearratio)
1.54
363.886
in
inoz
AverageAcceleration
3.4907
rad/s
MomentofInertiaofLiquid
0.1625
kg/m
MomentofInertiaofContainer
0.3479
kg/m
0.5104
1.7817
252.3136
kg/m
Nm
ozin
TotalMomentofInertia
AverageTorqueNeeded
AverageTorqueNeeded
Characteristics
24
Figure 11. Tank Support Structure

TANK FRAME STRUCTURE Priortoconstruction,weneededtochecksupportstructure
mechanicsandensureitsintegrityunderthetankandfluidloads.Stresscalculationswere
performedforthecrossingmembersthatdirectlysupportthetank,aswellthesquarepieces
thatsupportthosemembers.Bucklingcalculationswereperformedforthefourmaincorner
supports(seeFigure12forillustrationofthesepieces).Orthographicdrawingswithoverall
structuredimensionsareinAppendixF.4.
Outside Leg
Bar 1
Bar 2
Center Leg
Bar 3
Bar 4
Figure 12. Tank support structure
25
Support Bars Stress Analysis Basicfreebodydiagramscanbedrawnfortheprinciple

crossingmembers(labeledinFigure12),asshownbelowinFigure13.Calculationassumptions
andprocessareshowninTable5;Table6givesmaterialparametersandresults.
Table 5. Stress calculation approach

Assumption/Process Step
1.Force/Momentbalance
Algebraic Result
1additionalequationrequiredtodetermineforces
d 2v
M
=
2
dx
EI
2.MomentDeflectionrelation
3.Isotropicsteel
E=constant
Bar1example:
4.Zerodeflectionatsupportforces
v ( 0 ) = v ( 1 ) = v ( 2 1 ) = 0
5.Additionalequationfrom
deflectionanalysis
6.Bendingmomentdiagram
Solveforsupportforces
Pointoflargestmomentvisible
(x, y) =
7.Evaluatestressatx
M (x) y
I
1/3 FTANK
1/3 FTANK
Bar 1
d2
d2
x
d1
d1
FA
F CENTER
FB
0.25"
2.00"
1/3 FTANK
y
Bar 2
d5
x
d3
d4
FC
FCENTER
FD
FA
y
d6
Bar 3
x
0.1875"
d7
FE
FF
FD
y
d8
Bar 4
1.00"
1.00"
d8
FG
FH
Figure 13. Support beam free body diagrams
26

Table 6. Maximum stress in bars 1, 2, 3, and 4
Bar
1
2
3
4
Maximum Stress
819psi
5494psi
136psi
70psi
ASTMA36SteelProperties
YIELD=36260psi
E=30x106lbf/in2
*Note:maxcompressiveand
tensilestressesequaldueto
centrallylocatedneutralaxis
Bar2experiencesthelargeststressand,asexpected,thesquaresupportbars3and4experience
thesmalleststresses.Allfourcalculatedstressesfallwellbelowsteelsyieldstrength,sowecan
concludethatthesupportbarsforthetankstructureareamechanicallysounddesignandwill
withstandtheirrespectiveloads.Werealizethatanydeflectionofthebeamsmayintroduce
somemisalignmentofthetanksrotationalaxis.However,theresultingdeflectionwillbe
minisculecomparedwiththeuncertaintyintroducedbythemanufacturingprocessesusedto
alignthetank.Forthisreason,wearenotconcernedaboutthesesmalldisplacements.
Vertical Legs Buckling Analysis Bucklinganalysiswasperformedoneofthefouroutside

verticallegsaswellasthecentersquareleg,accordingtotheprocessgivenbyTable7.Results
areshowninTable8.
2.00"
2.25"
2.00"
2.00"
0.25"
F CENTER
Outside Leg
Center Leg
FE + FG
F R1
FR2
Figure 14. Vertical beams for support structure
27
Table 7. Buckling calculation approach

Assumption/ProcessStep
1.ForceBalance
Algebraicresults
example:FE andFG fromprevious
stresscalculations
2.EulerBucklingLoad
PMAX = YIELD A
3.IsotropicSteel
E=constant
Table 8. Force present in outside and center legs

Leg
Force
BucklingForce
Outside
6.39lbf
3.4x10 lbf
Inside
23.14lbf
6.8x10 lbf
ASTMA36SteelProperties
4
4
YIELD =36260psi
Asbothcenterandoutsidelegloadsarefarlessthantheirrespectivebucklingloads,theoutside
andcentersupportsareinnodangeroffailure.
MECHANICAL ANALYSIS OF MAIN TANKUsingthesamecalculationmethodsasusedforthe

prototypethetwopossiblefailuremodesforthemixingtankarecalculatedasbendingfailure
andcircumferentialstress.Toensurethatthescalingmethodsareacceptablethecalculations
areveryimportanttoensurethatasystem5timesbigger.Forthestationarytanksupporting
around150lbsofweightfromthefluid,thebendingfailurestressisfound.Wefirstconsidered
thepossibilityforbendingfailureinthebottomofthetankwhenthefullfivegallonsoffluidis
stationary.Wethenconsideredthepossibilityforexcessivecircumferentialstressinthewalls
ofthetankduringrotation.Forbothofthesecaseswemadesurethatthedesignhasa
significantmarginagainstfailure.
Bending Failure Due to Static Fluid Pressure Beforeandaftertheseparationprocessthetank

willneedtosupportroughly40lbsofstationaryfluid.Themostlikelyfailuremodewillbethe
bendingofthebottomlayerofmaterial.Assumingthatthetankisonlysupportedbythe
rollersonthebottom,thediagramofthissituationisshownbelowinFigure15.
28
Possible
Failure
h
P
a
r
Figure 15. Free body diagram of the tank supporting 40 lbs. of fluid.
Thepressureatthebottomofthetankisequaltogh,whichequals3.4kPa.Wetreatthe
bottompartofthetankasacircularplatewhichissubjecttoauniformpressure.Sincetheends
aresimplysupportedfrombelowandattachedtothecylindricalportionofthetank,we
considertheedgeofthecircularplatetobebuiltin(nodeflectionorchangeinangle).Inthis
situationthebendingmomentisequaltothefollowing:
0 (1 + v) a 2 (3 + v) r 2
Eq.2
M rr (r ) =
16
Themaximumbendingmomentoccursattheoutsideoftheplate(r=a)andisequalto8.8Nm.
Theresultingstressintheplateisdescribedbelow.
6 M max
Eq.3
max =
Themaximumstress(tensileandcompressive)inthetankis8.3kPa.Theyieldstrengthof
mediumdensitypolyethyleneis19.3MPaandthefracturetoughnessis3.8MPa m .This
designdoesntcomeclosetofailinginthismode.Table9belowshowstherelevantparameters
usedincalculations.
Table 9. Values used for calculations
Parameter
Value
1000kg/m
0.35m
0.44
0.143m
0.00635m
Circumferential Stress When Rotating Whilethetankisrotatingduringtheseparation

processthecentrifugalforcesfromthefluidwillputpressureonthesidewallsofthetank.A
diagramofthissituationisshownbelowinFigure16.
29
Figure 16: Free body diagram of the tank walls retaining rotating fluid.
Tocalculatethepressurethewaterexertsonthetankwalls,wetreatthewaterasanelastic
plasticmaterialwhichyieldsatzeroshearstress.Wealsoassumethatthetankiscompletely
fullofwaterwheninfactitisonlybe5/6thsfull.Thepressuredistributioninthewaterwillbe:
a2
P(r ) = 2 r 2
Eq.4
Thepressureattheinnersurfaceofthetankwallwillbe27.6kPa.Assumingthatthetankcan
betreatedasathinwalledcylinder,thecircumferentialstresswillbe:
Pa
Eq.5
Thestresswillbe0.62MPainthetankwall.SincetheyieldstrengthofMDPEis19.3MPa,there
isasafetyfactorofover30againstyield.Inaddition,thecriticalflawsizeneededtoinitiatea
crack(modeIconditions)willbeextremelylarge.Table10belowshowsthevaluesofthe
parametersusedincalculations.
Table 10. Values used for calculations
Parameter
Value
1000kg/m
52rad/s
0.143m
0.00635m
CENTER OF MASS AND TIPPING ANALYSIS Thefullsystemwasreducedintomajor

componentsasseeninFigure16,eachwithitsrespectivexCMandyCMlocationandmass.Dueto
nearperfectzaxissymmetrythroughthebasecenterline,zCMwasassumedtobezero.Thex
andycentersofmasswerethencalculatedusingEq.6,below.
m x + m2 x2 + ... + mn xn
xCM = 1 1
Eq.6
m1 + m2 + ... + mn
30
CL
Note: all measurements in inches
3.50
Methanol Tank 8 lbs
6.00
NaOH Tank 1.6 lbs
NaOH Metering 0.8 lbs
Methanol Metering 6.4 lbs

3.50
78.00
72.00
70.00
68.00
Tank & Liquids 45 lbs
System CG 256.8 lbs
Steel 120 lbs
3.25
34.00
28.00
25.25
12.00
6.00
Mixing Pump 20 lbs
Grease Pump 15 lbs
7.00
7.00
3.00
Base 40 lbs
CL
z
GROUND
Figure 16: Center of masses for individual components and final COM for system
31
Becausethebaseis5ftlongandyCMisslightlyover2ft,tippingishighlyunlikely.Onewould
needtoapplyaforceatthetopofthestructurewhilesimultaneouslykeepingthecasterslocked
againstrolling,therebypushingthesystemtoanangleof49.9,asseeninFigure17.This
extremeangleyieldsveryminimaldangeroftippinginthexyplane.
Force
49.9
25.25
30.00
AT REST
TIPPING OCCURS
Figure 17: Tipping in x-y plane
Thebaseissignificantlynarrowerthanitislongat2.5ftwide,sotippingwasinvestigated
furtherintheyzplane.Figure18showsthesmallertippingangleincomparisontothexy
planecase.

Force
?
25.25
30.7
15.00
AT REST
TIPPING OCCURS
Figure 18: Tipping in y-z plane
Tocalculatetheforcenecessarytoachievethistippingangle,amomentbalanceisfirstusedto
findthemomentactingtokeeptheCOMatitstippingpoint.Thoughthepictureshowsaforce
actingontheCOM,weassumethelargestmomentarmavailabletotheuser(thusminimizing
theforcerequiredfortipping),sotheforceisactuallyappliedatthetopofthestructure,80
fromtheground.Withthecalculatedtippingmoment,onecandeterminetheuserapplied
forcerequiredfortipping.ThisprocessissummarizedinEqs.7and8.
32
M TIP = mg cos 15
M
Force = TIP
80
Eq.7
Eq.8
Thisprocessyieldsauserforceof41.42lbf.Theonlylikelyscenariofortippinginvolves
suddenlyhittingabumpthatstopsthecasters,andthisinvolvesanimpulseforce,notthe
constantforcejustcalculated.Ultimately,thelikelihoodofausermaintainingaforcegreater
than41.42lbftothetopofthestructureforthetimenecessarytotipthebase30.7isextremely
small.Thefullsystemisthusdeterminedtobestableinbothplanesofinterest.
FAILURE MODE EFFECTS AND ANALYSISOncewedeterminedthegenerallayoutofour
designwecreatedafailuremodeeffectsandanalysistoidentifythegreatestfailurerisksand
waystomitigatethem.Foreachofthemaincomponentsofthesystemwedeterminedthemost
likelypossibilitiesforfailureanddeterminedtheeffectontheprocessasawhole.Weuseda
scalingfromonetotentoquantifytherelativeseverity,cause,andsubtletyofeachmodeof
failure.ThemultiplicationofthesethreeparametersgivestheRiskPriorityNumber(RPN),
whichquantifiestherelativedetrimenttothesystem.ForthosefailureswitheitheralargeRPN
oracheaporsimplesolution,wedeterminedpossiblecorrectiveactionstohelpmitigatethe
risk.WethenrecalculatedtheRPNconsideringthatthechangeshadbeenimplementedand
alsocalculatedthepercentreductioninRPNtoquantifytheeffectiveness.Fromouranalysis
wefoundaneedforfluidsensorsdownstreamofthereactantvalves,downstreamofthe
biodieseloutletvalve,andafterthemixingpump.Wealsodeterminedthataflowmeteronthe
inputoillineandatachometeronthemotorwouldhelpdecreasethesubtletyandseverityof
possiblefailures.Thesefeaturesareincorporatedintothefinaldesign,butduetobudget
considerationsweareunabletoincludethemintheprototype.ThefullFMEAspreadsheetis
showninAppendixD.
DESIGN FOR MANUFACTURING AND ASSEMBLY We designed our prototype with ease of
manufacturing and assembly in mind. We took several guidelines into account which are
explained next along with how we applied them to our design.
Permit Assembly in Open SpacesOurdesignprovidesadequatespaceforassembly.Allfour
sidesofthesupportstructureareopensothereisntanyspacewheretoolscannotreach.The
mountingbracketsforthesupportwheelsareeasilyaccessibleandthereforeallowthewheels
tobeattached.Also,thesupportbarsonthetopandbottomofthetankareboltedontotheside
barsinareaswithadequateclearanceallaround.
Standardize to Reduce Part Variety Allboltsusedforagivensetofattachmentsarethesame
size.Thisincludestheboltsformountingthesupportstructuretothebase,mountingthe
supportwheelsinthebrackets,andattachingthetanksupportbeamstothesidesupport
33
beams.However,thesesetsofboltsarenotthesamesizebecauseeachapplicationrequiresa
differentlengthbolt.
Maximize Part Symmetry Allofthesteelpartsusedinourprototypearesymmetric,which
simplifiesassemblyproceduresbecauseorientationisnotafactor.Thisincludesthesupport
legsandallsupportbeamsandsupportwheelbrackets,thebracketsusedtoattachthesupport
legstothebaseboardaresymmetricsincenomatterwhichwaytheyareorientedtheholesline
upthesameway.
Eliminate Fasteners Weeliminatedalotoffastenersbyallowingmostofthesupportstructure

tobeweldedtogether.Therearenotanysuperfluousfastenersusedinourprototypeandsome
parts,includingthemixingpump,werenotattachedbecauseitwasunnecessary.
Allow Access of Tools Goingalongwithpermittingassemblyinopenspaces,wemadesure
therewasadequateroomforthetoolsneededforassembly.Forfastenersthatincorporateanut
andaboltweensuredtherewasaccessfortoolsatbothends.
DESIGN FOR THE ENVIRONMENTTherewereseveralguidelineswhichweconsideredinour

prototypedesign.Althoughwewereabletomeetmostoftheguidelines,somewerenot
possibletomeetduetobudgetconstraints.
Optimize Material Use Wemadeasupportstructuretohouseallofourcomponentsrather

thanusingalargeboard,thusreducingtheamountofmaterialused.However,duetobudget
constraintswewereunabletoavoidusingPVCinourfinalprototype.Usuallythisisamaterial
toavoidsowewouldhaveusedstainlesssteelinsteadhaditbeenfeasible.
Optimize Production Techniques Whenconsideringproductiontechniqueswedetermined

ourproductcaneitherbeassembledbyhandorusingrobotics.Anautomatedassemblyplant
wouldresultinmuchlargerproductionwaste,butwouldalsogreatlyincreasethespeedand
volumeofproduction.
Optimize Distribution Ourentireproductcanbeseparatedfromthebaseboard,thusreducing

thesizeofcontainerneededtotransportit.Thisallowsourproducttobebyawiderrangeof
transports,includingbyair.
Reduce Impact During UseOurproductrunsoffatypicalwalloutlet,requiringamaximum

of15ampsofcurrent.Nootherenergysourcesarerequiredduringuse.Theinputstothe
systemareeasilyacquiredsodiumhydroxideandmethanolandbyusingwastecooking
greaseourproducttakesalreadywastedmaterialsandmakesthemusable.Nothingharmfulis
producedfromtheoperationofthisproduct,andinadditiontobiodiesel,glycerinisproduced,
whichcanbeusedtomakesoap.
34
Optimize End-of-Life Systems Thefourmainmaterialsusedinourprototypearerecyclable,

whichincludessteel,PVC,Polyethylene,andwood.Unfortunatelyourdesignrequiredthat
muchofthesteelbeweldedtogetherwhichresultsingreaterdifficultyindisassembly.The
otherrecyclablematerialscanbeeasilyremovedandprocessed.
FINAL PROTOTYPE DESIGN

ThefinalprototypedesignisshowninFigure19.WeusesixmanualPVCvalvestoreplacethe
solenoidvalvesweinitiallyplannedonusing.Oncewerealizedthatcostconsiderationswould
limitusfromusingalargenumberofsolenoidvalves,wethenredesignedthesystemtouse
onlytwosolenoidvalves.Wewouldhaveimplementedastainlesssteel2wayvalveanda
brass3way,inadditiontothefourmanualvalvesforthereactantmetering.Evenafter
workingextensivelywithKundingerControls,alocalprocesscontroldistributor,wewere
unabletofindsolenoidvalvesthatwouldfitwithinourbudget.
35
Methanol
1" PVC
1" PVC
Sodium
Hydroxide
1" PVC
1" PVC
1" PVC
1" PVC
Mixing Pump
hose
1" PVC
hose
Waste Grease
Fi
lte
r
PVC
" hose
S
t ra
Mixing Return Line
er
in
" hose
hose
Mixing / Separation
Tank
hose
1" PVC
Gear Drive
PVC
Oil Pump
PVC Check valve

PVC
Motor
hose
hose
Glycerin / Waste
Biodiesel
Figure 19. Final prototype design schematic
Wechosetousemainly1PVCpipestoallowthefluidstomovequicklythroughthesystem.
Bothontheinletandoutletofbothpumpsweusedflexiblevinylhose.Weusedonall
connectionsexceptfortheoutletoftheoilpump,whichwas.
FILTERING A400micronstrainer(Figure8)willbeincorporatedbeforetheoilpumpanda
Wix57251automotiveoilfilterwillbelocatedafterthepump.Thestrainerisaselfcontained
unitwhichwillbepurchasedfromwww.biodieselwarehouse.com.Locatingthestrainerinthe
oillinebeforethepumpwillstoplargeparticlesfromenteringthepump,preventingpossible
damagetothepump.
36
TheWIXoilfilterhasa19micronratingwhichissufficientforthewasteoilenteringthesystem.
Thisunitislocatedafterthepumpandhasamaximumflowrateof1215GPM,whichislarger
thantheflowrateofthepumpsoitwillnotcauseabackup.Thecoupling(Figure20)allows
thefiltertobeconnectedintheinletoillineandcanbechangedeasily.SeeAppendixF1forthe
engineeringdrawing.
a.
b.
c.
Figure 20. Oil filter with coupling (a) connected together (b,c) exploded to show
connection
METERING Wedesignedspecificmethodsformeteringinordertoachievetheproper
proportionsofeachofthethreereactants.Forthewastegreasetheoilpumpwillbetimedto
determinehowlongittakestopump4gallonsintothemixing/separationtank.Formethanol
meteringanintermediateonegallontankwillbeincorporatedbelowthemethanolstoragetank
withvalvesonthetopandbottom(Figure21(a)).
ThistankwillbemadewithafourinchdiameterlengthofPVCpipewithendcaps.Aoneinch
inlettubeisconnectedtothetopandasimilartubeforexitingoutthebottom.Manualvalves
willcontroltheflowofmethanolinandoutofthetank.Thebottomvalvestartsoutclosedand
thetopvalveopensuntilthetankisfull.Thenthetopvalveisclosedandthebottomvalveis
openeduntilthetankempties.
The0.102gallonsofNaOHneededissmallenoughsothetwoinchPVCpipingcanbeusedto
meteritwithvalveslocatedaspecificdistanceapart,asshowninFigure21(b).Thiswill
operateinthesamewayasthemethanolmeteringtank,onlyonamuchsmallerscale.
37
a.
b.
Figure 21. (a) Methanol intermediate metering tank and (b) NaOH metering pipe
MIXINGWehavedecidedonapumptocirculatethereactantsinthemixingtanktoachievethe
desiredlevelofmixing.Figure22(a)showsthesetupforthemixingpumpandtank.The
pumpwewilluseforthisisan11GPMstainlesssteelunitpurchasedfromBiodiesel
Warehouse.Thestainlesssteelconstructionwillensurethattheinternalmaterialswillnot
corrodewhenexposedtothereactants.The11GPMpumpwillcompletelyrecirculatethe
reactantsonceaboutevery30secondsandwefeelthatthiswilloffersufficientmixing.The
mixingwillrelyonthelevelofturbulentflowandrelativemotionofthefluid.Thepumpwill
takethereactantsfromthebottomofthetankthroughthetankoutlettubeandwillpumpthem
backtotheinlettubeatthetopofthetank.Thisprocesscontinuesuntilthedesiredlevelof
mixingisachieved.
PVC
Mixing Pump
PVC
Mixing / Separation
Tank
Mixing Return Line

" hose
Mixing / Separation
Tank
" hose
PVC
" PVC
Motor
PVC
a.
b.
Figure 22. (a) Mixing pump setup and (b) Separation setup
38
2-way SS valve
SEPARATION Theseparationtankisthesametankwhichisusedinthemixingstep.For
mixingtheentiretankwillspinonitsaxisatapproximately500rpm.Weusedtheworkof
previousgroupsbytakingtheirrecommendationforrotationalspeed.Toaccomplishthiswe
choseamotorandwilltranslatethetorqueusinggears.Figure20(b)showstheseparation
setup.
A6.5diametergearwillbeattachedtothetankanda1.625diametergearwillbeattachedto
themotorshaft.Thiswilldecreasetherotationalspeedbutincreasethetorque.TheVXBball
bearingkit7358(Figure23(a))willbeusedatboththetopandbottomofthetanktomakesure
thetankspinssmoothly.Thebearingswillbeattachedtotheinletandoutletpipes,whichwill
notspin.ThemotortobeusedisaBison32DCmotor(Figure23(b)).
a.
b.
Figure 23 (a) Ball bearing kit and (b) Separation motor
Tofurthersupportthetankwhilespinning,rubberwheelsonballbearingaxiswillbelocated
aroundthetankbothonthebottomandthesides.
SUPPORT STRUCTURE Themixing/separation,methanol,andsodiumhydroxidetanksare
eachheldinplacebytheprimarysupportstructure,asseeninFigure24.Thestructureuses2
Ltypesteelstockatitsfourcorners,bracedwith1squaretypesteelbetweeneachleg.
Attachedtothesebracesaretwocrossingmembersthatcollectivelysupportthe
mixing/separationtankatthreepointswithmediumhardnessrollerbladewheels.Becauseof
thesignificantloadonthesetwocrossingmembers,alarge2x2centersupportwasaddedat
theirintersection.Thistypeofwheelisalsousedaroundthesidesofthetanktokeepit
spinningsymmetrically;basedonpossibleinaccuraciesduringconstruction,wemadethese
wheelsadjustabletoenablethepropercenteringofthetank.Thetwomethanoltankscombine
forsubstantialweighttoonesideofthesupportstructure,sothemixingpumpwasplaced
oppositethemforcounterbalancing.Basedonobservedstabilityduringtesting,additional
structurebracingatthegroundmayormaynotberequired.
39
Figure 24. Support Structure
FULL SCALE TO PROTOTYPE COMPARISON Wewillnotmanufacturethefullscalemodel

ofthesystembecausethecostofallthecomponentswouldexceedourbudget,andbecausewe
havealimitedmanufacturingschedulethatwouldnotaccommodatealargersystem.The
prototyperepresentsascaledmodelofthefullscaledesignwitharatioof1:5,or5gallonbatch
sizetothefullscale25gallonbatchsize.
System LayoutThefullscalemodelwillbeorientedhorizontallytoensuresafetyand
conveniencefortheoperator.Thefluidflowthroughthesystemwillbeachievedmainly
throughtheuseofpumps.Duetobudgetlimitations,theprototypedoesnotutilizeasmany
pumps,butusesgravitytomovethefluidsthroughthesystem.Thefullscalemodelwillhave
inletpumpsforthemethanolandsodiumhydroxideaswellthewastegrease.
AutomationCostlimitationsforcedustoeliminateautomationintheprototype;thefullscale
designwillbeentirelyautomatedfromstarttofinish.LabVIEWsoftwarewillbeusedtoturn
40
eachsystemcomponentonandoff,withoutadditionaluserinput.Thethreereactantscanbe
meteredusingflowmetersorbytimingtheinletpumps.Duetotheconstantviscosityofthe
methanolandsodiumhydroxide,timingthepumpsforthesetworeactantswouldbeequally
accurateandlessexpensivethanflowsensors.Usingpumpstoinputthereactantsdecreases
thenumberofvalvesrequiredinthedesign,becauseiteliminatesthemeteringtanks.Each
remainingvalvewillbeasolenoidvalvethatcanbetimedpreciselytothereaction.Theoutlet
valveswillbetimedbasedonthemixingandseparationtimesandthepredictedvolumesofthe
products.Theboundarylayerwillbeincludedwiththewastelayerofglycerintoensurethe
purityofthebiodiesel.
Prototype Scaling JustificationThescalingfactorof5:1issmallenoughtoallowforaccurate
comparisonstobemadefromtheprototypetothefullscaledesigninengineeringcalculations
aswellaspracticalapplication.Bydecreasingthebatchsizethegroupcouldsavemoneyby
purchasinglessmethanolandsodiumhydroxide,Table10.Theamountofreactantsneededfor
the5gallonbatchare4.08gallonsofcookingoil,0.82gallonsofmethanol,andalso0.10gallons
ofNaOH,perbatch.Thefullscalemodelwouldrequire16.33gallonsofcookingoil,3.27
gallonsofmethanol,and0.41gallonsofNaOH,foreachbatch.Italsoreducestheoverall
prototypeconstructioncostsbecauselessmaterialisneededtoassembletheprototypesystem.
Thesizeoftherequiredtankisreducedfroma30gallontanktoa6gallontank.Theamountof
requiredmaterialforthesupportstructureislessforamuchsmallertank,althoughtheexact
samedesignwillbeusedforthefullsystem.
Table 11. Comparisons for reactant ratios for prototype and full scale model
Variables
Prototype Fullscale
TotalLiquidVolumeoftank
CookingOil
Methanol
SodiumHydroxide
5.00
4.08
0.82
0.10
25.00
20.41
4.08
0.51
Units
gal
gal
gal
gal
Table 12. Comparison of methanol and sodium hydroxide containers for prototype and
full scale model
MethanolMeteringContainer
Variables
SodiumHydroxideMeteringContainer
Prototype Fullscale
Variables
VolumeofMethanol
Diameterofpipe
Radiusofendcaps
0.82
4.00
2.00
1.50
1.50
1.00
TotalVolumeofMethanol
188.57
942.86
in
TotalVolumeofSodiumHydroxide
33.51
268.08
in
VolumeofFluidinFittings(x2)
in
3
3
VolumeofFluidinEndcaps(x2)
VolumeofFluidinPipe
LengthofMethanolPipe
2.36
152.70
12.15
4.08
8.00
4.00
1.50
1.50
1.00
Units
2.36
672.42
13.38
gal
in
in
in
in
in
VolumeofSodiumHydroxide
Diameterofpipe
Lengthoffitting
in
in
41
Prototype Fullscale
Units
0.10
2.00
1.00
1.50
1.50
1.00
0.51
4.00
1.00
1.50
1.50
1.00
gal
in
in
in
in
in
23.57
117.86
in
1.13
3.13
in
2.36
2.36
in
VolumeofFluidinPipe
LengthofSodiumHydroxidePipe
20.09
6.39
112.38
8.94
in
in
Theprototypewillnotbeusingaflowmeterlikethedesignofthefullscalemodel.Insteadthe
prototypewillhavealinemarkedontheoutsideofthetankatthecorrectvolumeforthegrease
input.Theflowmetersensorisveryexpensiveandusingalengthoftimetoautomatethe
pumpdoesnotchangethefunctionalityofthesystem.Havinganautomatedsensorwouldbea
moreaccuratewayofmeasuringtheamountofcookingoilinthetank,butlettingtheuserturn
offthegreasepumpwhenthecorrectvolumeisreachedwillbesufficientfortheprototype.
Thenumberofsolenoidvalveswasalsodecreasedintheprototypetocutthecostsandthese
valveswillbereplacedwithmanualvalves.Althoughtheprototypeisnotautomated,the
designcanbeautomatedsimplybysubstitutingtheautomatedcomponentsforthemanual
ones.
MassProductionManycostfactorsneedtobeconsideredwhenplanningtomassproducethe
fullscalemodel.Table13belowshowsthecostofallthepiecesforthefullscalemodelwhen
purchasingthemfromthirdpartysuppliers.Thetotalcostforproducingonesystemisaround
$1400.Thisestimatedoesnotincludethematerialsforthesupportstructure,labor,orother
smallcostsintubingandPVCconnectors.Theestimatefortheitemsshownishighbecause
theseproductsarenotalldiscountedforpurchasinglargequantitiesandalsotheyarenotfrom
awholesalemarket.Whentakingintoaccountthecostsnotincludedinthetableitisexpected
thattheoverallcostwillbearound$2000persystem.Whencomparedtootherbiodiesel
conversionsystems,thisisaverycompetitivepriceforafullyautomatedsystemthatwillwork
quicklybyusingcentrifugalseparation
Table 13. Mass production for full scale design

Items
Lengthofmethanolmetering8pipe
Lengthofmethanolmetering8pipe
LengthofsodiumhydroxidemeteringPVC
Mixing/Separationcontainer30gal,polyethelene
Mixingpump11GPM,StainlessSteel
OilPump12GPM
MethanolPump12GPM
SodiumHydroxidePump11GPMStainlessSteel
Motor
Autofilter
Strainer
Solenoidvalves(2forsystem)
Flowmeter
Tachometer
Price
Per1000Units
Price
Discount
$14.60 /ft
1166.67 ft
$14,478.37 15%for120ft+
$14.60 /ft
1500 ft
$18,615.00 15%for120ft+
$6.18 /ft
750 ft
$3,939.75 15%for600ft+
$79.10
1000
$67,235.00 15%for12+
$159.00
1000
$159,000.00
$49.00
1000
$49,000.00
$49.00
1000
$49,000.00
$159.00
1000
$159,000.00
$169.00
1000
$169,000.00
$26.40
1000
$26,400.00
$29.00
1000
$29,000.00
$400.00
1000
$400,000.00
$150.00
1000
$120,000.00 20%
$150.00
1000
$150,000.00
TotalCost
$1,414,668.12
CostperSystem
42
$1,414.67
Methanol
1" PVC
1" PVC
Junction Box
1" PVC
Mixing Pump
1" PVC
Flowmeter
1" PVC
1" PVC
hose
Sodium
Hydroxide
1" PVC
Pressure Sensor
Waste Grease
" hose
PVC
Mixing Return Line
" hose
1" PVC
St
Fi
lte
r
er
in
ra
Mixing / Separation
Tank
1" PVC
hose
1" PVC
Gear Drive
PVC
Grease Pump
1" PVC
Motor
2-way SS valve
3 analog outputs (2 pumps, 1 motor)

6 digital outputs (6 solenoid valves)
5 analog inputs (3 flowmeters,
tachometer, and pressure sensor)
1 PVC
hose
PVC
PVC
3-way valve
hose
hose
Glycerin / Waste
Biodiesel
Figure 25. Final full-scale design schematic
PROTOTYPE MANUFACTURING AND TESTING PLAN
MANUFACTURING PLANTheprototypewillbebuiltfromacombinationofpurchasedand
manufacturedcomponents.ThepurchasedcomponentscanbeseeninTable14.The
componentsthatneedtobemanufacturedinhousearedescribedinTable15.The
43
mixing/separationtankispurchased;however,itwillbemodifiedtofitourdesign.Detailed
manufacturingandassemblyplansforeachcomponentareshowninAppendixE.
Table 14. Bill of Materials

Quantity
1
1
1
1
1
1
2
1
1
1
1
Total
Part Description
Waste Oil Pump
Mixing Pump
AutoFilter
Strainer 400 microns
piping/tubing/elbows
Tank
Bearing
Separation Motor
Motor and tank gears
Oil filter relocation kit
Rollerblades
Purchased From
BioDiesel Warehouse
BioDiesel Warehouse
Napa Autoparts
BioDiesel Warehouse
Home Depot
United States Plastic Corp.
VXB ball bearings
Bisongear
Martin Sprocket and Gear
Summit Racing
MCSports
Part Number
Price (each)
12 GPM Pump
$49.00
11 GPM SS Pump
$159.00
51515
$6.00
strainer
$29.00
assorted
$300.00
10105
$50.73
kit7344
$9.95
Bison32
$169.00
S1624, S16104
$123.00
10695
$34.00
2529499
$63.00
$1,002.63
Table 15. Manufactured Components

Quantity
1
1
1
Part Description
NaOH Metering Tank
NaOH Holding Tank
Support Structure
Methanol Holding Tank
Raw Materials
2 inch PVC pipe, 2" to 1" adapters
4 inch PVC pipe, endcap, threaded top
1 inch square steel stock
2 inch L-shaped steel stock
2 inch square steel stock
4 inch PVC pipe, 2 endcaps
Separation TankWewilluseathirdpartysixgallonpolyethylenetankforuseasthe
separationtank.Priortoassemblyandmanufactureofthetank,wewillobtainthepartsshown
belowinTable16.
Table 16. Separation Tank Hardware
Quantity Hardware
2 VXBFlangedbearings
2 10x10x1/16Sheetsofstainlesssteel
2 3/8HexBolts1long
2 1/4StainlessHexBoltslong
2 1/4StainlessHexBolts1long
12 Washers(atleast3/8inner)
1 SpurGear
1 MDPE6gallontank
44
Thefirststepintheprocesswillbetodrillholesintobothpiecesofsheetmetalatthe
locationsofthebearingflangeholes.Inoneofthesheets,wewillalsodrillaholeinthe
center.Intheothersheet,wewilldrillfouradditional3/8holestowardsthecorners.Inthelid
ofthepolyethylenecontainerwewilldrillfourmatchingholes.Thenwewillboltoneofthe
bearingstothesheetmetalwiththe3/8inchbolts.Afterwards,wewillboltthebearingsheet
assemblytothetanklidwiththestainlessbolts(1/2long).Usingthesamepatternusedon
thepiecesofsheetmetal,wewilldrillfour3/8holesintothespurgear.Thecentralholeofthe
gearwillbedrilledto1.25.Thesamefourholepatternwillbedrilledinthebottomofthetank
aswell.Wewillthenplacethemetalsheetintothebottomofthetankandattachthegearand
bearingtothebottombyfasteningall4partswiththe1longstainlesshexagonalheadbolts.
Oncethisiscompletedwewilllineupthebearingswiththesteelguidesbuiltintothestructure
andfeedthePVCpipeintothebearings.Theouterdiameterofthepipeis1.05andtheinner
boreofthebearingis1.00sowewillneedtosandtheendsofthepipetoallowforenough
clearanceforinsertion.TheengineeringdrawingforthetankassemblyisshowninAppendix
G.
ASSEMBLYTheassemblyinstructionsfortheentiresystemareshowninAppendixG.The
instructionsassumethesubassemblies(mixing/separationtank,filterhousing,support
structure,methanolholdingtank)arecomplete.Assemblybeginswiththesupportstructure.
Theseparationtank,themethanol,andsodiumhydroxideholdingtanksareattachedtothe
supportstructure.Themotorandpumpsareattachedtothesupportstructure,andallthe
componentsareconnectedphysicallywithPVCpipeandhose.SeeAppendixGfordetailed
assemblyinstructions.TheprototypesystemwillbecontrolledthroughtheLabVIEWsoftware
providedbytheUniversity.
TESTING PLANInordertoproveourprototypewillmeetthedesiredengineering
specificationsaseriesoftestswillneedtobeperformed.Wewillalsomeasurethetotalweight
ofourprototypeagainstthetargetweightof200pounds.Wewillconfirmourengineering
analysiswithphysicaltrials,andinsomecases,obtaindatathatwecouldnotobtainthrough
calculations.Ourtestingisdesignedtominimizecost.Themethanolandsodiumhydroxide
arethemostexpensivecomponentsofthetestingprocess,sowewillusealternatesubstances
andreusereactantswheneverpossible.
Otherspecificationswhichweknowourprototypealreadymeetsarethefiltrationquality,
reactantresistance,andbatchsize.Theoilfilterfiltrationlevelof23micronseasilymeetsthe
2550microntargetandourplannedbatchsizeoffivegallonsisthetargetsize.Also,wechose
materialscarefullyinordertoensurenoreactionswilltakeplacewiththereactants.
Fill Time for GreaseWehavearoughestimateofhowlongitwilltaketopumptherequired

amountofwastegreaseintothemixingtankbasedonflowrates.Duetothestrainerandfilter,
theexacttimetofillthetankwithgreaseisanunknown.Totimethisprocess,wewillpump
therequiredvolumeofwastegreaseintothemixingtank,recordthetime,andrecollectthe
reusablewastegreasefromtheoutlet.Wewillrepeatthisproceduremultipletimesandtakean
45
averageofthevaluesasourfilltime.Thefiltrationspeedwillbetestedagainstthetargetspeed
of5.5gpmbytiminghowlongaspecifiedvolumeofwastegreasepassesthroughthepump
andfiltrationsystem.ThefilltimewillbeprogrammedintotheLabVIEWsoftware,sothatthe
greasepumpturnsonandoffwithoutmuchuserinput.
Fill Time for Methanol and Sodium HydroxideIntheprototype,themeteringforthe

methanolandsodiumhydroxideiscontrolledbymanualvalves.Toobtainarealisticestimate
ofthetimerequiredtofillthemeteringcontainers,wewilluseasubstanceofsimilarviscosity
(water)totimetheprocess.Theconservativetimeestimateswillbeincludedwiththeoperating
instructions.
Mixing and Separation TimeToconfirmthecalculatedappropriatemixingandseparation

times,wemustrunthesystemwiththeactualreactants,sinceseparationandmixingcannotbe
visualizedusingwater.Wewillensurethatthemixingpumprunsforasufficienttimetomix
thegreaseandsodiummethoxide.Wewillthenspinthetankuntiltheproductshaveseparated
andrecordthetime.WewillprogramconservativetimeintervalsintotheLabVIEWsoftware
forthemixingpumpandseparationmotorruntimes.Ourtargettimesformixingand
separationareonehourandthreehours,respectively.
Timed Solenoid ValvesTheonlyautomatedvalvesinthedesignarethesolenoidvalvesbelow

theseparationtank.Todeterminetheappropriatetimetoopeneachvalve,wehavetorunthe
systemwiththeactualreactants.Wecanestimatetherelativevolumesoftheproductsbasedon
ourknowledgeofthechemicalreaction,andwecanestimatetheflowratesbasedonthevalve
diameter.Weneedtoconfirmthattheengineeringanalysisiscorrectandallowforvariations
inproportionsoftheproducts.Wewilltimethevalvessuchthattheboundarylayerbetween
thebiodieselandglycerinisletoutintothewastecontainer.Thiswillwasteasmallvolumeof
biodiesel,butpreservethequalityoftheendproduct.
PROJECT PLAN
Inordertostayontaskwemadeaplantoencompassallworkthatwillbenecessaryto
completeourproject.Therearefourdesignreviewsandafinaldesignexposcheduledovera
threemonthperiodoftime.Forthefirstdesignreviewwereviewedmaterialfromprevious
relatedprojects,researchedcustomerrequirements,anddevelopedengineeringspecifications.
Fortheseconddesignreviewwedecidedonapreliminaryprototypeandchosematerialsand
partstobeusedintheprototype.WespoketoKellyWeaver[15],theheadcookatSouth
Quadrangle,whogaveusanestimateofhowmuchwastegreaseisproducedintheirkitchen.
Fromthisinformationwedeterminedaroughestimateof1200poundsor150gallonsofwaste
cookinggreaseproducedeachweekacrosstheentirecampus,whichcouldprovideallofthe
fuelnecessaryforthevehiclesusedbythegroundscrew.Wealsodevelopedabycomponent
costestimatetogiveoursponsor,JohnDeere,anideaofhowmuchadditionalfundingwould
berequired.Bythethirddesignreviewwedecideduponafinaldesignwhiletakingavailable
46
fundingintoaccount,andmodeledtheprojectcomponentsusingUnigraphicsNX4.0and
AutoCAD2007.Wealsoorderednecessarymaterialsandbeganacquiringpartstobe
borrowed.Anewprototypecostestimatewasproduced,basedonnewdevelopmentsin
componentcostsandnecessarychangesinourprototypedesign.Theconstructionofour
prototypewasnearcompletionbythefourthdesignreview.Westillhadnotobtainedsome
vitalcomponentswhichwerenecessarytofinishassemblingtheprototype.Amanufacturing
costestimatewasalsoproduced.Beforethefinaldesignexpowecompletedtheassemblyof
ourprototypeandperformedindividualtestsofthevariouscomponentstoensuretheyworked
properly,followedbythecompletetestingofourprototype.Wealsocreatedaposterto
summarizetheprojectandwhatourprototypeiscapableof.Asummaryofourproject
scheduleshowingwhowillworkoneachtaskcanbeseenintheGanttchartinAppendixB.
Buildingtheprototyperequiredwelding,soourteamattendedatrainingsessionprovidedby
BobCoury,themechanicalengineeringmachineshopmanagerattheUniversityofMichigan.
UseofatestinglabwasalsonecessaryandwasmadeavailabletousbyAndresClarensand
StevenSkerlos.Wedidnotencounteranyotherlogisticalproblems.
TESTING
Ourprototypemetthemajorityoftheengineeringtargetsweinitiallyrequiredofoursystem.
Oneofourmaingoalswasthatthesystemwouldonlyrequireoneuseractiontocreateabatch
ofbiodiesel.Wewereunfortunatelyunabletomeetthistargetbecauseofcostconstraints.
Theprototypeitselfdoesntexposeanyofthereactantsorproductstoanopenenvironment.
Theonlytimetheuserwillinteractwithanopencontainerwilloccurwhenfirstprimingtheoil
pump.Wealsoensuredthatallthematerialsusedintheprototypearecompatiblewithboth
thereactantsandtheproducts.Wewereabletoachieveaquickoilfiltrationspeedof
approximately5GPM,whichisverynearourtarget.Althoughwehavenotperformedany
testingtodeterminetheactualfilteredqualityofthewasteoil,weareusingafilterwitharated
maximumparticlesizeof19microns.Thisismuchbetterthanourgoalof2550microns.The
cartridgefilterusedinourprototypeisshownbelowinFigure26.
47
Figure 26. Cartridge filter used in prototype.
Theoverallfootprintareaofoursystemisbelowthetargetof20ft2.Itcanfitthroughmost
doorwaysandonlyrequiresonepersonfortransport.Althoughweneverweighedthefull
unit,wediddeterminethatitwaspossibletoliftwithtwopeople.Basedonroughcenterof
massanalysis,theoverallsystemweighsapproximately250lbs,25%aboveourtargetvalueof
200lbs.Wedeterminedthisweighttobeacceptablebecauseofthemaintainedtransportability.
Thesystemwillneverdrawmorethan200Wofelectricalpowerifitisusedappropriately,well
belowthelimitof900W.
Ourteamperformedfoursmallscaleexperimentstodeterminetheeffectofvaryingtheamount
ofsodiumhydroxideinthereaction.Weusedfourcleanwaterbottlesascontainersforour
experiments.Weprepared60mLofa5M(0.2gramsNaOH/mLH2O)solutionofsodium
hydroxidebydissolvingthesolidcrystalsintodeionizedwater.Wepoured59mLofmethanol
intoeachofthefourbottles,thenadded8.85mL,9.2mL,9.6mL,and11.1mLofthesodium
hydroxidesolutiontoeachrespectivebottle.Thesevolumeswillintroduce1.77g,1.84g,1.92g,
and2.21gofNaOH,respectively,intothereaction.Wechosetotesttheseamountsofbase
becauseusedwastegreasemostcommonlyrequires6to7gramsofNaOHperliterofwaste
vegetableoil[16].Wethenshookthebottlesforapproximatelyoneminutetocreatesodium
methoxide.Weadded295mLofwastegreasetoeachofthebottlesforatotalvolumeof
approximately364mL.Themixturewasagainshakenvigorouslyforoneminute.After
allowingthetestreactionstosettleforabout12hourstheglycerinandthefattyacidmethyl
estershadseparatedfromeachotherandformedtwodistinctlayers,asshowninFigure27.All
fourtrialsweresuccessfulandproducedbiodieselwithidenticalvisualproperties.Upon
furtherinspection,wenoticedthattheglycerinlayerwasaslightlylargerproportionofthetotal
48
volumeforthetrialswithalargeramountofsodiumhydroxide.Forthisreason,andtoavoid
wastingacostlychemicalsuchassodiumhydroxide,werecommendtheuseof6gramsof
NaOHperliterofwasteoil.Tointroducethisamountofbaseintoourprototypetheuser
shoulduseasolutionwithamolarityof6(0.24grams/mL).Thelargescale5gallonbatchwill
require92.5gramsofsodiumhydroxidedissolvedin386mLofwater.
Figure 27. Four small scale biodiesel reaction experiments.
Byperformingatrialrunofthesystemfunctionalitywewereabletovalidatethesuccessofour
metering,filtration,andmixingsubsystems.Afterpreparinga6Msolutionofsodium
hydroxideandprocuringmethanol,wepouredthesechemicalsintotheirrespectiveholding
tanks.Theywerethenreleasedintothemainholdingtankandrecirculatedwiththemixing
pumpforapproximately1minute.Thisrecirculatestheentirevolumeabout11times.Atthis
timeweturnedontheoildeliverypumpandbeganthefiltrationprocess.Theoilpump
producessufficientflowtofilteralltheoilforonebatch(4.08gallons)inaboutoneminute.As
planned,thelargerparticlesarecaughtinthestrainerbeforetheyreachthepump.Onceall
threereactantsenterthemainholdingtankweturnedthemixingpumponfor5minutes.This
mixingtimeissignificantlylowerthanouroriginaltargetof60minutes.Wethenturnedonthe
motorandbegantospinthecentrifuge.Afterthefirst30secondsofrotationwenoticedthatthe
mixturewasleakingfromthesealedareabetweenthelidandthebodyofthetank.The
increasedpressurethatthecentrifugalforcecreatedatthisinterfaceforcedopeningsinthe
49
siliconesealant.Whilewereplacedthissealingmaterialwithonewithbettermechanical
properties,wedidnothavesufficienttimetovalidatetheperformanceofthecentrifuge.
However,afterallowingthemixturetosettlefor48hourswefoundthatwehadsuccessfully
producedabout4gallonsofbiodiesel.Thisbiodieselhadthecharacteristicambercolorwhich
wassimilartothesmallscaleresults.However,thislargerbatchwasslightlymorecloudy,as
showninFigure28below.Webelievethatthisismostlikelytheresultofresiduefromthe
glycerinlayeradheringtotheoutletpipingandslowlyexitingwiththebiodiesellayer.The
successofthelargescalereactionvalidatesthefunctionalityofourmetering,filtration,and
mixingsubsystems.Themixingprocessisespeciallyefficient,achievingamixtureinone
twelfthofourtargettime.
Figure 28. Comparison of full reaction results to small scale results.
Theonlyaspectofourprototypewhichwewereunabletovalidatewasthecentrifuge.Based
ontheworkofpreviousdesignteamswefeelthat30minutesofcentrifugeoperationshouldbe
sufficienttoseparate5gallonsoftheproductmixture.Previousgroupshaveshownthatthe
centrifugaldesignconceptisaneffectiveseparationmechanism.TheFall2006designteam
validatedacentrifugedesignthatissimilarlyshapedtoourdesign.Wewereunabletotestour
prototypebecauseofaleakageproblembutitisotherwisefullyfunctional.Assumingthatour
centrifugeiscapableofachievingseparationin30minutes,itwilltakeapproximately55
minutestoproduceone5gallonbatchofbiodiesel.Thisismorethanfourtimesbetterthanour
initialtargetof4hours.
50
FUTURE IMPROVEMENTS
STRENGTHS Theoveralldesignforourprototypedoesnotneedanymajorchanges.Its
greateststrengthsarethatthemainfunctionsoperateasexpectedandperformthedesired
tasks.Thegreasepumpquicklyfillsthetankwiththenecessaryamountofgrease,themixing
pumpoperatesquickly,smoothly,andquietly,andthemotorandgeardesignforspinningthe
tankworksseamlessly.Inaddition,sinceourprototypeproducesarelativelylargebatchof
biodieselitcouldbeusedinapracticalapplication.Oneofthemajordesignimprovementsfor
ourteamwasusingonlyonetankforboththemixingandtheseparationprocesses.This
drasticallyreducestheoverallsystemvolume,weight,andcostwhilemakinglargerbatchsizes
muchmoreeconomical.Althoughwewereunabletoincorporateatimingsystem(webought
timersfromHomeDepotbutwereforcedtoreturnthemduetocostconstraints),oursystemis
userfriendly.Wewiredswitchesbetweenthepowerstripandthepumpsandmotorand
placedtheminacentrallocationforeasyaccess.Wealsopositionedthepowerstripclosetothe
switchestoalltheusertoquicklycutallsystempowerintheeventofanemergency.The
buttonpanelisshownbelowinFigure29.
Figure 29. Comparison of full reaction results to small scale results
WEAKNESSES Althoughtheprototypeproducesthedesiredresults,thereareseveral
improvementsthatcouldbemade.Thesearenotoveralldesignchanges,butminoralterations
tothecurrentdesign.
Tank and Lid Thepolyethylenetankandlidthatwereusedinourprototypecouldbe

improvedupon.Thetopdidnotfitadequatelyandevenafterseveralsealingattemptsthetank
51
stillleakedbetweenthetankanditslid.Also,thetankwasnotperfectlyroundanditsbottom
wasnotflat.Thisresultedinproblemswiththesupportwheelsnotmakingconstantcontacton
boththebottomandsidesofthetank.Usingastainlesssteeltankwithasecurelyfittingtop
wouldeliminatetheseproblems
Tank Ventilation Ourdesigndoesnotincorporateanywayforairtoescape.Inourprototype

airmanagedtoescapethroughsealsweputontheinlettubeandbearing,whichthenallowed
fluidstoleakthroughduringseparation.Aventilationsystemneedstobeincorporatedintothe
topofthetanktoallowairtofreelypassinandoutofthetank.However,itcouldnotallow
fluidstopassthroughitsincethetankwouldbespinningandthecontentswouldmostlikely
touchtheventingsystem.
Tank Rotation Spinningthetankresultedinoscillationsintheoutletpipingdespiteourbest

efforts.Thisisbecausethebottombearingwasnotmountedattheprecisecenterofthetank.
Theholesdrilledintothegearwereveryprecise,butthescrewsusedtomountthebearinginto
thetankweresmallerindiameterthanthescrewholesonthebearingformounting.These
smallerscrewsallowedthebearingtobeslightlyoffcenterbyshiftingslightlywiththelarger
screwholes,andthetubeleadingoutofthebottomofthetankthenoscillatedwhenthetank
spun.Thisoffcentertubealsoconnectedthedispensingunitwhichcreatedoscillationsatthe
tipofthedispensingunit.Theoscillationswillcauseexcessivewearovertimeonthetank
outletpipes.Tofixthisproblemextracareisrequiredwhenmountingthebearingandgear
concentricallywiththetank.
Mixing Pump Line Drainage Whenthemixingprocedureiscomplete,themixingpumpinlet

andoutlethosesstillcontainfluid.Thisfluidremainsinthehosesandismixedwiththe
methanolandsodiumhydroxideofthenextbatch.Themethanolandsodiumhydroxideare
supposedtobemixedtogether,beforetheadditionofgreasetothesystem,toachievesodium
methoxide.ApossiblesolutionistoaddaTfittingwithavalvewhichcouldbeopenedto
drainthefluid.
Grease Pump Inlet Line Thegreasepumprequiresacompletelyairfreeinletlineinorderforit

tofunctionproperly.Wewereabletoachievethisbyfillingthelinewithgreaseusingafunnel,
whichisadirtyandslowprocess.Amethodofkeepingthisinletlineairfreeisdesiredsothe
userdoesnothavetofillitmanually.Possiblesolutionsaretouseapumpthatproduces
sufficientheadsogreaseisstillpumpedinwhenairisencountered,oracheckvalvecouldbe
incorporatedattheendoftheinlettubetopreventairfromgettinginandgreasefromgetting
out.
Power Supply Specifications Thepowersupplyweboughttouseforthemotorwasratedto

beusedatupto15amps.Thisseemedsufficientbecausethemotorwasratedtooperateata
maximumof14.4amps.Thispowersupplydidnotworkforthemotorhowever,anda
differentpowersupplywasusedthatcouldoperateathigherthan15ampsandalsocouldbe
52
rampedupanddownaccordingly.Themotorshouldbetestedtodeterminetheexactpower
specificationsrequiredforoperation.
Oil Titration Inthefuturewewouldrecommendperformingatitrationtofindoutthe

minimumamountofsodiumhydroxidethatwillneutralizetheFFAsforagiventypeofoil.We
determinedthattheprocesswillsucceedwithmorethan6gramsofNaOHperliterofwasteoil,
butitwouldbeusefultoknowtheminimumamountthatproduceahighyieldofbiodiesel.
Thiswillallowtheusertominimizetheoverallcostofthefuelbecauseitwillconservethe
costlysodiumhydroxide.
CONCLUSIONS
Wehavedesignedaprototypethatsafelyandquicklyconvertswastegreasetobiodieselinan
enclosedsystemwithlittleuserinput.Fuelsfromrenewablebiomasssourcesreduce
greenhousegasemissions.Theuseofvirgincropsisresponsibleforthecurrenthighcostof
biodieselproductionanddecreasesthecommercialfeasibilityofbiodieselasanalternateenergy
source,andusingwastegreasewillgreatlyreducethisfeedstockcost.Weusedprevious
UniversityofMichiganresearchonthecatalystandalcoholspecificsnecessaryforthebiodiesel
chemicalreaction.Customerrequirementsfocusedonsafetyofoperation,processefficiency,
andsystemautomation;engineeringspecificationswerethusdeterminedbyaQFDdiagramof
theserequirements.Ourprojectplanequallydistributestasksamonggroupmembersand
insuresappropriateamountsoftimearedevotedtocertaintasks.Basedonresearchanda
thoroughunderstandingofourmotivationandcustomerneed,thedesignprocesswasefficient
andyieldedaninnovative,userfriendlyprototype.
Wehavenarrowedmanyconceptideasdowntothosedesignedinfurtherdetail.Cartridge
filtration,pumpsfortransportandmixing,separationandmixinginthesametank,anoffset
gearsystemfortheseparationmotor,andasystemofLabViewoperatedsolenoidvalves
comprisethemostfundamentalresultsoffunnelingmanyconceptsintotheirrespectiveoptimal
solutions.Automationhasproventobetoocostly,however,andsolenoidvalvesaswellas
precisepumpandmotortiminghavebeenremovedfromtheprototype.Original
brainstormingdidyieldmanyvaluableconceptsforfullscaleproduction,themostimportant
amongthembeingautomation.
Thoughthecentrifugelackedsufficienttestingduetofaultylidsealing,thebearingandoffset
gearsetupprovedtoavaluableadvancementintheoverallprogressofUniversityofMichigan
biodieselsystems.Webuiltasystemcapableofproducinglarger,morepracticalbatchsizes
andinlesstimethananycommerciallyavailablesystem,andwithonelesstankthantypically
employedinbiodieselsystems.
53
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Wewouldliketothankthemanypeoplewhoassistedusthroughoutthedesignand
constructionofthisproject.Ourprojectsponsor,JimPhelanofJohnDeeremadeitpossiblefor
ustoevenbeworkingonsuchawonderfulproject.ThankstooursectionleaderforME450
class,ProfessorKazuhiroSaitouwhogaveusthevaluablefeedbackonourprogressandfuture
stepstotakethroughouttheproject.ToProfessorBrentGillespieforassistancewiththe
electricalguidance,ProfessorKatsuoKurabayashiforfeedbackofthemanufacturedsystem,
andalsotheotherME450Professors,ProfessorShoryaAwtarandProfessorSumanDas.
ThankstotheclassGSIMohammedShalabyforthehelpprintingtheposterusedatexpo.
VeryspecialthankstotheMachineShopfacilitators,especiallyMarvCresseyandBobCourey,
foralltheirassistanceandweldingexpertise.Withouttheirhelpintheshopalongwiththe
manyothermachineshopfacultywewouldnothaveacompletedproject.ThankstoAndres
ClarensandStevenSkerlosfortheuseandassistanceintheEASTlabfortestingourprototype.
ThanksgoouttoKristinSmak,diningservicesdirectorfortheMarthaCookdormitory.She
generouslydonatedfryergreasetoourprojectinconvenient5galbucketswewerevery
fortunateforthissizeastheywereeasilytransported.
54
REFERENCES
[1]
[2]
[3]
[4]
[5]
[6]
[7]
[8]
[9]
[10]
[11]
Kurki,Al,AmandaHill,andMikeMorris.Biodiesel:theSustainabilityIssues.ATTRA
NationalSustainableAgricultureInformationService(2006).21Jan.2007
<http://attra.ncat.org/attrapub/PDF/biodiesel_sustainable.pdf>.
UnitedStates.DepartmentofEnergy.Biodiesel:FastGrowing,HighQualityAmerican
MadeFuel.21Jan.2007<http://www.inl.gov/scienceandtechnology/factsheets/
d/biodiesel.pdf>.
Groschen,Ralph.Minnesota.MarketingServices.DepartmentofAgriculture.The
FeasibilityofBiodieselFromWaste/RecycledGreasesandAnimalFats.Oct.2002.21Jan.
2007<http://www.mda.state.mn.us/ams/wastefatsfeasability.pdf>.
Wiltsee,George.WasteGreaseResourcesin30USMetropolitanAreas.Appel
Consultants,Inc.1998.956963.21Jan.2007
<http://www.biodiesel.org/resources/reportsdatabase/reports/gen/19981001_gen
107.pdf>.
Kulkarni,MangeshG.,andAjayK.Dalai.WasteCookingOilanEconomicalSource
forBiodiesel:aReview.IndustrialandEngineeringChemistryResearch45(2006):2901
2913.
Canakci,Mustafa.ThePotentialofRestaurantWasteLipidsasBiodieselFeedstocks.
BioresourceTechnology98(2007):183190.
Zhang,Y,MA.Dube,DD.McLean,andMKates.BiodieselProductionFromWaste
CookingOil:1.ProcessDesignandTechnologicalAssessment.BioresourceTechnology
89(2003):116.
Felizardo,Pedro,JoanaN.Correia,IdalinaRaposo,JoaoF.Mendes,RuiBerkemeier,and
JoaoM.Bordado.ProductionofBiodieselFromWasteFryingOils.WasteManagement
26(2006):487494.
Haas,MichaelJ.ImprovingtheEconomicsofBiodieselProductionThroughtheUseof
LowValueLipidsasFeedstocks:VegetableOilSoapstock.FuelProcessingTechnology
86(2005):10871096.
Fuller,Leif,DavidMieras,ErinStansbury,andAndrewWebster.ConvertingWaste
CookingGreasetoBiodiesel.ME450.Univ.ofMichigan,2006.
Johnson,R.Keith.Personalinterview.18Jan.2007.
55
[12]
[13]
[14]
[15]
[16]
Phelan,James.Telephoneinterview.16Jan.2007.
Saitou,Kazuhiro.Personalinterview.18Jan.2007.
Osava,Maria.ENVIRONMENTBRAZIL:BiodieselTrainsontheRightTrack.Inter
PressServiceNewsAgency.20Dec.2003.7Feb.2007
<http://ipsnews.net/interna.asp?idnews=21707>.
Weaver,Kelly.Personalinterview.7Feb.2007.
Pelly,Mike.MikePellysBiodieselMethod.JourneytoForever.11Apr.2007
<http://www.journeytoforever.org/biodiesel_mike.html>.
56
TEAM MEMBER BIOGRAPHIES
AbbeyGire
FromthetimeIwasalittlegirlIwantedtocontinuethefamily
traditionofattendingtheUniversityofMichigan.Mygrandfather
andmyfatherbothreceivedMechanicalEngineeringdegreesfrom
theUniversityofMichigan.Myfavoritethingstodoasakidwere
toworkpuzzles,dologicproblems,andbeatmyopponentsin
strategicgames,soIwasanengineerfromthestart.Bothofmy
siblingsarealsowolverines,althoughneitherofthemareinthe
engineeringschool.
IgrewupwithmyfamilyinthesmalltownofColoma,Michigan.
The3streetlightand2gasstationfilledtownisoneofthelarger
townsinthearea.InhighschoolIwasatriathleteplaying
basketball,volleyball,andsoftballandfollowingmanyothersports
football,hockey,andgolf.Ispentmostofmyfreetimeoutdoorsatthelocalbeaches,onthe
lakefishing,tubing,orskiing,andinmytenacrebackyard.
AftergraduationIhopetomovetoTexasandworkasanengineerwhilegettingmymasters
degreeinbusiness.AfterafewyearsIwanttomovemoretoamanagementroleandcontinue
mywayupthroughthecompanyladder.Besideshavingafamilyandspendingextratime
volunteeringinmycommunity,IalsowanttobreedLabradorsandstartaprogramtotrainthe
dogstobecomeGuideDogs.
NateJeffery
IamfromKalamazoo,whichisabout90minuteswestofAnnArbor.Inmy
freetimeIenjoycreatingmusic,watchingfilms,andvariousoutdooractivities.
Myfirstintroductiontotheworldofengineeringwasthroughtechnical
drafting.Frommyaffinityfordrawing,IeventuallyrealizedthatIwantedto
beapartoftheprocessofdesigningobjectsforuseinengineering
applications.Solidmechanicsisthetechnicaldisciplinethatinterestsmemost.
Ihaveworkexperienceinbothutilitiesandaerospaceengineering.Iworked
forPfizerfortwosummersandatParkerAerospacethispastsummer.At
Parker,Iworkedondevelopingandtestingthehydraulicpumpforanew
Boeingaircraft.
IplantocontinuemyeducationatUofMbypursuinganMSEinMEinthe
SGUSprogram.Iwillfocusondesign/manufacturingandsolidmechanics.I
57
hopetoonedaybecomethetechnicalleaderofadesignteam.Iwouldliketoworkin
aerospace(commercialaircraft/spacetravel)ortheautomotiveindustry.
JessicaSchulte
IgrewupinsoutheastMichigan,butIfinishedmyhighschool
careerinGrandRapids,MI.Myfamilystillresidesthere.Myfamily
hasmovedabouteverysevenyears,soIvebecomeusedtoadapting
tonewexperiencesandmakingnewfriends.Imfromafamilyof
six,andIamsecondinthelineoffourkids.Ilovebeinghomewith
myfamily,andthereisneveradullmomentwithmyolderbrother
andtwoyoungersisters.
IdecidedtostudyengineeringbecauseIwasgoodatmathand
scienceinhighschoolandbecauseofmyloveforproblemsolving.I
cametocollegethinkingIwantedtostudybiomedicalengineering,
butwithinmyfirstyear,Idecidedtobroadenthescopeofmy
degree.IchosemechanicalengineeringbecauseIlovebeingabletoseeandtouchtheresultsof
mywork.Ienjoybeingabletoseewhatishappeninginamechanicalsystem.Imexcitedto
seewheremypassionstakemeinthefuture.
IamcurrentlyundecidedinmyplansimmediatelyfollowinggraduationinApril.IknowthatI
wanttopursuesomethingnontraditional,buthowthatwillmaterializeisstillafluidconcept.
Rightnow,Impursuinganinternshiptoworkabroadforuptoayear.HopefullyIwillbe
placedinSpain.WhateverIdo,IknowthatIwillcontinuetopursuemyjoysofrunning,
Spanish,andfindingcreativesolutionstotheproblemsaroundme.
JaredSnow
IwasborninKalamazoo,Michigan,fromwhichI
movedawayformuchofgradeschoolbut
eventuallyreturnedforhighschool.
Myinterestinmechanicalengineeringstems
fromanearlyinterestinLegosandlaterfrom
tearingapartautomobileswithoneofmybest
friends.Theinteractionofeachmechanicalpiece
andtheamazingtolerancestowhichtheywere
machinedalwaysfascinatedme.Inthefuture,I
plantogainseveralyearsexperiencewithaBSEdegreeandgobacktoschoollaterforanMSE
orpossiblyMBA,dependingonmyinterestinandtheindustrydemandforeachoption.
Ithoroughlyenjoytraveling,especiallytoplaceswhereIcanusemySCUBAcertificationtosee
tropicalanimalandplantlife.Ihopetodiveshipwrecksaftergraduation,preferablyin
freshwaterliketheGreatLakeswheretheyhavebeennearlyperfectlypreserved.
58
RossVanDyk
IwasbornandraisedinGrandRapids,MI,andthatis
currentlywheremyparentslive.Idevelopedalikingfor
carsatayoungage.SincethenIvebeeninterestedincars
andhowtheywork,aswellashowothermechanical
deviceswork.MechanicalEngineeringseemedlikeagood
matchfortheseinterests,hopefullybeingafieldwhichwill
allowmetoexercisemymechanicalmind.
AftergraduatingattheendofthistermIhopetohaveafull
timejobrelatedtomechanicalengineering,andmore
specifically,toautomobiles.OnAugust10ofthisyearmy
girlfriendofsixyearsandIwillbemarriedandIwillput
herthroughherlastyearofcollegenextyear.Mygoalsin
regardstomycareerarebasedonsupportingafamilyand
enjoyingwhatIdo.
Ienjoybuildingmodelcarssomethingthatgivesmygreatsatisfactionuponcompletion.I
havealsodoneextensiveworkonmyowncar(theredcarinthepicture)andfriendscars.The
transmissionsinthepicturewerethenewandoldfromreplacingthetransmissioninmy
fiancescar.AndIenjoysurfingimmensely.
59
APPENDICES
APPENDIX A: QFD DIAGRAM
QualityFunctionDevelopment(QFD)
--
Relationships
--
++ StrongPositive
+ MediumPositive
-++
++
Easytorelocate
Lowcost
Lowoperatingnoise
Goodvisualappeal
9
3
9
9
3
3
3
3
3
MeasurementUnit ft lbs Gal C gph min min W
60 120
25
TargetValue 20 100 30
MotorDecibelLevel
SeparationTime
MixingTime
3
3
FuelMeisterII
Smallunitsize
1
9
Deepthroat100B
FreedomFueler
Quicktostart/shutdown
LevelofAutomation
ContainmentofElements
Easytocleanandmaintain
StrengthofContainerMatls
10
ResistancetoCH3OH
Limitedmanuallabor
Easytosupplyinputs/receive
outputs
Smallamountoftimerequired
perbatch
Benchmarks
FiltrationSpeed
10
PumpPower
Enclosedsystemcomponents
Temp.ofGrease
10
BatchSize
Safetooperate
WeightofSystem
Weight*
OverallUnitSize
EngineeringSpecifications
CustomerRequirements
MediumNegative
ResistancetoNaOH
--
StrongNegative
FiltrationQuality
--
PowerConsumption
++
--
--
BatchTime
++
hr
s N/A N/A Pa N/A dB N/A
yes yes high yes
high
ImportanceRating 5 5 3 5 15 15 4 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 1 17 2
Total 140 135 204 147 98 88 174 103 109 107 112 111 111 120 261 18 231
Normalized 0.06 0.06 0.09 0.06 0.04 0.04 0.08 0.05 0.05 0.05 0.05 0.05 0.05 0.05 0.12 0.01 0.10
Deepthort100B
FreedomFueler
FuelMeisterII
10
41.3 100
26
40
720
16.6 98 43.5
40
10
yes yes high no
low
24
yes yes med yes
low
12
yes yes med yes
low
Key:
9 => Strong Relationship
3 => Medium Relationship
1 => Small Relationship
(blank) => Not Related
60
APPENDIX B: GANTT CHART

January
14
21
February
28
11
Notesaboutdates
Contact&Meetwithsponsors,Dept.
Tranp,etc..
March
18
25
11
April
18
25
15
BREAK
ReviewPreviousProjects
DesignReview#1
Abbey
DUE:Tue23rd
Nate
Brainstorming
Jessica
PreliminaryPrototypeDesign
Jared
ResearchMaterialsandContact
Manufacturers
MaterialsCostEstimateforJohn
Deere
Ross
All
DesignSysteminVisio
DesignReview#2
Due:Tue13th
TestPreviousProjectPrototype
DecideuponFinalDesign
DesignComponentsinCAD
OrdertheMaterials
Due:Tue13th
DesignReview#3
ManufacturingCostEstimate
BuildPrototype
TestPrototype
Due:Thur29th
DesignReview#4
Createandprepareposter
OnThur12th
DesignExpo
Due:Thur.17th
FinalReport
61
APPENDIX C.1: PUGH CHART - METERING
CustomerRequirement
Weight
Component
Impact
Positive
Negative
Previousgroup
Idea1
Idea2
Idea3
Idea4
Metering
Metering
Metering
Metering
Metering
Inputbyhandinto
intermediatetanks
Intermediatetanks
forallreactants.
Pistonoperated
vacuumcylinders.
Pumpingtheoilinto Pumpingtheoilinto
themixingchamber, themixingchamber,
flowmeter
levelsensor
Description
Sketches
Safetooperate
10
10
Limitedmanuallabor
10
outputs
Smallamountoftimerequiredper
batch
Smallunitsize
Easytorelocate
Lowcost
Lowoperatingnoise
Goodvisualappeal
+
+
Total+
Total
Total
0
6
6
3
8
5
0
6
6
6
2
4
8
3
5
WeightedTotal
43
39
35
32
45
62
APPENDIX C.2: PUGH CHART - FILTRATION
CustomerRequirement
Weight Previousgroup
Component
Impact
Positive
Negative
Idea1
Idea2
Idea3
Idea4
Filtration
Filtration
Filtration
Filtration
Filtration
BagFilters:Course
andfine.
Selfcleaningcoarse Removablecoarse
screenfilter.
screenfilter.
Opencoarsescreen
filter.
Coarsestrainerand
finecartridgefilter.
Description
Sketches
Safetooperate
10
10
Limitedmanuallabor
10
outputs
batch
+
+
8
+
Smallunitsize
Easytorelocate
Lowcost
Lowoperatingnoise
Goodvisualappeal
+
+
Total+
Total
Total
1
3
2
5
2
3
7
1
6
3
4
1
7
0
7
WeightedTotal
14
34
32
47
63
APPENDIX C.3: PUGH CHART - MIXING
CustomerRequirement
Impact
Positive
Negative
Idea1
Idea2
Idea3
Idea4
Mixing
Mixing
Mixing
Mixing
Mixing
Paintstirrer.
Motorpowered
Motorpoweredshaft planetarygear
withmixingvanes. system,dualshafts
withvanes.
Component
Description
Beltdrivenpaddles. Pumprecirculation.
Sketches
Safetooperate
10
10
Limitedmanuallabor
10
outputs
batch
Smallunitsize
Easytorelocate
Lowcost
Lowoperatingnoise
Goodvisualappeal
Total+
Total
Total
2
4
2
7
3
4
6
4
2
1
3
2
7
0
7
WeightedTotal
20
41
21
23
51
64
APPENDIX C.4: PUGH CHART - SEPARATION
CustomerRequirement
Component
Impact
Positive
Negative
Idea1
Idea2
Separation
Separation
Separation
Donutfuge
centrifuge
Centrifugewith
stationaryvalves.
Waterwashing
column.
Description
FAME
Water
FAME + Glycerin
Glycerin + Water
Sketches
Safetooperate
10
10
Limitedmanuallabor
10
outputs
batch
Smallunitsize
Easytorelocate
Lowcost
Lowoperatingnoise
Goodvisualappeal
+
+
Total+
Total
Total
0
6
6
9
2
7
2
5
3
WeightedTotal
43
47
65
APPENDIX D: FMEA DIAGRAM
C omponent
NaO H C ontainer
NaO H D eliveryV alve
MethanolC ontainer(2)
MethanolD eliveryV alve
O ilP ump
F ilteringUnit
O ilD eliveryC heckV alve
F ailureModes
F ailureE ffec t
F ailureC aus e
C urrentc ontrol/s olution
Ac tions R ec ommended
AdditionalE quipment
Needed
0%
0%
0%
60
30
27
90%
45
0%
76%
10
84
0%
10
21
0%
30 C urrentcontrolis s ufficient.
60
27
Makes urecontaineris s trongand

withoutdefect,preventmechanical
failurethroughcalculations .
10
90%
45
S afetyhaz ardforus er
76%
10 Holes intank,lows trength
L eaks NaO H
F luidorflows ens or.
75%
450 reactants areflowing at
F luidorflows ens or.
84
10
350 Ins pectvalveafter5+runs .

1
C heckvalve.
12
C ontaminatedreactionproces s
10
Incorporateaflows ens orwhich

s ends analarmtothes ys temif
inappropriatetimes .
10
C orrectlychoos econtainermaterial
72
162 Addcheckvalvetooilinletline
Ifflowfromaflowmeteris belowa
F lowmeteronoilinputline.
certainvalue,s hutdownthe
proces s .
E xces s NaO Hwillbeadded,contaminating

thereaction
P oorvalvequality,valve
degradationorcorros ion
Unexpectedmaterialreaction
withNaO H
P oorvalve,incorrectcontrol
s cheme
Incompatiblematerialinvalve
S pechig hqualityvalves ,choos ecorrect

controls cheme

s ends analarmtothes ys temif
450 reactants areflowing at
inappropriatetimes .
S pechig hqualityvalves ,ens ure

materialcompatibility
Makes urecontaineris s trongand
withoutdefect
10
48
350 Ins pectvalveafter5+runs .
Hig hpowerpump.
10
C ontainercorrodes
NaO Hwillbeaddedduring reaction,during

others ys temoperations ,contaminating
batches
Holes intank,lows trength

10
Doag oodjobofs pecingpump,buying

highquality
0%
C orrectlychoos econtainermaterial
B othvalves failtos hut
Valvematerialwillbeintroducedinto
reaction,valvewillbedamaged
Unexpectedmaterialreaction
withMethanol
P oorvalve,incorrectcontrol
s cheme
Hig hqualitypumpwithappropriate
control.

Makefiltereas ytoremoveand
clean.
147 T es twithwater.
50%
Valves leak
S afetyhaz ardforus er
6
9
degradationorcorros ion
F ilterinatleas t2s tag es ,making s ure

thatthefiltrationis n'ttoofine.
72
Valvecorrodes
C ontaminatedreactionproces s
L eaks methanol
E xces s Methanolwillbeadded,
contaminatingthereaction
Incompatiblematerialinvalve
S pecpropervalve,us epropercontrol
F ilterinatleas t2s tag es ,making s ure

thatthefiltrationis n'ttoofine.
S pechig hqualityvalves ,choos ecorrect

controls cheme
C ontainercorrodes
B rokenorclog g edpump,
pos s iblefilterclogging,incorrect
controls ignal.
61%

B othvalves failtos hut
P umppoweris toolow,filter
pres s uredropis toohig h.
P oorqualitypump,incorrect
electricalinput
Improperprefiltering ,toofinea
s econdaryfilter.G reas ewithan
exces s iveparticlecount.
Improperprefiltering ,toofinea
s econdaryfilter.G reas ewithan
exces s iveparticlecount.
F aultyvalve,impropercontrol
output
4
9
9
2
7
81
Valves leak
Methanolwillbeaddedduring reaction,
during others ys temoperations ,
contaminating batches
Valvecorrodes
Does n'tpumpatall
E ntireoilbatchwillbecontaminated
Valvematerialwillbeintroducedinto
reaction,valvewillbedamaged
T heoilwillnotfillthemixing chamber,the
levels ens orwillnotactuatethevalveor
pump,andtheproces s willnotcontinue.
T heoilwilltakeexces s ivelylong tofill
mixing tankorproces s willnotcontinueifno
fluidflows .
R evers epumps
P umps withins ufficientpres s ure
C log s withdebris (noflow)
F illing willtakeanexces s ivelylongtime.
L evels ens orwillnotactuatevalveand

pumps hutoff.Manualfiltercleaning willbe
neces s ary.
NaO Handmethanolcouldentertheg reas e

tankandcontaminate.
Allows verylowflow
F ails tores trictoppos iteflow
28
% R educ tionofR P N
NewR P N
NewS ubtlety
0%
NewF requenc y
40
NewS everity
RPN
43%
S ubtlety
84
F requenc y
S everity
66
MixingP ump
MixingP umpC heckV alve
Motor
S eparationT ank/B earing
2wayO utletV alve
3wayO utletV alveto

H oldingT anks
***Alls calesfrom110
R P NC ode
0100
100200
200300
300above
P umpfails
E ithervalvefails toactuate
F ails toopenduringpumping
Motorfails
C entralbearing(s )fails
R oller(s )bearing(s )fails
G eardis engages
F ails tos hut

ValveL eaks
F ails tos witchdirectionofflow
ValveL eaks
R eactants arenotmixed,products arenot

as des ired.
F aultypump,pumppowertoo
low.
P roperlys pecpump.
64
80
75%
0%
50%
24
32
2
50%
2
5
16
8
P roperlys pecvalves.
96 pumppres sure.
Ifflowmeters ens es noflow,s end

F luidorflows ens orafterthe
commandtos topproces s and
mixingpump.
seekmaintenance.
0%
degradationorcorros ion,poor
controldes ign
C hoos evalves thatrequirelowpres s ure

(maybecos tlyorcompromis ingtodo
s o).
40
mess ageandhaltallproces ses .
Ifnorotationis s ens edbythe
T es tposs iblevalves withwaterat
32 tachometer,dis playwarning
C heckvalverequirestoomuch
press uretoforceopen(the
s pringis toos tiff).
Us ehighqualityvalve.
3
10
240 reactantsareflowingat
inappropriatetimes.

sendsanalarmtothes ys temif
10
F lows ens ororfluids ens or

downs treamofthebiodies el
outlet3wayvalve.
Ifthes eparationtankquicklyloses
speed,dis playwarningmes sage,
T achometeronthemotor.
haltallproces s es ,cutoffmotor
power.
T achometeronthemotor.
P roperlys pecmotor,propercontrol
s ys tem.
10
0%
30
F aultymotor,impropercontrol
input
S pecselfcontained,welllubricated
bearings .
D irtyinternals urfacesofbearing,
faultybearing.
5
30%
S pecselfcontained,welllubricated
bearings .
28
D irtyinternals urfacesofbearing,
faultybearing.
40
0%
P roperlys pecbelt/gearandprovide
reliabletens ioningmethod.
0%
18
10
Impropermatchingofgears or
unacceptableheightdifference
duetopoorstackup.
3
F aultyvalve,poorcontrol.
0%
40
2
81
3
F aultyvalve
10
F aultyvalve
50%
120
F aultyvalve
R eactants eithergos traighttothe

s eparationunitorproducts keepcirculating
8
inmixingtank.
T hepumpwillrundry,pos s iblycaus ing
damagetotherotatinggroup,thereactants
8
willnotbemixed,caus ingacompromised
batch.
S eparationunitdoes nots pinandthe
s ys temwillreleas euns eparatedglycerin
8
andF AME .
T hes eparationunitmaybecomeuns table,
creatingadanger;motormaybeovertaxed.
10
C oulds pinthepipeandvalves ys tem,
creatingdamagetothehardware.
T hewheelwillprovideincreasedresis tance
tothetankandthemotormaybecome
2
overtaxed.
G earmaycomeloos eandcreateauser
hazard;thetankwillcometoares tandthe
s eparationwillnotoccur.
Allreactants arepouredstraightintowas te
tank,allreactantsarewas ted.
S mallamounts ofreactants flowintothe
glycerintankandarewasted.
G lycerinflows intotheF AME tankorvice
vers aandcontaminates thewholebatch.
S mallamounts ofglycerinmayflowintothe
F AME tankandcontaminatethewhole
batch.
67
APPENDIX E.1: MANUFACTURING PLAN FILTER COUPLING
Step Material
1
4 D PVC pipe
Operation Tool
Cutting
Band saw
PVC end cap
Attaching
PVC
Drilling
PVC
adhesive
1 Drill bit
PVC
Drilling
1 Drill bit
5
6
Steel 1 D pipe
Steel 1D pipe
Cutting
Threading
Band saw
Die
Steel
Welding
Attaching
Shielded
metal arc
welder
Adhesive
9
10
1 D PVC pipe
-
Cutting
Attaching
Band saw
PVC
adhesive
Description
Cut pipe to 4 length, ensure
smooth edges
Attach endcap to one end of the
4 PVC pipe
Drill hole through one side of 4
PVC pipe
Drill hole through center of end
cap
Cut inlet pipe to desired length
Thread end of pipe to mate with
oil filter
Attach stopper around diameter
of steel pipe
Insert steel pipe through end
cap hole, making sure threads
extend beyond the pipe and
stopper touches end cap,
attach.
Cut to desired length
Insert PVC pipe into previously
drilled side hole, attach
APPENDIX E.2: MANUFACTURING PLAN METHANOL METERING
Step
1
2
Material
4 D PVC pipe
PVC end cap
Operation
Cutting
Attaching
PVC
Drilling
4
5
1 D PVC pipe
-
Cutting
Attaching
1 manual
valve
Attaching
Tool
Band saw
PVC
adhesive
1 Drill bit
Band saw
PVC
adhesive
Adhesive
68
Description
Cut pipe to 16.4 length
Attach end caps to ends of PVC
pipe
Drill inlet and outlet tube on
opposite sides of 4 D PVC pipe
Cut two lengths of pipe to length
Insert PVC pipes into either hole,
attach
Attach valves to ends of PVC
pipes
APPENDIX E.3: MANUFACTURING PLAN NAOH METERING
Step
1
2
Material
1 D PVC pipe
1 manual valve
Operation
Cutting
Attaching
Tool
Band saw
Adhesive
Description
Cut pipe to desired length
Attach valves to both ends of
pipe
APPENDIX E.4: MANUFACTURING PLAN SUPPORT STRUCTURE
Step Material
1
2 Steel L-bracket
Operation Tool
Cutting
Band saw
1 square steel
stock
Cutting
Band saw
Welding
SMA welder
2 Steel plate
Cutting
Band saw
5
6
2 Steel L-bracket
Steel
Cutting
Welding
Band saw
SMA welder
Steel
Drilling
1 Drill bit
Steel
Welding
SMA welder
Steel
Drilling
Drill bit
10
Steel
Attaching
bolts
11
Steel
Welding
SMA welder
12
13
2 Steel plate
Steel
Cutting
Drilling
Band saw
Drill bit
14
Steel
Welding
SMA welder
69
Description
Cut 4 main support legs to
desired length
Cut 8 side supports to
desired length with 45 deg.
end angles
Weld side supports to
support legs
Cut 3 tank supports to
desired lengths
Cut 2 center support lengths
Weld 2 center supports
lengthwise to form 2 square
support
Drill hole through center of
two tank support plates (for
pipe to secure to)
Weld top tank support to
support structure
Drill holes in bottom 1
square side supports and
through bottom tank
supports
Bolt tank supports to side
supports
Weld center support to
underside of tank supports
Cut wheel support brackets
Drill holes through wheel
support brackets for wheel
axles
Weld wheel brackets to
support structure in desired
locations
APPENDIX F.1 OIL FILTER COUPLING ENGINEERING DRAWING
70
APPENDIX F.2 METHANOL METERING TANK ENGINEERING DRAWING
71
APPENDIX F.3: TANK ASSEMBLY ENGINEERING DRAWING
72
APPENDIX F.4: SUPPORT STRUCTURE ENGINEERING DRAWING
73
APPENDIX G.1: ASSEMBLY INSTRUCTIONS

Category
Support Structure
Below Tank
Above Tank
Methanol Track
NaOH Track
Grease Pump
Mixing Pump
Electrical Connections
Step
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
47
48
49
50
51
52
53
54
55
Action
Attach rollers to support structure
Attach driven gear to mixing/separation tank
Place mixing/separation tank in support structure
Enclose mixing/separation tank with top set of rollers and support structure
Attach driving gear to motor
Attach motor to support structure
Insert 3/4" inch PVC pipe into bottom of mixing/separation tank
Connect 3/4" 3-way connector below 3/4" inch PVC pipe
Connect 3/4" inch PVC pipe below 3/4" 3-way connector
Connect 1/2" pipe below 3/4" pipe with reducer
Connect 2-way solenoid valve to bottom 1/2" PVC pipe
Connect 1/2" PVC pipe to bottom of 2-way solenoid valve
Connect 3-way solenoid valve to bottom of 1/2" PVC pipe
Connect 1/2" PVC pipe to 2 outlets of 3-way solenoid valve
Use fittings to connect 3/4" hose to each outlet 1/2" PVC pipe
Place biodiesel and waste containers on floor below support structure
Feed 3/4" hose into biodiesel and waste containers
Insert 3/4" PVC pipe into top of mixing/separation tank
Connect 3/4" 3-way connector above 3/4" PVC pipe
Connect 3/4" PVC pipe directly above 3-way connector
Connect 1" PVC pipe above the 3/4" PVC pipe with reducer
Connect a 4-way connector above 1" PVC pipe
Connect 1" PVC pipe directly above 4-way connector
Connect 1" manual valve above 1" PVC pipe
Connect 1" PVC pipe directly above manual valve
Connect methanol metering tank above 1" PVC pipe
Connect 1" PVC pipe above metering tank
Attach the methanol holding tank to support structure
Connect the methanol holding tank above 1"PVC pipe
Connect 1" PVC pipe to the right of the 4-way connector
Connect 1" PVC pipe above manual valve
Attach NaOH holding tank to support structure
Connect the NaOH holding tank above 1" PVC pipe
Connect 1" PVC pipe to the left of the 4-way connector
Connect check valve ahead of 1" PVC pipe
Connect filter housing ahead of 1" PVC pipe
Connect 1" PVC pipe ahead of filter
Connect outlet of grease pump to 1" PVC pipe
Connect 1" PVC pipe to inlet of grease pump
Connect 3/4" hose ahead of 1" PVC pipe with expander
Connect strainer outlet to 3/4" hose
Connect 3/4" hose to strainer inlet
Feed 3/4" hose into waste grease holding container
Connect 3/4" hose to open end of 3/4" 3-way connector above mixing/separation tank
Attach mixing pump to support structure
Connect inlet of mixing pump to 3/4" hose
Connect 3/4" hose to outlet of mixing pump
Connect check valve after 3/4" hose
Connect 3/4" PVC pipe after check valve
Connect 3/4" PVC pipe to open end of 3/4" 3-way connector below mixing/separation tank
Attach electrical connections to grease pump, mixing pump, motor, and 2 solenoid valves
Attach electrical connections to junction box
74
APPENDIX G.2: ASSEMBLY SCHEMATIC
Methanol
1" PVC
1" PVC
Junction Box
1" PVC
Sodium
Hydroxide
Mixing Pump
1" PVC
1" PVC
1" PVC
1" PVC
lte
r
hose
" hose
Fi
Waste Grease
PVC
Mixing Return Line
S
" hose
t ra
er
in
1" PVC
Mixing / Separation
Tank
hose
1" PVC
Gear Drive
PVC
Grease Pump
" PVC
Motor
2-way SS valve
PVC
3 analog outputs (2 pumps, 1 motor)

2 digital outputs (2 solenoid valves)
PVC
PVC
hose
3-way valve
Biodiesel
75
hose
Glycerin / Waste
APPENDIX H: ASSEMBLY SCHEMATIC

IS:
W AS:
N otes : 1 . M ixing pum p m ounting point m oved off support s truc ture
because to reduc e overall s ys tem C G height .
2 . 8 w heels reduced to 4 s urrounding tank because only 4
w ere required to lim it ec centric tank m otion
3 . M ethanol tank s offs et because piping required m ore s pac e
than original des ign allow ed . This als o neces sitated rem ov al
of vertic al s quare bars .
4 . S odium hydroxide tank m ov ed on s upport leg bec aus e z ip ties w ere us ed to s ecure it ins tead of bolts .
Support Structure Design

Te a m 2 1
E ngineering C hange N otice
SIZE
E ngineer : J. S now
FSC M N O
04 /27 /07
DW G NO
R EV
1
SC ALE
N/A
SH EET
1
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Waste Cooking Oil to Biodiesel Automated Fuel Pump Project

DESIGNING A REDUCED SCALE PROTOTYPE .......................................................... 7

CONCEPT EVALUATION ............................................................................................. 11

OVERALL SYSTEM CONCEPTS...........................................................................................18

CONCEPT SELECTION ............................................................................................... 20

FINAL PROTOTYPE DESIGN ...................................................................................... 35

PROTOTYPE MANUFACTURING AND TESTING PLAN ............................................ 43

PROJECT PLAN ........................................................................................................... 46

Filtration and Metering

Figure 2. General waste cooking oil conversion process

CUSTOMER REQUIREMENTS AND ENGINEERING SPECIFICATIONS

CUSTOMER REQUIREMENTS Thecustomerrequirementsarecenteredonthreemajorareas:

ENGINEERING SPECIFICATIONS Fromthecustomerrequirements,wedevelopedasetof

Table 1. Engineering Targets

DESIGNING A REDUCED SCALE PROTOTYPE

Figure 3. FAST diagram

Gravity Transportation Fromtheinitialholdingtanksgravitywillbeusedtodrawthe

Flow Meter Sensor Aflowmetersensorworksbymeasuringtheamountofflowthrougha

Screen Filter Ascreenfilterisawirescreenthatisplacedinatubetocollectlargeparticles

MIXING METHODS Theinputsystemdispensesmethanol,sodiumhydroxide,andthewaste

REACTANT INPUT CONCEPTSThefirstgoalofoursystemistotransferspecificamountsof

Gravity-fed Intermediate Tanks Ourfirstconceptforreactantinput

Piston-operated Vacuum Cylinders Weconsideredusinga

Oil Pumped to Set Level Thisconceptusesthegravityfeed

Oil Pumped through Flow Meter Aflowmeter

Selection: Reactant Input Forourdesign,themethanolandsodiumhydroxidewillenterfrom

Figure 4. Reactant input concept selection (not showing other components)

Self-cleaning Coarse Screen Filter Toreducetheamountofmanual

Open Coarse Screen Filter Anotherideawasacoarse

Coarse Strainer & Fine Cartridge Filter Wewereconcernedthat

Motor-powered Shaft with Mixing Vanes Thebasisforour

Motor-powered Planetary Gear System, Dual Shafts with

Belt-driven Paddles Wealsoconsideredadesignwhichrelieson

Pump Recirculation Ourgroupdevelopedaconceptformixingwhich

Selection: Mixing Wewilluseapumptorecirculateandmixthefluidinthetankbecausethis

SEPARATION CONCEPTS Thewasteoil,methanol,andsodiumhydroxidereactinthemixing

Centrifuge with Rotating Valves MuchoftheworkofthepreviousME450designteamswas

Centrifuge with Stationary Valve Inordertokeepthevalves

Water-washing Column AsintheresearchofZhangetal.,we

Selection: Separation Wewillseparatethebiodieselfromtheglycerinusingcentrifugalforces

AUTOMATION AND CONTROL Theheartofourcontrolschemewouldbeacomputerrunning

Digital Input/Output BoxThisinterfacepossessesmultipledigitalinputsandoutputs,is

Figure 7. (a) 0.25 and (b) 1.00 solenoid valves

FILTRATION, TRANSPORT, MIXING, AND SEPARATION Filtrationwasdesignedwith

Strainer and Cartridge FilterThoughthewastegreaseisprefiltered,wedecidedtousea

Figure 8. (a) Pre-pump strainer and (b) Cartridge oil filter

Grease Transportation PumpBasedonourtargettimesfortransportationofthecookingoil,

Mixing Recirculation PumpTheinitialmixingprocessisjustofmethanolandsodium

Figure 9. (a) Grease Transport Pump (b) Mixing Recirculation Pump

Offset Gear DriveRotationofthemixing/separationtankrequiresthatallinletandoutlet

CONTAINMENT AND PIPING Thematerialsselectedforthecontainmentandpipingcannotbe

Table 2. Reactant ratios for a single batch

Table 3. Metering container calculations

Using Eq. 1, the amount of desired torque, ,wascalculated.AsshowninTable4,thetorque

Figure 11. Tank Support Structure

Figure 12. Tank support structure

Support Bars Stress Analysis Basicfreebodydiagramscanbedrawnfortheprinciple

Table 5. Stress calculation approach

Figure 13. Support beam free body diagrams

Vertical Legs Buckling Analysis Bucklinganalysiswasperformedoneofthefouroutside

Figure 14. Vertical beams for support structure

Table 7. Buckling calculation approach

Table 8. Force present in outside and center legs

MECHANICAL ANALYSIS OF MAIN TANKUsingthesamecalculationmethodsasusedforthe