ideas to heat veg oil without hacking into coolant hoses???

[chipvan]

hi guys ive been looking at some ideas to warm oil for my twin tank kit.PLease dont laugh just dont like messing about with coolant system ! and really think there are other ways to do it,i dont need much heat just a little to warm fuel going into filter

upon counting 11 extra water connection that can leak i thought there must me another way to do this.rather than a coolant heatexchanger

1,thought if a alli block with a hole though it was bolted to side of the block then it would act as a heat sink and warm oil

2,today i came up with another idea as i currently use a ktm bike oil cooler(diesel veg heatexchanger)
dont laugh but could i tap into atf oil coming off gear box under drivers side?the oil would flow though heatexchanger like coolant does and warm veg oil..not sure how hot or even if it gets too hot but i cant see a prob in cooling atf a little??

could either be in line or t in so if my heatexchager blocks then atf will still flow.

[dave_aber]

How about routing the veg oil via a large diameter pipe fixed above the exhaust side of the engine?

I must admit, as I started to read your initial post, I did think about using the ATF as well. No idea what temp it gets to though.

[helen&tony]

Hi
How hot do you want it? Where is your tank? and where abouts along the delivery pipe must the veg be warmed? In addition, can you move the tank elsewhere?...and at what stage can it wait 'till warm...i.e. can it wait 5-10 minutes after the engine has stared before you get warmth to the veggie?
Cheers
Helen

[chipvan]

Thanks so much for trh input guys.I thought i would get laughed at ,know i would on vegi forums..but they dont have the weird and wonderfull bongo coolant issues.

be really good if i can get this to work ok and that way can leave coolant system alone.

right,iam using the main bongo tank for veg,and using standard fuel filter.
what ive had in the past is the heatexchanger just before main filter thus warming fuel before it goes though valves and into engine
http://i1232.photobucket.com/albums/ff3 ... one007.jpg

I always let engine warm up before i switch over(55 oc coolant temp)i have had a temp senser that comes on when upto 55 0c 5-10 mins on tick over normally.

and that switchs on when my tm2 gets to about the same 55

What iam looking for is more to warm the fuel not cook it up,we dont need really hot oil on a bongo as they retain more heat being mid engine,also as iam running on a kit i have a looped fuel system which includes a glow heater to bump up heat when loop cools.

so really i just need say the fuel going into main filter to be about 50-60 oc to help keep filter running and let fuel flow.

Iam currently running with no heatexchanger and its not making any difference!

Just in the winter need some extra heat.

I like both ideas ive thought about and if idea 1 works enough will not break into any pipes at all....

[chipvan]

ps, the aft oil gets quite hot like the coolant,and this is sent to rad to cool so cant see why cooling it further would not be a prob at all..

my heatexchanger has 4 ports,2 normally used for coolant 12mm and 2 for fuel 8mm

so would have plenty of flow through it and would prob be fine inline..

[dave_aber]

Have you thought about wrapping a section of (brake?) pipe around a hot coolant hose, and feeding the pre-filter fuel through it? Should still warm the veg to a decent level, but more stable / controlled than 'somewhere above the exhaust'. You could externally wrap the whole thing to keep the heat in.

[chipvan]

again another good ided thanks!

I will be able to experment over the summer,as long as i dont go mad on puting too much oil in tank and run a mix for a while..

non invasive ideas i like,that way build in less to fail...

[dave_aber]

Only thing to watch is potentially chafeing through a water pipe. That would be a not good thing

[chipvan]

mine is this little one http://www.dieselveg.com/heat_exchangers.htm

mmmm

[helen&tony]

Hi
OK...i had wondered about wrapping some piping around a hose, and would recommend the main one coming from the front of the head on the drivers side....If you pop some piping round it, then you can wrap it with silicon "Rescue Tape' which self-amalgamates and makes a neat job.
OR....Have you thought of putting a heater around the exhaust? If you can get a couple of lengths of pipe of large diameter, the first a half inch larger than the exhaust, and the second, a half inch larger than the first. Cut the pipes lengthways in half, and weld the sides and end shut. This will give a half-pipe with a 1/4 inch gap inside the walls, and you can weld an inlet and outlet . As the whole pipe was 1/2 inch wider, this would fit quite nicely as a half-pipe 1/4 inch away from the exhaust, therefore with an appropriate stand-off of 1/4 inch, it would not get over-hot.
This could be placed anywhere along the exhaust, according to how hot you want the oil. No cutting of hoses, and no worries.
Cheers
Helen

[chipvan]

yer good idea,just wonder though about if pipe fails ! would catch fire...re exhaust idea.?

the atf idea is canned now as it is not hot when on tickover even when engine is upto temp..just tried it.

mmmm

tick tock,keep the ideas coming!

[helen&tony]

Hi
IF you know a coded welder who you are friendly with, then the unit shouldn't fail. If the stubs have sufficient flare for the hoses to attach to them, they won't come off, and if you use braided stainless fuel line there's no problem at all. Theses fuels aren't likely to burn without an ignition source, and even then it's very hard to ignite unless vapourised...PLUS, the fuel is moving through the unit, which is not even touching the exhaust, and therefore less dangerous than cooking with oil on an electric stove. It is also possible to arrange solenoids to divert to and from the heating unit when the engine is up to temperature. I can't see any safety issue, as it is less dangerous than supplying petrol to a carburettor located bang on top of an exhaust on an old mini engine ...and, boy, have I seen some fuel leaks
Cheers
Helen

[chipvan]

sure have got me thinking...

[helen&tony]

Hi
If you want any sketches, PM me, and regarding switching via solenoids, I can give you details.
Cheers
Helen

[chipvan]

cheers but i already have a twin tank kit installed,

Thanks for your input