Fuel from Rapeseed Oil
Fuel from rapeseed oil is one of the most promising biofuels for the future. In contrast to biodiesel, fuel from rapeseed oil is a chemically unmodified vegetable oil. Transesterification is not required and the basic molecular structure of the vegetable oil can be retained. To allow it to be used in the engines of trucks or agricultural vehicles converted to use rapeseed oil, however, the fuel from rapeseed oil has to meet high quality standards. These standards have now been clearly defined in an official draft standard.
Process lines from GEA Westfalia Separator for obtaining fuel from rapeseed oil support the implementation of draft standard DIN V 51605 in a variety of ways. The result in each case is a standard rapeseed oil fuel with optimum functionality.
Obtaining rapeseed oil fuel
Next to biodiesel, fuel from rapeseed oil is one of the most important alternatives as a substitute for fossil fuels. However, engines need to be converted to be able to run on fuel from rapeseed oil, as this fuel is several times more viscous than diesel. To improve viscosity, the fuel is pre-heated. The injection system is also modified. Because rapeseed oil takes longer to ignite in the engine, it has to be injected correspondingly sooner. Nevertheless, the ecological and economic benefit of fuel from rapeseed oil compared to fossil fuels is so great that more and more truck fleets and agricultural vehicles are being converted accordingly.
In order to guarantee a high quality of this environmentally friendly fuel, a draft standard has now been defined to specify the minimum requirements. Draft standard DIN V 51605 stipulates, for example, that overall contamination in the rapeseed oil fuel must be < 24 ppm to prevent it blocking filters, damaging the injection system or causing deposits in the combustion chamber and piston head. The water content may not exceed 0.075 percent to prevent corrosion, to guarantee the stability on storage of the oil and to facilitate good combustion properties. Gums have to be reduced to a maximum of twelve ppm to prevent damage to the injection nozzles, coking in the combustion chamber and blockages in fuel filters. Free fatty acids (FFA) can also endanger engine components and therefore have to be reduced to values < 1 percent.
GEA Westfalia Separator can support producers in meeting this standard in a number of different ways. Rapeseed oil clarification by GEA Westfalia Separator decanters can be followed by either membrane filtration to polish the rapeseed oil or chemical refining with 2-stage neutralization, depending on the press method used. In the course of chemical refining, separators from GEA Westfalia Separator are used to separate soapstock and wash water. The result in both cases is a rapeseed oil fuel which satisfies the requirements of draft standard DIN V 51605 in every respect.