We did it!!!!

Today we tested the biosiesel. We put the biodeisel into the engine and then the bus driver cranked the bus. When the bus driver turned the keys, i became very nevous! i wanted it to work because if it didnt then i would have been pretty embarrased. Thankfully it did worked! The bus ended up driving all the way back to where it came from, in Alpharetta! It was a great feeling to know that all our hard work paid off! i would definatley do it again. This was a really cool experience.

The biodesiel fuel

Today we ran out of sodium hydroxide, so poured a liter of vegetable oil into a 2L bottle to get ready for tomorrow. We cleaned up the room and tomorrow we will make more fuel. I think we are getting close! It is so exciting to be doing this project. I researched on how to know when the fuel is ready.  You must pour 150 ml of the biodesiel into a 2L bottle. Next you must add 150 ml of water ( it must be in room temperature) into the bottle. Shake the 2L bottle violently for 10 seconds. Then let the bottle settle. If the fuel and water separate then the fuel is ready.
This is the website:
http://www.ehow.com/way_5348969_homemade-biodiesel-fuel.html

Cataylist

In class we poured all the fuel into glass containers. We only poured the good part of the fuel. At the bottom of the bottle there was this gross yellow stuff, which we belive to be animal fat. The fuel sat ontop of the animal fat. After we were done puring the good part of the fuel we dumped the animal fat into a bucket.

I was absent on 5/12/11.

Making the fuel

 Today we mixed the methonal with the purified vegetable oil. We used 12 grams sodium hydroxide, 250mL methanol, 1L used cooking oil. First we measured the methanol. Then we comined the sodium hydroxide with the methanol. We shook the jar until the sodium hyrdroxide was dissolved completley. Next we put the liquid into the vegetable oil, which was in the 2L bottle. We closed the cap onto the bottle and tipped it over 5 times. We then put the bottle into a glass container and let it sit upside down.
  I learned that when you shake the methanol with the sodium hydroxide it creates heat. When i was shaking it, the jar became very warm. I learned that methonal is very flammable. I thought it was such a cool experience.  We had to get the exact meausrements or else the experiment wouldnt work.
 

The Diesel Engine

There are many parts to a diesel engine. There is an exhaust shaft, intake camshaft, spark plug, valves, piston, connecting rod, crankshaft, and a water jacket for coolant flow. The first part is the suction stroke. Pure air gets sucked in by the piston sliding downward. The next step is the compression stroke. The piston compresses the air above and uses thereby work, performed by the crankshaft.The third step is the power stroke. In the upper dead-center, the air is max. Compressed: pressure and temperature are very high. Now the black injection pump injects heavy fuel in the hot air. By the high tempera the fuel gets ignited immediatley (autoignition). The piston gets pressed downward and performs work to the crankshaft. The last step is the expulsion. In this step the burned exhaust gases are ejected out of a cylinder throught a second valve by the piston sliding upward again.

This is the diesel engine

Purifying Vegetble oil 2

Today in class we purifed the vegetable oil. We didnt use the cheesecloth beacuse it didnt work yesterday. We just used the strainer. I leaned that you need to puriy the oil twice before you can use it; just to be sure that there are no more particles left in the oil. We were able to clean the oil faster because today we knew what to do.

Purifying the Vegetable oil

Today in class we purified the vegetable oil. We covered one bucket with cheesecloth and a strainer. Then we poured the vegetable oil into that bucket. When we poured the vegetable oil into the bucket the cheescloth didn't work well. The strainer on the other hand worked pretty well. I learned that dawn soap cleans up vegetable oil. For tomorrow I think we should put paper towels all over the tables, so then if we accidently spill the vegetable oil it will land on the paper towels and not on the tables. That way it wont create such a big mess.

Hypothesis + Materials

If the vegetable oil is purified correctly, then the bio-diesel will run smoothly in the engine of the school bus.
The materials my class is using are:
1. Cheese cloth
2. Duct tape
3. Buckets
4. Coffee filters
5. Strainer
The steps:
1. Let the oil cool
2. Line up the cheese cloth and the strainer
3. Hook the strainer to the container/bottle
4. Pour the oil through the strainer slowly

Websites and Research!

I have done a lot of research on how to make bio-diesel, how to purify the used vegetable oil, and on how a diesel engine works. The websites that I have found are good, reliable websites that are filled with the information we need. Throughout my research I have found that on every website it has said that using bio-diesel is a much more eco-friendly than gas. They all list the benefits of using bio-diesel. This website below is a website that shows how to make bio-diesel. This website is packed with information.
ttp://www.officialbiodiesel.com/free_stuff/biodiesel_101/biodiesel_101_class.htm

Cleaning and purifying the vegetable oil is an important step in the bio-diesel making process. We will be purifying the vegetable oil on wednesday. Purifying the oil is the just first step in this long process. In this project time is crucial and can't be wasted. This website below is an easy step by step process for filtering the oil. I believe that this website will help us save time.
http://www1.eere.energy.gov/vehiclesandfuels/pdfs/basics/jtb_diesel_engine.pdf