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| Vacuum pump (Photo credit: Wikipedia) |
As a general overview, this is a vacuum type reactor. The prototype is a 30 liter size and I have completed a 90 liter size. I chose the vacuum approach because it has several significant advantages over other types of reactors. I don't like the idea of pressurizing a plastic container which contains methoxide to force it into the reactor. I can use vacuum to draw the methoxide into the reactor which has less potential for an accident. Similarly it can be used to draw the oil into the reactor. Vacuum also allows rapid drying of the oil prior to the reaction which is essential, and saves much time, and also allows rapid drying of the fuel at the end which also saves days per batch in process time. Vacuum also lends itself to methanol recovery which I consider to be not optional from the perspective of sustainability and environmental responsibility. I chose to use forced exhaust at the methoxide mixer, liquid trap and vacuum pump to increase safety in the use of the system. Safety is always the primary concern and then after that every effort is made to optimize the effectiveness of the system for obtaining a quality result. As much as possible I try to use parts that are commonly available and wherever possible work to reduce overall cost by careful selection of components so long as it doesn't compromise safety and quality. The reactor is designed with long term reliability in mind.
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