DCHE FYP Biodiesel

Week 16: 1st August 2011 to 5th August 2011

2011-08-03T20:04:00.000-07:00

Week 16 (Semester 1, Term 2)

What have we done and learnt:

Week 15: 25th July 2011 to 29th July 2011

2011-08-03T20:03:00.001-07:00

Week 15 (Semester 1, Term 2)

What have we done and learnt:

Week 14: 18th July 2011 to 22nd July 2011

2011-08-03T19:59:00.000-07:00

Week 14 (Semester 1, Term 2)

What have we done and learnt:

Week 13: 11th July 2011 to 15th July 2011

2011-07-08T00:26:00.004-07:00

Week 13 (Semester 1, Term 2)

What have we done and learnt:

Week 12: 4th July 2011 to 8th July 2011

2011-07-08T00:26:00.003-07:00

Week 12 (Semester 1, Term 2)

What have we done and learnt:

Week 11: 27th June 2011 to 1st July 2011

2011-07-08T00:26:00.001-07:00

Week 11 (Semester 1, Term 2)

What have we done and learnt:

Week 10: 20th June 2011 to 24th June 2011

2011-07-08T00:23:00.003-07:00

Week 10 (Semester 1, Term 1)

What have we done and learnt:

Week 9: 13th June 2011 to 17th June 2011

2011-07-08T00:23:00.001-07:00

Week 9 (Semester 1, Term 1)

What have we done and learnt:

Week 8: 6th June 2011 to 10th June 2011

2011-06-08T05:32:00.000-07:00

Week 8 (Semester 1, Term 1)

What have we done and learnt:

06/06 Monday: Due to the lack of methanol, the experiment could not be carried out. Therefore, we calibrated the reciprocating pump. Before we start calibration, we read the safety and instruction manual and identified the hazards that might be present. For instance, it is stated that the pump should not be pump dry as it might cause cavitation. We calibrated the reciprocating pump using water at the sink area. We then thought that we should placed the pump at the reactor area so that the height of the reactor would be taken into consideration. We could only complete one run of calibration so we are going to continue with calibration tomorrow.

07/06 Tuesday: We calibrated the pump once more to compare our results with yesterday's result. Our findings show that our results were more constant as compared to yesterday's results. However, the flowrate was much lower. This might be due to the elevation as the pump was placed at a higher height.

Next, we went to find the TSO Mr ???, of the polymer ??? lab to cut our tubes to our desired lengths. We added roughly 10% excess to the length that we need. This is to ensure that we have sufficient length even if we have to do some adjustments. Later that day, we also went to buy some things that we need for our experiments such as, containers and rubber gloves.

08/06 Wednesday: Today, we did the calibration for the reciprocating pump after the cutting of the tubes to our desired lengths. Due to the lack of time, we only managed to do 1 set of reading to compare with the results yesterday. Tomorrow, we would place the pump to a higher elevation and do a calibration to compare which is the best position for us to place the pump for operation. Our target for tomorrow would be to determine the best position for the pump to be place and to make or buy a stand to support the pump if necessary.

Week 7: 30th May 2011 to 3rd June 2011

2011-06-01T04:46:00.000-07:00

Week 7 (Semester 1, Term 1)

What have we done and learnt:

30/05 Monday: We washed the unwashed biodiesel from Friday. After several attempts of washing, we managed to remove part of the unwanted contents by draining it off. However, the biodiesel still remained slightly cloudly. It might be due to the fact that we left the unwashed biodiesel over the weekend and because not all sodium methoxide was transferred into the reactor for reaction.

01/06 Wednesday: We did level marking and displacement test using water. In addition, we also fitted the rubber fittings at the corners of the bottom drip tray to seal off the sharp ends. Furthermore, we also washed the chemical bottles, washed the reactor and did housekeeping to prepare for the experiment on Friday.

02/06 Thursday: We met up with Mr Andrew Kon in the morning to report our progress such as what we have bought and the modifications we have done to the workplace. The reciprocating pump arrived yesterday and we checked it out with Mr Andrew Kon today. One task we received was to find more information regarding the purchasing of a ultrasonic water bath to promote better mixing of the sodium hydroxide pellets and methanol.

03/06 Friday: We ran the experiment with the aid of our senior Sin Kim. We ran the experiment without the use of the reciprocating pump because it was not calibrated yet. The ratio 5 : 1 was used for methanol against SOV. The unwashed biodiesel was washed 5 times to ensure a clearer biodiesel would form. Our first biodiesel sample was obtained and the colour was good. Some points we learnt to take note today was the height of the bubbler to be placed and amount of water to be added for washing. Due to the fact that the reactor is not tall enough for more water to be added for washing, we decided to do more number of washes to compensate for the low volume of water.

Week 6: 23th May 2011 to 27th May 2011

2011-05-27T08:20:00.000-07:00

Week 6 (Semester 1, Term 1)

What have we done and learnt:

24/05 Tuesday: We submitted our risk assessment form to Mr Andrew Kon.

25/05 Wednesday: We contacted the chemical suppliers to enquire about the purchasing of methanol and we got bought and received 5 tins of palm oil from Wee Tat Trading Company.

We started our 1st experiment this afternoon. We used 11L of palm oil and 2.5L of sodium methoxide and heated it to 60°C for 1 hour 15 minutes. In addition, we recorded the height of glycerol formed at intervals of 5 minutes after all sodium methoxide has been transferred to the reactor.

We also noticed that the loading tank has a layer of sodium methoxide which is unable to flow into the reactor. This will affect the total amount of sodium methoxide being fed into the reactor. As a result, the reaction would be incomplete and there would probably be unreacted palm oil in the biodiesel product.

26/05 Thursday: We met up with Mr Andrew Kon to report our findings from the experiment yesterday and to submit our critique report. We discussed and decided to run displacement test to account for the unreacted sodium methoxide and to do level marking on the reactor. We also had to remove the glycerol which hardens at the bottom on the reactor. The only thing we could do was to drain it out by poking it with straws. We also washed the biodiesel mixture. Moreover, we also reported what we think should be purchased such as, pails.

27/05 Friday: We did our 2nd experiment with 11L of palm oil and 2.5L of sodium methoxide under the supervision of the seniors. One learning point of the day was to crush the sodium methoxide using the pounder so that the sodium hydroxide pellets and methanol can mix well. However, we did not have enough time to wash the unwashed biodiesel.

After learning our lesson from the hardening of the glycerol, we drained it out so that it would not solidify and clogged the discharge valve. We would then carry out the washing next Monday. Last but not least, we have to plan how to carry out the experiment within the allocated time.

Week 5: 16th May 2011 to 20th May 2011

2011-05-20T08:18:00.000-07:00

Week 5 (Semester 1, Term 1)

What have we done and learnt:

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19/05 Thursday: We met up with Mr Andrew Kon ... Leslie was absent due to high fever. We were able to discuss our doubts with the seniors.

In the afternoon, the seniors demonstrated how to run the experiment to Alpha Biofuels. By observing how the seniors ran the experiment greatly helped us to better understand how the experiment should be carried out.

Week 4: 9th May 2011 to 13th May 2011

2011-05-13T08:16:00.000-07:00

Week 4 (Semester 1, Term 1)

What have we done and learnt:

12/05 Thursday: We met up with Mr Andrew Kon to discuss our literature search regarding the production of biodiesel. We received assignments to draw up a gantt chart to keep track of our progress and to update the risk assessment form.

Week 3: 2nd May 2011 to 6th May 2011

2011-05-06T08:16:00.000-07:00

Week 3 (Semester 1, Term 1)

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Week 2: 25th April 2011 to 29th April 2011

2011-04-29T08:15:00.000-07:00

Week 2 (Semester 1, Term 1)

What have we done and learnt:

Week 1: 18th April 2011 to 22th April 2011

2011-04-22T08:12:00.000-07:00

Week 1 (Semester 1, Term 1)

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