“Today the President articulated the national security and economic threats associated with our escalating dependence on foreign oil. With the increasing price of gasoline, natural gas is an important domestic fuel at our disposal that can replace foreign oil to power heavy-duty fleet vehicles. Converting heavy-duty trucks and high-fuel use commercial fleet vehicles to natural gas can reduce our OPEC dependence now while we wait for technology to power the vehicles of tomorrow. It is clear President Obama is committed to weaning America off Middle Eastern oil, securing our own energy future and recognizes the role natural gas can play as a domestic transportation fuel. Recent unrest in the Middle East underscores the need to take action now and I’m encouraged by the President’s promise to secure America’s energy future and national security by reducing our dependence on OPEC oil.”

The Pickens Plan to encourage more heavy duty fleet vehicles to run on domestic resources is included in the NAT GAS Act, which is being prepared for introduction next week in the U.S. House of Representatives by Congressman John Sullivan (R-OK), Congressman Dan Boren (D-OK), Congressman John Larson (D-CT) and Congressman Kevin Brady (R-TX). The pending legislation enjoys broad bipartisan support.

My 1970 Mercedes 220D Veggie Car

As part of my “no nonsense” series on bio and alternative fuels, I covered biodiesel and straight vegetable oil (SVO) and waste vegetable oil (WVO) diesel conversions.  Since I believe in experimenting first-hand with topics I discuss, a few years ago, I worked with a local company to convert a restored 1970 Mercedes 220D to run on vegetable oil.  I have had one other veggie car before “Helga” the Mercedes and you can read about the “Veggie Ranger” conversion on Greasology.org.

Restored Vintage Mercedes 220D Diesel

Why did I pick an old Mercedes?

Even though the first diesel engines built by Rudolf Diesel in the late 1800′s ran on plant oils, modern diesel engines are far removed from those first engines.  They use direct injection with high pressure common rail fuel systems with computerized injection and timing.  They use sensors everywhere that expect a fuel that has the same viscosity and cetane rating as diesel fuel.  They are also not very tolerant to water in the fuel

Helga the Veggie Mercedes interior

The 2.2 liter, indirect-injected, mechanical diesel in the Mercedes 220D is much closer to the first diesel engines and is a much more forgiving and tolerant engine for burning alternative fuels.  There are no computers or sensors.  Combustion occurs in a “pre-combustion” chamber off the side of the main cylinder (there are four of them).  This helps prevent carbonization of the piston rings in the cylinders since unspent fuel is carbonized in the pre-combustion chamber instead of in the cylinder.  This is very important for diesel engines that are run on vegetable oil.  It is common for veggie fuel to enter the combustion chamber at lower than optimal temperature which causes the fuel to be sprayed in a less than optimal pattern.  This causes some of the fuel to carbonize on the walls of the combustion chamber.  In modern diesel engines, fuel is injected directly into the cylinder.  Therefore, the carbonization occurs on the head of the piston and eventually on the walls of the cylinders.  This causes carbonization on the piston rings which eventually fouls them causing breakage and a dead engine.

Helga's Converted Engine Bay

There are some sophisticated and well-designed vegetable oil conversions such as the Frybrid and Vegistroke conversions that are designed to perform on modern, direct injection diesel engines but still require a very careful fuel preparation system.  This is a highly debated topic in the Grease Community but my recommendation would be to go with an older indirect injection diesel engine if you want to experiment with veggie fuel.

Helga's Veggie Fuel Tank

How Does the Conversion Work?

Helga has a coolant-heated, two tank system with a looped return.  There are two parallel fuel systems that connect before the injection pump on the supply side and after the injection pump on the return side.  It was designed by Rob del Bueno of Vegenergy Fuel Systems and installed by Dezso Gavaller.  Rob is an experienced resource in the biofuel industry and is the star of the VegMyRide Instructional DVD on converting a diesel vehicle to vegetable oil.  You can order the video direct from Rob if you want a copy (link coming soon).  It includes all of the conversion fuel diagrams including the system installed in Helga.  Here is a brief description of the system:

1. A custom-welded tank with an integrated heat exchanger.  Coolant from the engine is looped through the heat exchanger welded into the tank to heat the vegetable oil.
2. Hose on hose (HOH) fuel lines from the fuel tank to the heated fuel filter. The coolant lines that take engine coolant to and from the engine are wrapped together with the vegetable oil fuel line as it runs from the tank to the fuel filter.  This keeps the fuel heated from the tank to the fuel filter
3. Coolant-heated fuel filter on the vegetable oil side of the fuel system. The head of the filter is a coolant-based heat exchanger that also uses waste heat from the engine to heat the oil coming from the fuel tank.
4. Arctic fox inline coolant-based heat exchanger. This is the last point of heating the fuel before it flows through the valve and into the injection pump.  Coolant that leaves the engine is at its hottest point so it flows first through the arctic fox, then through the fuel filter and then onto the fuel tank through the HOH lines to the tank.
5. Switching valves. One switches the fuel source from diesel to vegetable oil.  The second valve switches between returning diesel to the diesel tank and looping the return back into the fuel supply line.  The loop is used when the system is running on vegetable oil and during the diesel purge process.

How do I Operate the System?

When you first start the engine, the fuel system should be set to diesel and return. (there are two switches)  the engine is cranked and warmed up on diesel fuel.  Once the engine reaches operating temperature, both switches are flipped to the right simultaneously switching the fuel system to veggie and the return to a looped return.  You can now drive on veggie until you’re approaching your destination or you start to run out of vegetable oil.  When you are a few minutes from your destination, you need to begin the diesel purge process.  Flip the fuel selection switch back to diesel but leave the return switch on looped return.  Diesel enters the fuel system and return loop diluting the vegetable oil until it is almost completely diesel fuel.  This is usually about 1-2 minutes in Helga when driving on the highway at 65mph.  Once the system is purged, the return switch is flipped back to diesel return.

Helga's Veggie System Control - diesel/veg on left, return on the right

Pro’s and Con’s?

My overall experience with this car was positive.  However, I was very meticulous in doing research on the right vehicle, picking a well-designed conversion and performing proper filtration and dewatering of the fuel.

Pro’s

• Once I had the operating procedure down, the system was easy to operate.
• I used approximately 90% vegetable oil fuel on my 80 mile daily commute to and from work.
• I didn’t have any vegetable-oil related problems with the vehicle or fuel system during the year and a half that I used Helga as a daily commuter
• I only replaced the veggie filter one time during the time I owned her.
• The exhaust smells like french fries.
• There is no particulate in the exhaust so it doesn’t bother folks with breathing issues like asthma.

Con’s

• The conversion cost around $1700 installed.
• Fuel acquisition from restaurants is competitive, time consuming and messy
• Fuel preparation is messy and time consuming
• Most diesel mechanics won’t work on your veggie car or truck

Overall, I enjoyed running my two veggie vehicles and didn’t have any issues with the conversions or driveability.  However, they were well-designed and I took the proper precautions and procedures when preparing the vegetable oil for use.  I also perform most of my own vehicle maintenance and would consider myself an advanced “shade tree” mechanic.  I would not recommend veggie cars to someone that is not mechanically-inclined unless you find an installer that will provide all of your vehicle maintenance for you.

For more information on using vegetable oil as a diesel fuel, see the following “NotPetroleum-approved” internet sources:

Greasology.org

InfoPop SVO forum

Frybrid Forum

Vegistroke site

If you’re interested in doing your own vegetable conversion, here’s a great instructional video that steps you through converting a vintage Mercedes to Vegetable Oil.

While reducing our dependence on foreign oil is by far the most effective method of diffusing this vicious cycle, I can’t help but ponder how the current wave of democratization of the Middle East will affect this?  Thomas Friedman posted a very informative opinion article on the NY Times Wednesday that describes a wave of change happening throughout the Middle East.  If anyone has their pulse on the Middle East, it is Friedman.  From his firsthand knowledge of the political environment (through living and reporting there  for years as a journalist and correspondent)  and through his Pulitzer Prize winning book on Middle East politics and social environment, From Beirut to Jerusalem,  Friedman is most qualified to report on this topic.

Unlike the elections of the 80s and 90s in the Middle East where most autocratic leaders that allowed elections always received 99% or more of the vote, covering elections today has more uncertainty and is a more interesting story.  A story that keeps voters up at night awaiting election results.  In the case where there is concern of fraud, it is no longer the status quo.  Today, you will find voters protesting the injustice in the streets using technology such as Twitter, IM, Facebook and other social media tools to organize.

There is a wave of change moving through the Middle East fueled by the taste of Democracy and the enablement of technology that gives people the social media tools to organize like no other time in history.

Sustainable Energy – Without the Hot Air

From a transcript provided by Transportation for America:

Not only do we need to rebuild our roads, our bridges, our ports, our levies, our dams, but we also have to plan for the future. This is the same example of turning crisis into opportunity…Now, look, this is America. We always had the best infrastructure. We were always willing to invest in the future. Governor Crist mentioned Abraham Lincoln. In the middle of the Civil War, in the midst of all this danger and peril, what did he do? He helped move the intercontinental railroad.  He helped start land grant colleges. He understood that even when you’re in the middle of crisis, you’ve got to keep your eye on the future. So transportation is not just fixing our old transportation systems but its also imaging new transportation systems.

That’s why I’d like to see high speed rail where it can be constructed. That’s why I would like to invest in mass transit because potentially that’s energy efficient and I think people are alot more open now to thinking regionally in terms of how we plan our transportation infrastructure. The days where we’re just building sprawl forever, those days are over. I think that Republicans, Democrats, everybody recognizes that that’s not a smart way to build communities. So we should be using this money to help spur this kind of innovative thinking when it comes to transportation. That will make a big difference.

Onshore and offshore wind, solar thermal and photovoltaics, waste-to-energy, geothermal and next-generation and sugar-based biofuels were identified as large-scale clean energy sectors that governments throughout the world should pursue to address energy security and climate change, the report (PDF) said.

The report, released at the annual meeting in Davos, suggests the transition to clean energy should be included in government stimulus plans, which is similar to U.S. President Barack Obama’s efforts to include billions in renewable energy and energy efficiency measures in the massive stimulus bill making its way though Congress.

The report’s release comes within days of Texas awarding $5 billion in projects aimed at propping up capacity of the state’s transmission lines, which currently cannot handle incredible growth in wind energy generation.

When the projects are completed, there could be up to 2,900 miles of new power lines. Texas leads the country in wind generation, and current power lines are near capacity.

Here is a website created by a couple in Louisiana that got tired of living in a fast-paced world and made major lifestyle changes to create a better life for themselves.  Enjoy reading about their new-found freedom.

While lifestyle changes are not the easiest for everyone, this family found that simplifiying their life greatly improved the quality of the life they are living.  Not to mention the amount of petroleum they are saving by removing themselves from the rat race!

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OPT PowerBuoy

The Oahu PowerBuoy was launched under the Company’s ongoing program with the US Navy for installation of PowerBuoys off Marine Corps Base Hawaii at Kaneohe Bay and will be connected to the Oahu power grid. Further, the US Navy has added $300,000 in funding for this program to provide for extended operation of the PowerBuoy system.

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