Quality Testing
By Rick Da Tech
The 5 Tests Every Home Brewer Should KnowWhile there are dozens of tests available to home brewers, there are only five that every biodiesel home brewer needs to know. |
The 3-27 Conversion TestThe 3-27 test is one of the most important tests available to home brewers. Biodiesel completely dissolves in methanol, while vegetable oil (VO) does not. It is this difference the 3-27 test depends on to give us an indication of how successful we have been at converting VO into biodiesel. |
Testing for Water in WVOHomebrewers have relied on a variety of tests to determine water content. The most common are the hot pan, and the weigh-heat-weigh tests. The Sandy Brae Water Test Kit and the Carbide Manometer are becoming more popular due to improved accuracy at lower concentrations. |
Titrating WVOTitrating WVO is essential to understanding the quality of your oil. It is a simple test and is used to build a biodiesel recipe. This article contains instructions and videos on how to titrate.
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Go/NO GO Field TitrationWhen you're out scouting for oil sources, it is best to test the oil before talking the source. That way you don't spend time acquiring a fantastic oil source that turns out to titrate to 20. This test lets you quickly determine if WVO meets your standard when looking for that perfect oil source. |
FFA Test Strips3M offers a test strip for measuring FFA% of oil. The strips cost about 50 cents a strip and will quickly tell us roughly how good or bad your oil is. It's a great idea for when your scouting for sources and want to test the oil on site. |
The Biodiesel pHLip TestCytoculture International manufactures the pHLip test for biodiesel. It costs about $5 per test and acts as a firewall against 'bad' fuel. It gives indications for low conversion, poorly washed fuel, and aging fuel |
Cloud Point and Pour Point TestsYour Biodiesel can Gel up and clog your filter when it gets cold out. However, since the temperature that biodiesel starts to clog filters varies a great deal, we need to test the biodiesel we make to make sure it does not strand us on the highway in the snow. |
Cold Soak Filtration TestWhen biodiesel gets cold, sometimes stuff will fall out that doen't melt back in when it warms up. On the UK forum they call it HMPE for High Melting Point Esters. It is common with biodiesel made from WVO. This is the official ASTM test for it. |
Soap Titration for Unwashed BiodieselThis biodiesel titration test is used to determine the amount of soap in unwashed biodiesel. It is not part of ASTM D6751 biodiesel testing. It is a variation the one found in the Biodiesel Analytical Methods by the NREL pg 41, and has been tuned specifically for testing unwashed biodiesel. |
The Separation TestThis test is used to determine when to stop washing your biodiesel. It works on the basic principle that we have removed enough impurities when the suspended water drops quickly to the bottom without forming an emulsion. |
Testing Methanol for PurityThis test tells you how much water is in your methanol. Over time, water gets into your methanol from the air. The hydrometer is the best way for a home brewer to check it on the cheap.
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