Biofuels in Perspective

Plant Oil Biofuel: Rationale, Production and Application 125
account for the special characteristics of plant oil and should include:
� pre-warming of the fuel, fuel lines or motor,
� modifications to the fuel system/pumps,
� additional filter stages,
� adjustment of the electronic engine control,
� possible modification to the injection system,
� control elements and relays.
Existing conversion approaches can be categorized as either one or two tank systems.
Regardless of the respective system, converted diesel engines can also run on diesel fuel
or on plant oil/diesel fuel blends, if this is desired or required.
7.5.1 One Tank System
The one tank solution enables the user to completely waive diesel fuels. In order to make-up
for the higher flash point of plant oil fuels, modifications of the injection system and/or the
injection nozzles are necessary. Only below certain temperatures, typically around 0 ◦ C, a
blend with certain portions of diesel fuel will be required. If an auxiliary heating system
or night-heater is desired, then a small secondary tank should be fitted for diesel, as these
heaters do not run on plant oil.
ELSBETT is offering its one tank solution for all pre-chamber and swirl chamber
engines, for traditional direct injecting engines and for selected unit injecting engines.
7.5.2 Two Tank System
The two tank system has a separate, smaller diesel tank to start and warm up the engine.
As soon as the engine is warm, it switches over, automatically or manually, to take plant
oil from the main, original tank of the vehicle for the remaining, main part of the journey.
Before long stops where the engine might cool down, the driver switches back to diesel for
the last few kilometres of the journey. This flushes the plant oil out of the injection system
and prepares the engine for the next cold-start.
The auxiliary tank for a car typically has a capacity of 20–30 litres. In some countries
the details of this change must be transcribed into the vehicle’s registration by a testing
centre, and it may also require a filler pipe on the outside of the vehicle. In this case, parts
for external filling are provided with the ELSBETT conversion kit.
ELSBETT is providing semi-automated two tank systems for all unit injecting and
common rail injecting engines, including modern heavy duty trucks.
7.6 The User Perspective
The market of plant oil technology, born with the ELSBETT Engine, is about as old as the
personal computer: more than 25 years. However, market growth rates have increased only
lately, indicating that the market is still in the phase of ‘Early Adopters’.