[ghosty_ghost]

Been thinking about the crude oil pumps around the area (our property has several), how hard is it to make your own fuel (vapour distillation) straight from crude oil? Most diesel engines will run on just about anything & kero was the first & easiest product made from crude oil back in the 1800's.

Has anyone been down this backyard "still" before?

[steam_cannon]

Well, I knew a family in PA who's parents had their own oil well working on their property. It made a big mess of nastyness in the woods, but it was interesting. One thing I remember them mentioning was it was alright as a lubricant for protecting some tractor parts from rust. Also I'm sure you could burn crude directly to fuel a steam engine / generator setup. But I suspect refining your own crude is a pain...

However, on a tabletop you could probably heat the crude in a sealed vessel with a temperature sensor and maybe two pipes coming off it. One pipe to vent evaporated gases with a shut off valve and another pipe with a shut valve which you open up when it gets to the Kerosene temperature range... That pipe would then lead into a cooling pipe to condense the hot fuel or into a solvent safe bag to condense due to the high surface area of the bag.

Just thinking, it sounds like it could be done (at least in very small batches). But most likely, if you can't figure it out on your own you'll blow yourself up trying so don't. Burning crude in any steam engine to produce power will likely be safer then evaporating fuel from crude.

--------------------------------------------------------------------

Never the less, here are a few different ideas...

Crude burning steam locomotives
http://maine.gov/doc/parks/programs/his ... ash/rr.htm

Crude or waste oil is sometimes mixed with coal (or wood) and burnt in steam power plants...
(There are better links out there about this, but here are two...)
http://www.springerlink.com/content/r66581l6tk614670/
http://www.osti.gov/energycitations/pro ... id=6749362

"Big marine diesels burn oil that comes from pretty low in the distillation process. Some I think will burn "bunker crude"."
http://www.eng-tips.com/viewthread.cfm? ... 346&page=1

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'K')erosene is an oil distillate commonly used as a fuel or solvent. It is a thin, clear liquid consisting of a mixture of hydrocarbons that boil between 302°F and 527°F (150°C and 275°C). While kerosene can be extracted from coal, oil shale, and wood, it is primarily derived from refined petroleum. Before electric lights became popular, kerosene was widely used in oil lamps and was one of the most important refinery products. Today kerosene is primarily used as a heating oil, as fuel in jet engines, and as a solvent for insecticide sprays.

http://www.enotes.com/how-products-ency ... a/kerosene

[steam_cannon]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('pstarr', '')$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('steam_cannon', 'J')ust thinking, it sounds like it could be done (at least in very small batches). But most likely, if you can't figure it out on your own you'll blow yourself up trying so don't. Burning crude in any steam engine to produce power will likely be safer then evaporating fuel from crude.

[steam_cannon]

By the way ghosty_ghost, welcome to the club...


http://web.mit.edu/2.009/www/experiment ... annon.html

[ghosty_ghost]

thanks for the welcome. As I know nothing about the subject (refining), we have to start with that first dumb question

[Tanada]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('ghosty_ghost', 't')hanks for the welcome. As I know nothing about the subject (refining), we have to start with that first dumb question

[ghosty_ghost]

The pumps are on our property, i swear it leaks more than what goes in the holding tank. I just wanted to kick around the idea of the feasibility of it all without launching myself into space. Take an old Lister engine for instance, could the crude be burned straight or does it require a basic refining process first or maybe just filtering would be enough?

cheers

[Tanada]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('ghosty_ghost', 'T')he pumps are on our property, i swear it leaks more than what goes in the holding tank. I just wanted to kick around the idea of the feasibility of it all without launching myself into space. Take an old Lister engine for instance, could the crude be burned straight or does it require a basic refining process first or maybe just filtering would be enough?

cheers

[oiless]

There used to be stationary internal combustion engines, hot bulb and hot tube engines. They were capable of running on some grades of unrefined crude.
I think there might still be some at work here and there, pumping crude out of old wells.