One lesser-known movement in green car technology is converting diesels to run on SVO, or Straight Vegetable Oil. Unlike biodiesel, which is produced by chemically modifying vegetable oil so that it can be used in a diesel vehicle with no modifications, SVO requires a second fuel system for the vegetable oil in addition to the standard diesel fuel system. Also, one doesnt operate and fill up an SVO vehicle like a normal petrol or diesel car. It sounds like a lot of work, so why are more and more people kicking up the veggie quotient of their diesels diet? We decided to look into it.
No automaker offers an SVO-powered vehicle in its line-up, so tapping a press fleet for a quick evaluation was out of the question. Fortunately we stumbled upon Chuck and Tom Norton, a pair of sibs who run Turtle Plastics, an eco-friendly plastics business in Lorain, OH. The Norton boys recently had a 2003 Volkswagen Jetta TDi converted to run on SVO. Though Toms the primary driver, Chuck was happy to hand over the keys to their Vega Jet for a spin last week and helped us understand what its like to own and operate a vehicle that eats out of a dumpster. Let us explain
Before we dive deeper into the question of why someone would choose to convert a vehicle to run on SVO, lets go over exactly how it works. While modern diesel engines require no modification to burn vegetable oil, a separate fuel system is required because SVO takes on the viscosity of a cinder block as the temperature drops. On account of this, a diesel fuel system is still needed to operate the vehicle until the SVO can warm up and thin out.
Though each installation is different, an average SVO conversion involves adding a separate fuel tank, filter and fuel lines for the vegetable oil, as well as modifying the coolant system to transfer the engines heat to these new components. On the Nortons Jetta the fuel lines carrying SVO up to the engine are cleverly packed with coolant lines that run all the way to the SVO fuel tanks custom mounted in the trunk.
At startup the Vega Jet will run off of its diesel fuel system until the engine has warmed. Normally that heat energy would be lost via the cars radiator, but this SVO vehicle reuses the heat thanks to the modified coolant system that quickly thins out the vegetable oil so it can flow freely in the system.
Although not much study has been performed on the emissions of an SVO-powered vehicle, they are comparable to what a biodiesel powerplant puts out, which is a marked improvement over that of a straight diesel. According to the website Energy Bulletin, there are no sulfur emissions, lower unburnt hydrocarbons, and somewhat lower carbon monoxide and particulates. While biodiesel has been shown to emit slightly higher levels of nitrous oxide than diesel, studies performed locally by Full Circle Fuels itself have indicated that running on straight grease emits less NOx than even diesel. SVO vehicles are virtually carbon dioxide free, as well, except for the small amount of CO2 released during start up or purging while running on diesel. Assuming one is careful about purging the vegetable oil from the vehicles fuel system, an SVO-powered vehicle will also enjoy the same durability as its diesel-powered countered thanks to the natural lubricity of vegetable oil.
Fuel economy also remains largely unchanged from a similar diesel-powered vehicle, which is to say these things will go great distances on a tank of grease. While saving money on fuel was an attractive quality for the Norton brothers, their reasons for burning vegetable oil are more closely aligned with the desire to use renewable resources that leave less of an impact on the environment than gasoline or diesel fuel, as well as the oft-cited hope that one day this country wont be beholden to other oil-producing countries for its energy.
While this review was meant as a window into a day in the life of an SVO-equipped vehicle owner, we plan to return to the topic of SVO again in the near future to examine how the greasy technology fits into the increasingly varied mix of alternative fuels and powerplants. Well introduce you to Sam Merret and Bob Beckett, the two SVO-advocates that operate Full Circle Fuels in Oberlin, OH and perform SVO conversions on a daily basis. Well also examine Golden Fuel Systems, of which Full Circle Fuels is an affiliate of sorts. Formerly known as Greasel, Golden Fuel Systems is widely considered one of the best producers of SVO conversion kits in the business. Until then, we hope youll look twice at the bottle of cooking oil in your kitchen cabinet knowing that theres a Vega Jet driving around looking for some free fuel to sip.
source:http://www.autoblog.com/2006/04/04/in-the-autoblog-driveway-2003-vw-jetta-svo-straight-vegetable/
