Biodiesel Cold Weather Issues

Well, here's a visual example of what happens to B100 when the temps drop to around 28 degrees fahrenheit.

From The BioD TDI

Depending on the vegetable oil you started with and how good your process was will determine the gel point of your biodiesel. If you use the hydrogenated style of oils you will have higher gel point.

With winter the use of B100 is pretty much going to be put on hold, especially for those of us in the northern regions. While one could install a two tank system like the straight vegetable oil (SVO) to preheat and then switch over to the B100. For the rest of us we will have to take blending our B100 with either DinoDiesel or with some Kerosene. Now I have to say I myself have not yet done this so I can't provide my personal insight on this, YET. As soon as I'm finished and start processing in the new Jerry Rig II I'll have to do some blending in order to use my fuel. Looks like I'll have to start maybe with a 80% B100 blended with 20% Kerosene as a starter. As it gets colder the blend of Kerosene will have to increase. But basically I'll have to take samples and experiment with the blend in order to get the right mix before adding to my tank.

Here's a nice discussion on the matter on the Biodiesel Infopop forums into the matter. I'll also add this link directly to the side bar for easier access.