Production system and method

• US 20030175182A1
• Filed: 03/15/2002
• Published: 09/18/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 03/15/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Biodiesel Industries, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Biodiesel Industries, Inc.
• Inventors: Sickels, Ronald Franklin, Teall, Russell
• Granted Patent: US 6,979,426 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 422/188
• CPC Class Codes: C10L 1/026 for compression ignition
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 50/10 Biofuels, e.g. bio-diesel

Abstract

In a first aspect, systems and methods for producing biodiesel fuel include a modular production unit incorporated onto a single platform or into a housing for ease of relocatability. The modular production unit preferably includes a mixing unit, a reactor unit, a separation unit, a distillation unit, and a filtering unit, all incorporated onto or into a self-contained platform or housing that is able to be easily relocated. In a second aspect, the modular production unit is combined with additional fixed and/or relocatable components to provide a biodiesel processing plant. In a third aspect, a raw materials processing system and method includes a roller barrel adapted for recovery, transportation, and introduction of recycled oil feedstock into a biodiesel manufacturing process. The raw materials processing system preferably includes a hot box for filtering and heating the raw recycled oil feedstock.

Claims

1. A biodiesel production unit comprising:

a reactor unit,

a separator unit downline in a flow path from said reactor unit, and

a distillation unit downline in a flow path from said separator unit,

wherein said reactor unit, said separator unit, and said distillation unit are incorporated onto a transportable platform or into a transportable housing.

2. The biodiesel production unit according to claim 1, wherein the separator unit comprises an array of three centrifuge units connected in series.

3. The biodiesel production unit according to claim 1, wherein the distillation unit comprises a continuous flow distillation unit.

4. The biodiesel production unit according to claim 1, wherein the reactor unit comprises a reactor tank having a cone-shaped bottom portion.

5. The biodiesel production unit according to claim 4, wherein said reactor tank includes a pump driven nozzle jet adapted to provide mixing of the contents of said reactor tank.

6. The biodiesel production unit according to claim 1 further comprising a mixing unit upline in a flow path from said reactor unit.

7. A biodiesel processing plant comprising:

a biodiesel production unit comprising a reactor unit, a separator unit downline in a flow path from said reactor unit, and a distillation unit downline in a flow path from said separator unit, wherein said reactor unit, said separator unit, and said distillation unit are incorporated onto a first transportable platform or into a first transportable housing, and

a raw materials processing unit upline in a flow path from said biodiesel production unit, said raw materials processing unit comprising a raw material settling tank for removing impurities from feedstock materials, and a filtration unit.

8. The biodiesel processing plant according to claim 7 further comprising a finished product processing unit downline in a flow path from said biodiesel production unit, said finished product processing unit comprising a finished product settling tank for removing impurities from a finished biodiesel product, and a filtration unit.

9. The biodiesel processing plant according to claim 8 wherein said raw materials processing unit and said finished product processing unit are incorporated onto a second transportable platform or into a second transportable housing.