Home from Cleve via the Crystal Brook Show

After a very busy 3 days in Cleve for the EP Field days we packed up and headed home.
Along the way we stopped off for the Crystal Brook show on Saturday 12th of August. The weather was perfect for the show and I was able to set up the display outdoors- and next to the stationary engine display.
The was a huge amount of interest in the whole Biodiesel concept with many people stopping by to look and ask lots of questions. Unfortunately I sold all of the copies of "From the Fryer to the Fuel tank" at Cleve, but I can supply them by mail to those want a copy/
We did a couple of demonstration pressings and the oil yield is continuing to improve.

Special thanks to the Crystal Brook Show people who squeezed me in at short notice.

2 Days in Cleve

On arrival at our site on Tuesday we found our entire display stand on the ground and flapping in the breeze.

Always be suspicious of towns near wind farms!

For 2 hours Simeon & I cleared up the fabric, straightened the poles and generally put the site back in order, we even did a demonstration at 11:00.
A kind person from the South Australian Farmers Federation took pity on us and invited us to relocate to their tent, where they had some vacant space.

A Big thankyou to the SA Farmers Federation.

There has been a lot of interest in Biofuels and Biodiesel. The demonstration presses have generated a lot of interest and as soon as the noise starts a large crowd forms. After nothing happens for 10 minutes, most of the crowd wanders away, but some of the more interested hang around and we have had some good contacts established.

It is looking like we will be demonstrating at the Crystal Brook on Saturday as we wend our way back to Ashton.

Stay tuned for more adventures. :)

Photos from setting up at Cleve

Ready to go at Cleve

Monday was spent setting up our site at Cleve.
The position is good and the display has already generated a bit of interest.
The 80 series press is mounted on a frame with a 10 HP diesel engine and will be used for demonstration twice a day.
The 68 series press and the 7 HP diesel engine are part of the static display.
There are also quite a number of information sheets on display and corporate flyer with FAQ (frequently asked questions) .

Final testing - 5 sleeps to go

The press is almost ready for the Eyre Peninsula Field Days.
Now I have to learn to drive it!
Today was spent designing the safety guards for the drive belts & a Hopper mechanism to demonstrate the self regulating feeding arrangement for the Press hopper.
The large white bucket in the top corners of the photos is the main feeding hopper with a metering valve and delivery tube into the press hopper.
Tomorrow is an intensive pressing day which should be the final step in preparation for the first public showing.

2nd Pressing - Getting better

After the belt modifications we pressed canola again today and got better results than last time. The Press screw is now running at about 35 to 50 RPM, depending on the setting of the Diesel motor.
The increased gearing also means that we can go back to the smaller (7 hp) engine.
The next 2 days will be used to learn how to tune the Press and keep it in the sweet spot where the expected oil yields are.
The oil so far has required filtration but the filtered oil looks good. It looks like a light honey or maple syrup and smells like - canola ! This was a bit of a shock as my only exposure to Canola Oil is the bleached, deodourised stuff you get from the Supermarket.

Preparations for Cleve are progressing. We are adding an overhead hopper to make it look a little more like the way most people will use it and am hunting down extra stuff so the stand does not look too bare.
I hope we can see you there.

Eyre Peninsula Field Days, 8, 9, 10 August, Cleve, South Australia