Oil Expeller -Return to sustainability menu

There is a great learning curve on learning how to expel oil with the oil Press. First I had to take everything apart and clean it thoroughly.This new Chinese machine was in terrible condition and could not have been run as it was, I also polished everything on the inside. It took many hours to get it running properly. Do not purchase one of these machines without seeing one in operation and getting to know how to operate one thoroughly!.

	March 9, 2010 The new 12 hp single diesel engine that drives the food grade oil expeller. updated by Clare
	It looks like a good fit. We built the metal base and mounted the engine. Of concern was the vibration from the single cycliner engine which was substantial. We ran it without bolting it down and it moves around. After bolting it down it had enough vibration to cause me concern about the cement floor so Will devised a harmonic balancer... now to build it!

	Dec 2, 2009. I moved the centrifuge over near the oil expeller to give it a try. It was a sunny day and we had the electricity from the solar cells so we expeeled oil!
	Here is the expeller doing its thing putting out oil. The sieve is there to help filter out the big particles, it does need emptying every so often.
	The output of the centrifuge. It took three times through the machine to get it reasonably clear. It was fairly cold as well which did not help but overall I am very pleased with the centrifuge as it offers an easy way to do a small batch of food grade oil wihtout having it sit around for a week going through filters or settling.
	Filling the bucket that feeds the centrifuge.
	Note the pattern of the residue on the walls of the centrifuge. It is quite dry and obviously worked well.

November 24 2009 This is Mats new centrifuge setup. This will be used to filter the sunflower oil. Note the wheels to make it mobile. Updated by Clare

Sept. 22, 2009. WE are back expelling oil again. The fall is the best time to press for the biodiesel and raw veggie diesel engine use. I will always press a few barrles of sunflower oil for human consumption but afterit is pressed it needs to be kept cool and out of sunlight. Interesting results of our pressing now with about a 50% recovery in oil from the sunflwoer seeds. I do run the press at about 60 rpms and there is heat build up at the end of about 150 degrees F but most of the oil comes from the much cooler end at about 80 degrees F. WE are pressing about 990 lbs per hour with the current set up.

	May 21 2009, This is the new setup with everything in easy reach.
	This is the newly improved centrifuge... no splash!!!!!
	The final filtering and settling tanks.

	April 3, 2009 Just another view of the hopper. I have purchased another oil expeller since I was concerned about replacement parts.
	April 3, 2009 This is the new oil expeller guard and the new hopper.
	August 5, 2008 The sunflower meal coming out
	Good close up of the oil coming out. Note the addition of a plate under the main auger adjustment. Without this the machine will not get a good percentage of oil with sunflower seeds.
	Oil expeller in full operation. Note the oil dripping out. We have refined the process somewhat but still more work to be done on the filtering. The washing machine on spin was excellent...but now the final bag filter needs a change.
	August 4,2008 Darlene operating the oil expeller.
	The centrifuge!.... yes my old washing machine!
	Jugs of oil settling. I have just converted my old washing machine into a centrifuge for filtering the oil. Preliminary tests worked out well.
	The pile of hot meal, note that the snow melts! This was quite surprising for me to see just how hot the pile got so this made me think that it must be producing methane so why don't I make a biogas pit and do some cooking off of the methane?
	Jan 8. 2008 After a day of oil expelling I take the machine apart and clean it..... now thats a job for an apprentice! Putting your hands in the oily parts makes very soft hands..... must be the vitamin E!
	Dec 31, 2007 Oil flowing. The oil is quite black looking but given a night sitting the oil comes to the top and it can be poured out. One wonders what the energy returned on energy invested. There was the planting, the harvesting, the delivery and now the expelling. My diesel seems to use very little fuel but if you add everything up I'm not so sure there is much return over the energy invested.
	The rings need cleaning after every session. They will gum up and the oil flow will not be adequate if left over night.
	Dec 31, 2007 The oil expeller disassembled. There is quite a learning curve to get this process to work just right. Finally I feel very successful but as always there is more improvements to be made. The oil catcher needs modification, an overhead lamp would be good, the sunflower meal catcher should be modified so that it falls away on its own etc. I feel like I am inventing the wheel over again.
	Finally on Dec 14, 2007 I have the oil expeller up and running again. It ran perfectly! But what a mess for me -I must make some adjustments to the way it catches the oil, some of the squirts come straight out the front and miss the bucket, sometimes getting on my pants. In all though a very good run!
	Fred Herman grew these sunflower seeds for me and then lent me the hopper wagon. only 2000 lbs to go!
	Finally got some pulleys and belts. The thing works and now to get some guards on those pulleys. And yes it now runs on a percentage of biodiesel!
	OK just how am I going to make these two work together???
	The expeller is mounted on the base, bolted to the floor and ready for operation!
	This is the oil expeller-- unfortunately from China!
	I got quite interested in this lister diesel. I at first did not want it because of its size but later I thought it would be very suitable for an oil expeller.