Scientific Paper / Artículo Científico https://doi.org/10.17163/ings.n25.2021.03 pISSN: 1390-650X / eISSN: 1390-860X Design and construction of a batch reactor with external recirculation to obtain biodisel from residual oil frying under subcritical conditions Diseño y construcción de un reactor discontinuo con recirculación externa para obtener biodiésel a partir de aceite de fritura en condiciones subcríticas Cristian Fabián Pérez-Salinas1,∗, Diego Fernando Núnez-Núñez1, Herminia del Rosario Sanaguano-Salguero2, Luis Fernando Sánchez-Quinchuela3 Received: 23-05-2020, Reviewed: 06-08-2020, Accepted after review: 25-09-2020 Abstract Resumen A batch reactor was designed and built to obtain Se diseña y construye un reactor discontinuo para biodiesel from frying oil under sub-critical conditions, obtener biodiésel a partir de aceite de fritura en condi- with the purpose of reducing the reaction time to the ciones subcríticas con la intención de reducir el tiempo minimum possible. The design process is focused on de reacción al mínimo posible. El proceso de diseño the selection of the material and the verification of se centra en la selección del material y la verificación its resistance by means of a FEM analysis from a de su resistencia mediante un análisis FEM a partir Design of Experiments (DOE). Three levels of pres- de un diseño experimental DOE. Se consideran tres sure, temperature and wall thickness, respectively, niveles de presión, temperatura y espesor de pared, and a material categorical factor at two levels were respectivamente, y un factor categórico material a considered. The results obtained were that the ap- dos niveles. Los resultados obtenidos permiten deter- propriate material for manufacturing the reactor is minar que el material apropiado para la manufactura 304 stainless steel with a design safety factor of 1. del reactor es acero inoxidable 304 con un factor de For constructing the system it was also necessary to seguridad de diseño de 1. Para el proceso de construc- select all the complementary components. The final ción del sistema es necesario también la selección de operation tests showed that it is possible to safely todos los componentes complementarios. Las pruebas obtain the biofuel in the batch reactor with a degree finales de funcionamiento muestran que es posible ob- of conversion 88%, in a range of 5 to 8 minutes. tener el biocombustible en el reactor discontinuo con un grado de conversión del 88 % de manera segura en un rango de 5 a 8 minutos. Keywords: Biodiesel, Discontinuous reactor, sub- Palabras clave: biodiésel, reactor discontinuo, critical conditions, DOE, Finite elements. condiciones subcríticas, DOE, elementos finitos 1,∗Docente investigador, Ingeniería Mecánica, Universidad Técnica de Ambato, Ecuador. Autor para correspondencia ): [email protected]. http://orcid.org/0000-0003-4031-5464 http://orcid.org/0000-0001-5248-4084 2Docente investigador, Ciencias Ambientales, Universidad Estatal de Bolívar, Ecuador. http://orcid.org/0000-0002-2885-1515 3Profesor, Mecánica Industrial, Instituto Superior Tecnológico Guayaquil, Ecuador. http://orcid.org/0000-0002-4238-7376 Suggested citation: Pérez-Salinas, C. F.; Núnez-Núñez, D. F.; Sanaguano-Salguero, H, R. and Sánchez-Quinchuela, L. F. (2021). «Design and construction of a batch reactor with external recirculation to obtain biodisel from residual oil frying under subcritical conditions». Ingenius. N.◦ 25, (january-june). pp. 32-40. doi: https://doi.org/10.17163/ings. n25.2021.03. 32 Pérez-Salinas et al. / Design and construction of a batch reactor with external recirculation to obtain biodisel from residual oil frying under subcritical conditions 33 1. Introduction have been used in engineering development: traditional and graphical. The former is based on the knowledge Most countries worldwide are concerned about reduc- and experience of the engineer, the latter on graphical ing the emission of greenhouse gases, incorporating maps of engineering materials organized according to new sources of energy as an alternative to fossil fuels their physical and mechanical properties [16]. and recovering deforested territory with arable and The graphical method was developed as a very im- non-arable vegetation [1]. For this purpose, the pro- portant support in the stage of conception and devel- duction of biofuels is a tangible alternative [2–4]. It opment of the product [17, 18]. The graphical method is expected that increasing the production of biofuels from Michael Ashby has been the most useful one in will not only contribute to the conservation of the recent years. It is a methodology that acts as a guide environment, but also to the economical and social for material selection, considering the attributes that development of the producing countries [5]. are related with each other by means of graphical se- Conventional techniques for producing biodiesels lection tables [18,19]. Performance indices are utilized, use reactors. A chemical reactor is a complex device which refer to groups of material properties with the in which heat and mass transfer, diffusion and friction purpose of maximizing or minimizing them according may occur together with the chemical reaction under to the specific requirement. They are derived from the control and safety devices. There are different types of objective function of the system, and are expressed by reactors according to the form of operation, the type means of mathematical equations. of internal flow and the phases they house [6–9]. In Various authors have reported the use of the Finite general, it is sought to determine the size and type of Element Analysis (FEA) technique for designing and reactor, as well as the operation method necessary to verifying chemical reactors subject to multiphase mod- obtain the final product [10]. eling [20–23]. Studies, such as [24–26], mention that One of the important parameters intended to be parametric design provides mechanical systems with improved is the time for obtaining the biodiesel. Times the capability of synthesizing, simplifying and econo- between 20 and 180 minutes have been reported in mizing the design process, which enables amplifying previous studies [11]; in particular, in residual cooking and exploring possibilities of solution. oils this time is 90 minutes. In the current study, it was carried out the de- In recent years, attention has been focused on seek- sign and construction of a batch reactor with external ing raw materials different than vegetable oils such recirculation to obtain biodiesel from residual frying as soy, palm, etc. This is mainly due to the cost of oil under subcritical conditions, with the purpose of obtaining the raw material, which is approximately 70 reducing the production time within a controlled and % of the total cost of obtaining biodiesel [6–8]. The safe framework that fulfills engineering requirements. frying oil is another source of raw material, whose To this effect, it was proceeded to select the materials advantage over other raw materials is that they are in and verify the resistance under the stress regime using the category of residuals. This feature gives it a great the finite elements technique. viability because it contributes to the reduction of the environmental pollution. 2. Materials and methods In Latin America, the residual frying oil has the potential to be used as a primary source for producing The following methodology was applied: selection of biodiesel [12]. There is a large industry of fast and materials, design by means of finite element analysis traditional food that uses frying oil, which becomes a (FEA), construction of the system and operation tests. waste after being used. For example, in Colombia 35 % It is remarked the fact that the design of the reactor of the yearly production of 162 million liters of cooking was initiated with the observation of previous designs, oil becomes a residual that is discarded in sewers [13], to come up with a completely new design which enables and Spain produces 150 million liters of used vegetable reducing the time to obtain the biodiesel. oil yearly [14]. On the other hand, in the industrial, educational 2.1. Selection of materials and residential sectors, there are countless products and systems developed to accomplish a specific task. It was utilized the graphical method from Ashby, with All of them employ engineering materials chosen to the aid of the CES EDUPACK educational software. achieve an optimal performance. The process for ob- It was defined the required functionality, the objective taining a product comprises three macro-processes: and the constraints of the reactor (Table1). From design, manufacturing and operation tests. The de- Hooke´s law which gives the tensile stress in the elas- sign stage starts determining the requirements and tic zone (σ) as the product of Young´s modulus (E) constraints to further carry out a material selection times the strain (), and the formula of mass (m) as a process [15]. function of volume and density (ρ), it was determined In recent years, two methods for material selection the performance index (Equation 1). 34 INGENIUS N.◦ 25, january-june of 2021 Table 1. Definition of the design requirements reactor were stated such that it yields a continuous recirculation capability of 1 liter. Definition Detail Functionality House the thermo-chemical process Minimize mass of the reactor (ρ) and A complete factorial design was stated where it Objective maximize mechanical resistance (σ) was taken into account the three main factors (con- Withstand minimum and maximum temperatures of 160 °C and 400 °C, respectively straints/requirements) of the reactor; pressure, tem- Withstand minimum and maximum pressures of perature and wall thickness in three levels, respectively. Constraints 250 psi and 3000 psi, respectively Resistance to oxidative and corrosive processe A categorical variable (material) in two levels was also Low cost considered. Table2 shows the experimental design. The Good machinability and solderable ranges of pressure and temperature values were based on studies regarding obtaining biodiesel in subcritical F h ρ i and supercritical conditions.