873 Biodiesel Rancimat - Biofuel Systems

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I o n a n a l y s i s

873 Biodiesel Rancimat

Standardized determination of

the oxidation stability of biodiesel and

biodiesel blends as per EN 14 112

Prosp_Biodiesel-Rancimat873_e Seite 1

The 873 Biodiesel Rancimat is a modern, PC-controlled instrument for the convenient determinationof the oxidation stability of biodiesel and biodiesel blends (mixtures of biodiesel and conventionaldiesel fuel) as per EN 14 112. The software of the third Rancimat generation comprises automaticdata acquisition and evaluation as well as a database and permits the easy management of largeamounts of data.

Disposable reaction vessels minimize cleaning requirements. This saves both time and money. Theaccuracy and reproducibility of the measurements are also significantly improved. The GLP Set withcertified temperature sensor allows to set the temperature very accurately and reproducibly, whichin turn improves the precision of the results.

The 873 Biodiesel Rancimat in brief

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The most important advantages at a glance

• All instrument functions controlled from a PC

• Unparalleled reliability and simple operation due to unique accessories - Favorably-priced disposable glass parts- Robust conductivity cell with electrical connections integrated in cover

• Excellent data security by storing all measuring, method and instrument data

• Re-evaluation and recalculation of all measuring data

• Database functions such as filtering and sorting

• User administration with freely configurable access rights

• Sophisticated user interface

• GLP and validation functions

• Compact design and low weight

• Two heating blocks with eight measuring positions per instrument. Up to four instruments can be connected to one PC.

• Independent start of each channel

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Oxidation stability of biodiesel(fatty acid methyl esters, FAME)and biodiesel blends

The use of alternative fuels from renewable plant sources has become increasingly widespread in recent years and will continue to increase considerably in the future. There are several reasonsfor this, among them the following:

• Fossil fuel deposits are limited, which makes economic use of these resources imperative – biodiesel is obtained from renewable raw materials.

• The combustion of biogenic fuels is CO2-neutral. The carbon dioxide released from them haspreviously been assimilated from the atmosphere during the growth phase of the plants. In contrast to CO2 from fossil fuels, it makes no contribution to the enrichment of carbon dioxidein the atmosphere and the resulting atmospheric warming.

• Alternative fuels can often be produced locally and this reduces dependence on imported rawmaterials.

• Alternative fuels are usually very easily biodegradable and therefore cause less environmentaldamage, particularly when used in ecologically sensitive areas.

In addition to other alternative fuels such as ethanol, methanol or biogas (methane), fatty acidmethyl esters are increasingly found on the market; these are then known as biodiesel, RME (rapeseed oil methyl esters) or FAME (fatty acid methyl esters). Fatty acid methyl esters are usuallyobtained from oil seeds and are mainly used in their pure form or mixed with conventional dieselfuel in the transport sector.

Biodiesel is usually produced from vegetable oils, but animal fats can also be used. The vegetableoil is transesterified with methanol. This produces the methyl esters of the fatty acids present inthe oil together with glycerol as a byproduct. Fatty acid methyl esters are relatively unstable on

and simply. The oxidation process can be delayed by the addition of antioxidants. The 873 Biodiesel Rancimat can also be used todetermine the effectiveness of antioxidants. This opens up a further field of application for the instrument.

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873 Biodiesel Rancimat this determination can be carried out quickly

the oxidation stability is an important quality criterion for biodiesel; substances produced in this way could cause motor damage. This is why

storage, as like all natural oils and fats they are slowly oxidized by atmospheric oxygen. The

it is regularly determined during the production process. With the

During the measurement a stream of air is passed through the fatty acid methyl ester sample con-tained in a sealed and heated reaction vessel. This treatment results in oxidation of the fatty acidmethyl ester molecules in the sample, with peroxides initially being formed as the primary oxidationproducts. After some time the fatty acid methyl esters disintegrate completely; the secondary oxi-dation products formed include low-molecular organic acids in addition to other volatile organiccompounds. These are transported in the stream of air to a second vessel containing distilled water.The conductivity in this vessel is recorded continuously. The organic acids can be detected by theincrease in conductivity. The time that elapses until these secondary reaction products appear isknown as induction time or induction period.

The oxidation stability of fatty acid methyl esters is already included in various standards as a para-meter for defining the minimum quality requirements of commercial biodiesel used as vehicle fuelor heating oil:

• ASTM D 6751 (ASTM – American Society for Testing and Materials) «Standard specification forbiodiesel fuel blend stock (B100) for middle distillate fuels»

• EN 14 214 «Automotive fuels – Fatty acid methyl esters (FAME) for diesel engines – Requirementsand test methods»

• EN 14 213 «Heating fuels – Fatty acid methyl esters (FAME) – Requirements and test methods»• EN 14 112 «Fat and oil derivatives – Fatty

acid methyl esters (FAME) – Determining the oxidation stability (accelerated oxidation test)»

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The 873 Biodiesel Rancimat in detail

Two heating blocks The 873 Biodiesel Rancimat has two independentlycontrolled heating blocks that allow up to eightsamples to be tested simultaneously. Up to fourRancimats can be connected to one PC, so that themaximum number of samples that can be analyzedin parallel can be increased to 32. Each measuringposition can be started individually. As soon as themeasurement has been completed the measuringposition is immediately ready for a new sample,which means that the instrument can be used to its full capacity.

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Measuring vesselsRobust glass beakers are used for automatic con-ductivity measurement.

Validation with the GLP SetThe optionally available GLP Set facilitates thevalidation of your 873 Biodiesel Rancimat. It con-tains a certified Pt-100 temperature sensor withaccessories that can be used for testing the tem-perature regulation of the heating block. A testplug for checking the conductivity measurementinputs is also supplied.

Air inlet filter and molecular sieveThe air used for the measurement is aspiratedthrough a filter that prevents particles from enter-ing the instrument. The molecular sieve removeswater vapor from the aspirated air; as water contributes to the hydrolytic decomposition of the fat molecules, it could interfere with the measurement.

Cover with built-in conductivity cell

tion the cell is immersed in the water. At the sametime electrical contact is made to the electronics inthe instrument. Fragile glass conductivity electrodeswith lengthy connecting cables belong to the past.The new conductivity cell is also very easy to clean.

Air supply lineThe amount of air that passes through the sample is automatically controlled via the rotation rate of the built-in pump according to the method settings. A separate supply of compressed air isnot necessary.

Simple reaction vial handlingThe 873 Biodiesel Rancimat uses favorably-priceddisposable reaction vessels. Weighing out the sam-ple and assembling the reaction vessel are extremelysimple and safe. As the vessel does not need to bethoroughly cleaned at the end of the measurement,the personnel are available for other tasks. Thisreduces analysis costs.

Special reaction vessels for biodiesel blendsFor more volatile samples, e.g. mixtures of biodieseland conventional diesel fuels (biodiesel blends), specially extended reaction vessels are available onrequest. The part projecting from the measuringblock acts as a condenser and reduces distillationlosses.

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The conductivity cell is incorporated in the measur-ing vessel cover. When the cover is placed in posi-

Software functions

All functions of the 873 Biodiesel Rancimat are controlled by the Rancimat software, which excelsby its user-friendliness. All the functions are clearly arranged in just a few windows, the operationis intuitive.

Rancimat controlThis is where the measuring parameters can be called up and edited. From here the instrumentfunctions are controlled directly, the measurements started and the actual measuring values shownin the live display field. The arrangement of this window corresponds to a view of the instrumentfrom above. This means that the assignment of sample information and measuring position is perfectly clear. The timer function can be used to automatically switch on the heating blocks inadvance, so that it is no longer necessary to wait while they warm up.

The functions in a nutshell:• Individual start/stop for each position• Live display• Temperature display• Method definition• Instrument control• Calculation formulas, automatic result

transformation to other temperatures• Timer function

Rancimat resultsAt the end of each determination the measuring data is stored in a database and can be viewedby the user in the results window. Sample information and results are shown in tabular form andcan be exported in various formats. The measured curves can be shown individually or in groups. It is also possible to edit the automatic evaluation and recalculate the results. You can, of course,sort or filter all the displayed data and adapt the display to meet your requirements.

• Overview table • Curve display: individual or multiple plots• Re-evaluation: induction time, stability time

and manual tangent method• Report printout• Database functions: filtering, sorting• Data export

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GLP functionsBy using the built-in monitoring of the validation intervals, nothing can go wrong with your qualitymanagement procedure. The software prompts you to carry out the validation in good time. Thewizards for temperature and conductivity validation help you to do this.

• Monitoring the validation intervals• Wizards for temperature and conductivity• Electronic validation logbook

User administrationThe software includes flexible and comfortable user administration with login function; this can beused to define detailed access rights for groups of users and individuals.

• Definition of user access rights• Login function

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Technical specifications

Heating blocks2 aluminum heating blocks; electrically heated; can be set to different temperatures

Number of samples8 samples (4 measuring positions per heating block)

Temperature control and measurementTemperature range 50...220 °C, adjustable in 1 °C stepsTemperature correction -9.9...+9.9 °C, adjustable in 0.1 °C stepsReproducibility of set temperature Typically better than ±0.2 °C*Temperature variation Typically <0.1 °C*Temperature difference between different measuring positions Typically <0.3 °C*Instrument heating-up time from 20 °C to 110 °C Approx. 45 min (to ±0.1 °C temperature stability)Outer temperature of instrument <50 °C (at an operating temperature of 220 °C)Response temperature of thermal protection device 260 °C

* After the operating temperature has been reached, with reaction vessels inserted and all filled in the same manner; 20 L/h air throughput.

Air throughputPump Diaphragm pumpOutput range 7...25 L/h

Conductivity measurement Measuring range 0...400 μS/cmElectrodes 6.0913.130 conductivity cell with double steel-pin electrode built into vessel

cover

Ambient temperatureNominal working range +5...+40 °C (at 20...80% relative humidity)Storage -20...+70 °CTransport -40...+70 °C

Line powerVoltage 2.873.0014: 230 V (220...240 V ±10%)

2.873.0015: 115 V (100...120 V ±10%)Frequency 50...60 HzPower consumption <450 VA (depending on heating power)

DimensionsWidth 405 mmHeight 268 mm without accessories, 353 mm with accessoriesDepth 466 mm

Weight 27.6 kg (with accessories)

PC requirementsProcessor Pentium III with 700 MHz or higherOperating system Windows™ NT, Windows™ 2000 or Windows™ XP Memory 20 MB for program files, 200 MB recommended for measuring data storage RAM working memory 128 MB, recommended 256 MB or higher (particularly for Windows XP)Graphics resolution Min. 800 x 600, recommended 1024 x 768 or higherInterface 1 free RS-232C interface (COM)Printer All printers supported by Windows™

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Ordering information

873 Biodiesel Rancimat Rancimat for the automatic determination of the oxidation stability of biodiesel and biodieselblends as per EN 14 112 with conductometric indication. Including Biodiesel Rancimat software.2.873.0014 873 Biodiesel Rancimat (230 V, 50...60 Hz) 2.873.0015 873 Biodiesel Rancimat (115 V, 50...60 Hz)

Options6.2059.000 Turntable for 873 Biodiesel Rancimat6.2757.000 Exhaust collection tube for 873 Biodiesel Rancimat (with 8 stoppers)6.1839.000 Iso-Versinic® tubing for biodiesel measurements, 6 mm i.d., 9 mm o.d.;

length 22 cm (8 pieces are required)6.5616.000 GLP Test Set

6.1111.010 Pt-100 temperature sensor 16 cm6.1253.000 Measuring insert for heating block6.2109.030 Test plug 10 kOhm

6.2301.060 KCl conductivity standard c(KCl) = 0.1 mol/L, 250 mL6.1429.050 Reaction vessel long (length 250 mm) for measurements involving volatile oils,

mineral oils and biodiesel blends6.2418.130 Air inlet tube long (length 248 mm) for measurements involving volatile oils,

mineral oils and biodiesel blends

Consumables6.1429.040 Reaction vessels for 873 Biodiesel Rancimat (117 pcs.)6.2418.100 Air inlet tubes for oil measurements (117 pcs.)6.1428.030 Conductivity measuring vessel, glass, for 873 Biodiesel Rancimat6.1839.000 Iso-Versinic® tubing for biodiesel measurements, 6 mm i.d., 9 mm o.d.;

length 22 cm6.2724.010 Dust filter6.2753.100 Reaction vessel cover6.2811.000 Molecular sieve, 250 g

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I o n a n a l y s i s

Metrohm Ltd. CH-9101 Herisau/SwitzerlandPhone +41 71 353 85 85 Fax +41 71 353 89 01 [email protected]

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873 Biodiesel Rancimat - Biofuel Systems