Tank Guide

If you chose to supply your own fuel tank for the vegetable oil there are certain considerations you must take into account and some information we need.

In order to produce an in-tank heat exchanger we must know the depth of the tank you intend to use. The tank needs to have a flat area on the top at least 8” in diameter for the in-tank unit to mount to, above this you will need at least 2.5” of clearance for hose routing, directly below that the tank must have a 6” flat area for the base of the unit. The maximum depth we can build an in-tank heat exchanger to is 16”.

Tanks should be made of aluminum (we recommend 5052) or High Density Cross-linked Polyethylene, mild steel is an accelerant in the process of Oxidative Polymerization in vegetable oils and will cause the oil in the tank to polymerize into a plastic. Metal tanks that have been galvanized will also react with the vegetable oil initially causing the zinc coating to break down and contaminate the fuel, once the coating is gone the mild steel under the zinc will accelerate the polymerization of the oil.

Without going into too much organic chemistry, let it suffice to say that we have chosen every material in the system for its compatibility with the vegetable oil, engine coolant and environmental concerns encountered in the vehicles for which we construct systems.

The in-tank unit installation guide for toolbox tanks will give you a better idea of what is involved in fitting the unit to your tank, please review it carefully before purchasing or constructing a tank for the vegetable oil system.

Marine tanks are commonly made of 5052 aluminum and may be an option although often they do not have internal baffels. High Density Cross-linked Polyethylene tanks are available from vendors like www.plasticmart.com and they can custom install fittings for a small fee. Northern Tool sells several different tanks including a 60 and 90 gallon tool box tank made by RDS that have been quite popular in truck conversions.

This is the RDS toolbox tank sold by Northern tool, the tank is the lower section and the upper 6" is a tool box. When using this style of tank you will be installing the in-tank heat exchanger in the tool box section of the tank using about 8" on one side, the rest of the box is still available for gloves, hoses, tools, spare filters, what every you like. These tanks look more like a tool box than a fuel tank and come with a fuel level sender, vent, drain and fillneck.

There are several manufacturers of aluminum fuel tanks sold by both Summit racing and Jegs, one of the most popular is RCI who not only makes their own line of tanks but many of the tanks sold as Summit’s own brand

Typically these tanks come with 3 fittings on top (supply, return and vent) a fill neck or cap, and a fuel level sender. The supply and return fittings will need to be sealed with pipe plugs and the sender removed to be replaced by the Frybrid Inductive sender. You will need a tank with a top with no measurement less than 9” since the Frybrid in-tank heat exchanger is 8” round at the mounting flange.

Additionally you will want to avoid bladder tanks like those used in Circle track racers, and Foam filled tanks like those used for drag racing.

Custom tanks:

We have made many custom tanks in all sorts of shapes, tanks that go over the wheel well in the back of pick-ups so that a camper can still be installed, custom filtration tanks with conical bottoms, bus tanks, boat tanks, you name it, we have probably built one. What we need from you to provide a quote is a working drawing of what you want. Typically we ask that you build a tank from hardboard, cardboard or ¼” plywood and fit it to your vehicle, this removes any doubt that the tank will fit and that you have decided where to place the filler, in-tank heat exchanger, and other fittings you may want. Make a drawing of the tank from measurements made from the model and send it to us by email.

here is a cardboard tank mock-up built by a client who wanted a custom tank, he took measurements of the mock-up and we built him the tank he wanted.

Keep in mind that the cost of the tank is based on both the materials required and the complexity of the design so keep it simple.

This is a 140 gallon tank we custom made for a motor home.

Here is a 70 gallon filtration and dewatering tank we made for the same project, notice the sight glasses in the tank and the electric heating element near the base. The bag filter housing has been designed to extend from the side of the vehicle allowing the filter to be changed without getting the tank space soiled with oil.

Here you can see the main tank running side to side and the filtration tank directly forward of that as well as the oil filtration bag filter in it’s extended position.