The pHLip Test was developed to give the individual a tool to visually, quickly, and inexpensively determine the quality of B100 and B99 biodiesel. The Biodiesel pHLip Test is the easiest, lowest-cost, most accurate, and fastest biodiesel field test available today. It effectively tests the biodiesel for pH and the presence of certain contaminants.
The test kit includes 5 test vials, a reference vial and a squeeze bulb.
Instructions
Perform the test only on washed B100 or B99 biodiesel that is at room temperature (it is not for unwashed biodiesel as it will not pass the test).
Remove the cap from the vial (a wrench may be necessary).
Transfer the biodiesel in the vial using the squeeze bulb, filling the vial nearly to the top while leaving an air space.
After tightening the cap back on the vial, gently flip the vial end over end ten times by rotating your wrist (additional shaking will delay the test results).
Wait for a period of ten minutes, and then observe the results.
Results
Observe the test results in three areas:
*The color and clarity of the indicator solution
*The interface between the fuel and the indicator solution
*The clarity of the fuel
The Color and Clarity of the Indicator Solution
The indicator solution should remain cherry red, which indicates a neutral pH.
If the indicator turns orange or yellow, this indicates acid accumulation, which means the fuel (or the feedstock used to make the fuel) is probably aged.
Some fuel stabilizers, added after production, may also turn the indicator orange. It may or may not be out of spec and should be tested. Please contact our laboratory for details about this, or see below.
If the indicator color turns a deeper purple, you have a hydroxide catalyst contamination – deadly to the seals, gaskets and O-rings of your engine’s fuel injection system.
Little or no turbidity (cloudiness) should be present. Some fuels will cause mild turbidity as they approach the ASMT limit of 0.24% Total Glycerin.
Turbidity indicates dissolved contaminants are present that were invisible in the fuel.
Most contaminants cause the fuel to absorb water and become cloudy, and soap or other water soluble contaminants can be suspected.
The Interface between the Fuel and the Indicator Solution
High quality ASTM B100 will create a "mirror finish" on the smooth interface between the fuel and indicator solution — if you see a good reflection, you have good clean fuel!
Over time, contaminants may concentrate on the interface ("lens effect").
The Clarity of the Fuel
If the fuel is slightly turbid, but the indicator solution is transparent and of normal cherry color, it is probable that the fuel is slightly aged or traces of contaminants such as glycerides or glycerin left from the production process.
Most common dissolved contaminants are the monoglycerides, followed by residual di- and triglycerides remaining in the fuel from the transesterification reaction.
Water washing is not effective in removing incomplete reaction products. Polishing would become necessary if the fuel is not completely reacted (by ion exchange resin filtration, for example) to remove these last traces of intermediate products.
Traces of sterol glucosides in soy and other virgin vegetable oil products can also contribute to the cloudiness of the fuel layer, particularly if there are significant levels of monoglycerides present.
In the pHLip Test, these sterol glucosides become hydrates and tend to nucleate to form turbidity and then will gradually settle out on the water-fuel interface as white, wispy precipitates that look like tiny clouds.
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