ANALISIS MODIFIKASI PIPA PENUKAR PANAS PADA ALAT DISTILASI BIODIESEL

Biodiesel is a fuel that has the advantage of producing lower greenhouse gas emissions compared to diesel fuel derived from fossil sources. In its production, biodiesel can be purified using the distillation method. In this process, the condenser plays a crucial role as it functions to convert biodiesel back into the liquid phase. The design of the condensation pipe is modified with variations in the condenser tube shapes, specifically spiral and straight designs. To identify the differences between these condensers, this study analyzes the effect of condenser design variations on efficiency, effectiveness, and product yield in a chemistry laboratory. The results indicate that the spiral condenser is more effective in improving the efficiency and quality of biodiesel compared to the straight condenser. Using the spiral condenser, the distillation process achieved an average effectiveness of 97.23%, whereas the straight condenser achieved 96.34%. The production efficiency was 83.36% and 81.36%, respectively. Laboratory tests concluded that the spiral condenser also resulted in higher cetane values, flash points, and combustion points. However, the water content showed no significant difference between the two condenser designs. In conclusion, the spiral condenser is superior in supporting the biodiesel distillation process, even though the water content remains similar for both condenser types.