The need to blend oils most often occurs when operating oil filled equipment that from time to time requires topping off the amount of oil in the equipment. One of the main problems in topping off, is the compatibility of natural and synthetic oils and their interaction with additives.
The driver who is always on the road may be unable to use the services of auto repair/service centres to timely change the oil, so he has to blend motor oils. Due to the fact that the base components and additives of synthetic and mineral oils differ significantly, their blending can cause engine problems, or even failure.
Oils by different manufacturers most likely will have different types of additives. The physicochemical and performance characteristics of oils therefore, should be compared and examined prior to the topping off with a new or different type of oil. In any case, after such operations are completed, the engine should be cleaned and the oil should be removed and replaced. This is known as changing the oil.
It is much easier to handle this problem with industrial oils. According to the latest research of a national scientific institute, oils of different brands that have various performance characteristics will not form a mixture. In addition, there are no new chemical and intermolecular bonds between the components of oil.
In practice, prior to mixing, industrial oils are tested to determine the tangent delta (tan delta) that reflects the dielectric strength of the oil. Many industrial energy facilities in the course of fuel mixture production, use special blending equipment to obtain a high-quality final product.
The following is the list of benefits of modern industrial fuel blending equipment:
(1) possibility to set the desired formulation based on individual calculations for each component;
(2) precise metering of components and formulas;
(3) precise blending temperature control;
(4) low power consumption;
(5) trouble-free maintenance; and
(6) several different technological operations performed by one piece of equipment.