What Shall We Do After Receiving an Automatic Reference Fuel Blender?

Reference Fuel Blender Working Conditions

When we will receive an SINPAR Automatic Reference Fuel Blender, firstly the following working conditions in laboratory need to be met, to ensure proper operation of the instrument:

• The instrument is used in industrial environments.
• The instrument is constructed according to safety class I and may therefore only be operated with a grounded plug (with safety contact).
• The voltage fluctuations of the power supply grid may not exceed ±10% of the nominal value.
• The reference fuel blending unit should be operated at ambient temperatures between 10 °C and 35 °C. The best results are achieved between 15 °C and 25 °C.
  (Caution: the melting point of the n-cetane: 18 °C!)
• Storage temperatures should not exceed the range of -15 °C to +55 °C.
• The relative humidity should not exceed 80% at temperatures up to 35 °C. 

Electronic Balance Installation

The reference fuel blender should be placed on the flat floor. （Note: Do not move the cabinet during operation.）

Installation steps of electronic balance:

• Open the window and Connect the power plug and the RS232 communication plug to the balance.

• Place the balance exactly on the middle of the plate so that the feet of the balance are positioned in the holes in the plate.

• Place the sample vessel on the balance. The vessel must be centered carefully. A fixed device with sensor helps to position the vessel correctly.

• Leveling the balance using the level indicator. At the point of use, level the balance using the leveling feet, so that the air bubble is centered within the circle of the level indicator. To raise the balance, lower the leveling feet (turn clockwise). To lower the balance, raise the feet (turn counter-clockwise).

Switch On Reference Fuel Blender

The reference fuel blender is operated from a single-phase supply in the range of 100~240VAC 50/60 Hz. The equipment is equipped with a standard plug according to user’s local standard for easy connection to the power supply.

Plug the reference fuel blending unit’s power plug into an outlet and switch on the blending unit.
The computer and balance will automatically start when the blending unit is switched on.
The reference fuel blending unit now is ready to perform the first live checks and blending.
Note: Before blending, please check the status indication of Balance, Vessel, Tanks and Valves at the bottom of control panel.

Fill the Fuel Tanks

When newly received, the six primary reference fuel tanks are empty and must be filled with iso-octane (ISO), n-heptane (HEP), toluene (TOL), 80/20 blend (80/20), n-cetane (NC), and heptamethylnonane (HMN) or alpha-methyl-naphthalene (AMN), following the corresponding label.
The grade of the primary reference fuels is given in ASTM D2699, ASTM D2700, and ASTM D613.

Air Discharge

To fill the tubing and pumps and purge the preservation fluid, the Air Discharge for all the reference fuels should be performed.
Click the “SETUP” button and select the “AIR DISCHARGE” from the SETUP menu.
After the tanks are filled and the air discharge performed, the tubing should be visually checked for leakage due to possible damage during shipping.

Calibrate the Dosing Pumps

Press the “CALIBRATION” button in the MAIN MENU to calibrate the dosing pump.
Select one type of reference fuels and enter the target volume (100-1000ml), the target parameters of this fuel appear automatically below.
Press “START” button, and wait until the target blending is complete.
Compare whether the difference between the effective value of weight and the target value is within 0.05g.

Reference Fuel Blender Blending Operation

Once the above preparations are complete, it’s time to start octane/cetane blending operation, by press “BLENDING” on the main screen to enter the Select BLENDING mode.

Note: Please pay attention to the state indications of BALANCE, VESSEL and TANKS at the bottom of the interface before the blending operation begins.

The operator just needs to select the blending mode, enter the target octane/cetane number and volume of blend, and press “START” to begin the blending.
The automatic computational control system controls the whole blending process. An accurate blend is delivered to the vessel automatically.
In addition to standard blending modes, the Free Blending mode is offered for special blends.

The blending data is automatically saved in the computer. To view the data and print the blend certificate, please back to the main menu and press the “RECORD” button.

The blending certificate can be printed or saved to computer or mobile storage device, containing all necessary data:
• Serial number of the blend given by the computer
• Unit model
• Date, time
• Ambient Temperature
• Target octane/cetane number, blending volume, density and weight
• Effective blending volume, density and weight
• Consumption of blending components