Based on precise weighing technology, the ABB system provides an efficient means of producing small volume blends. Generally designed to accommodate 250 to 2500 gallon blends when load cell weighing is employed, the ABB can support larger blends with mass flowmeter based systems.

In its most fundamental form, the ABB incorporates a primary blend vessel or tank equipped with a dynamic mixer, and one or more dosing vessels mounted on load cells for measurement of liquid volume (or mass by ratio). Typically all base oils and bulk additives are connected to the roof of the mixing kettle by dedicated piping to avoid contamination and accommodate automatic operation with minimal manual labor. The operation is accomplished in this sequence:

Filling
All base stocks and bulk additives are weighed into the kettle. Additives in drums are also weighed using a drum decanting unit and solid components are hand added based on instructions provided to the operator by the control system

Mixing
Once all components have been charged into the thermally controlled kettle, ingredients are mechanically mixed into a homogeneous solution at the proper temperature.

Discharge
After mixing, the contents of the kettle are transferred to a downstream holding and mixing tank. This allows the filling and mixing stages to be repeated if the blend size exceeds the kettle capacity.

Rinsing
After the final batch has been mixed and transferred into the holding tank, the mixing kettle is rinsed with a neutral oil to make it ready for the next blend. The rinse volume is usually transferred into the holding tank.

Final Mixing
The blend, including the rinse, is mixed to a homogeneous,on-spec, product in the holding tank.

One of the ABB's unique features incorporates precise weighing technology for accurate measurement. The most common procedure uses load cells to weigh components one at a time, sequentially. When applying this method, usually a three-tank kettle system is put in place, with the second tank representing 20% of the large tank's volume, and the third 5%. This is necessary to ensure accurate weighing of low percentage components. For simultaneous metering of larger volume blends, flowmeters are utilized for product weighing. Usually one flowmeter is assigned to each compatible base stock and bulk additive family to prevent contamination among incompatible groups. Such applications may require 5 to 10 mass flowmeters bulk feed metering, but in an ideal scenario each component would be assigned its own individual flowmeter. Some advantages of each method are outlined below.

Advantages of Automatic Batch Blending Using Load Cells:

• Direct weight measurement
• Highly automated
• Minimum contamination--only tanks require cleaning
• No cocktailing
• Short set-up time--only drum line set-up is required

Advantages of Automatic Batch Blending Using Mass Flowmeters:

• High accuracy mass flowmeter measurement
• Able to blend into any size blend kettle
• Accuracy is not limited by batch size
• Blending can be accomplished using a single kettle
• Highly automated
• Operator required only for drum decanting
• Simultaneous product loading through each feed to speed blending
• Short set-up time --only drum line set-up is required