Pour Point of Petroleum Oil

Arthur Christian E. Solemne

Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of San Carlos - Talamban Campus, 6000
Nasipit, Talamban, Cebu City, Philippines
School of Engineering
<18104909@usc.edu.ph>

Abstract
The pour point of crude oil was determined by this lab experiment. A test jar containing
petroleum oil was suspended in a cooling bath. A thermometer was inserted using a cork to
measure the petroleum oil’s pour point temperature within the test jar. Through the
experiment, it was discovered that the petroleum product's pour point was -45°C.

Keywords: pour point, petroleum oil,

I. Introduction
Oil is a naturally occurring yellowish-black combination that is mostly made up of
hydrocarbons, metals, sulfur, and nitrogen. It is often referred to as crude oil or simply oil.
Vehicle and electrical generator fuels can be made from petroleum oil through refinement.
Petroleum oil is also used to make solvents, plastics, polyurethane, and numerous other items.
Every nation in the world heavily depends on the aforementioned technologies, and as a
result, severely depends on petroleum. It is crucial that petroleum oil can be used and stored
anyplace without risk.
The pour point of oil is one of its characteristics that influences how it is used and stored.
The lowest temperature at which an oil will still flow when refrigerated and left undisturbed is
known as the pour point of oil. The oil will stop flowing past the pour point.
Oil must flow in order to be used in many applications, including hydraulic systems and
automobile engines. Oils used in cold climates must have significantly lower pour points than
those used in warmer climates to avoid hardening. To avoid the failure of crucial systems, it is
necessary to know an oil’s pour point before using it.
In this experiment, the researcher will use a thermometer, a test jar, and a cooling bath to
establish the pour point of an oil. To demonstrate his knowledge of the subject, the researcher
will examine data acquired from the experiment.
 Figure 1: Shell Helix HX5 15W-40 Motor Oil

II. Scope and Limitations

Any petroleum oil can be used for the pour point test, but in our case we will be using the
Shell Helix HX5 15W-40 Motor Oil. The measurements given in inch-pound units should be
taken as the norm. There may be restrictions in the experiment's approach. The test jar's
thermometer is lowered deeply into the cooling bath, as shown in figure 2. The test jar would
need to be taken out in order to check the sample oil's temperature. Unfortunately, this made it
more difficult to read the thermometer and replace the test jar because of the condensate that
the ice in the cooling bath would produce.These characteristics made it challenging to
determine whether the sample oil's temperature had dropped. The oil sample would be tested
every 5 to 10 minutes as opposed to every 5°F (3°C) as recommended by the right protocol.
The measured pour points shown in table 1 have this as their most likely cause. The adoption
of a long, digital thermometer would have prevented these inaccuracies.
III. Materials and Apparatus
This experiment was be done using the following materials and equipment:
1. Petroleum oil sample (Shell Helix HX5 15W-40)
2. Test jar – A cylindrical test jar of clear glass, flat bottom, 30 to 33.5mm in inside
diameter, and 116 to 125 mm in height. To indicate sample height the jar should be
marked with the line 54±3 mm (2 1/8 ±1/8 in) above the inside bottom.
3. Thermometer – Thermometers having ranges as shown below and conforming to the
requirements as prescribed in ASTM specifications E1, for ASTM Thermometers.
4. Cork – A cork to fit the test jar, bored centrally to take the test thermometer.
5. Jacket – A water-tight cylindrical jacket of glass or metal, flat bottom about 115 mm in
depth, with inside diameter 9.5 to 12.5 mm greater than the outside diameter of the test
jar.
6. Disk – A disk of cork or felt, 6 mm in thickness and of the same diameter as the inside
of the jacket.
7. Gasket - A ring gasket about 5 mm in thickness, to fit snugly around the outside of the
test jar and loosely inside the jacket. This gasket may be made of crock, felt, or other
suitable materials which is elastic enough to cling to the test jar and hard enough to hold
its shape. The purpose of the ring gasket is to prevent the test jar from touching the jacket.
8. Cooling bath - A cooling bath, of a type suitable for obtaining the required
temperatures. The size and shape of the bath are optional but a support, suitable for
holding the jacket firmly in a vertical position, is essential. For determination of pour
point below 50°F (10°C) two temperatures may be maintained by refrigeration if
available, otherwise by suitable freezing mixtures listed below.

Figure 2: The cooling bath, test jar, cork, and thermometer used in the experiment
IV. Procedure

1. Pour the oil into the test jar into the level mark. When necessary, heat the oil in a water
bath until it is just sufficiently fluid to pour into the test jar.
Note 1 – When it is known that the sample has been heated to some temperature higher than
115°F (45°C) during the preceding 24 hours when the thermal history of the sample is not
known, keep the sample at room temperature for 24 hours before testing it.
2. Close the test jar tightly by the cork carrying the high pour thermometer (4.2) or in the
case of pour points above 100°F (38°C), a thermometer as described in Note 2. Adjust the
position of the cork until it fits tightly to the thermometer and the jar are coaxial, and the
thermometer bulb is immersed so the beginning of the capillary is 3 mm (0.125 in) below
the surface of the oil.
Note 2 – For tests above I 00°F (38°C), it is permissible to use any thermometer that
includes the range from 90 to 220°F (32 to 104°C). An IF, 3F Demulsification
Thermometer or an ASTM 61F Petroleum Melting Point Thermometer is suggested.
Note 3 – Since separation of mercury or influence of cloud and pour thermometers
occasionally occurs, and since such separation may escape immediate detection, it is
suggested that the ice points of the thermometers are checked immediately prior to the
test. Any thermometer that shows ice points differing from 32°F (0°C) by more than 2°F
(1°C) should be further examined or recalibrated, or both before use.
3. Subject the oil in the test jar to the following preliminary treatment:
a. Oils having a pour point between 90°F (32°C) and -300°F (340°C) – Heat the oils
without stirring, 115°F (46°C) in a bath maintained at 118°F (48°C). Cool the oil to 95°F
(35°C) in air or in a water bath at approximately 77°F (25°C). Proceed as directed in 4.
b. Oils having a pour point above 90°F (32°C) - heat the oil in the water bath, without
stirring to 115°F (46°C) or to a temperature to approximately 15°F (8°C) above the
expected as directed in 4.
c. Oils having pour point below -30°F (-34°C) - heat the oils as directed in 3.1 and cool
to 60°F (16°C) in a water bath maintained at 45°F(7°C). Remove the high cloud and pour
thermometer and place the low cloud and pour thermometer in position. Proceed as
directed in 4.
4. Place the disk in the bottom of the jacket. Place the ring gasket around the test jar,
25mm from the bottom. The disk, gasket, and inside of the jacket should be clean and dry.
Insert the test jar in the gasket. Plot millivolt reading against temperature of the glass
thermometer.
5. Maintain the temperature of the cooling bath at 31 to 35°F (-1 to -1°C). Support the
jacket containing the test jar, firmly in a vertical position in the cooling bath so that no
more than 25mm (1 in) of the jacket projects out of the cooling medium.
6. After the oil has been cooled to allow the formation of the paraffin wax crystals, take
great care not to disturb the mass of the oil nor permit the thermometer to shift in the oil;
any disturbance of the spongy network of wax crystals will lead to low and fictitious
results.
 7. Beginning at a temperature 15°F (8°C) above the expected pour points of the oils
having pour points above 90°F (32°C), or for other oils at a temperature 20°F (11°C)
above expected pour point, at each test thermometer reading that is a multiple of 5°F
(3°C), remove the test from the jacket and tilt it just enough to ascertain whether there is a
movement of the oil in the test jar. The complete operation of the removal and
replacement shall require not more than 3 seconds. If the oil has not ceased to another
jacket in a second bath maintained at a temperature of 0°F to +5°F (-18°c to - l 5°C). (The
jacket may be left in the bath or transferred with the test jar). If the oil has not reached
20°F (-8°C), transfer the test jar t0 another jacket in a third bath maintained at a
temperature of -3 to -25°F (-34 to -32°C). For determination of low pour points, additional
baths are required, each bath to be maintained at 30°F (l 7°C) below the temperature of
the preceding bath. Never place the cold test jar tilted, hold the test jar in a horizontal
position for 5 seconds, as noted by the stopwatch or other accurate timing devices and
observe carefully. If the oil shows any movement under these conditions, replace the test
jar immediately in the jacket and repeat a test for flow at the next temperature 5°F (3°C)
lower.
8. Continue the test in this manner until a point is reached at which the oil in the test jar
shows no movement when the test is held in a horizontal position for 5 seconds. Record
the observed reading of the test thermometer.
9. For black oil, cylinder stock, and non-distillate fuel, the result obtained by the
procedure described in 1 thru 5.8 is the upper (maximum) pour point. If required,
determine the lower (minimum) pour point by heating the sample, while stirring, to 220°F
(104°C), pouring it into the jar, cooling it to 95°F (35°C) as before determining the pour
point as described in 4 thru 8

V. Results and Discussion

Table 1: Measured Pour Points of Tested Sample

Trial Pour Point Temperature Percent Error

1 -50°C 11.11%

2 -35°C 22.22%

3 -45°C 0%

The pour points obtained from the petroleum oil sample are shown in Table 1. The expected
pour point of the oil sample was used to determine the % error of measured pour points, which
is also shown in Table 1. The measured pour points from trials 1 and 2 differed from the actual
pour point of the oil sample, as can be seen.

VI. Conclusion
The main goal of this experiment is to determine the pour point of petroleum oil, and in our
case we will be using the Shell Helix HX5 15W-40 Motor Oil, which is an oil used to keep the
engine clean and lubricated.
From this experiment, we were able to gather three main data points from each individual trial, as
seen in Table 1, with the highest temperature being -35°C and the lowest being 50°C, with the data
varying mainly. These variations result in data errors, ranging from 11.11% for trial 1, and
22.22% for trial 2.
These data results vary because of the fact that there have been certain adjustments made
with regards to the experimental procedure due to the availability of equipment and certain
limitations to the execution. Nevertheless, the third trail was able to obtain the desired
temperature of -45°C which is the pour point temperature of the Motor Oil product. Certain
improvements could be made to the execution of this experiment, mainly in the availability of
equipment and the availability of more motor oils to experiment on.
These results show that the pour point of the Shell Helix HX5 15W-40 Motor Oil is rather high,
as compared to oils from other countries with much lower pour points. This is in part due to the
Philippine weather being hot, which makes it rather suitable for this type of oil.

Questions
1. What is dewaxing? What is the effect of the pour point of oil?
- Dewaxing is the process of removing the paraffin wax that forms in the oil
during low temepratures, especially when we are fast approaching the pour point
temperature. Its effect is that it doesn't allow the oil to flow freely, impending
any movement and freezing the oil.
2. What are pour point depressants?
- These are polymers that allow the use of mineral and petroleum products at a
much lower temperature, making it good for use in countries with low
temperatures.
3. How important is the pour point property of oil
- The pour point determines the flow of oil in low temepratures, which means that
it determines whether or not a certain type of oil could be used in areas of the
world with much colder, or much hotter temperatures. This factor is also used for
the ease of transportation of oil.
References
[1]G. Yasin, M. I. Bhanger, et al., “Quality and chemistry of crude oils,” J. Pet. Technol.
Altern. Fuels, vol. 4, pp. 53–63, March 2013. Accessed: Oct. 2, 2022. doi:
10.5897/JPTAF12.025. [Online]. Available:
https://academicjournals.org/journal/JPTAF/article-stat/CE9D1489251
[2]"Oil and petroleum products explained - Use of oil." Eia.gov.
https://www.eia.gov/energyexplained/oil-and-petroleum-products/use-of-oil.php
(accessed Oct. 2, 2022).
[3]Shell Helix HX5 15W-40 Technical Data Sheet, 2nd ed. Shell plc, London, England,
Oct. 2013, pp. 1. Accessed: Oct. 3, 2022. [Online]. Available:
https://www.shell-livedocs.com/data/published/en-PH/9fa2dbc3-5ea0-423e-89d1-0d4e5c
e284a3.pdf