ABSTRACT

The definition of the physical properties of a chemical substance has

permitted a full regard of the definition of the viscosity standard, and

even its determination by the use of a primary approach. Viscosity is one

of the most important physical properties of a fluid system. Experiments

on viscosity have been performed on crude oil, motor oil and condemned

oil, using the Redwood Viscometer. Viscosity is dependent on shear rate,

temperature, pressure, moisture and concentration as has being

illustrated in this report. Results from these experiments confirmed

relevant fluid mechanics theory.

Moreover, in this report and from the obtained viscosities of the

samples, Motor Oil was the most viscous of the three samples at lower

temperatures, Crude Oil’s viscosity changed very little with increase in

temperature and Condemned Oil had a viscosity that ranged between

those of Motor and Crude Oils even as temperature increased.

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 TABLE OF CONTENTS
Title page
Abstract i
Table of contents ii

CHAPTER ONE- INTRODUCTION 1

1.1 Title of Experiment 1
1.2 Aims of the Experiment 1
1.3 Justification of Experiment 2

CHAPTER TWO- THEORY 3

2.1. Definition of Keywords 3
2.2. Principles of Experiment 7
2.3. Viscosity Conversion 8
2.4. The Reciprocal of Viscosity 9
2.5. Temperature Effect 9
2.6. Forms of Viscosity 11

CHAPTER THREE- EXPERIMENTATION AND RESULTS 12

3.1. Definition 12
3.2. Apparatuses used 12
3.3. Samples Given 14
3.4. Procedures Taken 14
3.5. Precautions Taken 17
3.6. Results of the Experiment 18

CHAPTER FOUR- DISCUSSION 20

4.1. Result Analysis 20
4.1.1. Result Comparison 20
4.1.2. Experimental Error Analysis 20
4.2. Result Interpretation 21

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CHAPTER FIVE- CONCLUSION/RECOMMENDATION 23
5.1. Conclusion 23
5.2. Recommendation 23

REFERENCES 25
APPENDIX 26

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 CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1 TITLE OF EXPERIMENT: Viscosity of Petroleum and Fuel Oil

(Redwood)

This is the determination of the various viscosities of some oil samples at

uniform temperatures of: ; ; . Viscosity is a

physical property and it is used in this experiment to determine the

transport and lubricating properties of the given oil samples. The viscosity

is a function of the time taken for the organic samples to exit the

viscometer at the specified temperature.

1.2 AIMS OF THE EXPERIMENT:

The aims of this experiment are stated below.

 To determine the kinematic viscosity and dynamic viscosity of the

given samples of oil- crude, motor and condemned oils.

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  To compare the viscosities of the oil samples at different

temperatures, using the Redwood Viscometer.

 To ascertain the performance of the lubricating oils for greasing

purposes.

1.3 JUSTIFICATION OF THE EXPERIMENT

The determination of the viscosity of any liquid substance is necessary to

specify its transport property. In addition, the necessity of this

experiment is made obvious in the fact that the greasing property of the

motor oil depends on its viscosity which also depends on the temperature

of the motor oil. Hence, this experiment is justified.

The viscosity of the crude oil also determines its smooth combustion in

burners. How well a fuel or greasing oil will perform also depends on

some other properties which are hinted in this report.

The technique described here uses fairly simple instrumentation and it

requires very little material to accurately record the viscosities of the

different samples.

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 CHAPTER TWO

THEORY

2.1 DEFINITION OF KEYWORDS

Viscosity (dynamic and kinematic), viscosity index, viscosity units (Degree

Engler, Saybolt Universal Seconds (SUS) and Redwood № 1, 2, 3)

I. VISCOSITY- This is the property of a fluid that tends to prevent it from

flowing when subjected to an applied force. It is usually measured by

the time required for a given quantity of the liquid to flow through a

measured aperture at a given temperature. The viscosity will arise due

to internal molecular friction within a fluid producing the frictional drag

effect.

Furthermore, viscosity could be defined as the force acting on a unit

area, where the velocity gradient is equal to 1 at a given density of the

fluid.

There are two related measures of fluid viscosity which are known as

dynamic (or absolute) and kinematic viscosity.

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 a. Dynamic Viscosity (μ) - The Dynamic viscosity of a fluid is the

tangential force on unit area of either of two parallel planes at unit

distance apart when the space is filled in fluid and one of the plane

moves relatively to the other with unit velocity in its own plane.

The CGS physical unit of dynamic viscosity is the Pascal-second (Pa·s),

equivalent to N·s/m2, or kg/(m·s). The unit of Dynamic viscosity is

also ‘Poise’ (P). It is more commonly expressed, particularly in ASTM

standards, as centipoise (cP). Imperial units are either slugs per foot-

second, or the equivalent pound-seconds per square foot.

b. Kinematic Viscosity (ν) - The kinematic viscosity of a fluid is equal to

the quotient of dynamic viscosity and the density of the fluid at the

temperature of the test- a quantity in which no force is involved.

Thus, . Where, ρ is the density of the fluid in g/cm3.

The unit of kinematic viscosity is ‘Stokes’ (S) cm2/s. The derived unit,

the centistokes (equal to 0.01 Stokes) (cS) is most commonly used.

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II. Viscosity Index- In general, the viscosity index number indicates the

relative resistance of the given oil to change the viscosity with radical

change in temperature. A low index number indicates a low resistance

for the given oil so that it would have a relatively high viscosity when

cold and relatively low viscosity at elevated temperatures. It is used to

characterise lubricating oil in the automotive industry.

[ ]

Viscosity Units Occasionally other units of viscosity are quoted. These

have often been named after the viscosity meter used to measure

viscosity. For example:

III. Degree Engler- It is a measure of kinematic viscosity based on

comparing a flow of the substance under test to the flow of water.

Viscosity in Engler degrees is the ratio of the time of flow of 200 cubic

centimeters of the fluid under test to the time of flow of 200 cubic

centimeters of water at the same temperature in a standardized Engler

viscosity meter. The base temperature is usually 20°C, though

sometimes 50°C or 100°C is used.

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IV. Saybolt Universal Seconds (SUS)- It is a unit of measure of viscosity

originating in the oil and petroleum industries. The time measured in

seconds required for 60 milliliters of a petroleum product to flow

through the calibrated orifice of a Saybolt Universal viscometer, at

controlled temperature, is defin ed as that product's viscosity in

Saybolt Universal Seconds (SUS). This method has largely been replaced

by the kinematic viscosity method.

V. Redwood №s 1, 2, 3- This is another form of kinematic viscosity. The

time in seconds for 50 millilitres of the sample liquid to flow through a

Redwood Viscometer is a measure of its viscosity and is given by the

units of ‘Redwood Seconds’.

102Re №1 = 10Re №2 = 1Re №3

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2.2 PRINCIPLES OF THE EXPERIMENT

Viscosity is one the most important single properties of any lubricating

oil. If the viscosity of the oil is too low, a liquid oil film cannot be

maintained between two moving surfaces and excessive wearing takes

place. High viscosity fluids resist flow; low-viscosity fluids flow easily.

Industrially, viscosity of an oil sample is determined by Redwood

Viscometer and the measure of the viscosity is the time in seconds for

50ml of the oil to flow through standard orifice under a given set of

conditions.

In general, in any flow, layers move at different velocities and the fluid's

viscosity arises from the shear stress between the layers that ultimately

oppose any applied force. If two layers of a liquid separated by a distance,

d, and moving with a relative velocity gradient, V, then the force per unit

area, F, that is required to maintain this velocity gradient is given by

, where is the coefficient of viscosity

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If η is constant, the fluid is called Newtonian. If η is not constant and

depends on the gradient then the fluid is non-Newtonian. Water is a

Newtonian fluid.

2.3 VISCOSITY CONVERSION

The kinematic viscosity of a fluid can be calculated from its dynamic

viscosity by dividing it by the fluid's density. That is, ν=μ/ρ. A rough

conversion of Redwood Seconds to centistokes is given by the formula:

where t is the time in Redwood Seconds.

 To convert kinematic viscosity to saybolt universal viscosity or to

Saybolt Furol Viscosity-

 To convert Kinematic viscosity in SSU to centiStokes:

for SSU values less than 100.

for SSU values greater than 100.

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2.4 THE RECIPROCAL OF VISCOSITY

The reciprocal of viscosity is called fluidity. Fluidity is symbolized by

or , depending on the convention used. It is

measured in reciprocal poise (cm·s·g−1), sometimes called the rhe. In

engineering practice, fluidity is not common.

The concept of fluidity could also be used to determine the viscosity of an

ideal solution. For two components, A and B, the fluidity when A and B

are mixed is

The above equation is only slightly simpler than the equivalent equation

in terms of viscosity:

where χA and χB are the mole fractions of components A and B

respectively, and μA and μB are the components’ pure viscosities.

2.5 TEMPERATURE EFFECT

Viscosity is highly temperature dependent, although the temperature-

viscosity behaviour is not a linear function. Generally, the warmer a liquid

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the less viscous it is. Whereas, the warmer a gas the higher its viscosity.

This could be due to the energy obtained to overcome the resistance to

flow, which may be due to the attractive forces among the liquid

molecules. Hence, for a dynamic or kinematic viscosity to be meaningful,

a reference temperature must be quoted.

This section briefly discusses the correlation of viscosity as a function of

temperature and presents the most common accurate methods for

prediction of liquid viscosity.

Liquid viscosity is accurately correlated as a function of temperature by

the modified Riedel equation which is shown below.

( ⁄ )

For most systems, only the first three terms are used. Only the first two

terms are used for narrow ranges. If data are available in a wide range

extending far above the normal boiling point, all four terms are used,

with values of E varying in integers from -10 to 10 (excluding 0 and -1).

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2.6 FORMS OF VISCOSITY

Here are some types of liquids with different forms of viscosity:

 Newtonian fluids- they have a constant viscosity, e.g. water and most

gases.

 Thixotropic fluids- fluids which become less viscous over time when

shaken, agitated, or otherwise stressed.

 Rheopectic fluids- fluids which become more viscous over time when

shaken, agitated, or otherwise stressed.

 Magnetorheological fluid- This is a type of smart fluid which, when

subjected to a magnetic field, greatly increases its apparent viscosity,

to the point of becoming a viscoelastic solid.

 Bingham plastic- This is a material that behaves as a solid at low

stresses but flows as a viscous fluid at high stresses.

 Shear thinning- their viscosity decreases with the rate of shear.

 Shear thickening- their viscosity increases with the rate of shear.

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 CHAPTER THREE

EXPERIMENTATION AND RESULTS

3.1 DEFINITION

This is the determination of the Redwood viscosities of three samples

(crude oil, motor oil and condemned oil) at three different temperatures

of T1= 38°C, T2= 60°C and T3= 82°C, as analysed using the Redwood

viscometer, and with the aid of apparatuses.

3.2 APPARATUSES USED

The apparatuses used in this experiment are as follows:

Redwood Viscometer, Stop Watch, Volumetric Flask, Thermometer

I. Redwood Viscometer– This is the apparatus that measures the

volumetric flow rate of the liquid sample flowing through its fine jet bore

(capillary), usually by noting the time required for the known volume of

liquid to pass through the bore into a 50ml flask.

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 The bottom of its cup is concave internally, to

allow complete drainage of the test liquid. The

base of the cup has a central hole into which a jet

is fitted with its bore at the centre of the cup. The

upper end of the jet is closed with a ball, which is

lifted to allow the flow of oil during the

experiment. The outer jacket (water bath) which

is for maintaining the oil at a constant

Fig.1 Redwood Viscometer temperature is electrically heated and normally

contains water. The temperature is maintained at a uniform level by

rotating the stirrer, which is provided for mixing the oil samples.

The Redwood Viscometer is of three types: Redwood Viscometer №1,

Redwood Viscometer №2 and Redwood Viscometer №3.

II. Stop Watch- This is a special watch that can be started and stopped

instantly and is used to measure the amount of time it takes for 50ml to

drain out of the viscometer cup.

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III. Volumetric Flask- A volumetric flask is a graduated glass or

transparent plastic vessel used for measuring liquid volumes, especially in

chemical analysis. It was used to collect 50cm3 of the test samples from

the viscometer.

IV. Thermometer- A thermometer is an instrument used to

measure temperature. The thermometer used for this experiment is

the mercury-in-glass type, which consists of a uniform-diameter glass

capillary that opens into a mercury-filled bulb at one end. As the

temperature increases, the mercury expands and rises in the

capillary. Hence, the stated temperatures for each sample can be

read from the scale on the thermometer during the

experimentation.

3.3. SAMPLES GIVEN

The samples given for this experiment are:

 Crude Oil

 Motor Oil

 Condemned Oil
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 3.4. PROCEDURES TAKEN-

I. Preparation of the Redwood Viscometer

The apparatus was levelled and the water bath was filled with water.

After this, we inserted a thermometer into the water bath. Then, the ball

valve of the viscometer was rested in the jet depression to close it.

Thereafter, we placed an empty volumetric flask just (centrally) below the

jet.

II. Filling the Redwood Viscometer

The Viscometer cup was filled with the given crude oil sample up to the

standard level i.e. tip of the pointer.

III. Heating the water bath

Then, we heated up the viscometer bath to a few degrees above T1=38°C

(the test temperature), until the temperature of the sample in the cup

was maintained at the test temperature. The stirrer of the Viscometer

was used to ensure a uniform distribution of heat by stirring the contents

of the bath and cup during the process. With the aid of the thermometer,

the temperature was measured again to ensure that it remained at 38°C.

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IV. Removal of the heated oil sample.

When the oil had acquired the desired temperature, we stopped heating.

Then, the ball valve was lifted up to let the oil out into the volumetric

flask that was placed below. Simultaneously, as we lifted the ball valve,

we started timing with the stop watch until 50ml of the oil sample

drained out.

V. The efflux time that it took for 50ml of the oil sample to pass through

the jet and be collected in the volumetric flask was noted and recorded.

VI. The experiment was repeated for the oil sample at T2=60oC and

T3=82oC and the mean value of time to flow 50ml of the sample was

recorded as the result expressed in Redwood Seconds at each

temperature.

VII. We then repeated the entire experiment for Motor Oil and

Condemned Oil.

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 3.5. PRECAUTIONS TAKEN

I. Before we commenced experimentation for each oil sample, we

ensured that the volumetric (receiver) flask was properly cleaned and

dried.

II. We placed the receiver flask in such a way that the oil was directly

collected and no trace of oil was lost.

III. We ensured that the temperature of the oil sample was maintained the

required test temperature.

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3.6. RESULTS OF THE EXPERIMENT

The results of the determination of the Redwood Viscosities of the

samples- Crude oil, Motor oil and Condemned oil are tabulated below.

CRUDE OIL
TEMPERATURE EFFLUX TIME REDWOOD I VISCOSITY VISCOSITY
(Redwood Seconds) SECONDS µ (cSt) INDEX
34°C (Room) 93.2°F 3.59 35.9 9.3 71.5
38°C 100.4°F 3.50 35.0 9.1 71.5
60°C 140.0°F 3.40 34.0 8.8 71.5
82°C 179.6°F 3.30 33.0 8.6 71.5

MOTOR OIL
TEMPERATURE EFFLUX TIME REDWOOD I VISCOSITY VISCOSITY
(Redwood Seconds) SECONDS µ (cSt) INDEX
34°C (Room) 93.2°F 12.93 129.3 33.6 98.3
38°C 100.4°F 12.06 120.6 31.4 98.3
60°C 140.0°F 7.68 76.8 20.0 98.3
82°C 179.6°F 5.35 53.5 13.9 98.3

CONDEMNED OIL
TEMPERATURE EFFLUX TIME REDWOOD I VISCOSITY VISCOSITY
(Redwood Seconds) SECONDS µ (cSt) INDEX
34°C (Room) 93.2°F 6.32 63.2 16.4 13.8
38°C 100.4°F 6.01 60.1 15.6 13.8
60°C 140.0°F 5.55 55.5 14.4 13.8
82°C 179.6°F 4.27 42.7 11.1 13.8

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 40
VISCOSITY-TEMPERATURE GRAPH
35 Crude Oil
From the above graph, it can be seen that at 210°F the viscosities are as
Motor Oil
follows:
30 Condemned Oil
Linear (Crude Oil)
I. Crude Oil: 8.5 cSt
25 Linear (Motor Oil)
II. Motor Oil: 7.4 cSt
CentiStokes

Linear (Condemned Oil)

III. 20Condemned Oil: 10.0 cSt

15

10

0
93.2 100.4 140 179.6 210
Temperature (°F)
A graph of Viscosity against Temperature

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 CHAPTER FOUR

DISCUSSION

4.1. RESULT ANALYSIS

4.1.1. Result Comparison

From the results, it can be seen that there was a decrease in the viscosity

of the liquids with an increase in temperature, and further increases in

the temperature during the latter part of the experiment had lesser

influence on reducing the viscosity, as was observed for all of the

samples.

4.1.2. Experimental Error Analysis

I. Contamination of sample: The presence of any “unwanted”

contamination in any of the test samples could result to inaccuracy.

Especially, contaminations like water or other liquids that were in the

viscometer cup before the experiment were avoided otherwise it

could lead to faulty values.

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 II. Temperature Difference: A difference in the temperature of the

water bath from the oil cup will introduce errors into the results of

the experiment. Hence, to avoid this, we heated the water bath a

little above the required temperature.

4.2. RESULT INTERPRETATION

From the results of the experiment, Motor Oil is the most viscous of the

three samples at lower temperatures but its viscosity rapidly decreases

with increase in temperature. Crude Oil’s viscosity changes very little with

increase in temperature and at lower temperatures it has the lowest

viscosity. Furthermore, Condemned Oil has a viscosity that ranges

between those of Motor and Crude Oils even as temperature increases.

Considering the above results for Motor Oil, the reason why it is used for

lubrication is now obvious.

Lubricating oil is a mixture of straight and branched chain hydrocarbons

derived from the fractional distillation of crude oil. The higher viscosity oil

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has longer chains with a higher total number of electrons. This means

that the dispersion forces are greater.

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 CHAPTER FIVE

CONCLUSION/RECOMMENDATION

5.1. CONCLUSION

In this experiment, we determined the viscosities of the test samples. The

viscosity of petroleum and fuel oil is probably the most important

physical property of the oils because it determines the lubrication,

transport and combustion properties of the oils. The viscosities of the

samples obtained in the results above are a unique characteristic of their

nature, considering their respective functions.

In addition, this experiment describes a method of determining the

viscosities of a liquid sample that is simple and precise. All that is required

is the guided use of the apparatuses and a good follow-up of the pre-

stated procedures.

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5.2. RECOMMENDATION

For future experimentations on the determination of the viscosities of

petroleum and fuel oils, using the Redwood Viscometer, more

consideration should be given to ensure that there is a uniform

distribution of heat even to the oil cup. This is expedient, as stated under

Error Analysis, because the farther away the temperature of the water

bath is from that of the oil sample in the oil cup, the greater the error in

the obtained results.

In addition, reuse of the samples for further experimentation should be

controlled so as to avoid unnecessary thinning of the oil. Also, it would be

better to record the efflux time for 50ml of the oil to enter the volumetric

flask than to pour 50ml of oil into the oil cup and record the time it would

take for all the oil to flow out.

Aside from the above, the report gives an acceptable description of the

experiment and thus can be adopted for further analysis.

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 REFERENCES
Choi, Tae, “Laboratory Exercise #2: Measurement of Air Viscosity”, p. 2-7.

Joe Scientist, “Chemical Handbook”, 578th Ed., Big Chemical Press Inc.,
Bigtown, USA, 1999.

Lalit K. S. “Experimental Chemistry Notebook for Engineers”, p. 16-21.

Obibuenyi J. I., “Laboratory Manual on CHE 305- Physical Properties/

Testing Analysis”, FUT Owerri, p. 68-70.

Robert H. P., Don W. G., “Perry’s Chemical Engineers’ Handbook- Physical

Properties of Organic Compounds”,7th Edition, McGraw-Hill
Publishers, 2007, 2-28.

Severa L., Los L. (2008), “The influence of Temperature on Dynamic

Viscosity”, Silviculturae Mendelianae Brunensis publishers, 56(2),
303–307.

Whitten K.W., Galley K.D., “General Chemistry”, Saunders College

Publishing, Philadelphia, PA, 1984, p. 864.

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 APPENDICES

CALCULATIONS

Conversion from degrees Celsius to degrees Fahrenheit

Conversion of Efflux time to Redwood I Seconds

For Crude Oil;

E.T.C.

Conversion of Redwood I Seconds to CentiStokes

For Crude Oil;

( )
( )
( )
( )
E.T.C.

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Calculation of Viscosity Index

[ ]

For Crude Oil;

* +

For Motor Oil;

* +

For Condemned Oil;

* +

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