DUHOK POLYTECHNIC UNIVERSITY

COLLEGE OF TECHNICAL ENGINEERING

DEPARTMENT OF PETROCHEMICAL

KINEMATIC VISCOSITY OF
TRANSPARENT LIQUIDS
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SIYAR M. SALEEM
PETROLEUM REFINERY LAB.
Group B
Report No. 5
April 20, 2019
OBJECTIVE
To determine the kinematic viscosity of transparent petroleum product.
To calculate the dynamic viscosity using kinematic viscosity.

INTRODUCTION
The Viscosity of a fluid is a measure of its resistance to gradual deformation by
(shear stress) or tensile stress. For liquids, it corresponds to the informal notion of
"thickness". For example, honey has a higher Viscosity than water.

Viscosity is due to the friction between neighboring particles in a fluid that are
moving at different velocities. When the fluid is forced through a tube, the fluid
generally moves faster near the axis and very slowly near the walls; therefore, some
stress (such as a pressure difference between the two ends of the tube) is needed
to overcome the friction between layers and keep the fluid moving. For the same
velocity pattern, the stress required is proportional to the fluid's Viscosity. A liquid's
Viscosity depends on the size and shape of its particles and the attractions between
the particles.

What is Viscosity Index

Viscosity index is a measure for the change of Viscosity with variations in
temperature. It is used to characterize Viscosity changes with relation to
temperature in lubricating oil.

The Viscosity of liquids decreases as temperature increases. The Viscosity of a

lubricant is closely related to its ability to reduce friction. Generally, the least
viscous lubricant which still forces the two moving surfaces apart is desired. If the
lubricant is too viscous, it will require a large amount of energy to move (as in
honey); if it is too thin, the surfaces will come in contact and friction will increase.

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What is Lubricant
A lubricant is a substance introduced to reduce friction between moving surfaces.
It may also have the function of transporting foreign particles. The property of
reducing friction is known as lubricity. (Slipperiness)

A good lubricant possesses the following characteristics:

❖ High boiling point
❖ Low freezing point
High Viscosity index
❖ Thermal stability
❖ Hydraulic Stability
❖ Demulsibility
❖ Corrosion prevention
❖ High resistance to oxidation
Lubricants perform the following key functions:
❖ Keep moving parts apart
❖ Reduce friction
❖ Transfer heat
❖ Carry away contaminants and debris
❖ Transmit power
❖ Protect against wear
❖ Prevent corrosion
❖ Seal for gases
❖ Stop the risk of smoke and fire of objects
❖ Prevent rust

Where is Viscosity word from

The word "Viscosity" is derived from the Latin "viscum", meaning "anything
sticky.

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APPARATUS AND MATERILAS:

The apparatus consists of:

1- A viscometer, U-shaped glass tube, the arm, L
has a larger diameter and a reservoir at the
bottom, it is used to fill the viscometer with
sample. The other arm, N with capillary has
two bulbs; the lower bulb has two marks E & F.
2- Viscometer holder,
3- Temperature control bath,
4- 4- Temperature controller,
5- Temperature measuring device
6- Timing device.

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PROCEDURE

1- Adjust and maintain the viscometer bath at a required test temperature.

2- Select a clean, dry, calibrated viscometer having a range covering the
estimated kinematic viscosity (that is, a wide capillary for a very viscous liquid
and a narrower capillary for a more fluid liquid). The flow time shall not be less
than 200 s.
3- Charge the viscometer and draw the test portion into the working capillary
and timing bulb, place rubber stoppers into the tubes to hold the test portion in
place, and insert the viscometer into the bath.
4- Allow the viscometer to reach bath temperature (10 – 15 minutes). 5- Remove
the stopper from capillary arm and allow the sample flowing freely, measure, in
seconds to within 0.1 s, the time required for the meniscus to pass from the first
(E) to the second (F) timing mark, (the flow time should not be less than 200 s).
6- Find the viscometer constant from the table and calculate the kinematic
viscosity of the sample.

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CALCULATIONS AND RESULT
Time1 = seconds
Time2 = seconds

Viscometer constant C 1 = mm2/s2

Viscometer constant C 2 = mm2/s2

Density = 0.830 g/mL

Temperature = °C

Kinematic viscosity
𝜈=𝐶×𝑡
𝜈1 = × = mm2/s2
𝜈2 = × = mm2/s2
𝜈 = 𝜈1 + 𝜈2 /2 = mm2/s2

Dynamic Viscosity
𝜇= 𝜈 × 𝜌 = × 0.830 = 𝑐𝑝

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DISCUSSION

- What is the importance of viscosity measurement for the following?

Answer/ For Crude oil is really a complex mixture of various components.
Depending on its geographic origin, its chemical composition and consistency vary.
The different types of crude oil need to be classified for further treatment. Both a
crude oil's viscosity and its API (American Petroleum Institute) Degree are
important parameters for classification, API Degrees indicate whether a crude oil
floats on water or sinks. Light crude oils flow easily and contain more volatile
components, while heavy crude oils can be highly viscous and show a higher
density. Intermediate oils are in-between these extremes. The advantage of
measure viscosity is firstly, a crude oil's flow behavior is important for smooth
extraction and transport. Even in a pipeline, which is subject to temperature
changes, the oil should always remain liquid, secondly, not every refinery can
process every type of crude oil. The heavier an oil is, the more difficult it is to refine.
A crude oil must suit the refinery's equipment, thirdly, in case of an accident with
subsequent oil spill, the type of oil determines the steps taken to minimize the
effect on the environment.
For Lubricant oil , viscosity is the most important factor that should be measured ,
different lubricants oils varies with its viscosity , as long as we need to use the
lubricant oil for different uses , different lubricant oil with different viscosity is
needed , so by measuring viscosity of lubricant oil we can select the suitable
lubricant oil for the suitable purpose.
For Fuel oil's Viscosity of fuel oil plays an important role in the quality of
combustion inside a diesel engine. It is imperative to keep the viscosity of fuel oil
in the right range in order to get the right kind of engine efficiency. In high viscosity
values it will supply the combustion chamber with smaller amounts of flue, which
in connection with already set coefficient of excess air, will result in a greater
chimney loss, also, in effect, leading to poor combustion efficiency. In addition, the
burner pump will prematurely wear or even be damaged, due to higher resistance
of flow and higher pressure.

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- Explain the behavior of liquid and gas viscosity with temperature rise.?
Answer/ When a liquid heat up, its molecules become excited and begin to
move. The energy of this movement is enough to overcome the forces that bind
the molecules together, allowing the liquid to become more fluid and decreasing
its viscosity. For example, when syrup is cold it has a high viscosity and can be
difficult to pour. When heated in a microwave, the viscosity decreases and the
syrup flows more freely.
In gases when the temperature increases it will increase the viscosity of gases
which the molecules are more or less free, except for discrete scattering events
with other molecules. Unless the gas is ionized, the collision cross section varies
little with impact velocity. Therefore, as the temperature (free velocity)
increases, the molecules carry more momentum and collide more often. That
means more viscous momentum transport.

- What is viscosity index (VI) and how can you calculate it

Answer/ Viscosity index (VI) is an arbitrary measure for the change of viscosity
with variations in temperature. The lower the VI, the greater the change of
viscosity of the oil with temperature and vice versa. It is used to characterize
viscosity changes with relation to temperature in lubricating oil. The viscosity of
liquids decreases as temperature increases. The viscosity of a lubricant is closely
related to its ability to reduce friction. Generally, the least viscous lubricant which
still forces the two moving surfaces apart is desired. If the lubricant is too viscous,
it will require a large amount of energy to move (as in honey); if it is too thin, the
surfaces will come in contact and friction will increase.

-How can you calibrate a viscometer?

Answer/ When you have a viscometer with unknown viscosity constant (c) you
can't use it because you don’t have the viscosity constant to calculate the
kinematic viscosity , for this purpose we have to calibrate the viscometer to
determine the viscosity constant of viscometer, to calibrate a viscometer you
should have a liquid of known kinematic viscosity that have been determined
before of a standard liquid that have a known kinematic viscosity, after that we

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have to do the test as the given procedure and record the time that the fluid will
take it to flow from the start point to end point, after that we have to rearrange
the kinematic viscosity equation to calculate the viscosity constant of the
viscometer, the equation will be like this:
𝑣𝑖𝑠𝑐𝑜𝑠𝑖𝑡𝑦 𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑛𝑡 (𝑐)= 𝐾𝑖𝑛𝑒𝑚𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑐 𝑣𝑖𝑠𝑐𝑜𝑠𝑖𝑡𝑦 (𝑣) / 𝑡𝑖𝑚𝑒 (𝑡)

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CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS
The viscosity of a fluid is a measure of its resistance to gradual deformation by
shear stress or tensile stress. For liquids, it corresponds to the informal concept of
"thickness". For example, honey has a much higher viscosity than water. A high
viscosity implies a high resistance to flow while a low viscosity indicates a low
resistance to flow. The kinematic viscosity is the ratio of the dynamic viscosity μ to
the density of the fluid ρ. It is usually denoted by the Greek letter nu (ν). , it is used
in reservoir simulators to estimate the rate of oil or gas to flow and their
production, and it is needed in calculation of power required in mixers or to
transfer fluid, the amount of pressure drop in pipe or column, flow measurement
devices and design and operation of oil/water separations.

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