LIQUID FUELS

Density, Specific Gravity and Viscosity

Flash and Fire points
OBJECTIVE
• To learn what liquid fuel is and its classifications
• To be able to learn what density, specific gravity and viscosity of fuels
are
• To identify the instruments to be used in the laboratory activity
WHAT IS FUEL?
• Any substance used to produce energy is called fuel.
• Any combustible substance which may be burnt to supply for practical
applications without the formation of excessively objectionable
byproducts.
FUELS MAY BE BROADLY CLASSIFIED
IN TWO WAYS:
• According to the physical state in which they exist in nature.
• Solid Fuels such as coal, coke, wood, charcoal, bagasse, coconut shells, rice husks and briquetted fuels

• Liquid Fuels such as crude petroleum and its distillates (gasoline, alcohol, kerosene, diesel, bunker)

• Gaseous Fuels such as natural gas, artificial gas, blast furnace gas, liquified petroleum gas (LPG),
methane, acetylene, propane

• Atomic Fuels such as uranium, thorium and artificially produce fuel like plutonium

• According to the mode of procurement.

• Natural
• Manufactured
LIQUID FUELS
• Liquid fuels are combustible or energy-generating molecules that can
be harnessed to create mechanical energy, usually producing kinetic
energy.
• It is the fumes of liquid fuels that are flammable instead of the liquid
TYPES OF LIQUID
FUELS
• Diesel
• Gasoline
• Kerosene
• Compressed natural gas
• LPG (Liquified Petroleum Gas)
• Methanol
• Ethanol
• Butanol
PROPERTIES OF LIQUID FUELS
• DENSITY
• Describes how much space a substance takes up, its volume, in relation to the
amount of matter in the substance, its mass.
• The mass and size of the molecules in a liquid and how closely they are
packed together determine the density.
• Ratio of its fuel mass to its volume at 15.6

• Useful for determining fuel quantity and quality

• Density of water is 1000 kg/m3 or 62.4 lb/f3
PYCNOMETER
- A device used for measuring density
SPECIFIC GRAVITY
• Specific gravity is used to determine if a substance will sink or float on water.
• A dimensionless unit defined as the ratio of the density of a substance to the
density of the water at a specified temperature.
• Specific gravity varies with temperature and pressure.
• Also called relative density

• in Celsius
• in Fahrenheit
SPECIFIC GRAVITY OF FUELS
• Diesel ----------------------------------------------------- 0.81 to 0.96
• Gasoline ------------------------------------------------- 0.739
• Kerosene ------------------------------------------------ 0.82
• Compressed natural gas ----------------------------- 0.713
• LPG (Liquified Petroleum Gas) --------------------- 0.495
• Methanol ----------------------------------------------- 0.466
• Ethanol -------------------------------------------------- 0.572
• Butanol -------------------------------------------------- 0.601
HYDROMETER
 An instrument used for measuring the relative density of liquids
based on the concept of buoyancy. They are typically calibrated and
graduated with one or more scales such as specific gravity.
VISCOSITY
• The state of being thick, sticky and semifluid in consistency.
• Measure of fuel’s internal resistance to flow.
• Inversely proportional to temperature.
VISCOSITY OF FUELS
• Diesel ----------------------------------------------------- 2 to 6
• Gasoline ------------------------------------------------- 0.006
• Kerosene ------------------------------------------------ 2.71
• Compressed natural gas ----------------------------- 0.011
• LPG (Liquified Petroleum Gas) --------------------- 0.17
• Methanol ----------------------------------------------- 0.010
• Ethanol -------------------------------------------------- 0.012
• Butanol -------------------------------------------------- 0.0074
DYNAMIC VISCOSITY
- Measures the ratio of shear stress to the shear rate for a fluid.
KINEMATIC VISCOSITY
- Measures the ratio of the viscous force to the inertial force on the
fluid.

V
TOOLS USED TO MEASURE
VISCOSITY
1. Viscometer
a. Rational
b. Oscillation
c. Vibrational
d. Falling-piston
e. Falling-sphere
2. Rheometer
a. Rational
b. Capillary
c. Extensional
VISCOMETER
- Also called viscosimeter, an instrument used to measure the viscosity
of a fluid
RHEOMETER
- Is a laboratory device used to measure the way in
which a liquid, suspension or slurry flows in
response to applied force. It is for those fluids which
cannot be defined by a single value of viscosity and
therefore require more parameters to be set and
measured than the case for viscometer
FLASH AND FIRE POINTS OF LIQUID
FUELS AND GREASES
• Liquid Fuels
 Combustible material
 Natural or Crude oil
 Artificial or manufactured oil
• Obtained mostly by fractional distillation
DISADVANTAGES
ADVANTAGES
 High calorific value per unit mass Expensive
 Can burn without any clinkers Expensive storage
 Easy to fire up Hazardous
 Easy to transport through pipes Bad odor
 Can be stored indefinitely without any loss
 Clean in use and economic to handle
 Require less excess air for complete combustion
 Require less furnace space for combustion
TYPES OF LIQUID FUEL AND
CHARACTERISITICS
•• Gasoline
⁻ Obtained by either distillation or by synthesis
⁻ Burning range 40 to 120
⁻ Used in aircraft, as vector fuel, in dry cleaning and as a solvent

Characteristics
Cheap and readily available
Burned clean without producing corrosion
Easily vaporized
Knock resistance
Pre-ignite easily
Have high calorific value
• DIESEL
⁻ Between 250 to 300
⁻ Used in diesel as heating oil for cracking to get gasoline

• KEROSENE
⁻ Obtained between 180 to 250during distillation
⁻ Mainly used as fuel in jet engines

• HEAVY OIL
⁻ Obtained between 320 to 400
⁻ When we fractionate heavy oil, we can get:
1. Lubricating oil
2. Petroleum jelly
3. Grease
4. Paraffin wax
GREASE
• A semicoated lubricant
• Generally consist of a soap emulsified with mineral or vegetable oil
• Sometimes used to describe lubricating materials
TYPES OF GREASE
1.
• Aluminum Complex Grease
Good high temperature characteristic
Dropping point approximately 800
Excellent water tolerance
Good shear stability
Responds very well to additive treatments
Frequently used in lubricating food machinery
2. Bentone (Clay) Grease 3. Calcium Grease
Not very compatible with other greases Manufactured by using hydrated lime and fatty
Often called a no-melt grease materials
Good water resistance Must be used in low temperature environment
Low temperature pumpability Has very good water tolerance
Extremely high temperature
TYPES OF GREASE
•4. Lithium
Multipurpose type of grease
Dropping point above 3
Has excellent water resistance and breakdown
Pumpability is very strong
5. Lithium Complex Grease
Improved performance (of previous type of grease) in the area of high
temp, high speed bearing life
TYPES OF GREASE
• Polyurea Grease
6.
Does not use a conventional siap thickener
High dropping point approximately
Ashless structure
Excellent water resistance
Often used in electric motors, alternators and in food machinery
7. Sodium Grease
Fibrous textured
Used as a standard wheel bearing grease
Dropping point will vary between 300 to 400
Good rust protection but very poor water resistance
FLASH POINT
• Lowest temperature at which a liquid gives off enough vapors to form
an ignitable mixture with air
• It can be determined by passing a flame
• Observable
FIRE POINT
• Temperature at which the oil ignites and continues to burn
• Usually from 5 to 20 higher than flash point
FLASH POINT VS FIRE POINT
• Every flammable liquid has a vapor pressure that increases with an
increase in temperature
• The lowest temperature at which there is enough concentration of
vapor in air to ignite the liquid is called flash point
• Fire point is slightly higher in temperature