PEFTEC - Abstract

Abstract Information :

The method to determine the kinematic viscosity of transparent and opaque liquid petroleum products has been defined by ASTM D445 since 1937. As it was all these years back, the method measures the time required for a fixed volume of sample to pass through a calibrated viscometer at a controlled temperature. Dynamic viscosity can be calculated using this method as well, as long as the density of the sample is known. ASTM D445 is an essential method in our industry, and as a result, the method is constantly updated to maintain clarity and to make it easier to follow the procedure by engineers, scientists, and lab workers, and to improve its precision. Some changes to ASTM D445 recently revolve around aligning ASTM D445 with IP71. Differences between these methods include inconsistent precisions with samples of jet fuel at -20°C and with diesels, biofuels, and blends at 40°C. Also, the precision of the manual viscometry in ASTM D445 is under review, with a troubleshooting table to possibly be added to the appendix. The table would explain the causes to common errors experienced during the procedure, and provides a resolution to the observed error. This would be beneficial to users who are less experienced with the method. Along with improvements to the ASTM D445 method, new instrumentation associated with the method have been developed to further improve testing procedures and to provide greater flexibility, automation, and versatility. These new instruments help satisfy the demands of the market; including ease of use, high unattended throughput, and optical detection systems. This poster discusses the various recent updates in ASTM D445, the reason behind these changes and introduces new automatic instrumentation which complies with all these improvements.