SIMPLE VISCOMETER

[HOOUWIT]

Can someone direct me towards constructing a simple viscometer? TIA

 

[HamishMcTavish]

Google turned up the following

http://www.google.co.uk/search?hl=en&q=viscometer+sch&btnG=Google+Search&meta=

What are you trying to measure, different viscometer types are better for different situations. Typically you want to provide a flow regime which allows you to simplify the fluid motion equations so that you can derive simple relationships between the parameter you are varying and the parameter you are measuring. You will be looking to reduce problems to one or two dimensional flows, no turbulence.

Also try looking under rheometers.

Regards, HM.

No more things should be presumed to exist than are absolutely necessary - William of Occam

 

[25362]

Do you mean a in-line viscometer or a sample tester ? Is the fluid Newtonian ?

 

[HOOUWIT]

I assume it to be a sample tester. The instructor did not specify, but he did say a simple homemade viscometer can be used to test Newtonian fluids such as water, beer, honey, etc. Any help is greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance!

 

[Latexman]

Look at

http://www.brookfieldengineering.com

Good luck,
Latexman

 

[25362]

Hoouwit, are a student ? Because, if you are, the whole thread will be deleted.

 

[HOOUWIT]

No, I'm not a student. This viscometer is for a project for work.

 

[25362]

A glass tube closable at both ends with a steel ball inside. Measure the time it takes the ball to fall from one end to the other or between two marks. Compare with a fluid of known viscosity at the same ambient temperature.
It should work for clean and newtonian fluids not reacting chemicaly with the ball or the tube material. Fall times are proportional to centipoises. See, for example,

http://www.labsafety.com/store/product_group.asp?dept_id=3873&parent_id=4618

 

[25362]

I've just found a site that may interest you:

http://www.science-projects.com/Viscosity.htm

 

[jmw]

Make your own cup viscometer from a detergent bottle:
cut the bottom off and drill an appropriate size hole (you'll discover this by experiment)in the cap.

If the bottle is of clear plastic, print a graduated strip and glue it on the side. If not, get a set of scales and a container to catch the fluid in.

Now fill with fluid and time how long to run out a known amount of fluid using water and motor oil, for example (i.e. fluids you know the viscosity for)to obtain a calibration.

You're going to simpley use the drain down time as an indicator of viscosity.

Crude? Yes. Effective? yes.
At a plant in France I witnessed the use of just such an improvised viscometer to plot the polymerisation reaction curve for methyl methacrylate.
From the plot they had to estimate the time at which to quench the reaction.
They had around a 90% success rate.

JMW

http://www.ViscoAnalyser.com

 

[JStephen]

I was trying to think why the title didn't sound right and it finally dawned on my that I've heard of a "viscosimeter"- extra syllable in there. Not sure which is right or if both. Anyway, try a google search for that.

I'm not sure of the details, but I understood they had test apparatus for oil, crude oil, etc., that was basically the drain-it-and-time-it technique above. They usually give oil viscosities in odd units, which I assume was just based on that test method. Isn't there a "Saybolt-seconds" unit of viscosity? Try looking that up.