UNIVERSITeeeY of TECHNOLOGY, JAMAICA

NAMES: Mark Newman ID# 0702708

Aundre Brown ID # 0906319

GROUP: BENG 1D

COURSE: General Chemistry

LAB #: 4

LECTURER: Dr. Richards

AIM: The aim of this experiment is to determine the Viscosities of 20W-50 Motor Oils at room

Temperatures.

ABSTRACT: The experiment was to determine the viscosity of three different fluids at

room temperature by using the falling spare method. The viscosity of the

three fluid was found to be; 0.0309 kgm-1s-1 for Castrol GTX, for Esso

Racing 0.0277 kgm-1s-1 and for the Shell Helix 0.0268 kgm-1s-1

The oil chosen bases on Jamaica’s climate and driving conditions was the Castrol GTX.

The experimental values were within a range of 6% +\- 3. %

INTRODUCTION: The expression “slow as molasses in January” owes its truth to another

physical property of liquids called viscosity. Viscosity is a measure of a

fluid’s resistance to flow. The greater the viscosity, the more slow the

liquid flows. The falling –sphere method is a simple way to study high-

viscosity fluids at varying temperatures. It can be used to find the viscosity

of a fluid using the effects of gravity on a smooth sphere falling through

standing fluids. Stokes’ law provides the basic necessary theory behind

this method, because this law requires use of a fluid of infinite volume, it

must be modified through the works of Gibson and Jacobs to account for

the limitations on the fluid caused by the experimental procedures.

It is important to know the viscosity of a fluid at various temperatures, this varying

temperature this is indicated in motor oil by the Viscosity index scale

setup by the Society of Automotive Engineers the S.A.E. The scale

basically a reference for motor oil performance @ 100oC it ranges from 0-

 100, zero being the worst and 100 the best oil. The W on the motor oil

bottles does not indicate weight. It indicates the viscosity of the oil @ 0oC.

Knowledge of the varying weigh of oils with temperatures is important in designing.

Mechanical system especially in harsh climatic conditions where, the

temperature is too cold and the oil is too viscose the system could jam. On

the other hand if the system runs too hot the oil loses is ability to lubricate

and cool and this will result in increased friction hence leading to

catastrophic damage.

Procedure: Three cylinders were filled with different three different brands of engine

oils and two marks placed at the ends of the distance the sphere will be

timed over. The mass of each sphere was identified and recorded, the

diameter of the sphere and cylinder was taken and recorded Then the

sphere was held perpendicular to the surface of the fluid barely immersed

in it The sphere was released and allowed to fall through a short distance

before the trimming began, this ensured that the sphere was at thermal

velocity before we began the trimming one the traveled distance. Upon the

1800 mark the stop watch was started by the time keeper and the sphere

was timed upon the 800 ml mark. This distance was originally recorded to

be 20.5 cm... The experiment was repeated five times for each brand of

oil. With the same colour sphere. The results was collected and tabulated
 Diagram showing apparatus

Data Collections, Results and Calculations:

Table 1
Showing the identity of the sphere’s makeup
Identity of the sphere
makeup Castrol (yellow) Esso (yellow) Shell (yellow)

Mass, Ms (kg) 5.0552 × 10-3 4.8850 × 10-3 5.1914× 10-3

Diameter, Ds (m) 2.19 × 10-2 2.17 × 10-2 2.17 × 10-2

Radius, R = Ds/2 (m) 1.095 × 10-2 1.085 × 10-2 1.085 × 10-2

Volume, Vs = 4/3ΠR3 (m3) 5.4996 × 10-6 5.5.4494× 10-6 5.4494 × 10-6

Density, ρs = M/V (kgm-3) 919.1941 896.42890 952.66000

Table 2
Showing the time taken, t (s) for the sphere
to transverse the marked distance (x1 - x2)

Time taken for the

sphere
to transverse Castrol Esso Shell
between (yellow sphere) (yellow sphere) (yellow sphere)
x1 - x2 (S) (S) (S)
t (s)
t1 9.50 13.00 7.00
t2 9.69 11.00 7.00
t3 9.50 11.00 7.00
t4 9.44 11.00 7.00
t5 9.50 11.00 7.00
Average t (s) 9.53 11.40 7.00

Table 3
Showing results for different types of
Brake/transmission fluid

Type of
brake/transmission Castrol Esso Shell
fluid

Height of liquid (m) 45.3 × 10-2 45.6 × 10-2 45.9 × 10-2

Marked distance
X1 – X2, L (m) 20.5 × 10-2 20.5 × 10-2 20.5 × 10-2

Diameter of cylinder 7.85 × 10-2 7.85 × 10-2 7.85× 10-2

(m)

Mass of liquid, ML (kg) 9.146 × 10-3 8.903 × 10-3 9.046 × 10-3

Volume of liquid, VL 1.000 × 10-5 1.000 × 10-5 1.000 × 10-5

(m3)
Density of the liquid, ρL
ML / VL (kgm-3) 914.6 890.3 904.6
`
Viscosity, η (kgm-1s-1) 0.0309 0.0277 0.0268

Eqn. (7) → η = [2 g R2 (ρs – ρL) t] / [9L (1 + 2.4x) (1+1.65y)]

η is the viscosity of the fluid, (kgm-1s-1)

g is the acceleration due to gravity, (ms-2) = 9.81ms-2

R is the radius of the sphere, (m)

ρs is the density of the sphere, (kgm-3)

ρL is the density of the liquid, (kgm-3)

t is the time taken for the sphere to travel between the marked distance, (s)

L is the marked distance on the cylinder, (m)

x is the ratio of sphere diameter to cylinder diameter

y is the ratio of sphere diameter to total liquid

Questions

1. The oils in increasing viscosity

 QUESTIONS

20W-50 Motor Oils in Order of Increasing Viscosity

a) Shell Helix 0.0268 kgm-1s-1

b) Esso Racing 0.0277kgm-1s-1

c) Castrol GTX 0.0309kgm-1s-1

The Significance and Importance of Motor oil Viscosity

The knowledge of the viscosity of the different motor oils is important, because the

viscosity speaks to the ease of which the oil flows. Fluids that have high viscosity (motor oil)

resist motion because of its molecular make up. Increased temperature cause the viscosity to

decrease vice versa a decrease in temp causes an increase in viscosity, this knowledge

becomes extremely important in motor vehicles that operate in hash conditions, I.e. cold

weather, extremely hot weather, long duration, and high performance and high loading. Each

of the conditions listed above have their own unique set of challenges. Which require its

own solution the , the marking on an oil bottle 20W-50 is the viscosity range of t he oil at

0oC and 100oC, respectively. The “W” doesn’t indicate weight but infract indicates the

viscosity of the oil in winter. This is where If a motor oil is too thick it will prevent the

engine from starting hence the engineering of a multi grade engine oil which have an

engineered viscosity range i.e. controlled . High temperatures and stress, encountered in

long duration operations, racing and high loadings needs an oil that remains stable

over a long time period, with continuous heat being applied to it. The oil in these cases

needs a predictable close to static maximum viscosity which will hold it: cleaning,
 lubrication and cooling properties. As oils are used not only for lubrication but also for

cooling, as the passing of the oil over and through parts aids in the removal of heat

from the system. these oils are usually made from not only minerals but also hydrocarbons

,esters and polymers, all of which helps to keep the oil at a stable viscosity at high

temperatures

Sources of Errors

The experiment encountered source of errors which included; the sphere which was not a

perfect solid i.e. it was porous in nature, which could lead to air bubbles in the fluid which could

alter the rate. The reaction time could also account for random errors throughout the experiment

also the limited trials. The changing of the temperature of the oil because of continuous use by

each and also the location of the samples in relation to light exposure and age of the samples this

is another possible cause error.

Improvement of the experiment

The experiment can be improved by:

a) The experiment could be done with a more precise solid ball without holes
 b) The experiment could be heated to show how the effect of temperature changes the

viscosity of the motor oil

c) The removal of the time keeper. Design and automatic trigger time device so that the

reaction time of the human is eliminated.

CONCLUSION

The experiment was setup and carried out as instructed in the lab manual, with care taken

to reduce as much errors as possible. The viscosity of the 20W-50 motor oils in order of

increasing viscosity is: Shell Helix (0.0268kgm-1s-1 ), Esso Racing( 0.0277kgm-1s-1 ) and ).

Castrol GTX (0.0309 kgm-1s-1). Iwould choose the Castrol GTX based on this test, due to the

hot climate of Jamaica, a higher viscosity motor oil would mean a longer oil life and higher

stable operation temperature. The choice would be also influenced by Jamaica’s average

driving conditions , which is a start-stop short distance where the engine doesn’t experience

much cooling effect from air passing over it.

References:

A.M. Halpern, Experimental Physical Chemistry: A Laboratory Text. 2nd ed. (Prentice Hall,

Upper Saddle River, NJ 1997

R. Chang, Chemistry:8th ed.(McGraw-Hill, New York, NY)