A.

3
4

The Physical Nature of Viscosity 791

1 Ns/m2 = 0.0209 lbfs/ft2

2

1.0
8 6 4

Glycerin

Castor oil SAE 30 oil

110

1 8 6 4

SAE 10W-30 oil

Absolute viscosity, (N s/m2)

SAE 10W oil

110

2 8 6 4

Mercury 1103
8 6 4

Octane Water
Carbon

Kerosene
tetrach loride

Heptane

1104
8 6 4

Methane Helium

Carbon dioxide Air

1105
8 6

Hydrogen 0 20 40 60 Temperature, T (C) 80 100 120

20

Fig. A.2 Dynamic (absolute) viscosity of common uids as a function of temperature. (Data from References [1, 6, and 10].) The graphs for air and water were computed from the Excel workbook Absolute Viscosities, using Eq. A.1 and Eq. A.3, respectively. The workbook can be used to compute viscosities of other uids if constants b and S (for a gas) or A, B, and C (for a liquid) are known. the water viscosity values at various temperatures shown in Table A.8, and using appropriate conversion factors, the values shown in Table A.7. Note that the viscosity of a liquid decreases with temperature, while that of a gas increases with temperature.

Effect of Pressure on Viscosity

a. Gases
The viscosity of gases is essentially independent of pressure between a few hundredths of an atmosphere and a few atmospheres. However, viscosity at high pressures increases with pressure (or density).

792

Appendix A Fluid Property Data

1102
8 6 4

1 m2/s = 10.8 ft2/s

E SA 30

1103
8 6 4

oil
0 -3 l oi

E SA W 10

Gl yc in er

Kinematic viscosity, (m2/s)

Helium Hydrogen
SA E

1104
8 6 4

10

oi

Methane Air

1105
8 6 4

ioxide Carbon d

Kero

Wa

sene

ter
Heptane

110

6 8 6 4

Octane
Carbon te trachlori
Mercury

de

1107
8 6

20

20

40 60 Temperature, T (C)

80

100

120

Fig. A.3 Kinematic viscosity of common uids (at atmospheric pressure) as a function of temperature. (Data from References [1, 6, and 10].)

b. Liquids
The viscosities of most liquids are not affected by moderate pressures, but large increases have been found at very high pressures. For example, the viscosity of water at 10,000 atm is twice that at 1 atm. More complex compounds show a viscosity increase of several orders of magnitude over the same pressure range. More information may be found in Reid and Sherwood [11].