VISCOSITY

-brief background about viscosity (what is viscosity? Factors affecting viscosity?)

-viscometers (types and for what and how it measures)

-conventional vs sensors

-types of viscosity sensors (what sensor? How it measures?)

-applications in the industry (specific)

Viscosity is a measure of a fluid’s resistance to flow, or more precisely, it is the

ratio of the force required to overcome internal friction between layers of fluid
(shearing stress) to the change in speed between layers of fluid (velocity
gradient).

Knowing the viscosity of a fluid can be quite important when you need to
measure viscosity. Many quality control measures are based on viscosity. For
example, to maintain consistent quality a ketchup producer needs to maintain
the proper viscosity, so the consumer ends up with the product as intended. Paint
needs to be able to spread properly, but should not be dripping off of the brush.
Ink must come out of a nozzle in a precise manner. In other cases, the design and
engineering of equipment and systems must take viscosity into consideration to
ensure that they will function as required. The sizing of pumps and mixers
depends on the design and power of the equipment to handle a given viscosity.

Viscosity, the resistance of a liquid to flow, is an important measurement requirement in

industrial process control and OEM applications. Viscosity describes the retarding force
that is proportional to the rate of deformation. This so-called shear rate has units of s–
1 and describes the cross-stream gradient of the flow speed.

Measuring the viscosity of oil is a rapid method of determining oil condition, and is
considered an important parameter in assessing asset readiness.

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Many different types of viscometers and other viscosity measurement devices
are used to measure viscosity for various types of fluids and units of measure.

Falling ball viscometers

A falling ball viscometer measures the viscosity of fluids and some units can also
measure the viscosity of gases.
Viscosity cups

The various forms of viscosity cups use gravity to allow a fluid to flow through an
orifice located at the bottom in a precise amount, which can be measured over
time to calculate a viscosity value. The most common viscosity cups are Ford,
Ford Dip, and Zahn cups.

Consistometers

The consistometer is a metal trough with graduations which measures viscous

materials as they flow at an incline under their own weight. These are primarily
used to measure paint viscosity to ensure conformity to military specifications.
Consistometers also work well for many food applications such as syrups, jellies,
and sauces, as well as cosmetics. Consistency, viscosity, and flow rates can all be
verified against established standards. The consistometer doesn’t actually
measure viscosity values directly: Its measurement is based on how far a fluid
will flow down an incline in a certain time frame. This can be correlated to
viscosity by using established standards. Users can develop their own standards
and procedures specific to the product tested. While consistometers can’t be used
with all samples, the low maintenance and ease of use make them very popular.

Glass capillary viscometers

A glass capillary viscometer is used in conjunction with test methods which

conform to a particular ASTM. A wide range of glass capillary viscometers are
available, including Ubbelhode, Cannon-Fenske, and Zeitfuchs.

Tuning fork vibration viscometers

Featuring a level of 1% of reading, a tuning fork vibration viscometer delivers a

high level of accuracy. This measures viscosity by detecting the driving electric
current needed to resonate two sensor plates at a constant frequency.

Rotational viscometers

A rotational viscometer accommodates a wide range well into millions of

centipoise and is considered the most versatile type of viscometer.

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One of the most undesirable aspects of conventional viscosity measurement methods
is that either the sensor mechanism or the liquid must be in motion. This requirement is
true for flow-based systems such as capillary tubes, Coriolis force tubes, efflux cups,
falling balls, moving pistons, and rotating spindles. While MEMS technology, and
specifically lab-on-a-chip devices, may miniaturize this class of measurement device,
fundamental physics and engineering factors complicate their use for embedded
process control monitoring in which flow rates, particulates, and pressures play a
crucial role.

Conventional mechanical and electro-mechanical viscometers designed primarily for

laboratory measurements are difficult to integrate into the control and monitoring
environment. As a consequence, many companies rely on decisions based on intermittent
“snapshot” data acquired from periodic sampling where conventional instrumentation can be
affected by temperature, shear rate and other variables.
Given that contaminants in oil (water, solvents and fuel) are known to degrade viscosity and
cause damage to internal components of diesel assets, whether they are trucks or
construction equipment or military vehicles or power-generation equipment, it is important to
not just rely on snapshot data.
High water contamination levels in diesel fuel have been shown to be the reason for
corrosion and pitting, leading to increased metal wear particle counts. The presence of
residual cleaning solvents and fuel contamination has caused seals to swell and create less
than ideal engine operating situations.
Knowledge of viscosity in real time provides a significant benefit to measure aging of oil,
ingress of contaminants during commercial operations and prevent incipient mechanical
failure due to loss of oil lubrication properties.
Measuring the viscosity of oil is a rapid method of determining oil condition, and is
considered an important parameter in assessing asset readiness. The SenGenuity ViSmart
viscosity sensor, which can compliment IR spectroscopy and other bulk property sensors,
can provide instantaneous on-line viscosity and temperature data, has no moving parts with
an extremely wide operating range and offers universal plug-and-play connectivity for
integration with and into other handheld products.
The sensors have been on the market to close to a decade and are currently installed in
markets ranging from oil condition monitoring in machine tool and rotating equipment
industries to process control in coating applications. It is in these rigorous environments
where return-on-investment (ROI) benefits have been realized, and are now been evaluated
for mobile and fixed assets where oil condition monitoring is of paramount importance.
SenGenuity’s acoustic wave (AW) sensors offer a number of advantages over conventional
mechanical and electromechanical viscometers as they are small solid-state devices that
can be completely immersed in the oil, providing an instantaneous viscosity data stream for
embedded OEM or end-user spot-check applications.
The sensors are unaffected by shock or vibration or by flow conditions, so they can be used
in harsh operating conditions to measure viscosity from zero to 500 cP with a temperature
range of minus-15 degrees to 125 degrees Celsius with a high degree of accuracy. At the
same time, sensor measurements are not affected by particulates in the oil.
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There has been a long-standing effort to introduce solid-state technology for viscosity
measurement. Several research projects have demonstrated prototypes of two sensors that
take advantage of acoustic waves. One uses the popular thickness shear mode (TSM) quartz
crystal device (see Figure 1) and tracked resonance damping and frequency shift in an
advanced electronic circuit. The other uses a less well-known waveguide mode of a quartz plate
and combines the TSM device's sensing mechanism with the wafer scale manufacturing
capability of surface acoustic wave sensors.
A new viscosity sensor developed by BiODE refines both sensor structures, overcoming
challenges in design, reproducibility, and measurement range. This monolithic piezoelectric
sensor offers the simplicity of the TSM while having distinct input and output ports for differential
measurements. The benefits are enhanced reproducibility and minimized circuitry effects. This
multireflective acoustic wave device blends the features of resonators and delay lines to offer a
wide dynamic range (air to several thousand centipoise) in a single sensor, overcoming the
major pitfalls of the earlier prototype designs (see Figure 2). ViSmart, a robust, reliable,
portable, and cost-effective SAW solid-state viscometer (see Figure 3), is designed for
integration into inline, real-time monitoring and process control systems. Aside from the atomic-
scale vibration of the surface, ViSmart has no moving parts and, due to the high frequency of
the vibration (several million vibrations per second), is independent of flow conditions of the
liquid and immune to environmental vibration effects.

Operating Principle

The advantages offered by ViSmart and other acoustic wave sensors lie in their
principle of operation. Whereas one class of mechanical devices measures kinematic
(flow) viscosity and the other measures intrinsic (friction) viscosity, acoustic wave
sensors measure acoustic impedance:

where:
v = radian frequency (2πF)
r = density
h = intrinsic viscosity

Placing the quartz crystal resonator into contact with the liquid of interest achieves the
viscosity measurement. The liquid's viscosity determines the thickness of the fluid
hydrodynamically coupled to the sensor surface, which is in uniform motion at frequency
ω = 2πF, with amplitude U. The frequency is known by design, and amplitude is
determined by the power level of the electrical signal applied to the sensor. The shear
wave penetrates the fluid to a depth, d, determined by the frequency and the liquid's
viscosity and density (see Figure 4):

Acoustic viscosity is calculated using power loss from the quartz resonator into the
fluid. The unit of measure is acoustic viscosity:

The acoustic wave resonator supports a standing wave through its thickness. The
wave pattern interacts with electrodes on the lower surface, which is hermetically
sealed from the liquid, and interacts with the fluid on the upper surface. The bulk of the
liquid is unaffected by the acoustic signal and a thin layer (on the order of microns or
microinches) is moved by the vibrating surface.

Shear-rate-dependent effects are significant in acoustic wave sensors; they exhibit

shear rates from a few thousand to several million inverse seconds. By comparison,
rotary viscometers cover a range of <1 to ~10,000 s–1 . In contrast, lubricating oils
experience shear rates of hundreds of thousands to tens of millions in today's engines.

Fast and Reliable process viscosity measurement Cambridge Viscosity’s (CVI’s) patented sensor
technology is the preferred choice for small sample viscosity measurement. It uses only one moving
part, a piston, driven electromagnetically through fluid in a small measurement chamber. A deflector,
positioned over the piston, moves fluid into the measurement chamber, while two coils move the piston
back and forth at a constant force. Proprietary circuitry analyzes its two-way travel time to measure
absolute viscosity. Every CVI viscometer uses one of these sensors – ensuring that every viscometer is
the most accurate and reliable. Furthermore, since all wetted parts are stainless steel and the oscillating
piston is in constant motion, the sampling area is continually scrubbed clean. The deflector diverts flow
into the sensor to continually renew the sample in the measurement chamber. A built-in temperature
detector (RTD) senses the actual temperature in the measurement chamber. There is no need for
frequent calibration and very little maintenance is required. CVI offers several in-line non explosion
proof sensors, which are installed in process fluids to provide continuous temperature and viscosity
tracking. These sensors can be paired with either the VISCOpro 1600 or VISCOpro 2000 electronics.