Fluid Flow Exercise on viscosity determination

Cup and Bob viscometer

The shear stress and shear rate can be determined using a cup-and-bob or Couette
viscometer. As the name implies, the Couette viscometer consists of two concentric
cylinders as shown in Figure 1. The fluid is in the annular gap between the outer cylinder
(cup) and the inner cylinder (bob).
T

Ri
Ro

L


Figure 1 Couette viscometer.

The outer cylinder is rotated at a fixed angular velocity (). The shearing force is
transmitted to the fluid, causing it to deform or flow. The inner cylinder is kept
stationary by a torque (T) that can be measured by a torsion spring. The shear stress at
any position r within the gap (Ri  r  Ro) is determined by a balance of moments on a
cylindrical surface 2rL

T = r(2rL)r (1)

Solving for the shear stress, we have

T
r = (2)
2r 2 L
Setting r = Ri gives the stress on the bob surface (i), and setting r = Ro gives the stress
on the cub surface (o). If the gap is small [i.e., (Ro  Ri)/Ro  0.02], the flow in the
annular gap can be approximated by the flow between two parallel plates. In this case,
an average shear stress should be used

i o T
r =  where R = (Ri + Ro)/2 (3)
2 2R 2 L

The average shear rate is given by

dv V  Vi Ro  
 =  o = = (4)
dr Ro  Ri Ro  Ri 1  Ri / Ro

Equations (2-4) provide the experimental values for the shear stress and the
shear rate that can be fitted by a non-Newtonian fluid model.

Exercise 1:
The viscosity of a fluid sample is measured in a cup-and-bob viscometer. The bob
is 15 cm long with a diameter of 9.8 cm, and the cup has a diameter of 10 cm.
The cup rotates and the torque is measured on the bob. The following data
where obtained:
Ω (rpm) T (dyn cm)
2 3.6 · 105
4 3.8 · 105
10 4.4 · 105
20 5.4 · 105
40 7.4 · 105

1. Go through the derivation above, and check dimensions for all the
equations.

2. Determine the viscosity of the sample.

 3. What viscosity model equation would be the most appropriate for
describing the viscosity of this sample?

3 What is the viscosity of this sample at a cup speed of 100 rpm in the
viscometer?

Exercise 2:
Which viscosity model best represents the following data? Plot the data in linear
and in logarithmic scales. Fit viscosity model parameters presented in the
lectures.

Shear rate (s−1) Viscosity (cP) Shear rate (s−1) Viscosity (cP)

0.015 300 15 30
0.02 290 40 22
0.05 270 80 15
0.08 270 120 11
0.12 260 200 8
0.3 200 350 6
0.4 190 700 5
0.8 180 2000 3.3
2 100 4500 2.2
3.5 80 7000 2.1
8 50 20000 2

Exercise 3:
The Bingham plastic model can describe acrylic latex paint, with a yield stress of
112 dyn/cm2, a limiting viscosity of 80 cP and a density of 0.95 g/cm3. What is
the maximum thickness of this paint that can be applied on a vertical wall
without running?
Hint: set force required to make paint move equal to gravitational force for a
small control volume. Use the following symbols: W is the thickness of the
control volume, H is the height of the volume and L is the width/length of the
volume