What is viscosity for Fuel Oil?

The main specifications that determine the quality of fuel oil include viscosity, sulfur content , and pour point, etc.

Viscosity is the most important performance index of fuel oil and the main basis for classifying fuel oil. It is a measure of the resistance to fluidity, and its value indicates the flowability, easy pumpability and easy atomization performance of the fuel oil. For high-viscosity fuel oil, it generally needs to be preheated to reduce the viscosity to a certain level, and then enter into the burner to make it easy to spray and atomize at the nozzle. 

There are many ways to measure viscosity. Redwood Viscosity is commonly used in the United Kingdom, Saybolt Viscosity is commonly used in the United States, and Engler Viscosity is often used in Europe, but various countries are gradually adopting Kinematic Viscosity more widely. The accuracy of kinematic viscosity is higher than that of the above-mentioned methods, and the amount of sample is small, and the determination is rapid. The conversion between various viscosities can usually be approximated through a pre-made conversion table.

At present, the more commonly used are 40°C kinematic viscosity (distillated fuel oil) and 100°C kinematic viscosity (residue fuel oil). The kinematic viscosity of the oil is the ratio of the dynamic viscosity and the density of the oil. When the dynamic viscosity of the fluid is 1 poise and the density is 1g/cm3, the kinematic viscosity is 1 Stokes. 

Below is our instrument to test the kinematic viscosity: