Viscosity

Viscosity is a measure of the resistance of a fluid which is being deformed by eithershear

stress or tensile stress. In everyday terms (and for fluids only), viscosity is "thickness" or "internal
friction". Thus, water is "thin", having a lower viscosity, whilehoney is "thick", having a higher
viscosity. Put simply, the less viscous the fluid is, the greater its ease of movement (fluidity).[1]

Viscosity describes a fluid's internal resistance to flow and may be thought of as a measure of
fluid friction. For example, high-viscosity felsic magma will create a tall, steep stratovolcano,
because it cannot flow far before it cools, while low-viscosity mafic lava will create a wide,
shallow-sloped shield volcano. All real fluids (exceptsuperfluids) have some resistance
to stress and therefore are viscous, but a fluid which has no resistance to shear stress is known
as an ideal fluid or inviscid fluid.

There exist a number of forms of viscosity:

 Newtonian: fluids, such as water and most gases which have a constant
viscosity.
 Shear thickening: viscosity increases with the rate of shear.
 Shear thinning: viscosity decreases with the rate of shear.
 Thixotropic: materials which become less viscous over time when shaken,
agitated, or otherwise stressed.
 Rheopectic: materials which become more viscous over time when shaken,
agitated, or otherwise stressed.
 A Bingham plastic is a material that behaves as a solid at low stresses but flows
as a viscous fluid at high stresses.
 A magnetorheological fluid is a type of "smart fluid" which, when subjected to a
magnetic field, greatly increases its apparent viscosity, to the point of becoming a
viscoelastic solid.

Viscometer
A viscometer (also called viscosimeter) is an instrument used to measure the viscosity of a fluid.
For liquids with viscosities which vary with flow conditions, an instrument called a rheometer is
used. Viscometers only measure under one flow condition.
In general, either the fluid remains stationary and an object moves through it, or the object is
stationary and the fluid moves past it. The drag caused by relative motion of the fluid and a
surface is a measure of the viscosity. The flow conditions must have a sufficiently small value
of Reynolds number for there to be laminar flow.

At 20.00 degrees Celsius the viscosity of water is 1.002 mPa·s and its kinematic viscosity (ratio of
viscosity to density) is 1.0038 mm2/s. These values are used for calibrating certain types of
viscometer.

Standard laboratory viscometers for liquids

U-tube viscometers
These devices also are known as glass capillary viscometers or Ostwald viscometers, named
after Wilhelm Ostwald. Another version is the Ubbelohde viscometer, which consists of a U-
shaped glass tube held vertically in a controlled temperature bath. In one arm of the U is a
vertical section of precise narrow bore (the capillary). Above this is a bulb, with it is another bulb
lower down on the other arm. In use, liquid is drawn into the upper bulb by suction, then allowed
to flow down through the capillary into the lower bulb. Two marks (one above and one below the
upper bulb) indicate a known volume. The time taken for the level of the liquid to pass between
these marks is proportional to the kinematic viscosity. Most commercial units are provided with a
conversion factor, or can be calibrated by a fluid of known properties.

The time required for the test liquid to flow through a capillary of a known diameter of a certain
factor between two marked points is measured. By multiplying the time taken by the factor of the
viscometer, the kinematic viscosity is obtained.

Such viscometers are also classified as direct flow or reverse flow. Reverse flow viscometers
have the reservoir above the markings and direct flow are those with the reservoir below the
markings. Such classifications exists so that the level can be determined even when opaque or
staining liquids are measured, otherwise the liquid will cover the markings and make it impossible
to gauge the time the level passes the mark. This also allows the viscometer to have more than 1
set of marks to allow for an immediate timing of the time it takes to reach the 3rd mark, therefore
yielding 2 timings and allowing for subsequent calculation of Determinability to ensure accurate
results.
Falling Piston Viscometer

Also known as Norcross viscometer due to inventor, Austin Norcross. Principle of viscosity
measurement in this rugged and sensitive industrial device is based on piston and cylinder
assembly. Piston is periodically raised by an air lifting mechanism, drawing the material being
measured down through the clearance(gap)between the piston and the wall of the cylinder into
the space which is formed below the piston as it is raised. The assembly is then typically held up
for a few seconds, then allowed to fall by gravity, expelling the sample out through the same path
that it entered, creating a shearing effect on the measured liquid, which makes this viscometer
particularly sensitive and good for measuring certain thixotropic liquids. The time of fall is a
measure of viscosity, with the clearance between the piston and inside of the cylinder forming the
measuring orifice. The viscosity controller measures the time of fall (Time-of-fall seconds being
measure of viscosity) and displays the resulting viscosity value. Controller can calibrate time-of-
fall value to cup seconds(known efflux cup), SSU or centipoise.
Industrial use is popular due to simplicity, repeatability, low maintenance and longevity. This type
of measurement is not affected by flow rate or external vibrations. Principle of operation can be
adopted for many different conditions, making it ideal for process control environment.
Oscillating Piston Viscometer
Sometimes referred to as Electromagnetic Viscometer or EMV viscometer, was invented at
Cambridge Viscosity in 1986. The sensor (see figure below) comprises a measurement chamber
and magnetically influenced piston. Measurements are taken whereby a sample is first introduced
into the thermally controlled measurement chamber where the piston resides. Electronics drive
the piston into oscillatory motion within the measurement chamber with a controlled magnetic
field. A shear stress is imposed on the liquid (or gas) due to the piston travel and the viscosity is
determined by measuring the travel time of the piston. The construction parameters for the
annular spacing between the piston and measurement chamber, the strength of the
electromagnetic field, and the travel distance of the piston are used to calculate the viscosity
according to Newton’s Law of Viscosity.

The Oscillating Piston Viscometer technology has been adapted for small sample viscosity and
micro-sample viscosity testing in laboratory applications. It has also been adapted to measure
high pressure viscosity and high temperature viscosity measurements in both laboratory and
process environments. The viscosity sensors have been scaled for a wide range of industrial
applications such as small size viscometers for use in compressors and engines, flow-through
viscometers for dip coating processes, in-line viscometers for use in refineries, and hundreds of
other applications. Improvements in sensitivity from modern electronics, is stimulating a growth in
Oscillating Piston Viscometer popularity with academic laboratories exploring gas viscosity.