Temperature compensated viscosity made easy

Viscosity at reference temperature is a key characteristic for many petroleum products and derivatives such as fuels, oils, lubricants…

The official method is to have this measurement carried out in the lab with a glass capillary viscometer letting the product to flow by gravity at the required temperature as described in ASTM D445.

This cannot be done in industrial environments; besides, this information can be obtained from in-line viscosity measurements which can be correlated to the current standards. There are two ways to have access to viscosity measurements at reference temperature: either measure the viscosity directly at the reference temperature which means sampling the product at the expected temperature; or have it calculated from the viscosity measured at the current process conditions. This latter option is called ‘Temperature Compensated Viscosity’ or ‘TCV’ and is a basic functionality of the Sofraser MIVI sensor combined with the 9710 processor.

TCV calculation with 9710 HMI is the most economical solution to get access to the viscosity at reference temperature characteristic. First, MIVI sensor installation has a minimal footprint as it requires small or even sometimes no modification for its installation on the process. It can either be installed on a reactor wall or on a pipe and does not need any specific sampling or conditioning loop. The 9710 HMI instantaneously and continuously calculates the TCV in real time directly from the viscosity measured in the current process conditions. The TCV can be obtained by using ASTM D341 equation or by a customisable table to match specific product behavior.

The 9710 HMI is particularly user-friendly. All the measurements such as viscosity, temperature and TCV are displayed on the 4.3’’ coloured screen. Accessing different menus and unit configurations is easy thanks to its touchscreen and intuitive interface. The data are available with analogue and digital outputs and can also be recorded on an SD card on the Excel format for data-logging and further analysis on a computer.

Moreover, the 9710 can handle up to four MIVI sensors offering an extremely cost-effective solution for multiple point measurements on the process line. Switching from one sensor to another through the home screen on which all the main data of the four units are also displayed. Fully compliant with oil and gas industries’ requirements, the MIVI 9710 provides the perfect solution for monitoring and controlling the process in safe conditions and conforming to Industry 4.0 standards.