How to Heat Crude Oil to Reduce Viscosity

Crude oil is composed of hydrocarbons and other organic materials. Oil can be used as a lubricant in car engines and other machines. It prevents friction and wear between components. High viscosity crude oil has a slower flow rate than lower viscosity crude oil. Heat can be used to reduce the viscosity of crude oil. Machines operate within different ranges of temperatures. An effective lubricant oil would need to provide protection across the entire range of operational temperature for that particular machine.

• 1

  Place a sample of oil into a test tube. Hold the stop watch in one hand and the glass bead with another.

• 2

  Start the stop watch and drop the glass bead into the tube at the same time. Measure and log the amount of time taken for the bead to drop to the bottom of the test tube.

• 3

  Boil water in a beaker on top of your bunsen burner. Place the test tube of oil in the beaker of boiling water. Let the test tube sit in the hot water for five minutes. Repeat Step 2 using the heated oil. Measure the time taken for the bead to drop in the same quantity of oil at a higher temperature. The time taken should decrease, demonstrating the decrease in oil viscosity.