ME Lab I (Exp 3)

MAPUA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY

Muralla St. Intramuros, Manila

School of Mechanical Engineering and Manufacturing Engineering

Experiment Number 3 CARBON RESIDUE TEST OF

LUBRICATING OIL

8 JEREMIAS, John Karlo B. Date of Performance: August 6, 2015

ME139L / A3 Date of Submission: August 13, 2015

Group 1

Engr. Teodulo A. Valle Instructor

GRADE

TABLE OF CONTENTS

PAGE

OBJECTIVES 1

THEORIES AND ANALYSIS 1

LIST OF APPARATUS 5

PROCEDURES 6

SET-UP OF APPARATUS 6

FINAL DATA SHEET 8

SAMPLE COMPUTATION 9

TEST DATA ANALYSIS 10

DISCUSSION 11

QUESTION AND ANSWERS 24

CONCLUSION 26

RECOMMENDATION 27

REFERENCES 28

PRELIMINARY DATA SHEET 29

EXP 3: CARBON RESIDUE TEST OF LUBRICATING OIL

1

EXPERIMENT NO. 3

CARBON RESIDUE TEST OF LUBRICATING OIL

Objectives:

1. To be able to determine the carbon residue of sample lub oils.

2. To have the knowledge about carbon residue test.

Theory/Hypothesis:

The layman’s term for carbon is a widely distributed element that forms organic

compounds in combination with hydrogen, oxygen, etc., and that occurs in a pure state

as diamond and graphite, and in an impure state as charcoal. Symbol: C; atomic weight:

12.011; atomic number: 6; specific gravity: (of diamond) 3.51 at 20°C; (of graphite) 2.26

at 20°C. Carbon Residue is the quantity of carbon produced from a lubricating oil heated

in a closed container under standard conditions. Carbon residue for a fossil fuel can be

defined as the tendency of that fuel to form carbon deposits at high temperature in an

inert atmosphere. Carbon residue for a fuel is measured in weight percentage (wt %) or

parts per million by weight (ppm wt). High carbon residue value is undesirable for a fuel.

Different carbon residue values can be defined for a fuel depending on the measurement

method used. Ramsbottom Carbon Residue (RCR), Conradson Carbon Residue (CCR),

Micro Carbon Residue (MCR) are the indexes used corresponding to three different

measurement methods used. Carbon residue is the amount of carbon that is made by a

chemical process, such as heating up oil. It is mainly considered to be a by-product of

fuel. When gasoline is burned and used by a motor vehicle engine, it produces exhaust

that contains carbon monoxide. Carbon residue is what the leftover particles of a fuel


2

product are transformed into. There are tests that can determine the amount of residue

that remains after certain fuels are heated or burned.

The test method that is used to calculate the amount of carbon residue is known as

Ramsbottom Carbon Residue (RCR). This test is used to determine how much residue a

fuel is likely to leave. It also helps calculate the fuel's tendency to combust or burn.

Residue can also be calculated as the Micro Carbon Residue (MCR) or the Conradson

Carbon Residue (CCR). Both of these methods are equivalent in that they return the same

numerical value. The test is conducted by placing a small amount of fuel oil into a glass

container. As the glass is heated within a certain temperature range, the weight is

calculated and subtracted from what the glass weighed prior to being heated.

High amounts of residue can be damaging to the environment. For example, high levels

of carbon monoxide can lead to an increase in the concentration of greenhouse gases in

the atmosphere. These gases are thought to contribute to global warming — an overall

increase in the average earth temperature over decades.

Carbon residues can also be life threatening or poisonous. Exposure to high amounts of

carbon monoxide can lead to brain and cellular damage, including death by asphyxiation.

It is considered to be a pollutant and certain fuels may result in higher amounts of residue

than others. Additives, such as ethanol, may be mixed into certain types of fuel to reduce

the amount of carbon deposits.

Residues are usually only formed when the fuel oil reaches high temperatures. Machinery

plants, vehicles and the majority of home heating systems all use some type of fossil fuel


3

that produces a residue when heated. Some engine components may accumulate carbon

deposits over time that may need to be periodically removed in order to maintain optimum

performance. Chemicals such as fuel injection cleaners can help remove some of the

deposits that may be the root cause behind engine stalling and rough starts.

If lubricating oil is heated to a high temperature in an enclosure where there is a limited

supply of air, the greater part of the oil will be distilled and there will remain a residue of

carbon. The amount of this carbon residue in lubricating oil is an indication of the extent

of its decomposition when used for high-temperature lubrication.

Carbon residue determinations are generally made by the method introduced by

Conradson and the apparatus being used consists of the following equipment:

1. Porcelain crucible glazed throughout, 25 to 26 cubic centimeter capacity, 46

millimeters in diameter.

2. Skidmore iron crucible, 45 cubic centimeters capacity, 65 millimeters in diameter,

37 to 39 millimeters high with cover, without delivery tubes and one opening

closed.

3. Wrought iron crucible formed from spun sheet iron with cover, about 180 cubic

centimetres capacity, 80 millimeters in diameter, 58 to 60 millimeters high. At the

bottom of this crucible a layer of sand is placed about 10 millimeters deep or

sufficient to bring the Skidmore crucible with cover on, nearly to the top of the

wrought iron crucible.

4. Triangle, pipe stem covered, with a projection so as to follow the flame to reach

the crucible on all sides.


4

5. Sheet iron or asbestos hood provided with a chimney about 2 to 2 ½ inches high,

2 1/8 to 2 ¼ inches in diameter, to distribute the heat uniformly during the process.

6. Asbestos or hollow sheet iron block (insulator), 6 to 7 inches square, 1 ¼ to 1 ½

inches high, provided with opening in the center, 3 ¼ inches in diameter at the

bottom, and 3 ½ inches in diameter at the top.

To determine carbon residue by Conradson apparatus, the oil sample, in the crucible, is

heated at a state rate and caused to vaporize. After ignition and further heating for a

specified time, the residue is cooled and weighed. Duplicate tests should agree within 10

per cent if the carbon residue is about 2 per cent or within 20 per cent if the residue is

above 0.5 per cent

For oils without detergency additives, carbon residue by the Conradson test is a rough

index of the tendency of the oil to decompose in service and to leave carbon residue on

hot surfaces.

In order to get accurate results, the dimensions of the apparatus used must be as nearly

as possible the same as those specified in this description. Special precautions must be

taken to observe the first appearance of vapors. In order to make this observation as

accurate as possible the gas burner may occasionally be momentarily removed to

facilitate this observation. If, at any time during the test the vapors from the oil exceeds

the 3 inch specification above the chimney of the hood, the gas burner may be removed

for a short interval until the size of the gas flame can be reduced sufficiently to keep the

vapour flame about 2 inches above the top of the chimney.


5

LIST OF APPARATUS

1. Meker Burner – Used for heating, sterilization and burning of substances.

2. Conradson Apparatus – One type of apparatus used to determine the amount of carbon residue will a substance have.

3. Tripod – Used to support glasswares, such as flask and beaker, and other container to be heated during experiment.

4. Wire Mesh – Used to distribute heat from Bunsen or Meker burner evenly and support the glassware together with the tripod.

5. Chimney – Used to transport smoke of flue gas from one room to the outside air.


6

PROCEDURE

1. Weigh crucible, record as W I.

2. Add 10g of oil (SAE 10 and SAE 30) to the crucible.

3. Place the crucible in the center of the Skidmore crucible and place these two inside

the sheet-iron crucible.

4. Place this on top of the lit Meker Burner atop of the wire mesh.

5. Wait until the oil burns.

6. When the oil has completely burned and no more vapors can be seen and no smoke

may be observed, wait for the crucible to cool down and then check for carbon residue.

7. Weigh the crucible with carbon residue (IF ANY) the record as W3.

TOLERANCES: Weights of oil sample should be accurate to within 5 mg. Tests should be run in duplicate and repeated if necessary until the percentages of carbon residue differ by not more than 10 per cent from an average.

SET-UP OF APPARATUS

The picture on the left was the initial

set-up that was shown by the lab

assistant to the group. Generally, the

Conradson Carbon Residue Apparatus

measures the carbon residue of a

consumed fluid by means of mass

difference to cancel out the weight of

the crucible. Instead of a Bunsen

burner, a meker burner was used,

which was much stronger compared

the first one.

Conradson Apparatus Theoretical Set-up


7

Before the experiment, the crucible and the

fluid will be weighed. Generally, for easier

calculations, the fluid was made sure to be 10g.

Now, the fluid inside the crucible is combusted and

as a result, the carbon residue will be quantified as mass.

Take note that some fluids will have no carbon residue

at all. If that is the case, the group regarded the mass as

0g.

Weighing of the crucible and fluid

Actual Conradson Apparatus Set-up


8

FINAL DATA SHEET

Trials

Test Oil (Oil

Specification)

Weight of

Crucible W1

Weight of Lub

Oil W2

Weight of Carbon Residue

W3

Percent of Carbon Residue

Time

1 SAE 10 21.1 g 10 g 0g 0.0 % 8:58

2 SAE 30 21.1 g 10 g 0.0697 g 0.697 % 13:30

Equations:

crucibleofweightoilandcrucibletheofweightW

crucibleofweightresiduecarbonandcrucibletheofweightW

W

WRC

2

3

2

3 %100.%.

Type Classes C and D, CR, max. %

Extra light 0.1

Light 0.2

Medium 0.45

Heavy 0.55

Extra heavy 0.7

Ultra heavy 0.8


9

SAMPLE COMPUTATION

For SAE 40

W1 = 21.1g

W2 = 10g

W3 = 0.06979g

NOTE: The first sample, SAE 10, had a carbon residue of 0, therefore, computations aren’t

necessary


10

TEST DATA ANALYSIS

The table on the left, shows the results of the

experiment conducted by the group. In theory,

carbon residue test are conducted so as to know

how much carbon a substance contains. In

mechanical engineering, machineries use

lubrication and since these apparatus work on high

temperature conditions, these fluids tend to burn

out. A good characteristic of a lubricant is that, it

would not leave behind so much carbon so as not affect the tool’s performance.

Out of all the types of carbon residue tests, the conradson apparatus is used. This

test makes use of a porcelain crucible which would contain the fluid to be tested. Then, it

will be combusted until the oil has evaporated. The carbon residue on the crucible will be

quantified as mass and that would determine the percent of carbon residue on the

substance.

On the first trial, the test oil used was SAE10. According to the data, there was no

carbon residue percent recorded by the group (0%). This was due to the fact that after

the test, there are no visible carbon residue on the crucible. Also, it took 8 minutes and

58 seconds before the 10g of SAE 10 to burn out.

SAE 40 was used on the second trial. It turns out that there was 0.7 percent of

carbon residue on the fluid. This might be the reason as to why this fluid was more viscous

than SAE 10. Also, it took 13 minutes and 30 seconds for the oil to burn-out.

TEST

OIL

PERCENT

CARBON

RESIDUE

(%)

TIME

SAE 10 0 8:58

SAE 40 0.7 13:30

Summarized Results


11

DISCUSSION

Petroleum products are mixtures of many compounds that differ widely in their

physical and chemical properties. Some of them may be vaporized in the absence of air

at atmospheric pressure without leaving an appreciable residue. Other nonvolatile

compounds leave a carbonaceous residue when destructively distilled under such

conditions. This residue is known as carbon residue when determined in accordance with

prescribed procedures. Thus the term carbon residue is used here to denote the

carbonaceous residue formed after evaporation and pyrolysis of a petroleum product. The

residue is not entirely composed of carbon but is a coke that can be changed further by

heating.

Carbon residue is the amount of carbon that

is made by a chemical process, such as heating up

oil. It is mainly considered to be a by-product of fuel.

When gasoline is burned and used by a motor

vehicle engine, it produces exhaust that

contains carbon monoxide. Carbon residue is what

the leftover particles of a fuel product are transformed into. There are tests that can

determine the amount of residue that remains after certain fuels are heated or burned.

The test method that is used to calculate the amount of carbon residue is known as

Ramsbottom Carbon Residue (RCR). This test is used to determine how much residue a

fuel is likely to leave. It also helps calculate the fuel's tendency to combust or burn.

Carbon Residue on a Machine Piece


12

Lubricating oil products are mixtures of many compounds which differ widely in

their physical and chemical properties. Some of them may be vaporized in the absence

of air at atmospheric pressure without leaving an appreciable residue. Other non-volatile

compounds leave residue when destructively distilled under such conditions. This residue

is known as carbon residue when determined in accordance with prescribed procedure.

Carbon residues can also be life threatening or poisonous. Exposure to high

amounts of carbon monoxide can lead to brain and cellular damage, including death by

asphyxiation. It is considered to be a pollutant and certain fuels may result in higher

amounts of carbon residue than others. Additives, such as ethanol, may be mixed into

certain types of fuel to reduce the amount of carbon deposits. Carbon residue is the

residue formed by evaporation and thermal degradation of a carbon-containing material.

It is a measure of the carbonaceous material left in a fuel after all the volatile components

are vaporized in the absence of air.

Residues are usually only formed when the fuel oil reaches high temperatures.

Machinery plants, vehicles and the majority of home heating systems all use some type

of fossil fuel that produces a residue when heated. Some engine components may

accumulate carbon deposits over time that may need to be periodically removed in order

to maintain optimum performance. Chemicals such as fuel injection cleaners can help

remove some of the deposits that may be the root cause behind engine stalling and rough

starts.

http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-a-fossil.htm


13

Oil will leave a carbon residue; as it must, because oil always contains a certain

amount of “fixed” carbon. The amount and character of the carbon left, however, is an

indication of the grade of petroleum from which the lubricating oil was distilled and the

care exercised in refining. All oils oxidize or polymerize when heated, forming sediment,

the nature of which tells much about an oil. The heat of many explosions causes part of

the film of lubricating oil in the cylinder to flash off and to escape with the exhaust gases.

A residue, commonly called carbon deposit, is left behind, however, consisting of

carbon, solid hydro-carbons, etc. Oil must be continuously fed in to renew the thin film. It

is evident that by testing an oil by heating it in a tube over a Bunsen flame, we are

subjecting it to a condition something like that which it must meet in an automobile motor

and that decomposition must always result whenever oil is called in to endure heat. The

duration of heating and the temperature, of course, affect the outcome of the experiments.

There is usually no direct relationship

between gravity, viscosity, and carbon, but under

certain conditions there may be. Low-gravity oils will

generally have a higher carbon residue than high-

gravity oils; also, some high-viscosity oils will have

more carbon than low-viscosity oils. However, oils

with the same gravity or the same viscosity may

have different carbon residue.

Two Standards for determining carbon residue are widely used, one for Conradson

carbon residue, the other for Ramsbotton carbon residue. Both are applicable to relatively

non-volatile petroleum products which partially decompose when distilled at a pressure

Ramsbottom Carbon Residue App.


14

of one atmosphere. Oils which contain ash-forming constituents will have erroneously

high carbon residue by either method depending upon the amount of ash.

In the Conradson Carbon Residue test, the apparatus and procedure are designed

as follows:

(a) To exclude air during the evaporation and pyrolysis of the oil sample from a

crucible

(b) To permit control of the prescribed rate of heating

(c) To eliminate condensation of distillates in or on the sample

The amount of residue is determined from the weight of the crucible before and after

the test. The Conradson carbon residue is reported as percent by weight of the original

sample.

The percentage of Conradson carbon

does not give an actual value for the

formation of carbon or coke in oil-firing

practice but only a relative value of this

formation in an improperly designed, or

inefficiently operated, oil burner installation.

When using the right grade of fuel oil for a

particular unit, and with proper preheat or

atomizing temperature, plus the correct air-to-fuel ratio, the carbon residue of fuel oil will

have little effect upon the combustion.

Conradson Carbon Residue App.


15

The carbon residue of a fuel is the tendency of carbon deposits to form under high

temperature in an inert atmosphere. It is known that the correlation between carbon

residue and diesel engine performance is poor.

However, in the absence of any other parameter, this property is included in fuel

specifications, indicating the carbonaceous deposit-forming tendencies of the fuel. Many

factors can affect the combustion process in diesel engines, including engine loading,

engine tuning and the ignition qualities of the fuel which all have an effect on the deposit

tendencies of a particular fuel.

The carbon residue value of a fuel depends on the refinery processes employed in its

manufacture. For straight run fuels, the value is typically 10 - 12% m/m, while for fuels

from secondary refining processing the value depends on the severity of the processes

applied. In some areas it can be as high as 20% m/m.

Modern engines are tolerant to a wide range of MCR valves. However, some older

engines, typically of the 1970s, are such that difficulties may be experienced burning fuels

with an MCR greater than 12% m/m, especially at low loads. Above this level, there is

likely to be increased carbonaceous deposit, which will affect the performance of the

engine. Operational experience has shown that the present generation of large, medium

and slow speed engines designed for residual fuel can tolerate a wide range of MCR

values without any adverse effect.

Engine oil is one of the hydrocarbon by-products derived from the distillation of mineral

oil. Although the oil has the primary purpose of lubricating the moving parts if the engine

carbonaceous deposits cannot be eliminated at the valves, piston rings, valve seats, and


16

ports. To a greater extent, the accumulation of the carbon on the specified part may cause

failure of the parts such as corrosion of the valves, sticking up the rings, and scoring of

the cylinder. Uncontaminated lubricating oil, with a minimal carbon residue, suits it for use

in engines.

Most fuel oils have a carbon residue that is within the proper limits and although

grades 4, 5, and 6 have varying carbon residues, no trouble should be experienced if the

correct grade of oil is used. With industrial burners the carbon residue is usually not too

critical, except in small furnaces or smelting pots where the combustion chambers are

small. With burners under large boilers, or with any type of furnace with large combustion

chambers, the carbon residue is not too important.

Industrial no. 2 oils are low enough in carbon to give no trouble from carbon. If any

carbon trouble appears with any grade of oil, it should be investigated before blaming the

oil. The oil may be of a good grade, but still there may be some carbon difficulty. Usually,

this is not caused by the oil, although it could be of the wrong grade. The burner, the

furnace, and the combustion can all create carbon trouble.

The following troubles may be encountered owing too high a carbon residue of the

oil or to carbon formation caused by various other factors. Some burners cannot handle

oil of too high a carbon residue, since carbon will form on the burner tip; this can build up

and eventually close the tip opening.

Small combustion chambers, as in small smelting furnaces, will sometimes have

carbon build-up on the walls. The oil may not burn completely in these small chambers,


17

or as it leaves the burner it strikes the brickwork and carbon formation results. This

condition may be due to using the wrong grade of oil.

If the burner is not centered correctly, or if the burner tip is partially blocked,

throwing atomized oil against the side of the combustion chamber may result. This

condition is called flame impingement. This carbon formation is not due to the carbon

residue of the oil, but rather to the condensation of oil vapors, or atomized oil, on the

relatively cooler brickwork, forming carbon deposits.

High amounts of carbon residue can be damaging to the environment. For

example, high levels of carbon monoxide can lead to an increase in the concentration

of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. These gases are thought to contribute to global

warming — an overall increase in the average earth temperature over decades.





certain types of fuel to reduce the amount of carbon deposits.








18


starts.

Carbon Residue in Fuel Oils

The carbon residue of a fuel is the tendency of carbon deposits to form under

high temperature in an inert atmosphere. It is known that the correlation between carbon

residue and diesel engine performance is poor. However, in the absence of any other

parameter, this property is included in fuel specifications, indicating the carbonaceous

deposit-forming tendencies of the fuel. Many factors can affect the combustion process

in diesel engines, including engine loading, engine tuning and the ignition qualities of the

fuel which all have an effect on the deposit tendencies of a particular fuel.

The carbon residue value of a fuel depends on the refinery processes employed

in its manufacture. For straight run fuels, the value is typically 10 - 12% m/m, while for

fuels from secondary refining processing the value depends on the severity of the

processes applied. In some areas it can be as high as 20% m/m.

Modern engines are tolerant to a wide range of MCR valves. However, some

older engines, typically of the 1970s, are such that difficulties may be experienced burning

fuels with an MCR greater than 12% m/m, especially at low loads. Above this level, there

is likely to be increased carbonaceous deposit, which will affect the performance of the

engine. Operational experience has shown that the present generation of large, medium

and slow speed engines designed for residual fuel can tolerate a wide range of MCR

values without any adverse effect.

The following troubles may be encountered owing too high a carbon residue of

the oil or to carbon formation caused by various other factors. Some burners cannot


19

handle oil of too high a carbon residue, since carbon will form on the burner tip; this can

build up and eventually close the tip opening.

Small combustion chambers, as in small smelting furnaces, will sometimes have

carbon build-up on the walls. The oil may not burn completely in these small chambers,

or as it leaves the burner it strikes the brickwork and carbon formation results. This

condition may be due to using the wrong grade of oil.

If the burner is not centered correctly, or if the burner tip is partially blocked,

throwing atomized oil against the side of the combustion chamber may result. This

condition is called flame impingement. This carbon formation is not due to the carbon

residue of the oil, but rather to the condensation of oil vapors, or atomized oil, on the

relatively cooler brickwork, forming carbon deposits.

High amounts of carbon residue can be damaging to the environment. For

example, high levels of carbon monoxide can lead to an increase in the concentration

of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. These gases are thought to contribute to global

warming — an overall increase in the average earth temperature over decades.








http://www.wisegeek.com/what-are-greenhouses.htm


20





starts.

The carbon residue of crude oil and crude oil products is a measure of the

propensity of the sample to form coke when combusted under specific conditions that

require a limited supply of oxygen. The carbon residue of a petroleum sample might be

considered to be analogous to the determination of fixed carbon for coal (ASTM D-3172,

ASTM D-3173, ASTM D-3174, ASTM D-3175). Petroleum products are mixtures of many

compounds that differ widely in their physical and chemical properties. Some of them may

be vaporized in the absence of air at atmospheric pressure without leaving an appreciable

residue. Other nonvolatile compounds leave a carbonaceous residue when destructively

distilled under such conditions. This residue is known as carbon residue when determined

in accordance with prescribed procedures. Thus the term carbon residue is used here to

denote the carbonaceous residue formed after evaporation and pyrolysis of a petroleum

product. The residue is not entirely composed of carbon but is a coke that can be changed

further by heating.

The method was originally devised to determine the carbon-forming tendencies of

diesel fuels and lubricating oils in internal combustion engines. Carbon residue values of

various heavy feedstocks are indicative of the coke yields to be expected from these

materials in refinery coking operations (Speight, 1999, 2000 and references cited therein).



21

There are two older methods for determining the carbon residue of a petroleum or

petroleum product, the Conradson method (ASTM D-189, IP 13) and the Ramsbottom

method (ASTM D-524, IP 14). Both are applicable to the relatively nonvolatile portion of

petroleum and petroleum products, which partially decompose when distilled at a

pressure of 1 atmosphere. However, oils that contain ash-forming constituents have

erroneously high carbon residues by either method unless the ash is first removed from

the oil; the degree of error is proportional to the amount of ash.

The Conradson carbon method is the more usual test for determining the amount

of carbon residue left after evaporation and pyrolysis (destructive distillation) of residua,

heavy oil, and bitumen and is intended to provide some indication of relative coke-forming

propensity. The amount of Conradson carbon residue is also corrected for the presence

of mineral matter in the sample.

The application of the Conradson carbon residue determination to heavy

feedstocks, such as Athabasca bitumen, requires that a correction be made for inorganic

matter by determining the ash content of the carbon residue. In addition, the high

Conradson carbon residue of such feedstocks allows use of a smaller sample size

together with correspondingly shorter burning and flame times.

Lubricating oil products are mixtures of many compounds which differ widely in

their physical and chemical properties. Some of the m may be vaporized in the

absence of air at atmospheric pressure without leaving an appreciable residue.

Other non-volatile compounds leave residue when destructively distilled under

such conditions. This residue is known as carbon residue when determined in

accordance with prescribed procedure.


22

Carbon residue is the residue formed by evaporation and thermal degradation of

a carbon-containing material. The residue is not composed entirely of carbon but is a

coke that can be further changed by carbon pyrolysis. The term carbon residue is

retained in deference to its wide common usage. It is a measure of the carbonaceous

material left in a fuel after all the volatile components are vaporized in the absence of

air.

Oil will leave a carbon residue; as it must, because oil always contains a certain

amount of “fixed” carbon. The amount and character of the carbon left, however, is an

indication of the grade of petroleum from which the lubricating oil was distilled and the

care exercised in refining. All oils oxidize or polymerize when heated, forming sediment,

the nature of which tells much about an oil. The heat of many explosions causes part of

the film of lubricating oil in the cylinder to flash off and to escape with the exhaust gases.

A residue, commonly called carbon deposit, is left behind, however, consisting of

carbon, solid hydro-carbons, etc. Oil must be continuously fed in to renew the thin film. It

is evident that by testing an oil by heating it in a tube over a Bunsen flame, we are

subjecting it to a condition something like that which it must meet in an automobile motor

and that decomposition must always result whenever oil is called in to endure heat. The

duration of heating and the temperature, of course, affect the outcome of the experiments.





23









starts.



24

QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS:

1. What is pyrolysis of petroleum materials?

- Pyrolysis is the breaking apart of complex molecules into simpler units by the use

of heat, as in the pyrolysis of heavy oil to make gasoline.

2. What are the two types of carbon residue produced by pyrolysis?

- The two types of carbon residue produced by pyrolysis are charcoal and coke.

3. What is fixed carbon?

- Fixed carbon is the carbon of the chemical compounds in the oil and is

determined by chemical analysis.

4. What is incomplete combustion? How does it occur?

- Incomplete combustion is the reaction or process that does not convert all of the

fuel's carbon and hydrogen into carbon dioxide and water, respectively. For

example, incomplete combustion of carbon produces carbon

monoxide. Incomplete combustion occurs when there isn't enough oxygen to allow

the fuel to react completely to produce carbon dioxide and water.

5. What is the ignition quality in smaller engines?

- The property of a fuel that ignites when injected into the compressed-air charge

in a diesel engine cylinder; measurement is given in terms of cetane number.

6. What will happen when fuels have high cetane numbers?

- Fuels with higher cetane number have shorter ignition delays, providing more

time for the fuel combustion process to be completed. Hence, higher speed diesel

engines operate more effectively with higher cetane number fuels.

7. What is definition of cetane number?


25

- Cetane number is a measure of the ignition quality of diesel fuel; higher this

number, the easier it is to start a standard diesel engine.

8. What is definition of Diesel index?

- An empirical expression for the correlation between the aniline number of a diesel

fuel and its ignitability.

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http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/quality.html

http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/fuel.html

http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/standard.html

http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/engine.html


26

CONCLUSION

In this activity we have been able to perform a carbon residue test with the use of

the Conradson Apparatus. We have tested three sample lubricating oils: SAE 10 and SAE

40. From the results we have obtained, SAE 10 showed lesser amount of carbon residue

than the two. This results shows that SAE 10 is better than SAE 40 since it left lesser

pollution than the latter. But as we can see, SAE 10 burned up in a shorter time, which

means that SAE 40 is favourable in longer use than that of SAE 10 since SAE 40 burns

up in a much longer time.

Lubricating oils are designed for a specific purpose. When using oils we must

follow specifications and instructions in order to maximize the use of the oil. In this way

we can lessen the carbon residue production and help prevent global warming. Because

carbon residues can also be life threatening or poisonous, exposure to high amounts of

carbon monoxide can lead to brain and cellular damage, including death by asphyxiation.

It is considered to be a pollutant and certain fuels may result in higher amounts of carbon

residue than others. Additives, such as ethanol, may be mixed into certain types of fuel

to reduce the amount of carbon deposits. The carbon residue value of the various

petroleum materials serves as an approximation of the tendency of the material to form

carbonaceous type deposits under degradation conditions similar to those used in the

test method, and can be useful as a guide in manufacture of certain stocks.


27

RECOMMENDATIONS

First, it is important to have personal protective equipment for this activity. This

experiment deals with combustion of substances. Therefore, students with respiratory

conditions might not be able to tolerate the flue gas that the substances produce. Some

of these equipment includes face mask, gloves and apron if the student is tasked to hold

the apparatus, which is very hot.

Also, since the class schedule for this course is nine hours, it is better for the

students to be able to maximize their time. This includes, adding more test samples in

order to further conceptualize the concepts the activity is trying to instil into their minds.


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REFERENCES

http://www.condition-monitoring.com/bunker_fuel_carbon_residue.htm

http://www.f.sereneenergy.org/f/Carbon_Residue.html

http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-carbon-residue.htm

http://www.globalheattransfer.co.uk/about/media/ght-news/white-paper-reveals-

the-dangers-of-carbon-residue

http://books.google.com.ph/books?id=FPZqEPpshpIC&pg=PA41&dq=carbon+re

sidue+test+of+lubricating+oil&hl=en&sa=X&ei=atgPUevJG877rAfs8oCoCQ&redir

_esc=y#v=onepage&q=carbon%20residue%20test%20of%20lubricating%20oil&f

=false


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PRELIMINARY DATA SHEET

ME Lab I (Exp 3)

Documents

Transcript of ME Lab I (Exp 3)