The Application The thermal requirements on motor oils in particular have risen considerably over the last few years. This consequently means that the testing of these motor oils and lubricants has nowadays become more important for reasons of quality control and operating safety. Evaporation losses at high temperatures generally lead to an increase in the oil consumption and additionally cause a detrimental change in the lubrication properties of the oils.
The Test Method The test method is standardized in DIN 51581, CEC L-40-A-93 and ASTM D 5800. The oil sample is heated in a testing device, the evaporation crucible, and subsequently retained at the testing temperature for exactly 60 minutes. Whilst the testing temperatures can generally be as high as 400°C, motor oils are usually tested at 250°C ±0.5°C.
A constant flow of air, brought about by a differential pressure, extracts the resultant oil vapours. The airflow is accurately regulated by the integrated digital pressure controller. It can be read-off using an inclined manometer. According to CEC specifications, the partial pressure should be equal to 20 mm water column(1.96 mbar). The evaporation crucible with the oil sample is weighed before and after the heating process. The evaporation loss is then calculated from the resultant weight difference and is expressed in percentage by mass.
The Technology The temperature control of the evaporation tester VP250 is carried out by a PID microprocessor controller. This control technique results in high level of reproducibility and repeatability of the test results. The limits quoted in DIN 51581, ASTM D5800/a and CEC L-40-A-93 can be easily observed with large safety margins.