Viscosity of Diesel Fuel
Description
Petroleum Diesel
Generally, diesel fuel is liquid fuel to power diesel engines used mainly in road vehicles, water crafts, rail vehicles and stationary engines. It is a hydrocarbon mixture with approx. 8 to 21 carbon atoms per molecule obtained by crude oil distillation. Additionally, it contains additives. The most common grade is diesel fuel No. 2. An important parameter for the quality of a diesel fuel is the cetane number. The minimum cetane number is 51 according to EN 590. Higher cetane numbers are an indicator of better ignitability of the fuel when injected into the cylinder filled with hot compressed air. Viscosity is generally an important parameter for diesel fuel. Fuel which is too highly viscous can cause damage in the fuel pump (e.g. cam and follower wear) due to higher pressure. Too low viscosity may lead to a lack of lubrication. Viscosity also influences the fuel delivery rate and the atomization of the fuel during injection.
Biodiesel
Biodiesel or FAME (fatty acid methyl ester) is an alternative diesel fuel derived from renewable feedstocks such as used cooking oils, rapeseed oil, animal fat or soybean oil. It is obtained by transesterification. Pure biodiesel is known as B100. Mixtures of biodiesel with petroleum diesel are named as BXX, where XX is the percentage of biodiesel in the blend.
By the way - petroleum diesel also contains up to 7 % biodiesel according to country-specific laws.
Viscosity Tables – Measurement data
Data Petroleum Diesel
| Petroleum Diesel | Temp. [°C] | Kin. Viscosity [mm²/s] Specified | Kin. Viscosity [mm²/s] Measured | Density [g/cm³] |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grades LS#1, No. 1-D (ASTM D975) | 40 | 1.3 - 2.4 | ||
| Grades LS#2, No. 2-D (ASTM D975) | 40 | 1.9 - 4.1 | 2.98 | |
| EN 590 | 40 | 2.0 - 4.5 | ||
| 15 | 0.820 - 0.845 | |||
| Grade No. 4-D | 40 | 5.5 - 24.0 | ||
| Winter quality | 40 | as given above | ||
| -20 | max. 48 (if CFPP -20 °C or below) |
Data Biodiesel
| Biodiesel | Temp. [°C] | Kin. Viscosity [mm²/s] Specified | Kin. Viscosity [mm²/s] Measured |
|---|---|---|---|
| DIN EN 14214 | 40 | 3.5 - 5.0 | |
| ASTM D6751 | 40 | 1.9 - 6.0 | 4.31 |
| Winter quality | 40 | as given above | |
| -20 | max. 48 (if CFPP -20 °C or below) |
Reference
EN 590, ASTM D975, DIN EN 14214, ASTM D6751, measured with SVM™
Metainformation
| Reference | EN 590, ASTM D975, DIN EN 14214, ASTM D6751, measurement with SVM™ |
|---|---|
| Kin. vis. | yes |
| Dyn. vis. | no |
| Density | yes |
| Multiple temperatures | yes |
| Related | Diesel fuel, No. 2 diesel, biodiesel, B100, kinematic viscosity |