VISCOUS-­FLOW MECHANISM OF #6 FUEL OIL – PALM OLEIN MIXTURES

Abstract

The viscosities of mixtures of #6 fuel oil and palm olein at 60 °C do not obey Kendall-­‐‐Monroe equation. Molecular considerations predict deviation from ideal-­‐‐mixture behaviour for this kind of “binary” material. It is proposed that the observed positive deviations are mainly due to looser molecular packing in the mixtures than in the “pure” components. Thus, mixing results in a lesser degree of hindrance for the viscous-­‐‐flow process. The empirical fit of fluidity as a function of olein mass fraction (x) is ln [Φmix/Φolein] = (2,72±0,05) + (5,6±0,3) x -­‐‐ (2,9±0,3) x2; r2 = 0,992, p < 0,01.