Summary: Investigating the viscosity of ketchup In this summary I have used gather this information from: A case study

y from Edexcel this was provided with the practical assessment preparation sheet. This gave me points of which I had to investigate about Ketchup. Various Websites Sites such as www.Squidoo.com and www.Wikipedia.org were used to gather information on the production of ketchup and the physical properties behind thixotropy Books I used my Edexcel textbook to gather information on fluid flow, density and viscosity.

Case study brief: Ketchup is used commonly in everyday life; it is used as a sauce to put on food. Ketchup needs to be of a certain thickness so that it pours in just the right way (not too runny and not too solid). It is known as a thixotropic material. In this assessment I must: Investigate the thixotropic aspect of ketchup and how it is achieved Describe the key physics behind moment through a fluid such as ketchup Explain the factors that affect the viscosity of a liquid

Fluid flow, Stokes law, density and viscosity: Stokes law can be used to calculate the viscous drag acting on a sphere as it is falling through a liquid. The formula shows that the drag is reliant on the density of the objects material, the radius of the sphere and the velocity of the sphere.
Stokes Law:

Density is the measure if mass per unit volume of a substance, the density of a substance depends on the volume and mass of the particles and how closely packed together they are. Density is calculated by dividing the mass by the volume (p=m/v). Stokes law shows that the drag force is directly proportional to the radius of the sphere moving through the fluid. The radius of a sphere can vary its speed/terminal velocity; a sphere with a larger radius would have a greater weight and therefore a greater terminal velocity according to stokes law. Fluid flow can also be affected by the viscosity of the fluid; the viscosity of a fluid can vary at different temperatures. Viscosity is directly related to the temperature of the fluid; in general liquids have a lower coefficient of viscosity at higher temperatures, for example: Chocolate at 30C

has a viscosity of 100 Pascals; at 50C however its viscosity decreases to 60 Pascals. The rise in temperature has caused a decrease in viscosity.

Diagram of an object sinking through a fluid:

Upthrust (Weight of water displaced by object) Weight (Mass of object times gravitational pull)

Viscous drag (Fd)

When an object is sinking through a liquid the Upthrust must be less than the objects weight

Ketchup and its physical characteristics: Ketchup is known as a thixotropic material, thixotropic materials are thick (high viscosity) under normal conditions, but flow (become thin, less viscous) over time when shaken, agitated, or otherwise stressed. The longer the fluid undergoes shear stress, the lower its viscosity. Ketchup is squeezed out of the bottle more easily when it has been shaken beforehand, this is due to the ketchups thixotropic aspect. The manufacturing of ketchup: Ketchup companies such as Heinz need to make sure the Ketchup is of the correct thickness so that the bottles are filled correctly. If the ketchup is too thick the fluid will be dispensed slowly and the bottle will not be filled to the top. Another case is if the ketchup is too runny the fluid may overfill the bottle and cause a mess. This inconvenience means that the business will lose money.

Not enough ketchup is poured into the bottle.

Too much ketchup is poured into the bottle causing a spillage.

The production of ketchup: The tomatoes are crushed into pastes which are then squeezed into vats and then mixed with correct amount of vinegar, sugar, salt and corn flour. The long stringy molecules from the corn flour allow the fluid to become thixotropic. When the solution is heated it gets more the stringy molecules tighten creating a more viscous fluid. Heinz have a speed limit for the flow rate of the ketchup, the sampled ketchup must only travel 10cm in 10 seconds at an inclined angle similar to when it is poured onto a plate from a bottle. If the sample runs too slowly or too fast the batch of ketchup is thrown out, the ketchup must be of a consistent thickness and taste. Heinz has been the leading brand of ketchup and has been perfecting the recipe for ketchup since 1869. This is why Heinz ketchup is favourable over other brands due to its consistency of thickness and taste of which the consumers seek. Carrying out the practical: The practical will consist of an object flowing through a fluid, in this case the object will be ball bearings (of different radii made from the same material) and the fluid will be washing up liquid. This method is more practical because ketchup is very thick therefore the ball bearing wont be very visible in the liquid, so instead I will use a clearer fluid; washing up liquid (this is also a Newtonian fluid). The reason I am using ball bearings of different radii is so that I can plot multiple values using Stokes law to investigate the viscosity of the fluid. The ball bearing should be dropped into a measuring cylinder which will be full of the viscous fluid. I can work out the coefficient of viscosity by using Stokes law. I can do this by measuring the density of the fluid, the speed of the ball bearing (between two intervals) and the radius of the ball bearing. As I will already know the density of the ball bearing it is simply just a case of recording data, plotting the data on the graph and rearranging the formulas. This practical could be used to find the coefficient of viscosity for any fluid therefore helping companies like Heinz to keep check of the viscosity of their ketchup so they can save money on the production line.

Stokes law:

Key: V= Terminal Velocity r= Radius of ball bearing c = Coefficient of viscosity d1= Density of ball bearing d2= Density of Fluid