Funnel Viscosity|Five

Experiment No. 5
Viscosity and Yield Point
Theory
Viscosity is defined as the resistance of a fluid to flow and is measured as the ratio of the shearing

stress to the rate of shearing strain.

Two types of fluid characterizations are:

1. Newtonian (true fluids) where the ratio of shear stress to shear rate or viscosity is constant,

e.g. water, light oils, etc.

2. Non-Newtonian (plastic fluids) where the viscosity is not constant, e.g. drilling muds,

colloids, etc.

Figure 1 Newtonian and Non-Newtonian fluids

The multi-rate rotational viscometer is used to quantify the rheological properties of the drilling

mud. The assessment is made by shearing a sample of the mud, at a series of prescribed rates and

measuring the shear stress on the fluid at these different rates. The essential elements of the device

are a plumb bob attached to a torsion spring and deflection gauge and a cylinder which can be

rotated at a range of rotary speeds. The plumb bob is suspended inside the cylinder and the

whole is immersed in a sample of the drilling mud. When the outer cylinder is rotated the mud
 Funnel Viscosity|Five
between the cylinder and plumb bob is sheared. The deflection of the plumb bob is a measure of

the viscosity of the drilling fluid at that particular shear rate.

Test Equipment
The Baroid Rheometer is a coaxial cylindrical rotational viscometer, used to determine single or

multi-point viscosities. It has fixed speeds of 3 (GEL), 100, 200, 300 and 600 RPM that are switch

selectable with the RPM knob. Additionally, the same switch set to the VAR position enables speed

selection of between 3 and 625 RPM, by manual adjustment of the variable knob.

The min parts of the rotational viscometer are:

- Torsional spring

- Inner cylinder shaft bearing

- Rotor

- Cup

- Bob

Figure 2 Rotational viscometer

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Test Procedure
1. Clean and dry all parts of the unit such as rotor, bop and cup.

2. Fill the cup with the drilling mud until the remark line.

3. Tight rotor and inner cylinder shaft.

4. Put cup on the stand base by centralizing the pins of the cup bottom into the holes on the

stand base.

5. Raise the cup and stand base until the mud covers the line mentioned on the rotor.

6. Turn on the gear switch and start rotating at various rotation speeds.

7. Take reading at 600 and 300 RPM.

Calculations
Plastic Viscosity (p) (cp) = 600 RPM reading 300 RPM reading

Yield Point (Ib/100 ft2) = 300 RPM reading Plastic viscosity