Viscometers are instruments used to measure the viscosity of liquids. Viscosity, a fundamental property of fluids, indicates their resistance to flow and deformation under applied stress. Accurate measurement of viscosity is essential across various industries including pharmaceuticals, food production, cosmetics, and petrochemicals, to ensure product quality and process efficiency.
Different fluids will have different viscosity, with “runny” fluids behaving very differently to “heavy” fluids.
Viscosity is a very sensitive quality to measure, often being influenced by environmental factors, such as temperature and experienced friction or Shear. This means that certain fluid’s natural viscosity can significantly change when subjected to applied forces or temperatures.
Different types of viscometers are designed to suit specific applications and fluid characteristics. The most common are capillary viscometers, rotational viscometers, falling ball viscometers and our favourite – cone and plate viscometers. Each operates on distinct a principle – such as measuring flow time through a narrow tube or assessing the required rotational speed of a spindle in the liquid.
A cone and plate viscometer has an angled cone at the end of a rotating shaft, which gently rests on the surface of the liquid, which sits on top of a heated plate. The cone and plate configuration allows for very accurate determination of Shear rates. This gives the cone and plate viscometers a reputation for being more accurate and versatile than other viscometers, as they can measure Newtonian and non-Newtonian fluids. They only require a small sample size, too, saving wastage.
As the UK distributor for NuLine cone and plate viscometers – we are happy to supply your laboratory with a fantastic viscometer that employs the best of both worlds in a single machine. The NuLine viscometer has all of the features of a spindle viscometer, with additional features more common in a rheometer, and at a budget-friendly price. NuLine viscometers are also British-owned and made to impeccable standards.