Fabrication and Testing of Viscosity Measuring Instrument (Viscometer)

This paper presents the fabrication and testing of a simple and portable viscometer for the measurement of bulk viscosity of different Newtonian fluids. It is aimed at making available the instrument in local markets and consequently reducing or eliminating the prohibitive cost of importation. The method employed is the use of a D.C motor to rotate a disc having holes for infra-red light to pass through and fall on a photo-diode thus undergoing amplification and this signal being translated on a moving-coil meter as a deflection. The motor speed is kept constant but varies with changes in viscosity of the fluid during stirring, which alter signals being read on the meter. The faster is revolution per minute of the disc, the less the deflection on the meter and vise-versa. From the results of tests conducted on various sample fluids using data on standard Newtonian fluids as reliable guide the efficiency of the viscometer was 76.5%.