Gravitational capillary viscometer for low-temperature liquids

A pressurized gravitational capillary viscometer was developed for subcooled liquefied gases such as oxygen, nitrogen, hydrogen, and methane. It acquires accurate absolute viscosity measurements with an uncertainty of 1% at a 95.5% confidence level, necessary for the demands of aerospace engineering. The viscometer includes a coiled capillary of electroformed nickel that hydraulically connects two reservoirs located at equal heights. Using helium gas to temporarily drive liquid from a third supply reservoir, a level difference is created between the first two reservoirs without the need to tilt or invert the viscometer. Helium gas is then used to pressurize the first two reservoirs equally. Each reservoir holds a capacitive liquid-level sensor that both measure the flow induced by gravity through the capillary more precisely than by visual observations through windows. Viscosity data for liquid oxygen were acquired in the pressure domain from 0.15 to 1.0 MPa and in the temperature domain from the normal boiling point to near the freezing point. Published viscosity data and correlations for subcooled liquid oxygen are not precise nor complete in this density regime. Accordingly, the viscosity data delivered by the viscometer of the present work are superior.