MPC SERIES PP/CP TESTERS
HIGHER PRECISION AND TEST THROUGHPUT
Ever since its debut, MPC series Pour/Cloud Point Testers have proven its advantages in various spectrum and at a number of occasions.
PP WITH HIGHER PRECISION
Evaluation made by our users proved superior precision for Pour Point (PP) determination.
When PP is tested at 1 degree intervals,
*Repeatability: 1 degree
*Reproducibility: 2 degree
This high precision was achieved by adopting the proprietary "air pressurizing method" that detects a slight movement of specimen surface caused by applying a weak static air pressure, which gives a minimum disturbance to the formation of wax crystal network or increased viscosity. Now, PP can be controlled at a narrower control window. (The automated tilting apparatus as well as the original manual tilting apparatus have been known to give excessive and/or unpredictable amount of disturbance, which contributed to the poor precision in the past.)
HIGHER TEST THROUGHPUT
1.Rapid cooling:
While improving the precision, steepest cooling rate possible was sought. Time needed for a typical PP(and/or CP) determination has been cut in half or less, which means a Tanaka MPC series with 3 test-heads(*1) is equivalent to the conventional automatic tilting apparatus with 6 test-heads, in terms of test throughput.
Tab.1 Typical time required for PP determination of various sample types
| Sample Type |
Pour Point |
Test Time (*2) |
Test Time by MPC |
| Diesel Fuel Oils |
-10 degree |
80 min |
30 min |
| Diesel Fuel Oils |
-32.5 degree |
140 min |
45 min |
| Light Fuel Oils |
-12.5 degree |
140 min |
30 min |
| Light Fuel Oils |
-27.5 degree |
80 min |
35 min |
| Heavy Fuel Oils |
-10 degree |
90 min |
55 min |
| Heavy Fuel Oils (*3) |
-20 degree |
115 min |
60 min |
*1
Model MPC-302 is the 3 test-heads version,
Model MPC-102 is the one test-head version,
Model MPC-602 is the 6 test-heads version.
*2
Equivalent to ASTM D5950 test method by an automatic tilting apparatus
*3
Heavy fuel oil samples have been pre-heated at 45 degree prior to testing,which stretched the testing time. (Above data has been taken by a refinery laboratory in Japan. Note that under the current Japanese Industrial Standard for PP determination, PP is determined at a 2.5 degree interval, which is the reason the PPs in the above table are in the multiple of 2.5 degree.)
2. Consecutive Cloud Point-Pour Point determination
When both PP and CP are called, while on a typical automatic tilting apparatus CP and PP need to be determined by separate test heads, Tanaka MPC series determines CP and then PP in one test cycle and in one test head. This doubles the productivity of the apparatus. (With the rapid cooling which already cuts the PP test in half, when both CP and PP need to be determined, the overall test throughput is 4 times that of a conventional automatic tilting apparatus.)
TESTING PRINCIPLE
After inserting the test jar containing the specimen into the automatic pour point apparatus and initiating the test program, the specimen is automatically heated to the designated temperature and then cooled at a controlled rate. At temperature intervals of 1 or 3 degree, depending on the selection made by the user prior to the test, a slightly positive air pressure is gently applied onto the surface of the specimen which is contained in an air-tight test jar equipped with a communicating tube.
Since one end of the communicating tube is inserted into the specimen while the other end is maintained at atmospheric pressure,a small amount of downward movement or deformation of the specimen surface as a result of the application of air pressure is observed by means of upward movement of the specimen in the communicating tube.This upward movement of the specimen is detected by a pressure sensor which is installed at the atmospheric end of the communicating tube. The lowest temperature at which deformation of the specimen is observed upon application of air pressure is recorded as the pour point.
