Effect of Temperature Variation on Viscosity of Selected Cooking Oils

Abstract

The viscosity of a liquid is a measure of that fluid's resistance to flow when acted upon by an external force such as a pressure differential or gravity. Effect of temperature variation on the viscosity of selected cooking oils were studied at five different temperatures (10^oC, 30^oC, 50^oC,70^oC and 90^oC). Viscometer (cannon model 2020) was used to carry out the study. The results obtained showed that the viscosity of the three samples differs significantly while the temperature reduces the viscosity of all the oil significantly especially for groundnut oil at 30⁰C. At 10⁰C coconut oil solidified, the variation in temperature and viscosity of the oil reveals that viscosity is a temperature-dependent for satisfactory mass transfer rate and low energy input during flow operation.