Hey everyone,
Hopefully this question will be unique since I don't actually care at all about the engine performance of the oil, only the chemistry and material properties.
I am doing experiments for a project where I need to record video of water droplets precipitating through an oil layer and then fall into a water layer. The general goal is to characterize the behavior of the velocity. We have made an acrylic tank (like an aquarium) and about half the tank has water and half the tank has oil on top.
Here's the problem we are facing: after a while, the oil/water interface becomes cloudy and milky and begins swirling all over, making visibility worse than it already was. We are using a couple blends to vary viscosity and density, but for now I'll just keep it to Synthetic Castrol 5W-30. It seems from researching BITOG that maybe it's the hydrolysis of the ester in the oil.
Is that what it looks like when hydrolysis occurs in a synthetic blend like that when water is introduced (milky/mayonnaise/peanutbutter)?
Are there any additives that might be culprits, or are there too many unknown additives?
Is there a type of oil we can switch to with similar viscosity and density properties without the 'problem ingredient,' whether it's ester or otherwise?
I look forward to hearing any answers or responses.
Thanks!
Hopefully this question will be unique since I don't actually care at all about the engine performance of the oil, only the chemistry and material properties.
I am doing experiments for a project where I need to record video of water droplets precipitating through an oil layer and then fall into a water layer. The general goal is to characterize the behavior of the velocity. We have made an acrylic tank (like an aquarium) and about half the tank has water and half the tank has oil on top.
Here's the problem we are facing: after a while, the oil/water interface becomes cloudy and milky and begins swirling all over, making visibility worse than it already was. We are using a couple blends to vary viscosity and density, but for now I'll just keep it to Synthetic Castrol 5W-30. It seems from researching BITOG that maybe it's the hydrolysis of the ester in the oil.
Is that what it looks like when hydrolysis occurs in a synthetic blend like that when water is introduced (milky/mayonnaise/peanutbutter)?
Are there any additives that might be culprits, or are there too many unknown additives?
Is there a type of oil we can switch to with similar viscosity and density properties without the 'problem ingredient,' whether it's ester or otherwise?
I look forward to hearing any answers or responses.
Thanks!