Centipoise is the standard unit of measurement for fluid viscosity, measured by a viscometer. Thinner liquids have lower viscosities, while thicker liquids have higher viscosities. Centipoise is used in various industries, including fuel, adhesive, and food processing.
Described as a unit of dynamic viscosity, the centipoise is the amount of force required to move a layer of liquid relative to another liquid. It is considered the standard unit of measurement for fluids of all types and is a balance cent. The symbol for centipoise is cP or cps, depending on the source.
While centipoise may seem like a very technical and difficult term to understand, understanding it is simple once a person has a solid understanding of viscosity. Viscosity is the measure of a fluid’s resistance to flow. An easy way to understand this is to think of viscosity as fluid friction. Thinner liquids, such as water, have lower viscosities, while thicker liquids such as oil have higher viscosities.
A viscometer can be used to measure centipoise. A viscometer is an instrument that measures the force required to rotate a spindle at a specific speed. There are other types of viscometers as well; some use objects, such as bubbles or balls, to measure. Rheometers or plastometers can be used to obtain centipoise measurements of high viscosity fluids or molten polymers.
Water at about 70°F (21°C) is about 1 cP. When determining centipoise, all other fluids are calibrated to the viscosity of water. Blood has a viscosity of 10 cP and ethylene glycol has a viscosity of 15 cP.
Thicker liquids like honey have higher viscosities. For example, honey has a viscosity of 2,000 cP and molasses has a viscosity of 5,000 cP. Lard has a viscosity of a whopping 100,000 cP.
The average person may never need to learn much about viscosity and centipoise. However, those in science and engineering fields, as well as undergraduates in related majors, may find it a vital unit of measurement. In fact, these measurements are used in everything from the fuel and adhesive industries to certain types of food processing and refrigeration industries.
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