Determination methods and significance of the freezing point and pour point of hydrocarbons

Hydrocarbons are the core components of petroleum. Their freezing point and pour point are key indicators for evaluating the low-temperature fluidity of oil products, directly affecting the storage, transportation and use of petroleum products such as diesel and lubricating oil in low-temperature environments.

The freezing point and pour point vary with the composition of hydrocarbons (such as wax content) : the higher the wax content, the more likely it is to crystallize at low temperatures, and the freezing point and pour point are usually higher, resulting in poorer low-temperature fluidity of the oil. By adjusting the composition (such as adding pour point depressants), its low-temperature performance can be optimized to meet the demands of different scenarios.

The determination of the freezing point and pour point of hydrocarbons hinges on the use of professional instruments to simulate a low-temperature environment and capture the critical temperature at which they lose fluidity due to waxy crystallization. The SH113 fully automatic freezing point and pour point tester is designed in accordance with the national standards GB510-2018 "Determination of Freezing Point of Petroleum Products - Automatic Micro Method" and GB3535-2006 "Determination of Pour Point of Petroleum Products". It is suitable for scenarios such as lubricating oil factories, power plants, railways, and petroleum companies, and can be used to determine light oil hydrocarbons.

Instrument features: With the MCS-51 series single-chip microcomputer as the control core and combined with semiconductor refrigeration technology, it realizes automatic refrigeration temperature control (temperature control accuracy ±0.1℃, measurement range 50℃ to -70℃) and automatic detection. Equipped with a color LCD display and a Chinese human-machine dialogue interface, it features guided operation and requires no manual intervention throughout the process. The measurement repeatability is high (freezing point 1℃, pour point 2℃), the cooling speed is fast (10 minutes >40℃), the cooling limit depth is > 70℃, and it meets the operating conditions of a cooling water pressure of 0.5kg/cm² and a flow rate of 1.6 liters/min. The determination of the freezing point and pour point of hydrocarbons, petroleum products, etc. is of great significance.