The Determination of Vapor Pressures of Low Viscosity Lubricants from Distillation Data

The vapor pressure of low viscosity aliphatic hydrocarbon lubricants is shown to be determined with good accuracy from data obtained from a modification of the ASTM Distillation Test D86-67. This test gives the initial boiling point of a lubricant from which the vapor pressure at any other temperature can be calculated by use of an empirical equation relating the boiling point to the vapor pressure. Two other equations were derived, one relating the viscosity of an aliphatic hydrocarbon lubricant to the vapor pressure at any temperature, and the other extending the use of this distillation method to calculation of the vapor pressures of other types of lubricants as, for example, esters, alcohols, and acids. The data presented indicate that this method is superior to the isoteniscope method in accuracy and ease of operation. Presented at the 25th ASLE Annual Meeting in Chicago, May 4–8, 1970