What is the Pour Point of a Petroleum product?
The pour point of petroleum product is the minimum temperature at which the fluid will pour or flow under test conditions. This is an indicator of the ability of an oil or distillate fuel to flow at cold operating temperatures. The pour point of a product is often mistakenly taken as coldest ambient temperature at which equipment using the product as fuel or lubricant can be operated. The product in question may have a Cloud Point 10 to 20oF above the pour Point and this may become the limiting temperature. ( At cloud Point, the wax crystals in the oil start forming in the product, the wax crystals tend to clog filter screens in fuel and lubricant circulation systems, preventing proper equipment operation) This problem can occur in situations where a product has been artificially lowered by means of an additive (Pour Point Depressant) the additive does not lower the Cloud Point. There are other reasons for setting a minimum operating temperature well above a product’s Pour Point especi
