Cannon Ravenfield BS/C+ User manual

Reference Manual
Raveneld® BS/C+
HTHS Viscometer
80.5991

P/N 80.5991
Ravenfield® BS/C+
Reference Manual
CANNON Instrument Company®
2139 High Tech Road
State College, PA 16803

Copyright
Copyright © 2018 CANNON Instrument Company®. All rights reserved.
Trademarks
CANNON® and the CANNON® logo are registered trademarks of CANNON Instrument Company®.
Ravenfield® and the Ravenfield® logo are registered trademarks of CANNON Instrument Company®.
Julabo® and the Julabo® logo are registered trademarks of Julabo®.
Contact
Address: CANNON Instrument Company
2139 High Tech Road
State College PA 16803, USA
Phone: [phone]
Fax: [phone]
Website: www.cannoninstrument.com
Email:
Sales: [e-mail]
Service: [e-mail]

Contents
Contents ...........................................................................................................................1
Overview...........................................................................................................................1
Description ................................................................................................................................... 1
History, Hardware & Method.................................................................................................... 1
Rigidity and Precision ............................................................................................................... 2
Temperature Control and Measurement .................................................................................. 3
Torque Measurement ............................................................................................................... 3
Torque Drive............................................................................................................................. 3
Rotor and Stator....................................................................................................................... 3
Ancillary Apparatus .................................................................................................................. 3
Related Documents ...........................................................................................................5
Specifications / Compliances...............................................................................................6
Notes/Cautions/Warnings............................................................................................................. 7
Safety precautions........................................................................................................................ 7
Getting Started .................................................................................................................9
Unpack and inspect ...................................................................................................................... 9
Setup the Ravenfield BS/C+ Viscometer............................................................................. 12
Location of Units ........................................................................................................................ 12
Inspection and Transit Clamps .....................................................................................................13
Removing the Transit Clamp: ..................................................................................................13
Upper Spring: ......................................................................................................................... 14
Damping Chamber ................................................................................................................. 14
Vacuum Extract Pipe .............................................................................................................. 14
Lead-in Wires.......................................................................................................................... 16
Serial Number......................................................................................................................... 16
Instructions for Moving & Re-Assembling Instrument................................................................. 16
Setting Full Scale Deflection (Span).............................................................................................17
Transducer Zero ......................................................................................................................17
Electrical Setting .....................................................................................................................17
Adjustment Period...................................................................................................................17

Fit the Rotor and Stator ...........................................................................................................17
Start Instrument ............................................................................................................. 19
Set Digital Gauge and Height Zero ............................................................................................. 23
Flush the Stator .......................................................................................................................... 23
Calibration Oil.............................................................................................................................24
Lower the Head ..........................................................................................................................24
Computer Control............................................................................................................ 25
Enter Sample Data...................................................................................................................... 25
Enter Rotor Constants ............................................................................................................26
Reference Oil Table Maintenance ............................................................................................... 27
Set Operating Mode ................................................................................................................... 27
Set Operating Temperature........................................................................................................28
Continuing the “Set Gap” Stage..................................................................................................28
Set Shear Rates.......................................................................................................................28
Sampling Technique ...................................................................................................................29
Stop Motor .............................................................................................................................29
Adjust Gap .............................................................................................................................. 30
Entering a New Depth Gauge Reading.................................................................................... 30
Preparing the Calibration Curve.................................................................................................. 31
Calibration Complete.............................................................................................................. 32
Independent Check on Shear Rate .......................................................................................... 33
Measurement.............................................................................................................................. 33
Sampling Technique ........................................................................................................ 35
Prepare for Through-Flush Method............................................................................................. 35
Commence Through-Flush Method ............................................................................................ 35
Taking a Reading ........................................................................................................................ 35
Normal Use..................................................................................................................... 36
Proceed with Normal Use ........................................................................................................... 36
Accidental Seizure ...................................................................................................................... 36
Review Data................................................................................................................................ 37
Calibrate/Clear Instrument.......................................................................................................... 38
Calibrating the LVDT .................................................................................................................. 38
Calibrating the PRT System ........................................................................................................ 39
Data Erasure ...............................................................................................................................40
Direct Mode Operation .................................................................................................... 41

Manual Operation/TWEAK Mode ............................................................................................... 41
Direct Mode Control ................................................................................................................... 42
One Parameter Selection Rules .................................................................................................. 42
Two Parameter Selection ........................................................................................................... 43
Security feature .......................................................................................................................... 43
Changing Password .................................................................................................................... 43
Autosampler with Windows.............................................................................................. 45
Simple Workflow: Calibration ..................................................................................................... 46
Simple Workflow: Routine Measurements.................................................................................. 47
Warranty......................................................................................................................... 48
Products limited warranty .......................................................................................................... 48
Reagent and chemical warranty ................................................................................................. 48
Returning a product to CANNON ............................................................................................... 49
Required Information – Please Include the Following: ............................................................ 49
Hazardous materials............................................................................................................... 49
Shipping notification .............................................................................................................. 49
Replacement Parts List..................................................................................................... 50
Appendix 1 - Calculations.................................................................................................. 51
Appendix 2 - Polishing Damaged Rotors and Stators........................................................... 53
Required Materials:......................................................................................................................53
Damage and Repair .....................................................................................................................53
Lapping Procedure ..................................................................................................................... 54
Appendix 3 - Spare Parts................................................................................................... 55
Appendix 4 - Clearing a Password...................................................................................... 56
Appendix 5 - Target Torque .............................................................................................. 57
Appendix 6 - Instructions for Removing, Cleaning & Re-Fitting the Damping Chamber ..........62
Removing Damping Chamber:.................................................................................................... 62
Replace Damping Chamber: ....................................................................................................... 62
Appendix 7 - Re-Fitting Plate Springs on Ravenfield BS/C+ Viscometers ...............................64
Re-Align the Measurement Chamber.......................................................................................... 66
Appendix 8 - LVDT Re-Alignment......................................................................................68
Appendix 9 – Calculation Sheet .........................................................................................69
High Temperature High Shear .................................................................................................... 69

Report Form Tests ASTM D 4741m IP 370, CEC L36 A 90 ........................................................69
Calibration ..............................................................................................................................69
Appendix 10 - Julabo® Bath Quick Start ............................................................................ 70
Switching On .............................................................................................................................. 70
Adjusting Set Point ..................................................................................................................... 70
Set Up Julabo MA Circulator for Use with Ravenfield by CANNON BS/C+ HTHS Viscometer.......71
For Use With or Without the Autosampler ...............................................................................71
List of Figures
Figure 1: Tapered Plug ......................................................................................................................2
Figure 2: Interior Overview of Instrument Construction ....................................................................4
Figure 3: Complete Ravenfield BS/C+ System Assembled with Optional Autosampler ................... 12
Figure 4: Diagram of Interior of Unit ............................................................................................... 13
Figure 5: Lower Shipping Jig Figure 6: Upper Shipping Jig................................................ 14
Figure 7: Connections at Vacuum Pump.......................................................................................... 15
Figure 8: Vacuum Connections at Instrument ................................................................................. 15
Figure 9: Autosampler Connections................................................................................................ 15
Figure 10: Clean Rotor and Stator Assembly....................................................................................17
Figure 11: Rotor and Stator Assembly Fitted (section view) ............................................................ 18
Figure 12: Complete Rotor and Stator Assembly ............................................................................20
Figure 13: Components for Assembled Stator................................................................................. 21
Figure 14: Rotor and Stator Assembly.............................................................................................22
Figure 15: Feeling for Step .............................................................................................................. 23
Figure 16: Digital Depth Gauge.......................................................................................................24
Figure 17: Software Version ............................................................................................................ 25
Figure 18: Main Menu Screen.......................................................................................................... 25
Figure 19: Constants Screen ...........................................................................................................26
Figure 20: Rotor constants screen...................................................................................................26
Figure 21: Error/incorrect or incomplete data message...................................................................26
Figure 22: Reference Oil Table........................................................................................................ 27
Figure 23: Shear Rate Screen ..........................................................................................................28
Figure 24: New Calibration Screen..................................................................................................28
Figure 25: Calibration Screen..........................................................................................................29
Figure 26: Cutoff Screen .................................................................................................................29
Figure 27: Adjust Gap Screen .......................................................................................................... 30

Figure 28: Calibration Screen...........................................................................................................31
Figure 29: Torque, Temperature and Speed Screen.........................................................................31
Figure 30: Calibration Complete Screen.......................................................................................... 32
Figure 31: Calibration Table .............................................................................................................33
Figure 32: Main Menu Screen ..........................................................................................................33
Figure 33: Torque, Temperature and Speed.................................................................................... 34
Figure 34: View Stored Data Screen ................................................................................................37
Figure 35: Set Up Instrument Constant Sub-Menu.......................................................................... 38
Figure 36: Calibrate LVDT Screen................................................................................................... 38
Figure 37: Applying Torque Load .................................................................................................... 38
Figure 38: Position of 150 gm Calibration Weight ........................................................................... 39
Figure 39: PRT Offset Correction.................................................................................................... 40
Figure 40: Direct Mode Screen ....................................................................................................... 41
Figure 41: Direct Mode Options Screen .......................................................................................... 41
Figure 42: TWEAK Mode ................................................................................................................ 42
Figure 43: Change Password Screen ............................................................................................... 44
Figure 44: Password Changed Screen............................................................................................. 44
Figure 45: Incorrect Password Screen............................................................................................. 44
Figure 46: Ravenfield DSR Autosampler......................................................................................... 45
Figure 47: Diagram of Front of Autosampler................................................................................... 46
Figure 48: Target Torque.................................................................................................................57
Figure 49: Torque Equation .............................................................................................................57
Figure 50: Rotor and Stator ............................................................................................................ 58
Figure 51: Torque Graph ................................................................................................................. 59
Figure 52: Torque Graph................................................................................................................. 59
Figure 53: Torque Graph ................................................................................................................. 60
Figure 54: Torque Graph................................................................................................................. 60
Figure 55: Target Torque ................................................................................................................ 60
Figure 56: Damping Chamber Components.................................................................................... 63
Figure 57: Instrument on its Back with Block for Support................................................................ 64
Figure 58: Plate Spring with Screws................................................................................................ 65
Figure 59: Rollers with Jig Kit.......................................................................................................... 65
Figure 60: Insert Block under Motor Sleeve .................................................................................... 65
Figure 61: LVDT and Allen Screw.................................................................................................... 68
Figure 62: Julabo Display Diagram...................................................................................................71

List of Tables
Table 1: Related Documents .............................................................................................................5
Table 2: Specifications......................................................................................................................6
Table 3: Packing List (main components)..........................................................................................9
Table 4: Contents of Tool Kit .......................................................................................................... 10
Table 5: Replacement Parts List...................................................................................................... 50
Table 6: Spare Parts List ................................................................................................................. 55

Cannon Instrument Company | Overview
1
Overview
The CANNON Ravenfield BS/C+ Viscometer is a compact, high precision, tapered plug viscometer
designed to measure the high temperature, high shear viscosity of engine lubricants and other oils
according to ASTM D4741, CEC L-36-A-90 and IP 370 as specified by SAE J300 and ACEA. The HTHS
BS/C+ Tapered Plug Viscometer also complies to ASTM D4683 with no bias and is capable of testing
across a wide range of temperatures and shear rates.
Description
The Ravenfield High Shear Viscometer was specifically designed to perform measurements on the
viscosity of oils at shear rates of the order of 106 s-1 at of 150° C temperature, although these are not
limiting conditions.
At the same time, the design was seen as the basis of a new range of viscometers and the possible
requirements of many different measuring systems were considered. The major requirements of
any instrument for viscosity measurement are rigidity of construction and precision of alignment of
the measuring system. Also required are a convenient method of torque measurement, having
constancy and accuracy, and reliable electronics. Further, since media usually exhibit a high
temperature coefficient of viscosity, also necessary is a means of controlling and measuring
temperature and preferably of raising the temperature of a new sample rapidly.
History, Hardware & Method
The idea of measuring viscosity under high shear conditions first occurred to Albert Kingsbury in the
late 19th Century during his pioneering work in the thrust bearing carrying his name. Kingsbury
created the tapered plug geometry. In the later part of the 20th Century, Roy Banks and others at BP
Research in Sunbury, UK took the earlier Kingsbury work and applied it to the Ferranti-Shirley
rheometer in conjunction with a Cannon CCS® rotor and stator. They achieved shear rates of the
order of 150-250 k s-1. Jim Taylor of Ravenfield was invited to submit a new instrument design for BP
to evaluate that extended the shear rate to at least 106 s-1 thus leading him to quit his job and run
Ravenfield full time. After successful testing, and with a lot of work, method CEC L 36 was born.
Kingsbury’s innovation was to allow him to make mechanically difficult measurements of lubricants
at relatively high shear rates without having to create a very tightly controlled gap.

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CANNON Ravenfield BS/C+ HTHS Reference Manual
The tapered plug, pictured in Error! Reference source not found., is a simple modification of the
classic Searle geometry where the inner part spins inside the outer, as opposed to the Couette
where the outer spins around the inner.
In the modification, a taper is imposed on the cylindrical surfaces, as shown in Figure 1. By adjusting
the height between the components it is possible to precisely fine-tune the gap between the parts
since the gap varies as the TAN of the angle of the   .
Figure 1: Tapered Plug
An often overlooked problem with concentric cylinder geometries is the variation of shear rate
across the gap since shear rate is measured at an infinitesimal cylindrical lamina. The shear rate at
the outer wall is higher than the shear rate at the inner wall. The effect is minimized if the ratio of
gap-to-radius of the cup is maximized.
Given that the nominal working gap in the Ravenfield HTHS is 2.8µ, and the radius approximately
10,000µ, there is an approximate variation in shear rate across the gap of 1/3000.
Rigidity and Precision
The main base frame and pillar of the instrument are machined from billet aluminum. The moving
head of the machine is mounted on a long, pre-loaded base ball slide. This chamber is supported on
special plate springs attached to a yoke fastened to the ball slide.
In order to separate the rotor and stator, the yoke carrying the motor and measuring system is
raised by a lifting screw operated by a handle on the side of the base.
The yoke is lowered until a hardened steel plate rests on a finely threaded screw with a ball end
acting as a kinematic stop. This arrangement gives a fine adjustment to the vertical position of the
rotor within the stator, and allows the yoke to be raised and lowered very precisely to the same
position. Repeatability is better than ± 2 micron.
The vertical position of the yoke is precisely measured by a digital gauge. The measurement system
is designed to account for thermal expansion and is compensated to a degree by opposing vertical
expansion of the measurement chamber and its mounting base. A rigid, non-plastic thermal

Cannon Instrument Company | Overview
3
insulator is used between chamber and base. A diagram of the interior of the instrument is outlined
in Figure 2.
Temperature Control and Measurement
The measurement system is jacketed by an annular chamber which circulates fluid from an external
bath, allowing the temperature of the sample to be closely regulated and rapidly stabilized to the
desired temperature. Maximum productivity is reached at 80 tests per day on 40 samples.
Torque Measurement
Torque is measured with plate springs. The resulting movement is measured by a non-contacting
inductive transducer. The torque measurement components are mounted as far as possible from
the heated components of the apparatus.
The movement measurement is converted electronically into a digital measurement of torque in
gram centimeters and selected to give whole numbers.
Torque Drive
The driving motor is a d.c. servomotor that drives through a torque-limiting clutch. This minimizes
the damage caused to both rotor and stator should a foreign body enter the system and cause a
seizure. The main shaft is designed with a connector driving the rotor through a flexible coupling,
ensuring that no side thrust is transmitted to the rotor.
Rotor and Stator
The form and dimensions of the rotor and stator unit follow closely with the design outlined in the
paper by Pike, Banks and Kulik “A simple High Shear Viscometer – Aspects of Correlation with Engine
Performance” S.A.E. 780981, with the principle of a truncated cone rotating in a tapered bore. The
rotor is centered within the stator using flats that permit the formation of a hydro-dynamic wedge
of oil and is driven through a universal coupling that aid in allowing the natural forces to work
properly and center the rotor.
Ancillary Apparatus
The normal use of the instrument requires ancillary apparatus for waste samples, solvent aspiration
and temperature control. This includes temperature controlled bath, waste oil receiver and vacuum
pump as shown in Figure 3 in the section “Setup the Ravenfield BS/C+ Viscometer”. A temperature
measurement facility is built in to the instrument.

4
CANNON Ravenfield BS/C+ HTHS Reference Manual
Figure 2: Interior Overview of Instrument Construction

Cannon Instrument Company | Related Documents
5
Related Documents
Table 1: Related Documents
Title
Reference Number
Standard Test Method for Measuring Viscosity at High Temperature
and High Shear Rate by Tapered-Plug Viscometer ASTM D4741
Procedure for Gasoline Engine Cleanliness Test
CEC L-36-A-90
Standard Test Method for Measuring Viscosity at High Temperature
and High Shear Rate by Tapered-Plug Viscometer IP 370

6
CANNON Ravenfield BS/C+ HTHS Reference Manual
Specifications / Compliances
Table 2: Specifications
Specifications
Details
Model
CANNON Ravenfield BS/C+ Viscometer
Methodology
ASTM D4741, CEC L-36-A-90, IP370
Applications
High temperature, high shear viscosity of engine lubricants and
other oils
Dimensions (W × D × H)
With autosampler
62.2 cm × 38.1 cm × 64.8 cm (24.5 in × 15 in × 25.5 in)
83.3 cm x 41.9 cm x 64.8 cm ( 32.8 in x 16.5 in x 25.5 in)
Weight
With autosampler
30 kg (66 lb)
50 kg (110 lb)
Operational temperature
range
40 °C to +180 °C (± 0.02 °C)
Accuracy at 150 °C, ± 0.02 °C for viscosity range 1.5 mPa·s
(cP) to 5.9 mPa·s (cP) at 10 shear rate
Accuracy at 100 °C, ± 0.02 °C for viscosity range 4.2 mPa·s (cP) to
18.9 mPa·s (cP) at 10 shear rate
Maximum throughput
>12 tests per hour
Automated sample capacity
1 positions (without autosampler)
22 (with optional model DR autosampler)
Minimum sample
10 mL sample
Viscosity range
Up to 30 mPa-s (cP)*
*depending on shear rate and temperature
Power requirements
100 V
AC
, 50/60 Hz, 1200 W; 115 V
AC
, 50/60 Hz, 1200 W or
230 VAC, 50/60 Hz, 1200 W
Operating conditions
10% to 75% relative humidity (non-condensing), Installation
Category II, Pollution Degree 2
Compliance
CE Mark: EMC Directive (89/336/EEC); Low Voltage Directive
(73/23/EC); HI-POT (1900 VDC, 60 sec)

Cannon Instrument Company | Specifications / Compliances
7
Notes/Cautions/Warnings
Please keep this manual near your system to easily access necessary information while operating or
preparing for operation.
Notes, caution, and warnings are used in the manual to call an operator’s attention to important
details prior to performing a procedure or step. Read and follow these important instructions.
Failure to observe these instructions may void warranties, compromise operator safety, and/or
result in damage to the instrument.
Notes provide more information about the content that follows.
Cautions alert the operator to conditions that may damage equipment.
Warnings alert the operator to conditions that may cause injury.
Safety precautions
Please observe the following general safety precautions for proper and safe operation of the
CANNON Ravenfield BS/C+ high temperature, high shear rate viscometer.
•Only qualified personnel should operate the Ravenfield BS/C+.
•Make sure that you read and understand all operating instructions and safety precautions
listed in this manual before installing or operating your unit. If you have questions regarding
instrument operation or documentation, contact CANNON Instrument Company®.
•Do not deviate from the installation, operation, or maintenance procedures described in this
manual. Improper use of the Ravenfield BS/C+ may result in a hazardous situation and can void
the manufacturer’s warranty.
•Handle and transport the unit with care. Sudden jolts or impacts may cause damage to
components.
•Observe all warning labels. Never remove warning labels.