DENSITIES OF VEGETABLE-OILS AND FATTY-ACIDS

Complete data for density as a function of temperature have been measured for a number of vegetable oils (crambe, rapeseed, corn, soybean, milkweed, coconut, lesquerella), as well as eight fatty acids in the range C-9 to C22 at temperatures from above their melting points to 110-degrees-C (230-degrees-F). The specific gravity and density measurements were performed according to American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) standard test methods D 368, D 891 and D 1298 for hydrometers and a modified ASTM D 369 and D 891 for pycnometers. Correlation constants, based on the experimental data, are presented for calculating the density of fatty acids and vegetable oils in the range of temperature from 24-degrees-C (75-degrees-F) or the melting point of the substance, to 110-degrees-C 1230-degrees-F). The constants are valuable for designing or evaluating such chemical process equipment as heat exchangers, reactors, process piping and storage tanks. Estimated density of fatty acids by a modified Rackett equation is also presented.