Product Data Shortcuts

Glossary

Definitions:

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

Abbreviations       Organizations

Abbreviations

AFV

Alternate Fuel Vehicle

API (engine service categories)

Gasoline and diesel engine oil quality levels established jointly by API, SAE, and ASTM, and sometimes called SAE or API/SAE categories; formerly called API Engine Service Classifications.

API (gravity)

A gravity scale established by the American Petroleum Institute and in general use in the petroleum industry, the unit being called "the A.P.I. degree." This unit is defined in terms of specific gravity as follows:
                   

ASTM D-95 (Distillation method)

A method involving distilling the fluid sample in the presence of a solvent that is miscible in the sample but immiscible in water. The water distilled from the fluid is condensed and segregated in a specially-designed receiving tube or tray graduated to directly indicate the volume of water distilled.

ATF (Automatic Transmission Fluid)

Fluid for automatic, hydraulic transmissions in motor vehicles.

Atm

Atmosphere

BHP

shaft. It is equivalent to the calculated horsepower, less the power lost in friction.

BMEP

Brake mean effective pressure, the theoretical average pressure that would have to be imposed on the pistons of a frictionless engine (of the same dimensions and speed) to produce the same power output as the engine under consideration; a measure of how effectively an engine utilizes its piston displacement to do work.

BS&W

The material which collects in the bottom storage tanks, usually composed of oil, water, and foreign matter. Also called bottoms, or bottom settling and water.

BTU

British thermal unit. The amount of heat required to raise the temperature of 1 pound of water 1 degree Fahrenheit.

C or cent.

Centigrade

Cc

Cubic centimeter

CCS (Cold cranking simulator)

An intermediate shear rate viscometer that predicts the ability of an oil to permit a satisfactory cranking speed to be developed in a cold engine.

Cfm

Cubic feet per minute

CID

Commercial item Description used in many cases in lieu of military specification.

Cm

Centimeter

cp (Centipoise)

A unit of absolute viscosity. 1 centipoise = 0.01 poise.

cst (Centistoke)

A unit of kinematics viscosity. 1 centistoke = 0.01 stoke.

COC (Cleveland open-cupTester)

Apparatus used in for the determination of flash and fire points of petroleum products flashing above 175 F, with the exception of fuel oils (ASTM Method D 92)

DEO

Diesel Engine Oil

EC & EC II

Energy Conserving and Energy Conserving II

EP (Extreme Pressure lubricants)

Lubricants that impart to rubbing surfaces the ability to carry appreciably greater loads than would be possible with ordinary lubricants without excessive wear or damage.

FFV

Flexible Fuel Vehicle

FTIR (Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy)

A test where infrared light absorption is used for assessing levels of soot, sulfates, oxidation, nitro-oxidation, glycol, fuel, and water contaminants.

FZG

A German gear test for evaluating EP properties

GPM

Gallons per minute

hp or HP

Horsepower

HVI

High Viscosity Index, typically from 80 to 110 VI units.

Hz

Hertz (cycles per second)

IFT (Interfacial tension)

The energy per unit area present at the boundary of two immiscible liquids. It is usually expressed in dynes/cm (ASTM Designation D 971.)

ISO (Viscosity grade)

A number indicating the nominal viscosity of an industrial fluid lubricant at 40°C (104°F) as defined by ASTM Standard Viscosity System for Industrial Fluid Lubricants D 2422. Essentially identical to ISO Standard 3448.

Kg

Kilograms

kilo

Thousand

Km

Kilometer

kHz

Thousand Hertz (cycles per second)

log

Logarithm (common)

LVI

Low Viscosity Index, typically below 40 VI units.

LNG

Liquefied Natural Gas

LPG

Liquefied Petroleum Gas

LWI

Load Wear Test: See Four Ball Test; a measure of the relative ability of a lubricant to prevent wear under applied loads; calculated from the loads applied and corrected for elastic deformation of the balls under static loading and for the size of the wear scar. Formerly called Mean Hertz Load.

M

Meter

Mega

Million

Micro

Millionth

MIL

Military

Milli

Thousandth

MON

Motor Octane Number

MSDS

Material Safety Data Sheet.

OLAP

Oil Labeling Assessment Program

OPEC

Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries

ORI

Octane Requirement Increase. The tendency of gasoline engines to require higher octane fuels as combustion chamber deposits accumulate.

OSHA

Occupational Safety and Health Administration

PAPTG

Product Approval Protocol Task Group.

PCMO

Passenger Car Motor Oil.

PCV (Positive crankcase ventilation)

System for removing blow-by gases from the crankcase and returning them through the carburetor intake manifold to the combustion chamber where the recirculated hydrocarbons are burned. A PC valve controls the flow of gases from the crankcase to reduce hydrocarbon emissions.

pH

Measure of alkalinity or acidity in water and water-containing fluids. pH can be used to determine the corrosion-inhibiting characteristic in water-based fluids. Typically, pH > 8.0 is required to inhibit corrosion of iron and ferrous alloys in water-based fluids.

PSI

Pounds per square inch

PSIA

Pounds per square inch absolute (PSIG + 14.696)

PSID

Pounds per square inch differential.

PSIG

Pounds per square inch gauge (PSIA - 14.696)

P

Pressure - psi

PPM

Parts per million (1/ppm = 0.000001). Generally by weight. 100 ppm = 0.01%; 10,000 ppm = 1%

Q

Flow rate - GPM

QLP

Qualified Product List (Military Listing)

(R+M)/2

Research Octane Number plus Motor Octane Number, divided by 2. Used now as general measure of road octanes of gasoline

R&O

Rust and oxidation-inhibited

RON

Research Octane Number

Rpm

Revolutions per minute

RVP (Vapor Pressure-Reid)

Measure of the pressure of vapor accumulated above a sample of gasoline or other volatile fuel in a standard bomb at 100°F (37.8°C). Used to predict the vapor locking

SAE

Society of Automotive Engineers - The organization responsible for the establishment of many U.S. automotive and aviation standards, including the viscosity classifications of engine oils and gear oils.

SCL

A Sulfur, chlorine and lead component extreme pressure additive package once commonly used for automotive type gear lubricants. Has been largely replaced by sulfur/phosphorus materials.

Services SJ, SH, SG, SF, SE, SD, SC, SB, SA, CH-4, CG-4, CF, CF-4, CF-2, CE, CD, CDII, CC, CB, CA

API Service categories

SI

Shear Index - the measure of an oil's percentage viscosity loss.

SUS (Viscosity)

Saybolt Universal Seconds (SUS), which is the time in seconds for 60 milliliters of oil to flow through a standard orifice at a given temperature. (ASTM Designation D88-56.)

t

Time in seconds

TAN (Total Acid Number)

The quantity of base, expressed in milligrams of potassium hydroxide, that is required to neutralize all acidic constituents present in 1 gram of sample. (ASTM Designation D 974.)

TBN Total Base Number

The quantity of acid, expressed in terms of the equivalent number of milligrams of potassium hydroxide that is required to neutralize all basic constituents present in 1 gram of sample. (ASTM Designation D 974.)

TVL

Temporary Viscosity Loss

P

Pressure drop psid

T

Temperature change, Fahrenheit

V

Total volume (gals)

VI (Viscosity index)

A commonly used measure of a fluid's change of viscosity with temperature. The higher the viscosity index, the smaller the relative change in viscosity with temperature.

µm

Micron micro-meter

ZDDP

An antiwear additive found in many types of hydraulic and lubricating fluids. Zinc dialkyldithiophosphate.