ASTM D97 Pour Point of Petroleum Products
Oils used in transformers, mining operations and pipelines need to flow during routine use. In cold environments oils will cease to flow before they are technically frozen. The pour point is the lowest temperature at which an oil flows, below this temperature it will no longer act as a fluid. This test measures pour points between 45ºC and -72ºC.
As the sample is slowly cooled in a specified pour point tube, the tube is gently tipped and observed at regular intervals. When the oil no longer flows, the pour point is recorded and reported in degrees Celsius.