What does specific gravity tell you about a petroleum product?

What does specific gravity tell you about a petroleum product?

• A. The sulfur content.
• B. The ratio of the product's density to that of water, indicating density and aid in product identification.
• C. The viscosity and flow characteristics.
• D. The flash point.

Answer: (B)

Specific gravity measures how dense a petroleum product is compared with water. It’s a simple density ratio (the product’s density divided by the density of water at a standard temperature), which makes it useful for identifying products and, in practice, relates to API gravity as a convenient way to compare densities. This property does not tell you sulfur content, viscosity, or flash point, which are determined by separate tests or measurements. So the best description is that specific gravity indicates density relative to water and helps identify the product.

Specific gravity measures how dense a petroleum product is compared with water. It’s a simple density ratio (the product’s density divided by the density of water at a standard temperature), which makes it useful for identifying products and, in practice, relates to API gravity as a convenient way to compare densities. This property does not tell you sulfur content, viscosity, or flash point, which are determined by separate tests or measurements. So the best description is that specific gravity indicates density relative to water and helps identify the product.