By Jim Fitch
Practicing Oil Analysis Magazine
Like viscosity, the flash point test has always been a standard part of a lubricant’s specification. And, because of its low cost, simplicity and versatility, the test is popular among the used oil analysis community as well. Most commonly used as a quick pass/fail test for fuel dilution, more applications have surfaced in recent years. The lab analyst can deploy information about a used oil’s flash point to troubleshoot such problems as thermal failure, gamma radiation, solvent contamination, mixed (or wrong) oils, and antifreeze contamination.