Process for determining acid or acidvapor formation characteristics of a substance

Claim 1

A PROCESS FOR DETERMINING THE ACID VAPOR FORMATION CHARACTERISTICS OF A SUBSTANCE SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF LUBRICATING OILS AND GREASES AND MIXTURES OF THE TWO, SAID SUBSTANCE HAVING AN ACID VAPOR TEMPERATURE NOT ABOVE ABOUT 160* F., WHICH COMPRISES THE STEPS OF APPLYING HEAT AT A CONTINUOUSLY INCREASING TEMPERATURE AT A CONTROLLED RATE TO THE SAMPLE TO BE TESTED AND SIMULTANEOUSLY WITH SAID APPLICATION OF HEAT PASSING A STREAM OF PRE-WASHED AND DRIED GAS VIGOROUSLY THROUGH SAID SAMPLE, CONDUCTING THE GAS AND VAPORS FROM SAID SAMPLE TO A MEASURED QUANTITY OF A VOLATILE, ACID-SENSITIVE INDICATOR AND MEASURING THE TEMPERATURE OF THE SAMPLE AT THE PRECISE TIME THAT SAID VOLATILE, ACID-SENSITIVE INDICATOR INDICATES THE PRESENCE OF ACIDIC VAPORS IN THE GAS AND VAPOR PRODUCTS BUBBLING THROUGH SAID INDICATOR, WHEREBY FROM THE TEMPERATURE OF SAID SAMPLE AT WHICH SAID INDICATOR SHOWS THE FIRST INDICATION OF ACIDITY THE ACID VAPOR TEMPERATURE OF THE SAMPLE MAY BE ASCERTAINED.