Canadian Alcoholometric Tables 1980

Preface

Our department is proud to publish this book of alcoholometric tables.

The tables have been constructed to provide users with an accurate and simple method of determining the volume and strength of spirits under various conditions.

The book is the outcome of two and a half years' work by our Laboratory and Scientific Services Division with contributions from a number of specialists both national and international.

J.P. Connell Deputy Minister March 1980

Introduction

Throughout the world many nations developed their own ways of measuring the strength of water/alcohol mixtures. These unrelated systems caused continual misunderstanding and difficulty in international commerce.

In 1972 most of the major trading nations in the world - who are member states of the International Organization of Legal Metrology (OIML) - agreed upon a new system of alcoholometry. The new system is based on an algebraic formula enabling individual nations to develop practical tables suited to their own needs.

Introduction of the OIML system was planned in conjunction with the metric conversion program in Canada.

The Canadian Alcoholometric Tables, as constructed provide easy access with simple calculations to determine the volume and strength of spirits. They are designed to harmonize with other tables that are derived from the OIML formula.

ALCOHOLOMETRIC TABLES

Basis of Tables

The tables have been calculated directly from the general formula established by the International Organization of Legal Metrology (International Recommendation No. 22, Fourth International Conference of Legal Metrology - October, 1972, First Edition 1973).

Arrangement and Range of Tables

The tables are constructed according to systematic increments of density in 0.2 kg/m3 steps, matching the complete range of hydrometer readings from pure water to absolute ethyl alcohol. The density of absolute ethyl alcohol, C2H5OH, as calculated from the general formula is 789.239 1233 kg/m3 at 20 C.

Values have been calculated for individual density steps (0.2 kg/m3) corresponding to the entire sequence of hydrometer readings occurring at 0.5 C temperature increments ranging from -20 C to +40 C.

INSTRUMENTS

Verification

Instruments which are used in the determination of alcoholic strength for fiscal purposes must be verified in a manner approved by the Minister of National Revenue, Canada.

METHOD OF USING THE HYDROMETER

Handling Glass Hydrometers

Glass hydrometers for alcohol are relatively fragile due to rigid design specifications. Improper handling, such as lifting the instrument by the stem from a horizontal position, will lead to a high incidence of breakage.

Hydrometers should always be handled by the bulb (body of the instrument).
Hydrometers should be held by the tip of the stem only at the time of the actual measurement procedure, with the instrument in a vertical position.

Immersion

In order for the readings of the hydrometer to be correct, the emergent stem must be dry, except in the immediate vicinity of the meniscus.

Instructions for Use

The following instructions must be followed in order to achieve accurate results.

Thoroughly cleanse the hydrometer and cylinder or clear glass jar.
Fill the cylinder or glass jar to within 5 cm of the top. Thorough mixing of the liquid is required before the hydrometer test is made. This serves to disperse layers of the liquid of different density and temperature.
When testing, the temperatures of the hydrometer and the spirits must be equal.
The hydrometer must be lowered carefully into the liquid to a point two divisions deeper than that to which it naturally sinks and then allowed to float freely. Air bubbles must be allowed to disappear from the surface of the hydrometer and the liquid before taking the scale reading.
To take a reading from the hydrometer scale, observe a point slightly below the plane of the liquid surface (fig. 1) and then raise the line of vision until the surface, first seen as an ellipse, becomes a straight line. The point where this line (fig. 2) cuts the hydrometer scale is the reading of the instrument.

The above technique is applicable to unobscured spirits only.

EXAMPLES OF PRACTICAL USE

Mass/Density Procedure

Example 1

Scale tank indication = 20 135 kg (kilograms)
Hydrometer indication = 922.6
Temperature = 20 C
A = 1.0851
B = 53.7
20 135 kg x 1.0851 = 21 848.4885 L (litres of spirits at 20 C)
21 848.4885 L x 53.7% = 11 732.638 L (litres of absolute ethyl
alcohol at 20 C)

Example 2

Scale tank indication = 23 876 kg (kilograms)
Hydrometer indication = 937.4
Temperature = 10 C
A = 1.0762
B = 50.0
23 876 kg x 1.0762 = 25 695.3512 L (litres of spirits at
20 C)
25 695.3512 L x 50.0% = 12 847.676 L (litres of absolute ethyl
alcohol at 20 C)

Volume /Density Procedure

Example 1

Flowmeter reading = 24 615.0 L (litres)
Hydrometer indication = 905.8
Temperature = 20 C
C = 1.0000
B = 61.5
24 615.0 L x 1.0000 = 24 615.0 L (litres of spirits at 20 C)
24 615.0 L x 61.5% = 15 138.225 L (litres of absolute ethyl
alcohol at 20 C)

Example 2

Flowmeter reading = 21 643.0 L (litres)
Hydrometer indication = 897.4
Temperature = 30 C
C = 0.9909
B = 61.7
21 643.0 L x 0.9909 = 21 446.0487 L (litres of spirits at
20 C)
21 446.0487 x 61.7% = 13 232.212 L (litres of absolute ethyl
alcohol at 20 C)

SYMBOLS

A = factor to convert kilograms of spirits to litres of spirits at 20 C

B = percentage of absolute ethyl alcohol by volume at 20 C

C = factor to convert litres of spirits at temperature of measurement in degrees Celsius to litres of spirits at 20 C

TABLES

ZIP Canadian Alcoholometric Tables 1980 (921 KB/ASCII)

The tables are very large, e.g. The Canadian Alcoholometric Tables 1980 has over 125,000 Rows.

Most spreadsheet software will not be able to load all the rows at once. One way of dealing with this problem is by using a word processor:

Open the file as 'PLAIN TEXT' in the word processor.
Select the required rows of the table.
Save the selection to a file or copy the selection to the clipboard.
Open the new file (subset of the table) with the spreadsheet software or paste the selection into the spreadsheet software.

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