Background

Residual oil is the low-grade oil that remains after the distillation and refining of crude oil. Residual oil, also called resid, has many uses, including in the blending of bunker fuel, as well as in the production of adhesives and asphalt. In some regions resid can be burned as a secondary fuel and may be further refined as a heating fuel. Characterization of the nickel and vanadium content is important for many reasons, chief among these is that nickel and vanadium are considered catalyst poisons and need to be removed prior to the cracking of petroleum crude or residual oils. Applied Rigaku Technologies meets the industry analytical need with the NEX QC series of EDXRF analyzers. Fast and simple, the NEX QC provides an ideal tool for monitoring the concentrations of nickel, vanadium and iron in resid, as well as the sulfur content.