Background

Sulfur, vanadium and nickel occur naturally in crude oil, and their concentrations vary depending on the geographical region of the oil deposits. Vanadium and nickel can foul the refining process during crude oil cracking, and so crude oil with low levels of vanadium and nickel is desirable. In the oil fields and in off-shore drilling, a quick and easy means of screening for vanadium and nickel is a valuable tool to begin to characterize the quality of the crude before refining. 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 vanadium and nickel in crude, as well as the sulfur content.