Fuels Technical Information

Vanadium is a metal present in all crude oils in an oil soluble form. The levels found in residual fuels depend mainly on the crude oil source, with those from Venezuela and Mexico having the highest levels.

The actual level is also related to the concentrating effect of the refinery processes used in the production of residual fuel. Most residual fuels have vanadium levels of less than 150 mg/kg, however some fuels have a vanadium level greater than 400 mg/kg.

In general, residual fuel contains a small amount of sodium when delivered, typically below 50 mg/kg. The presence of sea water increases this value by approximately 100 mg/kg for each per cent sea water.

Normally sea water can be removed from the fuel by gravitational separation in the settling tank and centrifugal purification. Very occasionally, sodium hydroxide used in the refining process may be a source of contamination. Some of the sodium may be present in an oil soluble form that cannot be removed on board ship.