Above: The ECON Salt Water Contamination Test gives fast, accurate results.
Vanadium and Sodium in combination and at high levels can result in high temperature corrosion damage to valve and turbocharger components - see Section 4 for a more detailed discussion of the effects of Vanadium and Sodium contamination.
Graph shows vanadium distribution for residual fuel.
Info Centre >> Fuel and Lube Oil Technical Manual >> 2. Fuel Oil - Characteristics >> 2.10 Vanadium & Sodium
Vanadium is a metal that is 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 the residual fuel. The majority of residual fuels have vanadium levels of less than 150mg/kg. However some fuels have a vanadium level greater than 400mg/kg. There is no economic process for removing vanadium from either the crude oil or residue.
In general, fuel as delivered contains a small amount of sodium, and typically this is below 50mg/kg. The presence of sea water increases this value by approximately 100mg/kg for each per cent sea water. If not removed in the fuel treatment process, a high level of sodium will give rise to post-combustion deposits in the turbocharger. These can normally be removed by water washing.
Vanadium and sodium in combination and at high levels can result in high temperature corrosion damage to valve and turbocharger components - see Section 4 for a more detailed discussion of the effects of Vanadium and Sodium contamination.