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Forensic analysis of problem fuels
Contamination and adulteration problems are endemic with bunker fuels. Added to this, process changes in the refineries, necessitated by the need for mandated low sulfur fuels, has introduced additional unwanted substances in the residual fuel.
Since the international bunker standard fuel ISO 8217 barely attempts to look at contaminants in bunker fuel, additional tests are imperative. Please note para 5.1 below which is the only recourse available to fuel users.
"5 General requirements
5.1 The fuels shall be homogeneous blends of hydrocarbons derived from petroleum refining. This shall not preclude the incorporation of small amounts of additives intended to improve some aspects of performance.
The fuels shall be free from inorganic acids and from used lubricating oils.
The fuel should not include any added substance or chemical waste which
jeopardizes the safety of ships or adversely affects the performance of the machinery; or
is harmful to personnel; or
contributes overall to additional air pollution"
Enlightened ship owners and operators carry out these additional tests in order to protect their interests and save themselves from serious losses. The tests most commonly carried out are listed below.
GC-MS
Acid Number (AN)
Strong Acid Number (SAN)
Room Temperature H2S and Mercaptans
Asphaltene
Bacteria
Stability / Compatibility test
Ignition and combustion properties tests
SEM/EDS analysis – Failure Analysis
Polypropylene by FT-IR (confirmation of presence only)
Particle count analysis
H2S and Mercaptans at elevated Fuel Pump Temperatures
ViswaLab takes special pride in not only identifying but also quantifying contaminants, something that most laboratories do not perform. ViswaLab has an extensive database of empirical studies conducted on fuels from every part of the world.
